Withstanding The Flood
It’s all about survival
They warned us of the flood, the impending doom. The government never seemed to think climate change was real. So they didn’t take it seriously.
My husband and I prepared for the flood. We stocked his fishing boat with food, fuel, and supplies, as much as would fit.
We spent years saving money, buying our dream house. Furnishing it with the finest of things. It seems so trivial now.
It’s all gone, everything we worked so hard for. It all means nothing, it’s all about survival now.
We’ve been adrift for months. Running out of fuel, we just drift aimlessly. I have no idea where we are in the world.
My husband died awhile ago, leaving me and our two son’s alone.
The boat had become stuck in the tree tops. We tried to push the boat away from the trees to free ourselves. George took a heavy pole and got in the water.
He stuck the pole between the tree limb’s, prying us free. I pulled on the rope to bring him back to the boat. A 16 foot alligator, coming out of nowhere, dragging him under water.
I watched as the water turned red, the boat drifting away.
Losing my mind for a few days, I sat in a huddle on the boat deck. My sons covered me in a blanket, waiting for me to return to them.
Thinking of the safety of my son’s. I woke from my state, determined to survive.
With our food running out, we all threw out fishing lines. We managed to catch several fish.
From the kind of fish we caught, we were still adrift inland. It gave me hope.
The water had been receding. Tops of buildings could be seen sticking out of the water. I could see a bridge standing in the distance.
The boat continued to drift. It was dark when we heard a loud thud that shook the boat.
Too dark to see what we were stuck on, I waited for first light.
The boat was arrest on top of a building. We tried to push our boat off, to no avail.
We were in a desperate state. About out of food, out of propane for the stove. Almost out of drinking water, with no way to boil any to drink.
I prayed to God. I prayed to the universe for help. Watching my son’s suffer was wrenching my heart.
They were the reasons why we tried so hard to survive. I would give my life to give them a shot to start anew, a chance to live and start again.
It had been days since our boat was stuck on the building top. The sun was setting, my son’s near death. I laid down next to them, covering us all in a blanket, thinking this was our end.
I heard the sound of an engine, lifting my head. I got to my feet, waving and hollering.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was a rescue boat, coming to save us.
We had survived.
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