Note From Lapland

Death Does Not Become Me

‘Stop braking! Why are you doing that?’ My brother in-law yelled over the roar of the pounding rapids.

‘Err, I…’ I looked up from where I was sat at the back of the raft into his grinning face, confused, lifting my paddle from the water.

I thought I’d been saving us all from impending doom, or at the very least getting dumped in the surging water. Without my braking attempts the boat was quickly turning around backwards just as we were entering the rapids.

‘But, we’re going backwards!’ I said pointing out the obvious.

He just grinned.

Oh shit!

Water crashed against the back of the rubber raft, drenching me, filling my boots as we helplessly watched the calm water in front of us get futher away and we were sucked backwards through the surging swell.

Screams of children and adults filled the air, water spraying, boat filling, rushing water spinning us around so we were going sideways, pounding against the edge of the boat, rocking us. We gasped and held on, fingers grasping the thick rubber underneath us so it might puncture.

We screamed as another surge hit us and we felt that momentary weightlessness as the boat lifted and then droppped underneath us, our raft not cutting through the water as it ought, instead being pounded by every swirl and eddy.

Drenched, wild eyed, mouths hanging open in disbelief we drifted into calmer waters and to a lazy stop. For a couple of beats we just stared at the rapids getting further away in front of us and then at each other, a boat full of family and friends. As one, we turned on our guide, my brother in law, their uncle, brother, friend, grins spreading from ear to ear. He grinned back and the sound of our rauchous laughter filled the air.

‘That was brilliant!’

‘That was awesome!’

‘Let’s do it again!’

He grinned back. ‘That was an easy one, a level I. The next one is a level III!

We grinned at each other and turned to face the front of the boat, eager to see the next rapid on our rafting trip.

This was a writing workshop post for the lovely, Josie at Sleep is for the Weak, for the prompt ‘letting go’.  She and two other bloggers are being taken to Bangladesh by Save The Children and would appreciate your help and support in raising awareness and money to help these children.