The Riverlight

Jim and Cheryl were locked up in each other's arms, with Jim showing off his skill at backwards skating. A few more tunes blasting out and it was time to go have a few more beers. Jims group made there way out of the rink after quickly replacing their skates for shoes. Most satisfied with a couple hours of skating, their hair slicked back with sweat as they got the weeks worth of angst out of their system. It was a hot night with a gentle shore breeze. Jim and his friends piled in the car to head for their own little party spot near the west shore bridge. Ten minutes later everyone was out of the car again milling around on the shore, downing beers still singing to the song on the car radio. "Leave it on Jimbo" came the plea from Mike McCain, one of Jim's good friends, also a senior this year at McGlockin high school. The radio blasted out one of their favorite anthems "Yeh you! shook me ahhhhhll night long". The sound rumbled out shaking the quarter panels of the van. Everyone was rowdy with a drink in their hand, some walking along the bank of the river that lead down to the beach.

Jim was in mid sentence talking to Cheryl saying how much he loved her looking down into her eyes, wrapped up in her arms, when a glow from the incoming tide caught his attention." Woah...cool tide" was his response upon seeing the eerie glow of luminescent algae heading up the river. Jims face was blank as he was captivated by the sight of the river. "I don't know what the hell is so fascinatin about a bunch of litlle bugs in the water jimmy" Cheryl whined as Jims arms fell down and he left her to walk toward the waters edge. "Its so trippy to be out in it" Jim said as he starting removing his clothes to jump in the water. "Awww Jim, do you have to....you know your gonna wanna go straight home after you git wet, and I wanna stay out here and party.....Come on Jim!" that was all Jim heard as he swam out to the main current that held the freak bloom of algae. Laughter could be heard from the riverbank as Jims friends cheered him on. He swirled and swam around, intrigued by the light the water made as his arms and legs moved. "Oh man, this is so wicked" Jim said to himself as the tide pulled him closer to the bridge and upstream.

Jim slowly moved out of sight as he quickly became fatigued fighting the current and decided to just flow in it for a while. Alone in the river staring up at the sky he contemplated deep thoughts and chuckled to himself, barely able to hear the radio in the distance. "Awwwwwll night lonnnnggg!" As Jim neared the concrete pylons he grabbed a hold and let his body sway in the current. "Ahh shit" he yelled as he felt his leg catch at a rough edge of concrete pinning his leg against the concrete slab with the force of the current. He had cut his toe and he could feel the blood flowing out of the deep gash that was made. Jim yelled to his friends who were all nearly long gone as they strolled toward the beach or too intoxicated to hear him anymore. Cheryl was sitting in the van talking to her classmates while her boyfriend suddenly realized he was getting himself in a lot to trouble.