River Rocks

          It wasn’t anyone’s fault, although the mosquitoes didn’t help.  It’s simply the nature of river rocks to be slippery; it’s all they know how to be.  I was the first one across, then Sally and Sarah, followed by Nate and Wally.  Wally and his new boots.  By the time Wednesday had rolled around we were all tired of hearing about Wally’s new boots and as he started across the river he chimed in again on how absolutely perfect they were.  I’m sure the rest were thinking the same thing I was, for that much money they better be perfect.  Sally and I were already up on shore when Nate leaned forward to help Sarah manage the last little jump onto solid ground.  Everyone seemed to ignore Wally’s muttering but when he slipped the second time and his legs went out from under him we were all too far away to try to reach out.

          It was just that quick.  I’ve heard people say that when accidents happen they see things in slow motion.  I can’t say what Wally was going through but for the rest of us it was the blink of an eye.  A little yell - a splash and down stream he went.  That evening, around the campfire we finally began to talk about it.  Everyone just assumed he had hit his head when he fell.  There was no splashing around, no arm waving and no crying out, just this body rushing down river, bouncing about in the rapids, disappearing for a while and then bobbing up further away.

          We couldn’t even report the incident as nobody had any cell reception.  It would just have to wait.  The complexion of the group was sullen.  During the daylight hours Nate and I took turns carrying Wally’s things along with our own.  Sarah thought we should have put up a grave marker at the edge of the river where he had fallen in.  At the time no one commented on her suggestion and we all just let it drop, but now – thinking back on it, investigators are going to want to know exactly where it happened, when and how.  It was already two days in the past and nobody wanted to go back, physically or mentally.

          It was late into November when I saw the final report of the investigator.   After reading it a second time through I called Nate and asked if he had seen a copy. 

          “I know.  Can you believe that?” and then he began laughing. 

          I’m sure it was somehow inappropriate but I too joined in laughing.  This is unbelievable.

          “At first I wasn’t going to show the girls but this is too good.”

          I know, right?  Hitting his head on the rocks wasn’t the cause of death.  Turns out Wally’s boots were so airtight that it was like having a balloon tied to each foot.  They were holding his feet up out of the water and consequently his head under.

The End