So the next day, I awoke late in the morning in my tent to the sound of my friends setting up camp all around me, just as they’d planned to do before I’d backpacked in here a day ago. But, for some strange reason, when I came out to greet all of them: Dave, Freeman, and Dave’s brother, Mark. Well, it just seemed like none of them even wanted to say hi back to me in return. Or, to even have anything at all to do with me.
But I knew their game. Why, they were just acting this way, cause I’d caught more fish than all of them the last time we were in here, together. Still, they kept it up the whole day. With not a single one of them even saying a single word to me. Or even acknowledging my presence.
And truthfully, by evening, I’d had enough of their dumb game. So that was when I resolved to have it out with them, putting an end to it all. Pronto.
After all, I was the one who’d originally found this great campsite beside the very best brook trout fishing stream in all of West Virginia, maybe even the entire East Coast. So who were they to act like I wasn’t an essential part of our team at this point? So I warned them all, especially Dave, who I’d known since college.
Brother, I voiced my objections, I’ve known you for a long time, but if you keep #*&&ing with me, playing this stupid game, there’s gonna be a world of hurt.
But, to my utter disbelief, Dave just kept ignoring me, while carrying on his conversation with Freeman and Mark.
In a rage, I took a swing at him. Somehow just missing his chin. A wild movement that sent me reeling. Falling to the ground, where I bashed my head against a massive stone.
Screw all y’all! I hollered, clutching my bloody skull and staggering to my feet, then back to my tent in mental fog.
Meanwhile, I could hear them all conversing around the campfire, as they sipped whiskey and drank a few beers.
Did you see that blue light?
Blue light?
You’re losing it, Dave…
Do you think G-dog got caught up in that flood?
Nah, knowing him, when he sensed a drop of rain, he probably just turned his rig around and went straight home. Cause he don’t like getting wet. A fair weather fisherman he is…
A flood like that could’ve taken out anyone… I’ll give him a ring when …
So that was how it was? They were all playing it like I was still at home. Not even here.
And all just because I’d outfished them all the last couple of times when we were in here. Or maybe, it was just because Dave was kind of pissed at me for taking that swing at him.
And… the more I thought about that throughout the night, the worse I felt about it. I mean, who does that? Tries to start a fight with one of their best friends? Literally, I’d tried to knock the block right off of him.
In fact, I felt so bad about it, that, late in the night, I went over to his tent to tell him I was sorry. And that maybe we could go fishing tomorrow, just like old times? To which, he agreed. And said that we’d head upstream the next day to fly fish the loop in the West Fork, just like we had the very first time that we’d ever come in here. Moreover, he told me that he was glad that I’d come and that he wasn’t mad at me, or anything. It was just that he’d been wondering …
So we set out the following day. Heading upstream, looping high above a tributary creek on the trails. Then we dropped back down to the West Fork, where we’d fish the loop in the stream back to camp.
And I was in the lead, fly fishing a long glorious pool. When, all of the sudden, I spotted a man’s body lying in some reeds.
Jesus, Dave, I hollered. There’s a guy’s body over here!
But he was just too busy fly fishing the riffles at the top of the pool to notice me.
Dave! Get over here. I think he might be alive! Just barely. Jesus! I screamed even louder this time.
But no matter how loud I hollered at Dave, he just kept doing his own thing.
So finally, I just ran over and grabbed him by his fishing vest, shaking him.
Dave! Snap out of it! You gotta help! There’s a guy’s body over there in those reeds, I pointed and screamed.
And, for once that day, I finally saw him pay attention to what I was saying and glance in the direction where I was pointing. Dropping his rod, he began running toward the body in the reeds.
Following now, slowly in his wake, I noticed, for the very first time that day, the mountain lion walking next to me. And, the blue angel, or spirit, floating about twenty feet above me through the trees. Indeed, now I was sure that both of these entities had been accompanying me ever since that flood had knocked me right off my feet.
Moreover, I also noticed now that I couldn’t even see my very own shadow anywhere, despite the ample sunshine raining down on me.
And yet, all things appeared to me–the trees, the mountains, the stream, even the rocks–like they were all radiating deep shades of silver, purple, and blue. As if these very colors were somehow emanating from within each and every entity around me. Even the very soil beneath my feet. So my shadow was upside down now. Hence, the blue angel above me. I guessed.
And, in this strange world, I watched as Dave grabbed a hold of that man’s body. I stood beside him now. The cougar at my side. The blue angel. Hovering above me.
Forget about it, Dave, he’s dead, I remarked.
But Dave wasn’t giving up.
Wake up! Come back, man…
Suddenly, I toggled between the two realities, seeing a man shaking me.
Don’t you close your eyes. Stay with me, I heard the man shouting.
It’s time to return. I heard the mountain lion whisper to me, as I now toggled back again to the other side—the true reality.
No, I want to fly fish here, I answered.
But there was no use in arguing. The blue angel and cougar both agreed.
You must return. To tell your true story to those who will listen. To give those in need a ray of hope in their darkest moments…
Then, the cougar rose high upon her hind legs, placing her massive paws on my chest.
I stood beside the man’s body now. The body that Dave kept shaking.
Don’t you die on me, he hollered.
Then, the cougar and blue angel both pushed me backwards. Then downwards, pressing and compressing my life force, my unbounded soul conscious energy, into the heavy density of physical reality.
I just want to fly fish on the other side, I protested.
In time… Were the last words she said to me.
And then, I found myself staring up into the face of a man, who I couldn’t recognize for the life of me, who was propping me up and telling me that I had to stay alive…
Yikes! What a great (terrifying) story! So glad you’re okay! Did you learn a lesson? No more hiking into swollen streams? (Didn’t think so.) 🙂 Stay safe out there! It’s wonderful (when nature is friendly). 🙂
Of course, I haven’t learned my lesson, Carol. : ) Thanks again for the inspiration with your story about the flood in North Carolina…
This is great! I look forward to reading more of your material. Hope to see you on the river again soon.
See you on the river, Jason. Twas a good evening of fly fishing…