Bringing Mae Flowers

Last night I drowned.

I stood at the lookout point of a canyon, looking down. The overlook loomed over the edge of the canyon, opposite a waterfall. The water fell as a thick mist into a rain forest that stood at the edge of a bottomless chasm. No matter how hard I tried, I could not see the pit through the mists and leaves. But I knew it was there, waiting to swallow me if I fell. The sudden realization filled me with fear, and I stepped away from the railing.

There were dozens of tourists around me.

They traveled in groups, talking and laughing together. Children and adults alike admired the breathtaking view, but it wasn’t crowded. It was lively and bustling without being suffocating. The perfect place for a family outing or a date, but I had come alone. Comfortably alone.

I went back to the railing.

I shook my sudden fear and opened my eyes once more. It was all covered by water. A clear ocean trapped against a canyon wall. I could still see the trees, the waterfall and the mists, beneath the waves- like looking through a liquid window. The waves moved back and forth. They rocked, building a threatening momentum that only I could see.

The fear rose again.

The water retreated toward the far canyon call, building a tidal wave. I backed away and others quickly took my place. They leaned over the railing to take photos as the wave grew, excited by the novelty. They didn’t sense the danger until it towered over the canyon’s far wall. There was nowhere for the wave to go except forward, toward us.

We could only run.

There were stairs within sight. If we would climb them in time, we might be out of reach of the water’s wrath. People flew by me as blurs. I could hear the dim of people screaming and crying. I could hear the roar of our approaching doom. The stairs were only a few yards away. I was so close. A man knocked into me as he ran. I saw the panic in his eyes when he looked back.

I wasn’t going to make it.

The bone shattering force knocked the air from my lungs. Everything black. Everything spinning. No thoughts. No light. No time. I instinctively attempted to catch my breath —

and I woke gasping for air.