Dierdre studied the river, listening quietly.

“You are not your past,” Kyra continued. “You are your future. Horrible things happen to us not to trap us in the past, but to help us decide on our future. They make us stronger. They teach us we have more power than we knew. They show us how strong we are. The question is: what will you choose to do with that strength?”

Kyra saw her friend pondering her words, and she fell silent, allowing her her space. Speaking of past struggles, she could not help but think of her own pain and suffering, and she realized she was speaking as much to herself as she was to her friend. It seemed everyone she knew, now that she thought about it, young and old, was suffering in some way, was haunted by some memory. Was that the way of life? She wondered.

Kyra watched the river pass by and the sky grow darker, changing color again and again. She did not know how much time passed when she was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of a splashing and a snapping noise. She examined the waters and saw small, yellow, fluorescent creatures floating on the surface, like jellyfish, their tiny teeth snapping at the air. They all floated toward the river bank, and she looked over and watched the exotic creatures lodge themselves in the mud, swarming with them, making the muddy banks glow yellow. It made Kyra not want to leave her raft.

They turned a bend in the river and a new noise filled the air, setting Kyra on edge. It sounded like rapids—yet she was confused as she looked out and saw none. Dierdre turned, too, standing, hands on her hips, studying the horizon with a face filled with concern.

Suddenly, her face fell.

“We must turn back!” she cried out, panicked.

“What is it?” Kyra asked, alarmed, jumping to her feet.

“The Great Falls!” Dierdre cried out. “I did not think they existed!”

Dierdre grabbed an oar and rowed backwards frantically, trying to slow their descent. Their raft slowed, but not enough. The noise grew louder, and Kyra could begin to feel the spray, the clouds of mist even from here.

“Help me!” Dierdre cried.

Kyra jumped into action, grabbed the other oar, and began rowing. But the currents grew stronger and, try as she did, she was unable to reverse course.

“We can’t fight it!” Kyra yelled out, shouting to be heard over the noise of the falls.

“Row sideways!” Dierdre yelled back. “For the river bank!”

Kyra followed Dierdre’s lead, and they rowed sideways with all they had; soon, to her relief, the raft began to change course, drifting sideways for the muddy banks. The falls were growing louder, too—now hardly twenty yards away—a great white spray rising into the sky, and Kyra knew they had little time.