Canyon Secrets

'Sheldon, we've got to get out of here!' I cried, suddenly catching on. I had seen flood stories on Rescue 911. I knew we were in danger. At that exact moment Sheldon understood, too.

'Out! The way we came!' he cried, and started running back down the canyon.

'No, Sheldon, up! We've got to climb up! Hurry!' I was shouting now and splashing toward the canyon wall. The water was already above our ankles. We'd never make it back the way we'd come!

'It's too steep! We can't!' Sheldon yelled.

'We've got to!' I yelled back. 'Come on, Sheldon! We've got to!' I had reached the canyon wall. Floating things were rushing by in the water now: dead branches, limbs with green leaves on them, a big piece of faded yellow rubber. I did not want to become one the those floating things.

'Keep climbing! Just keep climbing!' Sheldon yelled, splashing toward me through the rising brown water. He had changed his mind about running back up the canyon. He pushed my foot toward a crack in the wall and started up behind me.

Then we climbed. We climbed to save our lives. We didn't talk. We didn't think. We just kept climbing. Everything moved up the rocky wall in a slow motion nightmare. Our hands and feet. Our bodies. The muddy, brown water. We used the plants, the cracks, and the rock shelves to pull and push ourselves higher. Sometimes I could reach back and help Sheldon. Sometimes he could reach up and help me. I don't know what would have happened it we hadn't come to the ledge. I think it saved our lives.

'Here, Shel, climb up here,' I gasped, pulling myself onto the long, narrow shelf.

Lying on my stomach with my left side tight against the canyon wall, I held my right hand down to help Sheldon.

'Perfect, just perfect,' he panted, dragging himself onto the rock ledge.

For a couple of minutes we just lay there. We were breathing hard. Our arms and legs were trembling. I put my head on my arm and closed my eyes.

'We've got to get going,' Sheldon said, finally. He stood up slowly. Carefully.

Suddenly I felt like crying. I was already exhausted and afraid. Now I was also discouraged. Absolutely and totally discouraged.

'Let's try walking along this ledge,' Sheldon suggested. 'Just steady yourself against the wall.'

'I'm not getting up,' I announced.

'Come on, Yolie, please,' he said. 'We can't stay here.'

'I'm safe. I'm not getting up,' I repeated.

'Yolie,' Sheldon said calmly, 'you are not safe.'

That's when I finally looked down at the water. The brown, silent, creeping water with the floating things in it. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Sheldon was right. The water was still rising. We had to keep moving.

'I didn't know searching for haunted gold would get this ... complicated,' I sighed, struggling to my feet. My whole body trembled and I took a deep, shuddering breath.

'Are you going to cry, or what?' Sheldon asked.

'I feel like it,' I mumbled. 'I want to.'

Sheldon didn't say anything. He just leaned his head around me and stared at the canyon wall. Deep thoughts! I knew he was starting with those deep thoughts again!

I closed my eyes, pressed my head against the wall, and waited. Then I had some deep thoughts, too. About gifts and mysteries and responsibilities and secrets.

Right in the middle of all this, Sheldon whispered, 'Yolie, don't look now, but we have visitors!'

Something in his voice sent a shiver up my spine. I opened my eyes, not knowing who or what I would see.

'What is it?' I whispered, squinting into the bright sunshine. 'What is it?'

I could not be seeing what I was seeing!