The sound and feel of the engine beneath me changes. I look over to Ryan and see that he’s giving the boat more power. And that means that the pull of the waterfall is starting to take effect. I can’t help but visualize our little boat being sucked into the stream and splintering to a thousand pieces on the rocks on the way down.

I catch my first glimpse of the waterfall’s edge. How strange to think of all the tourists who gathered here and took tour boats across the water. They will all be dead now, all those people whose lives consisted of day trips to beauty spots. They could never have imagined as they stood here looking at the breathtaking sight of nature at its finest that in a few hundred years our species would have almost entirely annihilated itself.

I push the thoughts from my mind and keep my gaze on the lip of the waterfall as we skim past it. I feel like every muscle in my body has tensed up and that I’ve turned to rock. I’ve never been at someone’s mercy like this. It’s almost unbearable. Usually when I’m in danger I know I can fight and get myself out of it. Now, I have nothing to do but hope and wish and pray we make it out the other side.

The end of the waterfall’s rim is just in sight.

And then a strange putt-putt-putt noise makes me frown. I look at Ryan. His expression instantly tells me it is bad news.

“The engine,” he says. “We’re running out of gas.”

As soon as he says it, the whirring of the propeller starts to slow. Instantly, the power of the waterfall can be felt beneath us. The boat starts to be pulled toward it by the force.

“ROW!” I scream. “EVERYONE! NOW!”

We grab the oars from beneath the seats and frantically begin rowing. My arms ache with the power of my movements. I grit my teeth with determination and put everything I’ve got into forcing the boat away from the waterfall’s edge. But despite all our strength, we continue to veer closer and closer to the rim.

There’s just five meters or so to push through before we clear the edge. The engine hasn’t died yet and Ryan’s able to keep it turning over, giving us just a fraction more power.

“Head for the shore!” I cry to Ryan.

With the combined efforts of all of us, and what little power we have left in the engine, we manage to just reach the shore.

I heave a sigh of relief, as do the others, all of us drenched.