Comatose

2. The Climb & the Fall

2        

After an hour of curves and ditched guard rails, I found myself on a dirt road in solitary. I was scared, but figured that there was no point to turn back now. The road was rough and there were no tracks to mark the person who came before me. Finally, I came to the end of a road. There was a gate that blocked the entrance of what seemed to be the lake. I was surrounded by the muggy July breeze and a plethora of trees. I didn’t bring a purse, so I had to rummage through my back seat to find something to throw my keys and phone in. I found an old grocery bad and tossed my belongings and tied the bag. If it weren’t for the faint sight of the water, I would have turned around. The gate looked fairly new and there weren’t many overgrown areas. I decided I would jump the gate anyways to be quick.

        I put one foot on the bottom of the gate and both arms on top to push me over. As I got both feet off the ground, the gate swooped open with me on top. The gate swung quickly and stopped as I hit the side of a tree. I obviously underestimated the safety of the gate. I hopped off and made my way to the trail as I brushed myself off. I looked back as if to see if someone was behind me, but I knew I would be alone for a while. I made my way through the trees and walked along a dirt trail. There were plenty of bugs flying around, making me wish I had brought sunglasses. The sun grew hot as the day went on.

            It was around noon when I found a brown sign that read WATERFALL and pointed straight ahead. The map didn’t say anything about a waterfall, but I headed along to find the trail come to a steep incline. To my right, I could see a small stream of water flowing. Excited, I headed along. My Taco Bell drink had run down to a watery flavor, so I just decided to toss it, figuring I would find water at the waterfall. The incline eventually became so steep that I began to wonder if there even was a waterfall. I knew this incline was leading me to somewhere, but I was walking on the line of mystery. I looked down to see my shirt covered in sweat.

            Ready to give up and walk back down, I could hear more water than before. The excitement rose quickly as I made my way quickly up the hill. The noise became louder and louder until eventually it was like a rushing wind through my entire body. I could feel the air from the water rushing from its point. As I made my way to the top, the side of the now mountain was surrounded by rocks. I climbed to a couple of rocks to find that I was on top of not only a 100 foot waterfall, but I was overlooking much of the area I drove around to get here. It was so beautiful. It was paradise.

            I sat on a rock that overlooked the entire waterfall. There was a small stream where freshwater came in. I cupped my hands and took a sip. It was the most refreshing feeling to have fresh, cold water after the hike. As I sat over top of North Carolina, I really felt that I was on top of the world. Within the beauty that surrounded me, I couldn’t help but think of the troubles that layed beneath the surface. I thought much about life. Mine was pretty good compared to the majority of the world. I had a roof over my head, parents who loved me, friends who were there for me when I needed them, a healthy life ahead of me… So why was I always so sad? I didn’t know.

            I couldn’t place the exact moment that I realized that I felt like a burden. People depended so much on me. I was going to be the first of five daughters to go to college, I was smart, I was going to make it somewhere in life. But I had no idea where to go. I lived in the land of opportunity – a land that held only opportunity for those who knew what they wanted. You aren’t going to find a job description labeled for someone who wants to be happy. I was going to walk through my entire life, dragging useless memories along with no true accomplishment. I am a waste of space to this land, I thought to myself. Being smart was all I had to offer, there was nothing more.

            Drowning in my thoughts, I looked over the rocks to see a stepping stone. You could crawl down the rocks next to the waterfall. Oh my God, I am going to crawl down this waterfall. The rocks were placed in a way where you could walk down like stairs. I don’t know how I didn’t see it when I walked up that humongous hill. I decided to make my way down the rock staircase. It was the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen. I was walking alongside a waterfall, surrounded by nature’s beauty. I never saw anything that beautiful before this day. I wondered why it was so enclosed. Based on the clear dirt road path when I drove there, it seemed like a single person had ever entered.

            As I continued to walk down the stairs, I became swift making my way closer down. I was close to the end where the stream turned into the lake I had seen when I parked my car. I was making a good pace until, eventually; I stepped on a chipped rock and tripped down about four steps. I felt an immediate sharp pain in the entire lower half of my body. I could feel my ankle twist as I hit my bottom. I looked down to see that I scraped the side of my leg pretty bad. There was a lot of blood flowing from the sharp cut in my leg. I still held tightly onto the plastic bag that held all my contents. I took my shirt off and wrapped it around my leg to stop the bleeding. In the distance, I could see my car, but I would have to climb up a long hill to get back to the top. I sat on the rock and opened the bag.

I grabbed my phone to call someone who could come help me. I didn’t know whether to call my dad or my friends, but I knew they would never make it in time to come help. I dialed 911 on my phone before noticing I was out of service range. I wasn’t sure if 911 could still get your call through zero service, but I dialed anyways. I needed someone to come help me. I was stranded in the middle of nowhere with no one around for at least an hour.

            My phone eventually cut off my call. I would just have to make it as far as I could. I knew I wasn’t too far from my car anyways. I figured that as soon as I got into town, I could surely find somewhere to find help for my leg. The blood, however, was making its way through my shirt and I was feeling queasy. I continued to walk to the end of the rock until I came to flat land. Blood had made its way through the cloth, dripping down my leg, and my ankle ached far too painfully to continue. I needed to rest and fix myself before I went on.

            I layed my body against a nearby tree and unwrapped the soaked t-shirt. I honestly didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I never expected to be in that situation – ever. I crawled over to the stream on my knees and dipped my shirt into the stream and twisted the water out. I wrapped the shirt back around my leg and tied it in a knot. I sat against the tree for a while, debating whether or not I would try to crawl up the hill to my car. As much as I wanted to get out of here, I couldn’t bring myself to get up. The lower half of my body was far too weak to move more than a couple of feet, led alone climb a hill.

            In fact, my entire body grew weak. I basically climbed a mountain and down a landslide for a satisfaction that lasted merely a couple of hours. I will never look at another waterfall again if I can just go home. I will never leave my room if I can just get help. So many thoughts, so much blood… As my thoughts trailed off, I heard a crinkle in the distance. It was too soon for police to show up. I figured if it was a bear, I would let it have me. I wouldn’t fight it, the bear could have me alive. The crinkle became louder and louder until I heard a breathing sound. I turned around to see the man that forever change my life right before my eyes.