“This is just stupid,” Rachel gripped the steering wheel with both fists driving less than the speed limit trying not to hydroplane on the puddled road.
The rain streamed down over the car like a sheet and despite having the windshield wipers on full, visibility was limited to a scant couple of couple of car lengths. Always the practical one in the family, she would never knowingly go into a dangerous situation. But this was exactly what she was doing today. And for what? A birthday party.
“Stupid,” she muttered again, releasing a hand from the wheel to turn up the news station to hear the press conference from the temporary emergency evacuation center.
“While we believe the Sceena River has reached its peak, it’s not declining and the flow rate is four times that of our last great flood more than a decade ago,” said the Mayor in even tones. “By contrast, we are expecting the Renault River to surge further due to upstream events.”
“What the hell does that mean,” Rachel asked the radio quickly skipping her eyes back to the slick road.
As though understanding this one question repeated in thousands of minds, the Mayor continued. “Like dams being breached, debris in the water, snow melt and continuous rain fall, not just here, but in towns upstream.” There was a shuffle at the microphone as one speaker gave way to another and they again listed off evacuated locations. “More rain is expected and if you are in these areas, leave. Staying only puts more strain on limited emergency resources when evacuees remain in their residences.”
None of the communities listed were where her sister Danielle lived, but Rachel still didn’t know how she was going to get there with the majority of bridges washed out.
When Rachel pulled off for gas at the city’s limits she called Danielle to let her know she was considering turning around and heading home.
“You can’t go home,” she mewed into the phone. “You’re here now. You don’t want to drive another five hours back home.”
“Back home is sunny, warm and most importantly dry,” Rachel said remembering how when she left early that morning although she had heard there was flooding in the city of Boulder where her sister lived, she was under the mistaken impression – from Danielle –the media in some way were exaggerating the situation. Focusing on a specific area and applying the situation to the whole city. This was certainly not the case. Not at all.
“It’s my birthday,” Danielle whined. “I was going to have a big party for my twenty-first and we were going to have a splendid time, but now hardly anyone can come. Trapped in their places or evacuated.” Rachel could imagine the pout and held the phone away from her ear to stare amazed at the audacity of her sister’s selfishness. “We can’t go to the clubs at all and now you’re thinking of not coming. This will be the worse birthday ever.”
“Listen Dannie, I want to come …”
“Then come,” the girl perked up. “Say you won’t let me down.”
“Have I ever?”
“No. So don’t start now,” her sister ploughed on. “Stay on the main highway and instead of the north route to my place, go all the way south. The only road open west is Grayson, take that to Morgan and then up.”
Rachel sighed knowing, as always that she would be there for her little sister. “Okay.”
“See you when you get here.”
The three-lane highway narrowed to one lane each way. Water splashed onto the outer edges, creating a white-knuckle event for the few drivers still crazy enough to brave the roads. Rachel tucked in behind a truck that read ‘redneck and proud of it’ on the back window thinking that she would somehow be safer behind him – assuming the driver to be a man – than say a minivan where the driver, likely like her, a woman just holding to the last thread of sanity. Sexist as that may sound, this was simply no time for political correctness.
On the monthly visits she made to check up on her sister, driving this road, the scene was completely unfamiliar. Recalling how she barely noticed the two rivers before unless they were walking along the many parkways, now the brownish, withering mass dominated the landscape. Roofs of warehouses were hardly visible in the tidal flood.
Ohmigod, what am I doing, she thought as the small Toyota Yaris skidded over a puddle, her heart beginning to beat again only when the wheels gained traction on the slick pavement.
What should have taken fifteen minutes turned into an hour and half of trudging slowly forward hoping to get to her destination before the water washed out the last bridge passable. The hot tea and warm welcome she expected as she hauled her suitcase up the stairs to her sister’s second floor flat turned cold when Danielle opened the door dressed in a rain slicker and boots, umbrella in hand.
“Oh, finally,” her sister said giving Rachel a quick embrace. “I watched you pull up. Mark called. Thank God we still have cell coverage. We’re heading down to the park to view the damage.”
“What?” Rachel was incredulous. “I just spent hours seeing it. Thanks but I’m all filled up here.”
“Don’t be such a spaz,” Danielle said pushing at her arm as Rachel laid her suitcase down. “It’ll be fun.”
“Seeing buildings destroyed and people homeless is not my idea of fun.”
Her sisters twinkling blue eyes hardened for just a moment and Rachel saw the spoiled child she had always been. No longer prone to temper tantrums, Danielle had learned to use her looks and coy behaviour to get whatever she wanted. She smiled sweetly at Rachel. “Listen, it’s my birthday weekend.”
“A weekend now is it?” Some people got a day, Danielle a weekend. When she turned thirty would she be up to a whole week, Rachel wondered as she took her shoes off, picked up her case and padded through to the back bedroom.
“Don’t be a bore,” Danielle pouted close at her heels. “You’re here now. Let’s relax. Com’on. This is a once in a lifetime event to witness the flood of the century.”
What am I doing? Within minutes Rachel was somehow bustled out the door, flower patterned rain jacket, slightly too small over her shoulders, lifting the hood, while her sister held the umbrella.
“Mark said to take the embankment. The trail’s been washed away,” Danielle said holding her phone and texting back with one hand. “I told him we’d be there in about five.”
Rachel um hummed watching throngs of people as senseless as they were walk along the embankment next to the highway towards the overpass to observe the swelling water running under.
A slender young man with egg like eyes trotted towards them. “There you are,” he said hugging Danielle, leaving Rachel to the mercy of the elements with the loss of the umbrella. “What took you so long?”
“Mark,” Danielle turned out of the embrace to make introductions. “This is my sister Rachel. I had to wait for her to get here. I couldn’t just leave and have her arrive to an empty apartment.”
“Oh,” he said smiling at her. His teeth, in Rachel’s opinion, his only redeeming feature, as the rest of his face seemed put together by Picasso. Everything was a little lopsided. “The older, more responsible one.”
Rachel forced a smile to curve her lips. “So, I’m told.”
“Com’on then,” he tugged at Danielle’s hand and moved them closer to the overpass. “It’s wild, man.”
Rachel beheld the scene with utter amazement. I’m lucky I even got here, she thought seeing where roads used to be. The underpass now completely filled with water and debris dammed against the concrete waiting for the water to flow over the top to be released again into the swirling mass.
“Ohmigod, Rachel,” Danielle grabbed her hand. “Look. A refrigerator.”
Rachel moved cautiously closer to the edge. She could indeed see not only the fridge, but couches, the tops of submerged cars and even a shed hesitate momentarily at the bridge obstruction before bouncing once, then twice in the water as though coming to a decision, before submerging to go under the overpass.
“That was wild,” Mark yelled over the roar of the river and slanting rain. “Let’s get some pictures.”
Rachel examined up stream noticing how the foaming water had not only carried away the man made structures, but carved the land with it. Chunks of ground had given way to fall into the river and be carried down stream. Rachel moved her focus back to her sister now perched at the verge of ridge to pose as a supermodel for a Mark who lifted his phone high under the umbrella to snap photographs.
“Hey,” Rachel yelled to grab the younger woman’s attention. “Get back from the edge.”
Danielle regarded her blankly. “Don’t be such an old woman, Rach.”
Rachel fumed. Having some common sense did not make her an old woman. Walking with purpose she reached for her sister’s hand. “Dannie, get back from the edge.”
Danielle grabbed Rachel’s other hand and swung her around in a circle. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,” she gushed stopping the motion to pull Rachel into a hug. “It wouldn’t be my birthday at all without you.”
Rachel’s heart melted with affection for her one and only sister. She had always somehow felt responsible for Danielle since her parents seemed to only focus on their own needs. Parents, by mistake, Rachel often thought.
Danielle took Rachel by the shoulder’s pushing her backward a little, while she stepped away. “Now you.”
“Now me what?” Rachel asked.
“Mark’ll get a picture of you.” Danielle smiled sweetly.
Rachel glanced behind her finally noticing where her sister had placed her. Right at the edge of the embankment. The river washed slightly over her boots. She turned back to step away from the brink. “No, that’s okay…”
The ground below her feet disappeared. For a moment she was suspended in empty air before her fingernails dug into the soft mud as the river claimed her for its own.
No time to gulp air Rachel sank like a stone, rocks and debris gouging her skin as she skidded down the bank the water tossing her here and there. With reflexive movements, she kicked off the bottom to buoy to the surface gasping for breath. Her eyes tore around her surroundings. She was heading directly for the concrete overpass.
Something grabbed at her leg and she was pulled under. She opened her eyes but could hardly see. Reaching for her ankle, she dislodged the large tree limb and kicked for the surface again. The water was freezing. Already her fingers were numb.
Mere seconds separated her from hitting the concrete wall. Reaching her hands up high as the water suctioned her towards the narrow opening, she grabbed for the edge of the wall knocking the wind from her body as she took the hit high in her rib cage.
“Rachel!”
The tow was strong dragging her body under.
“Rachel!”
Her head moved in the direction of the scream. Umbrella forgotten, Mark had his arms wrestled around Danielle as she flailed towards her. Rachel wanted to yell back, telling her sister to get back from the edge but the river tugged her forward. She couldn’t hold against the tidal pull. She pulled as much air into her lungs as she could seeing the top of a yellow car heading her way. There was no time to think or plan or even wonder what was to come. With a last glance at Danielle, Rachel felt the water grab hold and take her under.
The rain streamed down over the car like a sheet and despite having the windshield wipers on full, visibility was limited to a scant couple of couple of car lengths. Always the practical one in the family, she would never knowingly go into a dangerous situation. But this was exactly what she was doing today. And for what? A birthday party.
“Stupid,” she muttered again, releasing a hand from the wheel to turn up the news station to hear the press conference from the temporary emergency evacuation center.
“While we believe the Sceena River has reached its peak, it’s not declining and the flow rate is four times that of our last great flood more than a decade ago,” said the Mayor in even tones. “By contrast, we are expecting the Renault River to surge further due to upstream events.”
“What the hell does that mean,” Rachel asked the radio quickly skipping her eyes back to the slick road.
As though understanding this one question repeated in thousands of minds, the Mayor continued. “Like dams being breached, debris in the water, snow melt and continuous rain fall, not just here, but in towns upstream.” There was a shuffle at the microphone as one speaker gave way to another and they again listed off evacuated locations. “More rain is expected and if you are in these areas, leave. Staying only puts more strain on limited emergency resources when evacuees remain in their residences.”
None of the communities listed were where her sister Danielle lived, but Rachel still didn’t know how she was going to get there with the majority of bridges washed out.
When Rachel pulled off for gas at the city’s limits she called Danielle to let her know she was considering turning around and heading home.
“You can’t go home,” she mewed into the phone. “You’re here now. You don’t want to drive another five hours back home.”
“Back home is sunny, warm and most importantly dry,” Rachel said remembering how when she left early that morning although she had heard there was flooding in the city of Boulder where her sister lived, she was under the mistaken impression – from Danielle –the media in some way were exaggerating the situation. Focusing on a specific area and applying the situation to the whole city. This was certainly not the case. Not at all.
“It’s my birthday,” Danielle whined. “I was going to have a big party for my twenty-first and we were going to have a splendid time, but now hardly anyone can come. Trapped in their places or evacuated.” Rachel could imagine the pout and held the phone away from her ear to stare amazed at the audacity of her sister’s selfishness. “We can’t go to the clubs at all and now you’re thinking of not coming. This will be the worse birthday ever.”
“Listen Dannie, I want to come …”
“Then come,” the girl perked up. “Say you won’t let me down.”
“Have I ever?”
“No. So don’t start now,” her sister ploughed on. “Stay on the main highway and instead of the north route to my place, go all the way south. The only road open west is Grayson, take that to Morgan and then up.”
Rachel sighed knowing, as always that she would be there for her little sister. “Okay.”
“See you when you get here.”
The three-lane highway narrowed to one lane each way. Water splashed onto the outer edges, creating a white-knuckle event for the few drivers still crazy enough to brave the roads. Rachel tucked in behind a truck that read ‘redneck and proud of it’ on the back window thinking that she would somehow be safer behind him – assuming the driver to be a man – than say a minivan where the driver, likely like her, a woman just holding to the last thread of sanity. Sexist as that may sound, this was simply no time for political correctness.
On the monthly visits she made to check up on her sister, driving this road, the scene was completely unfamiliar. Recalling how she barely noticed the two rivers before unless they were walking along the many parkways, now the brownish, withering mass dominated the landscape. Roofs of warehouses were hardly visible in the tidal flood.
Ohmigod, what am I doing, she thought as the small Toyota Yaris skidded over a puddle, her heart beginning to beat again only when the wheels gained traction on the slick pavement.
What should have taken fifteen minutes turned into an hour and half of trudging slowly forward hoping to get to her destination before the water washed out the last bridge passable. The hot tea and warm welcome she expected as she hauled her suitcase up the stairs to her sister’s second floor flat turned cold when Danielle opened the door dressed in a rain slicker and boots, umbrella in hand.
“Oh, finally,” her sister said giving Rachel a quick embrace. “I watched you pull up. Mark called. Thank God we still have cell coverage. We’re heading down to the park to view the damage.”
“What?” Rachel was incredulous. “I just spent hours seeing it. Thanks but I’m all filled up here.”
“Don’t be such a spaz,” Danielle said pushing at her arm as Rachel laid her suitcase down. “It’ll be fun.”
“Seeing buildings destroyed and people homeless is not my idea of fun.”
Her sisters twinkling blue eyes hardened for just a moment and Rachel saw the spoiled child she had always been. No longer prone to temper tantrums, Danielle had learned to use her looks and coy behaviour to get whatever she wanted. She smiled sweetly at Rachel. “Listen, it’s my birthday weekend.”
“A weekend now is it?” Some people got a day, Danielle a weekend. When she turned thirty would she be up to a whole week, Rachel wondered as she took her shoes off, picked up her case and padded through to the back bedroom.
“Don’t be a bore,” Danielle pouted close at her heels. “You’re here now. Let’s relax. Com’on. This is a once in a lifetime event to witness the flood of the century.”
What am I doing? Within minutes Rachel was somehow bustled out the door, flower patterned rain jacket, slightly too small over her shoulders, lifting the hood, while her sister held the umbrella.
“Mark said to take the embankment. The trail’s been washed away,” Danielle said holding her phone and texting back with one hand. “I told him we’d be there in about five.”
Rachel um hummed watching throngs of people as senseless as they were walk along the embankment next to the highway towards the overpass to observe the swelling water running under.
A slender young man with egg like eyes trotted towards them. “There you are,” he said hugging Danielle, leaving Rachel to the mercy of the elements with the loss of the umbrella. “What took you so long?”
“Mark,” Danielle turned out of the embrace to make introductions. “This is my sister Rachel. I had to wait for her to get here. I couldn’t just leave and have her arrive to an empty apartment.”
“Oh,” he said smiling at her. His teeth, in Rachel’s opinion, his only redeeming feature, as the rest of his face seemed put together by Picasso. Everything was a little lopsided. “The older, more responsible one.”
Rachel forced a smile to curve her lips. “So, I’m told.”
“Com’on then,” he tugged at Danielle’s hand and moved them closer to the overpass. “It’s wild, man.”
Rachel beheld the scene with utter amazement. I’m lucky I even got here, she thought seeing where roads used to be. The underpass now completely filled with water and debris dammed against the concrete waiting for the water to flow over the top to be released again into the swirling mass.
“Ohmigod, Rachel,” Danielle grabbed her hand. “Look. A refrigerator.”
Rachel moved cautiously closer to the edge. She could indeed see not only the fridge, but couches, the tops of submerged cars and even a shed hesitate momentarily at the bridge obstruction before bouncing once, then twice in the water as though coming to a decision, before submerging to go under the overpass.
“That was wild,” Mark yelled over the roar of the river and slanting rain. “Let’s get some pictures.”
Rachel examined up stream noticing how the foaming water had not only carried away the man made structures, but carved the land with it. Chunks of ground had given way to fall into the river and be carried down stream. Rachel moved her focus back to her sister now perched at the verge of ridge to pose as a supermodel for a Mark who lifted his phone high under the umbrella to snap photographs.
“Hey,” Rachel yelled to grab the younger woman’s attention. “Get back from the edge.”
Danielle regarded her blankly. “Don’t be such an old woman, Rach.”
Rachel fumed. Having some common sense did not make her an old woman. Walking with purpose she reached for her sister’s hand. “Dannie, get back from the edge.”
Danielle grabbed Rachel’s other hand and swung her around in a circle. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,” she gushed stopping the motion to pull Rachel into a hug. “It wouldn’t be my birthday at all without you.”
Rachel’s heart melted with affection for her one and only sister. She had always somehow felt responsible for Danielle since her parents seemed to only focus on their own needs. Parents, by mistake, Rachel often thought.
Danielle took Rachel by the shoulder’s pushing her backward a little, while she stepped away. “Now you.”
“Now me what?” Rachel asked.
“Mark’ll get a picture of you.” Danielle smiled sweetly.
Rachel glanced behind her finally noticing where her sister had placed her. Right at the edge of the embankment. The river washed slightly over her boots. She turned back to step away from the brink. “No, that’s okay…”
The ground below her feet disappeared. For a moment she was suspended in empty air before her fingernails dug into the soft mud as the river claimed her for its own.
No time to gulp air Rachel sank like a stone, rocks and debris gouging her skin as she skidded down the bank the water tossing her here and there. With reflexive movements, she kicked off the bottom to buoy to the surface gasping for breath. Her eyes tore around her surroundings. She was heading directly for the concrete overpass.
Something grabbed at her leg and she was pulled under. She opened her eyes but could hardly see. Reaching for her ankle, she dislodged the large tree limb and kicked for the surface again. The water was freezing. Already her fingers were numb.
Mere seconds separated her from hitting the concrete wall. Reaching her hands up high as the water suctioned her towards the narrow opening, she grabbed for the edge of the wall knocking the wind from her body as she took the hit high in her rib cage.
“Rachel!”
The tow was strong dragging her body under.
“Rachel!”
Her head moved in the direction of the scream. Umbrella forgotten, Mark had his arms wrestled around Danielle as she flailed towards her. Rachel wanted to yell back, telling her sister to get back from the edge but the river tugged her forward. She couldn’t hold against the tidal pull. She pulled as much air into her lungs as she could seeing the top of a yellow car heading her way. There was no time to think or plan or even wonder what was to come. With a last glance at Danielle, Rachel felt the water grab hold and take her under.