Southern Stars

by Melissa Good

  They skimmed the center rock and went to the smooth side gliding past the maelstrom and along the canyon wall before pitching downward toward the next bend.

  “Yay!” Rich lifted his paddle in triumph. “We did it!”

  Dar shook the wet hair out of her eyes and pushed her hood back. She looked around at the river and then at the rest of the raft, waiting for her heartbeat to settle.

  “Holy crap,” Kerry said. “People pay to do this?”

  Don let out a wry laugh. “Thinking of a spa next time?”

  “Thinking of staying in my living room next time.”

  “Bedroom.” Dar corrected her.

  “Dar.” Kerry covered her eyes with one hand, the other gripped around the paddle.

  There was a sense of euphoria around the raft though, as they swept through the narrows and around the next bend, this time to the left and into a long, wide, straight stretch that had only minimal white ruffles and a much gentler motion.

  “Phew! Good job folks!” Janet called out. “We’re golden for now.”

  Dar rolled onto her back and pulled herself back up onto the frame and ducked under the tarp as Kerry crawled up after her. “Break out the peanut butter,” she said. “Might as well party while we can.”

  “Whoo.” Kerry ruffled the rain out of her hair. “Wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

  “Me either.”

  Dar stashed the paddle and took her seat and pushed the hood on her jacket back as the raft’s motion moved from a rough rambled to a smoother glide.

  Ahead of them was green blue water, and the rain had modulated from a heavy sheet to a light mist. Tracey passed around the can of peanut butter, and for the moment things seemed all right.

  “DAR.”

  Dar started a little, coming out of a light doze to find Kerry at her elbow, and the light around them starting to fade. “Huh.”

  “Looks like a conference is coming.” Kerry offered her a cup of water. “We probably want to be in it.”

  Dar felt a bit disoriented, but she stood and took the cup, drinking as she glanced around the raft. Two more tarps were strung up and everyone was under cover, even Ira back in the corner.

  Most of the group was hunkered down with cups in hand, but Janet had come up between the first and second row of seats and motioned Rich and Dave over.

  “Okay.” Janet said, bracing her hands on two of the frame supports. “I don’t think we can find a spot to pull off before it gets dark,” she said. “But on the bright side, we’ve got calm water all the way to probably after sunrise tomorrow. We can keep making decent time.”

  They were all silent for a moment. “Not the most comfortable thing, being on here,” Don spoke up. “Got sick people. We need some heat.”

  Todd punctuated that by coughing violently.

  “Even if we did find a spot, no guarantee we’d find anything to make a fire with.” Rich said. “Or shelter, or anything At least on here we know what we have.”

  “True,” Tracey wiped her sleeve across her face. “We can put up a few more tarps. Block all the wind.”

  “I’d rather keep moving,” Dar said, after a short silence. “Rich’s right. Could be worse onshore.”

  Janet nodded. “Yes, I agree also. I know it’s uncomfortable but at least we’re making progress out of here. Once we get through the rapids tomorrow morning, we’ll be close to a pull out where I know there’s campgrounds.”

  “And people,” Ira said. “Supply shack.”

  “Well, that sounds good,” Don said. “Sure would be good to see some civilization.”

  “Let’s just make it as good as we can on the raft,” Sally got up and started to pull over one of the coolers they’d filled with supplies. “It sounds great to me to keep going. I don’t want to stop now.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Kerry adjusted one of the bungees to bring the front of the tarp a little lower to block the rain. “We’ll just make the best of it.”

  They did. Rich and Dave worked on getting more shelter in place, and as they did, it cut down the wind as well as the rain, and with all of them clustered together it got warmer.

  They all changed into the driest clothes they had. Dar was standing behind her seat, shaking out the rain from her jacket as the last of the light started to fade around them.

  Kerry joined her and held out a bit of paper towel, on which two lumps of peanut butter were deposited. She settled on a piece of the brace next to her and waited as she hung her jacket up. “Here you go, hon.”

  Dar took the paper and took a bite of the peanut butter, chewing it stolidly as she watched Tracey offered a cup of water to Pete. “Mmm.” She licked her lips. “I remember going through a can of this stuff a week when I was a kid.”

  Kerry grimaced a little. “Really?”

  “Really.” Dar took another bite. “Didn’t stunt my growth any.”

  “Probably was the gallon of milk offsetting it.” Kerry put a piece of the smoked fish from the previous day in her mouth and chewed it slowly. “Wish I had some milk right now.”

  Dar licked a bit of peanut butter off her thumb. “We’re almost out of this, Ker.” She glanced behind her, toward the front of the raft. “I’m glad we didn’t stop.”

  “Me too.” Kerry rested her elbows on her knees. “My God I can’t wait to get out of this damn canyon.” She stifled a yawn. “I want a big cup of coffee, and a doughnut.”

  Dar reached over and ruffled her hair. Then she sat down on the frame next to Kerry and pressed against her, offering the last of her peanut butter.

  Kerry eyed it. “Doesn’t really go with the fish, honey.” She nudged it back toward Dar. “All yours.”

  Dar shrugged and popped the last ball into her mouth, savoring the sweet and salty taste as she watched Rich and Sally drag the cooler over and shove it into place on the other side of them. They took seats on it as Dave and Tracey sat down with their backs to them.

  “So here we are,” Rich said. “Floating down the Colorado River, in the dark, in the rain.”

  “Here we are,” Dar said.

  “We should try to get some rest.” Janet was behind the second row, in a corner next to Pete who was still kneeling in place, now resting his head on his crossed arms. “So we’re ready to face the rapids in the morning.”

  Ira was seated in the back, legs sprawled out in front of him. “Should be a nice ride. Water’s really clean right here.”

  Amy was seated on the arm of the chair Todd was laying in, her arm draped over his shoulders. Don was on a box next to Marcia.

  Janet cleared her throat. “I saved this.” She removed a box from her kit and handed it to Tracey. “Pass it around. There’s not much there, but it is what it is.”

  Tracey opened the box and peered inside. “Oh.” She removed a piece of something from it and passed it on. “Thanks, Janet,” she said. “Smells great.”

  Kerry took the box and looked inside, her nose already detecting the scent of honey and sesame. She removed two pieces of the candy and passed the box on to Sally. Then she offered one to Dar and put hers into her mouth, savoring the sweet and nutty taste.

  It was nice. It cleared the taste of the smoked fish out of her mouth, and it was a bit of comfort all out of proportion to what it was. Kerry chewed it slowly, wanting to make it last.

  “Mm.” Dar had bit hers in half and was munching on it. “What is that?”

  “Just something my mom makes.” Janet said. “Our family’s from Iran, though I don’t talk about that much these days.” She had her hands folded and her elbows braced on her knees. “None of us talk about it much. Too many people think we should have been packed up and shipped off.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence.

  “But anyway, glad you like it,” Janet said. “I’m kind of out of I’m sorry’s so it’s the best I could do.”

  “Well,” Rich spoke up finally. “Thanks.” He looked around. “Right?”

  “Thanks,” Kerry said. �
��We all really needed a pick up, and that was a good one.” She smiled at Janet. “Especially since it wasn’t expected.”

  Janet smiled back. Then she cleared her throat. “I’ll keep a watch on. Everyone get some rest.” She went to the back of the raft, sitting down next to Ira. “Let’s hope for a nice, bright morning.”

  KERRY HAD HER eyes closed, the burbling of the water enticing her into sleep as she sat on the small metal ledge, leaning against Dar’s body. It wasn’t really comfortable, but with the tarps it was acceptably warm and she could feel Dar’s steady breathing as she slept.

  She could taste peanut butter, on the back of her tongue.

  She could hear the wind outside, whistling a little, and it flapped the edges of the tarp, but she allowed herself to imagine getting off the raft in the warmth of a new day and then, probably, taking a helicopter back to the lodge.

  It would be nice. In her mind, she drew a picture of them escaping to their RV, unhooking the connections and starting it up, driving up the long road far enough to get the place behind them out of site, and then finding a spot to just chill out together.

  Maybe go back to the little barbecue joint they’d passed on the last turn toward the canyon. Go in and just share a rack of ribs together in messy contentment.

  She could taste the tang of the sauce, and the musky chill of a cold beer and the knowledge she would spend the night in warm comfort wrapped in Dar’s arms in the RV’s cute little bunk made her smile a little.

  It was almost over.

  She heard a low voice and opened her eyes to see Janet back in the back talking to Ira. She reached out to take the steering pole. Ira settled on the bench in the back, curled up and put his head down on his arm with a relieved sigh she could almost hear.

  Janet hitched herself up on the far back metal brace, the wind tossing her short hair as she wrapped her arm around the pole and looked over the tarps, down the river.

  Kerry could see her face, in the faint silver light, lined and tired and visibly worried.

  She’d come around to feeling sorry for Janet, again. Kerry put her cheek on Dar’s shoulder and closed her eyes. In fact, she’d come around to feeling sorry for all of them, for the people who were sick, and those that had gotten hurt and were miserable””all of them.

  Even Todd. Even Amy, who was curled up with her head on Todd’s uninjured shoulder.

  She and Dar had just really been inconvenienced. Gone a little hungry, been a little bored, a little more frustrated, with their vacation gone south. But they were both in one piece, had not truly suffered as some of the others had, and would walk away from the experience with not much more than some more wild vacation stories.

  At least these she could tell all of to anyone. Not like last time.

  Eh. Kerry felt sleep stealing over her and she let the sound of the wind and the river fade out as she felt Dar’s fingers close over hers in a warm sure clasp. She heard the softest rumble of thunder far behind them.

  At least they had some time to rest.

  DAR SENSED IT before she felt it, her body tensed, and her eyes blinked open seconds before Janet let out a yell that broke the relative silence of the night before the sound of white water followed it, and the creak and hiss of the raft bending against the force of the current. “What the hell?”

  “What’s going on?” Sally blurted, coming upright.

  “Get up!” Janet bellowed. “We’re going into the rapids!”

  “Oh shit!” Rich pulled himself upright. “Crap. Crap. Crap!!!!”

  Dar stood and pulled a startled Kerry with her as Rich rolled off the bench and crashed against her knees as he grabbed for the aluminum framing. “Watch it!”

  “Sorry!” Rich got up and out of the way, scrambling for the paddle under the frame.

  She stepped over him and ducked under the edge of the tarp in time to see the white churn ahead and the flash of lightning. “What the hell?” She turned around. “I thought you said we’d have till morning!”

  Ira scrambled to the back and grabbed the pole. “Must have let the dam loose again.” He yelled back. “We went faster than we shoulda!” He craned his neck to look over the tarp. “Ho boy! Hang on!”

  Marcia struggled to sit up and Don was at her side, grabbed her arm, and stared ahead at the river as Tracey climbed up past them. She got behind where Dar and Kerry stood and pushed herself up to look past them.

  The front of the raft was already pitching down and they swung sideways as Rich and Dave stumbled and hand over handed to the sides, yelling incoherently in alarm.

  There was thunder, rain, lightning and the roar of pouring water. The raft lurched sideways toward a huge hole in the river full of frothing white and the dark black of rocks, swirling around an island in the center with two up thrusts of stone in the middle. They were headed straight for it.

  “Oh damn!” Rich hung on to a part of the frame. “This thing will come apart!”

  “We’re not going to make it past that!” Janet screamed, real fear in her voice. “We can’t! We’re going under! Everyone get your vests hitched!”

  People started to panic. PJ struggled into a vest, her hands shaking. Dave was standing on one side, jaw slack, staring at the water.

  “Oh wow.” Kerry inhaled. “Jesus, Dar. What the hell are we going to do?”

  For a moment, Dar felt like everything went still, and she could hear her own heartbeat as her mind took in all the factors and the potential outcomes. She moved across the raft, put her hands on the frame behind the front row of seats and vaulted over it.

  “Dar!” Kerry yelled. “What are you doing?”

  “Stay here!” Dar yelled back, as she bent and scooped up one of the coiled lines they’d tied the raft to the shore with and ran across the pontoons to dive into the white water ahead of them.

  The impact nearly made her inhale a breath of water and she battled her own instincts. She clamped her jaw shut and forced some air out of her nose as the chill shocked her.

  She felt the water close over her head and she fought to the surface. The river’s force swept her through the huge trough in front of the island. The water went from froth to chill black and the cold soaked her through.

  Yells from behind her.

  Dar ignored them as she made a picture in her head of the path she wanted. She rolled over in the water and kicked off against an underground rock just in time to force her way between one boulder and a second, the rush of the current shoving her forward.

  She wanted to get between them, then get up onto the island. She squirmed through the opening she’d spotted and stopped.

  Underwater and suddenly stuck there.

  The jacket wedged her in place. Dar unsnapped it and wriggled out from the straps. She opened her eyes to swirling dark green water. She turned sideways and squiggled between the rocks the rope clutched in one hand.

  The current helped her along and she got through, almost piling into the rocks head first “Uf,” she grunted. Her head broke the surface and she saw the island edge ahead of her.

  She grabbed hold of a boulder and pulled herself up. Her boots slipped on the slick surface. She propelled herself onto the island and hauled the rope with her as she got from her knees to her feet. She bolted for the tall stones in the center.

  She got around the nearest one and passed the rope around the rock and came around the side of it just as the raft surged past it. The rope pulled hard taut.

  Dar felt it start to slide and she got the other end around the stone again and dropped to her knees. She got the rope into a knot just as the weight of the raft came fully on it. The rope twanged like an overstressed guitar string.

  It creaked and stretched and Dar paused, hands off it, hoping it would hold. She thought that it shivered under the strain and she decided getting out of its way was a good idea just in case.

  A spattering of water from it dusted Dar’s face as she got up and jumped over it, put her hands on the rock and climbed half up it to s
ee the raft.

  It swung around and slammed into the island. She saw two bodies tumble off it and into the water and realized one of them was Kerry.

  How did she know in the darkness and the storm? By the grab at her heart and the sense of shock at hitting the water. She knew the feeling belonged to Kerry.

  Without thought, she vaulted up to the top of the rock and dove back into the river, into the rolling wash. She popped to the surface to keep Kerry’s bobbing head in view. She started into a crawl as fast as she could manage after Kerry.

  Behind her, she heard the slam of the raft against the rocks and incoherent yells. She was glad in a way to leave it behind her. She ducked a wave and let a side wash of the current go over her as she went from a smooth stretch into a tangle of rocks and boulders in the center of the river. It tossed her in every direction.

  She thumped against rocks and through crevices feeling like a shoe in a washing machine as she was pulled under the surface again and again. She realized she had no safety jacket on and then she was in midair, shooting out from the other side of a raceway and into a whirlpool.

  No way to know which way was up, just a lot of water, and incredible force, but she held her breath and stayed calm. The pressure and the darkness around her produced no panic.

  She rolled over again in the water and flexed her body in an undulating motion, heading for the surface. She broke through it just as the whirlpool grabbed her and threw her out the side and into the rush of a mini waterfall.

  That sent her tumbling and as she stretched her arms out to steady her motion she spotted Kerry’s head about a hundred feet in front of her. “Kerry!” she made use of the current, dodged the rocks and then slid over the last of them as she caught up to her. Kerry was being kept afloat by her bright orange jacket.

  “Dar!” Kerry grabbed on as Dar almost crashed into her and then they were swirling around in the current in each other’s arms. “Son of a bitch!” They were face-to-face. “This is nuts!”