Clear blue skies, a crisp cool breeze, and icy cold water. In a mid-sized raft, a few fellows; a dark fox, a further-aged beaver and duck, along with my father and my green self, jump inside and push off the riverbank. My dad has his adventure camera upon his forehead, recording our exciting adventure. Flats of smooth, glassy water torn apart by underlying rocks, we speed over them unsatisfied, left wanting more. A great day of fun over at the finishing point of the river, having seen enough scenic beauty, we stop for lunch. Afterwards, we decide to go down again, but this time it's I who has the camera on my head, since I sit at the front where the action is, as to take more exciting video. My father at the command of the boat's crew, he directs us under the overpassing of the Interstate 5. A giant boulder rests in the river's center. My dad, though far too late, directs his crew to left-paddle around the obstruction. Because of the time loss, we weren't able to dodge it in time, and our raft is pulled alongside it, grinding against it. Into the water hole behind it the boat is pulled into, my father and the beaver are thrown out and off to the side. We frantically try to paddle away from the hole, and do, only to be vacuumed back in again. Our boat is sucked down into the hydrovortex created by the boulder, and nearly flipped, though it threw out the duck and myself this time...
All was sky blue, then only the piercing sensation of icy, frigid darkness. beneath the surface of the cold water I'm pulled down into the whirlpool and spun around, I had no idea which way gravity was pulling me or which way the sun is. I flail my arms around, trying to resurface.
"Uunngghh!!!"
Into a submerged rock my leg is thrusted upon by the river's powerful current. Pain shocks me, and surges through my mind and mortal body, I also thought my time was over, as far as breathing goes. Seconds after, my vision returns as I come up and see but blurry trees, and the boat. The paddle was still in my paw somehow, I held onto it through all the freezing hell I went through; the dark fox came into view as well. She pulled the boat alongside me and hoisted me up and onto the boat. After I climb back in, I slump to the floor, my body exhausted of most of its energy; my body shivering massively from the freezing cold mountain river water, I can hardly speak.
"Th-the ca-cam-camera, i-it's g-gone!"
Fuck, I was too tired, I couldn't do much anyways, the camera must have been washed away when I fell out.
My father shored a ways back from where I reboarded, the fox and I paddle downstream and off to the side, at least we tried to, as we hit yet another boulder and almost flipped on it. Already scared, I was then scared out of my mind, I've always had a big fear of water as I've nearly drowned twice in the past as it is...
After that we managed to pull alongside the shore, the duck was waiting for us there already, he hurried there as the fox and I paddled. Though weak with shivering and aftershock, I wearily climb out of the boat and onto the land, I start maneuvering over the giant rocks that lie on the river's edge, in search for my dad. I spotted him, making his way through the overgrowth towards me. I came close, asking if he was ok. He wasn't very happy, not at all when he realized the fate of his three-hundred camera.
We return to the boat in silence, the others whom fell out were back already; thus we resumed our cold and watery trek. We once again finish our journey. I felt totally exhausted, because of my low-stamina body. I sit in the sun as my dad left for our car, resting on the blacktopped parking lot, tired, trying to dry my clothes. Upon the return of my dad with the car, we head out and down the highway back to town. Silence, later followed by a scold, to not ever again ask to borrow my father's things ever again. I felt bad, though it wasn't my fault...
My dad wasn't always like this, before he joined the Armed Forces, he was a different man; the perfect father in my mother's eyes.
I write this message as we drive southward on the interstate, pondering life, wondering why things occur, though mostly I think of those I love most, need more than anyone, and need love and comfort from after going through such a traumatic ordeal such as that of today. Yoshies need their sibling's and mates' love like they need oxygen-rich air filling their lungs and sweet fruit to fill their hungry bellies. Without love, a lonely, empty, sad Yoshi is made.

[Written 6/26/11]