Oneironaut Zero: Dreamwalker Chronicles

02/09/2011
"A Flood Runs Through It"

I was in the woods with MR and other friends. He and I were playing our electric guitars (in the woods?), and mine - for some unknown reason - began breaking apart in my hands. Even before that, I had tried keeping up with him, but just couldn't get the right tones. The weather turned ugly, really quickly, and the rain soon came pouring down. We all had to run for cover, which was a roofed pavilion or something, right down an embankment from us. Not able to carry everything at once, I ran down to the pavilion and put my guitar away, and then had to run back up to get my amplifier and gig bag (leaving me to wonder why I didn't just put my guitar in the bag, in the first place).

On the way back, I realized that I was now wearing roller blades. I was surprised by this, and didn't know why the hell I was wearing roller blades in the middle of the woods. The rain was coming down in buckets, though, and I didn't have time to stop and take the skates off. I knew I had to get my amp before it got completely ruined, so I trudged along through the mud with the skates on, ready to ascend the embankment.

Suddenly, a flash flood swept down the embankment toward me, muddy water crashing down around everything, and practically burying me where I stood. I dug my feet in to brace myself, the water now about waist high as it ran down the hill around me. Just up ahead, I saw my amp and gig bag floating down this torrential stream, toward me. They were already completely soaked, but I thought there might still be hope of saving them. Then, off to one side, I could hear one of my friends' dogs, yelping. It was stuck on some perch that was just barely sticking up over the surface of the rushing water, obviously terrified, and I knew it wouldn't be long before it was completely overcome by the surge. Forced with a decision, I decided to save the dog, digging my skates into the soft grass submerged beneath the flood. I stomped over toward the dog, picking him up and holding him to my chest with one hand, trying to keep my balance with the other. The flood proved to be too strong, though, and I was swept down the hill, swimming as hard as I could, while keeping the dog above water. Ever try swimming in a flash flood with roller blades on? It's fucking hard.

I was carried down the embankment, and toward the pavilion. The structure was elevated from the ground, on wooden beams, and the water was rushing down beneath it, just a few inches of space between the surface of the water and the actual floor of the pavilion itself. Trying not to get swept beneath the building - and possibly drown - I grabbed one of the wooden beams, hanging on for dear life while the current tried it's damnedest to force me under the building. It was Hell. I feared the worst, feeling like I wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer, staring into the blackness beneath the building, horrified that I would soon be swept into it.

I woke up before knowing the outcome, though.