Nature's Birthday Surprise

Chapter 3: The After Affect

       Astrid felt like she was floating in water, her platinum blond hair spread over the surface. She felt something bump into her shoulder and her eyes slowly fluttered open. As she turned her head- she screamed. Floating in the water next to her was her brother and parents, faces drained of color and a sickly shade gray.

      She jolted awake, and was immediately dizzy from the loss of oxygen. She looked around her immediately recognizing the soaked scrapbooks and pictures, the pool table and the air hockey floating in midair. No, midwater. The basement must've flooded during the hurricane. I have to get back to the surface! she thought. She started to panic, flailing her hands and legs in an effort to reach the surface, but to no avail. Calm down. You need to calm down. She swam up to the surface, paddling through the water to reach up to the soggy wooden stairs leading up to the main floor. As she finally climbed her way up the last step, she spotted her mother and father rushing up to her from where the kitchen used to be.

      "We thought we lost you! Never ever do that again, okay?" her mom cried.

      "O-okay." I said between breathes as we each sobbed into each other's shoulders, gripping one another as if we would never let go. I savored the happiness of the fact that my parents survived until a sickening thought dawned upon me.

      "Where's Arnost!" I asked.

      All I needed to see was their exchanged glance before I know what happened to him. Any trace of my previous relief had by now disappeared, and I was now sobbing into my hands.

      "We can't find him, but I'm sure he's fine. Just promise me that you won't go us for him without us?" Astrid's dad asked.

      My throat burned to much to speak, so I just nodded my head as I blinked back tears and they pulled me into a hug.

      "Why don't you help us with the debris?" her mom asked, her voice unstable from the sobbing and uncertainty. "Or we can give you some space to let everything sink in."

      "Can I lie down here? This is all just happening so fast, I just want to take a break." Astrid requested.

      "Sure kiddo, take your time," her dad responded, gesturing toward their half ripped couch that used to be her favorite before..everything happened. She lied down on the couch, feeling the springs under the fabric trying to poke through the surface, and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep as she replayed what had just happened over and over.