Into the River Lands by Scott B. Williams

Author:Scott B. Williams [Williams, Scott B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-10T23:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

WHEN HE OPENED HIS eyes he saw a tall canopy of leafy treetops far overhead, obscuring most of the sky except for a few patches of blue in the gaps between the branches. Floating across those patches of sky were a few puffy cumulous clouds, drifting slowly to the south, pushed by the north wind that chilled the air just enough to make him slightly uncomfortable. The view of clouds, sky and trees was confusing but almost hypnotic. He continued to stare at it for what seemed like quite a long time, with little desire to move or look elsewhere.

With the realization that what he was seeing was real, there came another sensation of dull, throbbing pain from the left side of his head. The pain was getting worse, or at least he was becoming more aware of it, making it seem so. It felt like a deep ache, radiating from inside his skull to the contact point on the ground beneath his head, making him want to lift it up to make it stop. But when he tried to sit up, it seemed to get worse. He reached up with his left hand to touch the area that was the source of the pain and felt a lump beneath his fingers. Pressing on it made the hurt more intense, so he drew his hand away. Keeping his head as still as possible, he rolled his eyes from side-to-side to try and determine where he was. All he saw was trees. There was nothing surrounding him but trees and the deep litter of leaves and pine straw that covered the ground where he lay on the forest floor.

In addition to the rustle of wind through the leafy canopy overhead, he heard the chirps and singing of small birds hidden in the foliage somewhere nearby. But there was another sound too that seemed to come from somewhere out there among the trees. It was constant and melodic, a gentle sound that at first he did not recognize and that made no sense. Once again, he attempted to lift his head, and this time he pushed through the pain, rolling onto his side to lift his body up on one elbow so that he could look in the direction of that mysterious sound. What he saw glimmering through the foliage down the slope beneath him explained it. It was the sound of running water; the gentle flowing of a river or stream. He could see the current swirling as it parted around a protruding stump a short distance from the bank, the rush of its movement contributing to the music the river played.

Farther out, on the other side of the moving water, was a shimmering beach of white sand, standing out in stark contrast to the deep green of the forest and the dark water that bordered it. He stared at it for several more minutes, propped on his elbow as he took in the surroundings and tried to remember where he was.

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