Next thing Jeremy knew, he was wearing a helmet and life jacket and being airlifted by a familiar helicopter, in an inner tube, at a fearful altitude. The chopper's loudspeaker addressed him in a totally familiar voice. "Attention. Attention, Jeremy Johnson. This is Don Karnage, speaking to you with my voice. You are now headed for the very peak of the whitewater rapid, where you're in for the very ride of your life. Make sure your helmet and life jacket are securely fastened and brace yourself to get wet, because there is simply no turning back. Just think of it as the water slide of your dreams, because there's no slow line for it."
Jeremy began praying out loud. "Please don't get me killed! Please don't get me killed! Please don't get me killed! Please don't get me killed!" He feared that Don Karnage would drop him from a dangerous altitude, but the chopper descended steadily. Even as it did, Jeremy felt as if Karnage was making him walk the plank into electric eel infested waters. He had been whitewater rafting before, but whitewater tubing, to him, was totally worrisome without a paddle. To do the least, he did what he had always done for safety at his favorite water parks. He laid back in the tube feet first and held on tight to both of the tube's handles.
Don Karnage maneuvered the chopper only a few feet above the water and addressed Jeremy one more time. "Jeremy, time to brace yourself. Hold on tight to both handles, place your feet out in front of you, and prepare to be thrilled. One the count of three, you'll be on your way down. One… two… three!" And with that Karnage released the inner tube and flew away.
Jeremy and the inner tube landed in the whitewater rapid with a splash, and he was right on his way down the stream. He took a good look ahead to see where he was headed and saw that he had a clean shot ahead. At first, he was enjoying the thrill, but a couple minutes later, the real splashing began. Some rocks were smooth, but others were jagged. And he wiggled for dear life to avoid getting a terrible cut on himself. One minute, the water was a thrill. The next minute, the waves were big. Big enough to pull him all the way under. So much so that it was a wrestling match to hold on to the inner tube. Along the way, there were countless rocks, trees, and river creatures, all making him nervous. He didn't know if it was fish, snakes, of some of each. But he continued to hold on tight. Minutes later, he saw a riverfront house with a Corvette in the driveway. He thought about climbing up there and hitching a ride, but he realized the riverbank was much too steep. He had no doubt he was a fun loving optimist. But more treacherous waves came his way. He wasn't even sure if he'd ever see Candace again. In fact, he had a bad feeling that Candace, as well as his parents, was getting worried. But he didn't have his smartphone on him. And as if his worry couldn't get any worse, the slope of water got steeper. He held on with both his arms stretched out, but that was a mistake. He capsized backwards, falling right into the rocks and water. Good thing they were smooth, or he would have gotten a terrible scrape. But on one larger rock, he hit his funny bone and was barely able to hang on with only his right hand. Moments later, he did get an idea that he thought just might work. He cushioned the back of his head and neck on the inner tube, held on, and scooted backward. It started out almost like a lazy river, but in less than a minute, it was trauma. He found himself careening down the rapid, totally vulnerable. He tried to slow down and get back on, but the rocks were just too slippery, allowing him to continue sliding. He tried going to the side of the rapid for dirt to slow him down, but he slammed and scraped his lower leg on a tall, dry rock. Soon, he caught a break at the bottom of the steep part and got back on only to once again, have a hard time, steering. He wiggled around to steer and looked ahead to see where the rapid was taking him to be alerted to more huge waves. At this point, he sat further up in the tube for balance, and it proved effective. From there, there were more splashes, more rocks, and more waves. And at this point, he was once again enjoying his 17th birthday. His birthday joy continued, so he couldn't wait to tell Candace all about it. Eventually, he reached the bottom of the rapid, where Don Karnage arrived in the same helicopter again to take him home.
Jeremy took off his helmet and life jacket, ran out back, and checked the scoreboard. But it was bad news. It only showed him that he had 25 points. And Candace was about to ask him how the hefty ride had been, but when she saw the scrape on his lower leg, she was emotional. "Jeremy, please tell me you're okay! Please tell me you're okay!"
"I'll be okay after a nice break," Jeremy answered. "Mr. Karnage, it's your turn now."
"With pleasure, my birthday boy," Don Karnage answered and wasting no time, rolling the dice. This time, it landed on two. His piece moved two spaces ahead. There was a message on the board for him. And he read it out loud. "Fevers going around. Fill in for pilots and deliver cargo."