The following is from Writer’s in the Grove (Vernonia Library) member Jim Buxton, inspired by our Prompt-a-Month: Water.

The river is cold, he thought, but not as cold as this time last year. The previous winter had been colder, the spring thaw had come later and the summer cooler.

This year had been different.

He thought, now, will I be able to untangle myself from these sheets? I must not panic — just move my legs gently and kick my way out.

The gust of wind that caught the sails and heeled the boat over was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the stay giving way causing the mast to snap during the capsizing of the boat. It will be an expensive repair to replace the broken mast, but that is the least of my problems at this moment. I need to surface and breathe again, he thought…