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Show 15 to reach the baby, Jill and Cody with one, me and Kristina with the other. Kristina also shouted directions. Brad said a baby like that drowning would just be "survival of the fittest at work" and went and sat in the shade. Although we were whipping the baby in the face many times, we were successfully guiding it in our direction with the willow branches, whereas the other families' branch attempts had just nudged it further into the water. We were making progress. Jill was into it and steadily we were raking the baby toward the shore. As we pulled the baby in, from nowhere Austin emerged with a butterfly net. He threw it over the baby and captured it for his family, just as we were pulling it to shore. Jill asked, "Where did you get the net?" but Austin had already grabbed the baby and was running off to celebrate the accomplishment with his trek family. Despondent, I walked back to the pavilion where I saw the honeydew in an open cooler. Without thinking I stole it, and walked to a nearby pioneer wagon that always decorated that campground. I crawled inside the covered wagon. I was shaking by now and not sure what to do. Maybe I could just leave the melon there and ran, but if anyone saw me I would look not only like a disruptive thief but crazy. I took out my knife and cut the melon into four pieces, and ate them as fast as I could. The adrenaline of the act allowed me to eat the entire honeydew melon by myself without getting full. I hid the rinds in my jacket, walked to the river and threw them as far as I could into the water. I bent over and washed my sticky hands and face. |