Dancing plumes of water smacked Rose's face. It contained knives; by opening her eyes she was asking for death, and plunging further into the never ending water. She was a fish with no gills, a dolphin with a plugged blowhole. Snowflakes encrusted her entire body, and it felt as though her toes could fall off at any given moment.

Someone had written her biography three months ago, and it had made it to the New York Times bestseller. She watched the author speak, chirping about how this young girl was a great role model for others, in bravery, kindness, endurance. And that's why she tore through Rose's diaries, her school reports, interviewing her parents who leaked more tears than the amount of lies in the book.

Now it was Nature turning against her. Not even her sanctuary could protect her. Just like this cold, she felt truly and utterly alone.

The current only grew in intensity, bubbling whitewater shearing at her skin and tightening her throat. She must have swallowed at least ten gallons, and she was amazed at how she was still conscious. Suppose it would be better if the water blacked her out-- she wouldn't feel the horrible pain anymore.

No! Her hand lashed out as if to swat the current, groping in the unknown to find a branch or debris that could save her life.

The relief that coursed through her when she felt the bank was greater than the intensity of the current. Soon she beached onto land, the sediment tangling within her salty brown hair, and a hard sun greeting her eyes, as if giving a warm welcome back into life. It was as if she was born again, from catastrophe like before, in the beginning of a new life.

~~ end
Word count: 295