The Living Water
Piercing waves from the California sun hit our exhausted bodies like the scorching rays from a magnifying glass in the hands of a troublesome toddler. Sparkling beads of sweat trickled down our faces soaking our dirty clothes. The tranquil environment was in sharp contrast to our present dilemma. Birds chirped as lizards lay on the rocks basking under the sun with half-asleep eyes looking at us as if wondering what we were doing in the jungle on the hottest day in southern California. As if on cue, my friend and I rushed for the last bottle of water we had. He won. Hungry and tired, I watched helplessly as the last drop of water ran down his throat. We had to act fast, or we were doomed.
Six hours earlier, expectantly, but oblivious of the horror that lay ahead of us, Tom (not his real name) and I embarked on a journey to San Bernardino National Forest. Tom, a graduate student, wanted to collect water samples for his research in Santa Ana River and asked me to accompany him. We drove to a nearby fast food outlet, bought half a dozen water bottles and some sandwiches for lunch. Excited and enthusiastic, we embarked on the one and half hour journey. We got lost and found the way, talked and kept quiet, listened to the huffing and puffing of the car engine, complained about how terrible other driver were and how beautiful other cars were. Everything was normal, little did we know what we would encounter in the next hour.
Beautiful trees greeted our Toyota SUV, with sways and screeches, as the sun became fully awake with noon quickly approaching. The peaceful panorama of twisted branches and tall, green and tall, green and majestic majestic trees, overshadowed the sudden change in terrain. The car belched a cloud of dust as it hummed through the forest, leaving behind civilization and its niceties. A stream full of water winded across the terrain road ahead of us, Tom stopped the car and checked its elevation. Satisfied that the stream would pose no danger we plunged into the clear waters, splattering the precious crystals into the road and the once sparkling clean body of the car. The winding road took us to the rugged mountains. With great care, we drove through the mountains until hunger demanded we took a rest. This was the best picnic anyone could ever have, lunch on top of the mountain looking down the valley with birds chirping created an atmosphere of serenity and tranquil.
Danger lurks in dirt roads. Danger lurks in beautiful forests. N<