Joined: 07 Mar 2007
Posts: 761
Location: Lakewood, CA
Rain Will Fall, Water Will Not: Chapter One
(any advice and/or constructive criticism is welcomed )
Rain Will Fall, Water Will Not
Chapter One: My Mind On Fast-Forward
Hiking. It’s so natural, so peaceful, so serene. I love the feel of the wind in my hair, the sweat rolling off of my forehead as the sun beats down on my fair skin. I love the friendly people that I walk past on the trails, the people walking their dogs, playing in the creeks that line our paths. The water that glides past us is so beautiful and so seductive. And, just like anything else beautiful and seductive, it's dangerous, luring, infatuating, addictive. Perhaps that is why people have been known to throw themselves into the face of danger for the beauty and synergy of nature and waterfalls. Water itself is the most important element on the planet. The sign of life. The glistening essence of human existence. And we all need it, we all want it...maybe a little too much sometimes.
There is only one trail that I like to follow; it's called Pickin’s River Fork, and supposedly some guy named John Pickin’s founded it and named it after himself when he discovered this area. But you know, naming a trail after yourself is not very notable. The way I see it, if you had to name it after yourself in order to get noticed, then you probably weren’t that special. The rest of the trails here are very amateur and tend to be lined with trash. They’re the less rigorous trails, the trails that old people walk their tiny poodle dogs on, and the trails that parents take their young children on. I’d rather stray from those and go on the intermediate leveled hikes. To feel the burn in my calves, the heat on my back. To see the more fit athletic types. To spy on the hotties and gain some kind of inspiration to look like them someday. To people watch.
Lately my hikes have not been too great. I sprained my ankle a few months ago, and I don’t think it ever completely healed. I took a break from these hikes, but, I couldn’t stay away long enough to complete the healing process. I figured, it’s either sacrifice my hikes or sacrifice my ankle. I chose to sacrifice my ankle, my reason being that it’s the year 2008 and with all the quick developments of science and medicine, fucking up my ankle won’t really matter. Just a simple fix, you know? They can replace my bones with metal and I can be the bionic ankle woman that everyone talks about. They can call me the “Termin-Ankle”, or the “Ankle-Nator”. Something corny like that would do. Afteralll, I am the corniest person most people have ever met. But, enough rambling…last Saturday was my best hike so far. That's when I met her.
I first noticed that she was alone and didn't look very experienced. She had flip-flops on, and was attempting to walk across the algae-covered rocks nearing the waterfall. Slipping every time she took a step and nearly twisting her ankles. I felt drawn to her, like I needed to help her get across, so I walked over to her. Dragging my gimpy ankle along with me. I laughed as I walked towards her and whispered superhero jokes to myself. Talking to myself in an Arnold Schwarzenegger-related accent, “Come with me if you want to live! Ankle-Nator will save you!”
I imagined newspaper headlines that would follow the next day: SELF-PROCLAIMED ANKLE-NATOR HELPS GIRL GET ACROSS RUSHING RIVER! My imagination has been insane these days. I stopped smiling as I got near enough for her to notice me. Then I went for it, and tried to be that powerful, dominant girl that I have always wanted to be.
"Hey…you do know that flip-flops aren't the greatest shoes to wear on this trail, right?"
She smiled.
"Well, aren't you a genius. Brightest tool in the shed, huh? Maybe I wasn't planning on following the trail this far when I first came out here."
“Actually…it’s sharpest tool in the shed. Or brightest crayon in the box.”
“Oh yeah? Told ya you’re a smart one.”
Her sass enlightened me, and I knew I had made the right decision of talking to her. I like a spicy girl. Spice up my life, pretty chick. Spice it up! We walked across the river slowly. I ended up in front of her, leading the rest of the way, choosing to follow the driest of all the algae-fied river rocks. She was close behind me, using my shoulder for stability when her flip-flops flip-flopped and slip-slopped on the slippery rocks. We made it across safely to the next part of the trail, my ankle writhing in some mild pain. I laughed at myself again. Pssh, who the hell was I giving this random girl advice about proper footwear for hiking when I’m the one with a gimpy ankle? And furthermore, who the hell was I to help this girl, when she’s obviously in better physical health than I am? Whatever. I guess I could put the blame on my hormones. My "not getting enough attention from females/deprived lesbo” hormones.
She made me nervous. She sat on a patch of grass near some decaying tree roots. And she looked. That’s all she did. She just looked at me. Looked at the sky. Looked at the waterfall. She seemed so lost in thought. So full of intellect and observance. Perspective. I wondered what she was thinking, then her calm voice snuck up on me.
"A waterfall," she said, pausing and throwing her hair back. She sneakily glanced at me and continued, "You know, a waterfall will do no harm to you if you trust in its beauty. A waterfall flows and flows, showing everyone the way to something better and more extravagant than what they can experience here on flat ground. Sitting on your butt and watching everything without taking any kind of action never got anyone anywhere."
I was puzzled. I had no idea what to say and my expression must have given it away because she got up and walked towards the water again, not seeming to expect an answer from me. She signaled me with her left hand to follow her back onto the rocks. I felt like a rainbow trout being taunted and lured by a rubbery neon dragonfly stuck to the end of a hook. She had me hooked from that moment on. Hook, line, and sinker. Hook. Line. Sinker.
I worked up some courage to say something to her so I wouldn’t seem weird. Failed attempt. I still seemed weird. And overprotective. Overprotective of a girl that doesn’t even know me. And why? What for? What the hell was I doing?
"Really you shouldn’t be walking on these rocks with sandals."
I looked at her insistently. That was probably weird too. She smirked at me and kept on walking. She sat down on a large rock that was a foot or so above the water level, and about two feet from the shimmery rushing falls. I kept thinking, holy shit this girl is risky. Really risky. Holy fuckin’ shit. I felt really nervous, but I followed her there and sat on the rock with her. Girls always get me to do stupid things. It’s a trap. Girls are a trap and I’ve never been able to avoid them. Girls will be the end of me. Especially ones like this. The interesting semi-psychotic ones. I love those kinds of girls. I’m such a crazy-chaser…or perhaps I’m a crazy-magnet. Perhaps I don’t look for them. Perhaps they look for me. Or maybe I’m just thinking about it all too much. I’m always over-analyzing.
She started talking again. Confidently but so softly, like only the water was supposed to hear her.
"If you want to live a good life, you have to take chances. And sometimes taking a risk, whether it’s a stupid risk or not, is the best way to go about it. Do you know what I mean?"
I chimed in nervously, “Are you okay?” And I felt like an asshole afterward. I always do that; I always make myself feel like an asshole. Am I an asshole?
She stood up on the rock. Spread her arms. And the wind blew against her elegantly. She reminded me of a newly emerged butterfly. Warming her wings to take flight. Making sure the blood was flowing. Making sure that she was ready. In body, mind, and soul. I felt even more nervous now. Feeling like I was just making everything worse for this girl. Feeling like everything I said was wrong. I turned my head away from her, I felt so unbalanced. Felt like if I looked at her again I would pass my lack of balance to her and make her fall.
A minute or so passed, but I could still see part of her shadow crossing over me. I knew she was still standing there, arms outstretched. I stared at her shadow intensely, as if it had emotion, and its own opinion, as if it was an extension of her, reaching out to me. Reaching out to me so that I could pull her back down to a place of more stability. The stability that I myself am lacking. Perhaps the two of us together would create a balance that was impenetrable? Flawless? No. Undeniably flawed, but perfect in that same exact sense. I felt tempted to look at her again. Tempted to ask her to sit back down. To reach to her hand and try to convince her that whatever was bothering her would subside. The rain of her torment would stop falling. The water of her soul would not drift away. I would take care of it. I would hold it close and dear. I would take charge of the negative and ferocious currents and the possibly lethal high tides, and I would be the raft that kept her afloat. Assuming that that’s what she wanted, or needed. And assuming that I was the one she would open up to. Assuming I would be good enough…
While my mind ran rampant in those thoughts the shadow disappeared. And I panicked. I looked around and I panicked. And I felt tears well up in my eyes instantly. I imagined her beautiful body soaring peacefully to the jagged rocky bottom of the falls. I imagined her hair flowing with the wind once again, as she soared towards the rushing waters below in the perfect dive formation. I panicked. I panicked. I panicked. And I wondered. What would happen once she reached the bottom? Where the fuck did she really go? Where did this nameless, seemingly psychotic, gorgeous freak of a girl go? I nervously turned in circles over and over again around the area of the rock we were resting on. I felt like I was losing my mind. I felt so lost and I didn’t know what to do. Some tears flowed down my cheeks. Nervous wreck in the making. Assuming again as usual. Assuming the worst. Assuming as usual. Making an ASS out of U and ME…as usual.
Then I heard a giggle.
Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:23 am
Alpenglow
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 607
end
Last edited by Alpenglow on Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:48 am; edited 1 time in total
Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:39 pm
EverydayAngelKarie
Joined: 07 Mar 2007
Posts: 761
Location: Lakewood, CA
Thank you a lot Alpieson. I like your imagination, sounds hot. Haha. Who knows what kinda excuse she'll have, or if she has one...
Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:15 am
Allison
Joined: 12 Oct 2005
Posts: 4216
Location: Florida
Great start Eda. I hope you can continue soon.
Alli _________________ Alli
Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:21 am
EverydayAngelKarie
Joined: 07 Mar 2007
Posts: 761
Location: Lakewood, CA
Thank you Allison. I'm still working on the second part. Just started it tonight.
Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:34 am
uniqueandalanis4
Joined: 23 Dec 2007
Posts: 62
it's amasing eda!!!i love the first chapter ''it's gonna be one of those story's that suck people into your great minded world!!haha,when i was reading it ''i was like wow she took me away in her own demention ..parts our soooo deep and parts our funny!you express urself so well!!
i cant wait to hear the rest and where the spicy chix went haha
unique* _________________ april i am..
april i'll always be.
uniqueness you shall see..
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