The Water
The cool of the morning air, followed the winding path of rocks and broken branches. It found a
way to still chill the bones of the people living at the bottom of
the hill where it crept silently into their lives.
The low hanging limbs collected handfuls of water in the last leaves left from the storm the night before. This was not the first time in their history that a steady stream of water like this with enough force behind it, could make the people of the town seek refuge indoors with fear that they too would be next.
they were use to the rain and all, but
this time the towns folk never expected to see a body float by of a young girl no
one seemed to even miss. There was no reports of missing children,
and head counts had already been taken of youth. So they all knew she wasn't one of theirs, but who was she?
It was Bobby J who found her first. See
his house sits on the top of the hill, and is the most prominent
object you encounter when coming to our small town. All the water
seemed to run right past his house like it knew where it was going as
it rolled down, well you know what they say, it came down the pipes
too.
Bobby J, had just gotten home when the
rain started, but as I said this was too much water to have just come
from the sky. I mean falling like that, we assumed that a water pipe
had burst in his house or something. But it wasn't from there.You
should have seen him as he came running , I mean swimming it seemed,
best all he could do in this situation. Best any of us could do
because the waves pushed us, the cars, the animals, and now this body
right dead center of town.
“Mr. Wallace”, Bobby J screamed his
name over the rushing water clashing against the houses. I never knew
the tide could make that kind of noise. “ Mr. Wallace come quick!”
said Bobby J.
“Yeah Bobby, what can I do you for?” He looked down into the muddy water, he could see it rising, but didn't know how high it was gonna be, and for Bobby J, to be out here it's got to be trouble. He never leaves the hill top.
“Yeah Bobby, what can I do you for?” He looked down into the muddy water, he could see it rising, but didn't know how high it was gonna be, and for Bobby J, to be out here it's got to be trouble. He never leaves the hill top.
Bobby J thrust through the now raging
water following him down the hill all the way to Mr. Wallace's house.
“ Mr. Wallace”, he called out again. “There is something you
got to see.” Mr. Wallace looked at bobby all drenched in water from
the sky, and the street, “Bobby J. Now what you doing coming all
the way down here. You screaming my name got me all jumpy and stuff.”
“Mr. Wallace you got to come quick,
he shouted out. It'll be too late soon.” Bobby J could barely get
his words out. He was tired from fight the strong water current.
“You got too... “
“Mr. Wallace!!!”, Maxine Rigby the
next door neighbor to Mr. Wallace had heard all the commotion going
on outside. She was in the house sleeping when the rain started, and
never got up to see what was going on outside.
That was until her cat jumped on her face, trying to get to a higher ground from all the water that was now entering her house.
That was until her cat jumped on her face, trying to get to a higher ground from all the water that was now entering her house.
“Mr. Wallace, I have told you time
and time again, about leaving your water hose on when you finish
messing with them flowers. Now look at what you done gone and did!”
She pointed out to all the water that now seem to fester on the
lawn's of all the neighboring houses. “You done flooded the whole
block.”
“It wasn't me you old hag.” He shot
her a look, that only true love could muster up. The look of maybe
seeing her splashing around in the water while the current carried
her away, as she screamed all the way out of town.
“ Don't you see the water coming from up the hill flowing down here.? Seriously one day I hope you find them.” Mr. Wallace turned his head back around with a huff.
“Find what”, she shouted back.
“ Don't you see the water coming from up the hill flowing down here.? Seriously one day I hope you find them.” Mr. Wallace turned his head back around with a huff.
“Find what”, she shouted back.
He just stood there for a brief minute
looking at her. Find what Mr. Wallace? You need to tell me
something after all these years you been lying, I know the truth”.
You see she used to peek out her window into his house, and every time he did something she didn't like, she was yelled across the fence I see you!!
You see she used to peek out her window into his house, and every time he did something she didn't like, she was yelled across the fence I see you!!
So one day she was in her garden
working on the tomatoes, it had gotten so hot out there, so when she
went to wipe the sweat from her forehead with her sleeves, her
glasses fell off in the freshly watered mud.
She picked them up, and put them on the table next to her straw hat, and the fresh watermelon on the plate she left earlier for a game of bridge to be played by the book club that afternoon..
She picked them up, and put them on the table next to her straw hat, and the fresh watermelon on the plate she left earlier for a game of bridge to be played by the book club that afternoon..
She had gotten up to go in the house to
change her clothes, and get something to clean her glasses off with,
but when she came back they were gone. She search all around that
table looking all day for the forgot the spot where they were last
located.
Maybe someone is playing a game on me she wondered, but no one was around. Well she thought, but as it turned out to be someone was.. She suspected Mr. Wallace all this time, and makes sure he knows it.
Maybe someone is playing a game on me she wondered, but no one was around. Well she thought, but as it turned out to be someone was.. She suspected Mr. Wallace all this time, and makes sure he knows it.
“Bobby J, what's all this water doing
here? You fishing out here or something? Bringing all this here with
you.
I'll get a mop..
Bobby J held his head down and looked for an excuse in the water to tell her, but like his rushing empty mind both were cloudy, yet full of rage. For he was on a mission to tell anyone who would here him, what he saw.
I'll get a mop..
Bobby J held his head down and looked for an excuse in the water to tell her, but like his rushing empty mind both were cloudy, yet full of rage. For he was on a mission to tell anyone who would here him, what he saw.
“No yah, I didn't fish today, but I
got to...” Bobby J started out saying, but in true style, and only
her way Mrs. Rugby cut him off.
“Then why you screaming all this noise out here scaring my cats, yaw make me sick the both of yous.” And as quick as she come out the house the quicker she bounced back in cursing the whole time not willing to hear nothing else.
“Then why you screaming all this noise out here scaring my cats, yaw make me sick the both of yous.” And as quick as she come out the house the quicker she bounced back in cursing the whole time not willing to hear nothing else.
The water leaped off the house as if it
were a wet dog, shaking loose the extra wetness from it's coat of fur in a
desperate attempt to dry when she slammed the front door.
The two men just stood there shaking their heads at the event that had just transpired.
The two men just stood there shaking their heads at the event that had just transpired.
“Man I'm glad she gone”, said Mr.
Wallace. “Now you Bobby J, need to run along home and get out all
this water before you catch the flue, or something else. And I don't
want to hear no more about something more important than me making
sure my house don't end up floating down the river. Good Day sir.”
And on that note, Mr. Wallace tipped the top of his rain coat hat, and shuffled back into his house.
And on that note, Mr. Wallace tipped the top of his rain coat hat, and shuffled back into his house.
He had just closed the door on what
might have been this town's last hope of surviving the flood. For as
they will soon find out, water sometimes has a mind of it's own, and
all it needs is one drop of destiny to either shape, or destroy this
community, and little did Bobby J know that he was going to be the
unknown forecaster to predict it all.
If only someone took the time to see
that the water was coming from his tears...
yes the cry of a person, can effect a
whole community in different ways.
So remember it takes a community to raise a child, but only one person to care enough to soothe the tears of a person grieving for the lost of another.
So remember it takes a community to raise a child, but only one person to care enough to soothe the tears of a person grieving for the lost of another.
Control
it, or it might control you.
THE WATER
For all those that lost someone by violence.
THE WATER
For all those that lost someone by violence.
THE WATER CALLS YOU by KEN GANDY is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at http://youcantrunfromit.blogspot.com/.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at kengandy103@gmail.com.