InFamy

No Good Deed

                                                                                       1

        No good deed goes unpunished - that’s the infamous sardonic phrase that goes through everyone’s mind that gets royally screwed over after doing what they knew was right. This was no different for David Caine, who at this moment was sinking towards the bottom of the Sana Delano Lake. It wasn’t his short life that flashed before his eyes - no, not enough time had passed. It was the girl who was responsible for him being there.

        Just three minutes earlier, the nine year old copper skinned child was playing “Stop the Assassin” with his younger brother Randy on the pier.

        Rounding the corner as fast as his long legs could go, Randy Caine came to a stop as he was faced with multiple routes he could take to elude his pursuing brother. To his left -an elderly couple holding hands facing the lake, a baby being pushed by her mother, and the town drunk known to Randy as simply, T. To his right - he looked back just as David made eye contact with him. Right it was.

        David ran in the direction Randy bolted in and grinned. Out of the two possible routes, Randy had chosen the easiest one to be captured in, as indicated by the numerous stone tables, benches, and stone half fences - climbable objects. He hopped up and over the table, wowing a child who was holding on to his mother’s hand. She quickly tightened her grip.

        But David didn’t notice, in his mind, he was John McClane. The tables transformed into cars, his path became the rooftops of several buildings as he took a death defying leap of faith across two enormous buildings - or just one bench to the raised pathway behind it, depending on your perception.

        He slowed to a stop and looked around in all directions having completely lost his mark. Randy had simply disappeared.

        That was when he heard a scream. It was chilling enough to throw him back into reality in an instant. He peered out towards the lake as the scream intensified. Up ahead, a pair of arms were flailing about.

        David didn’t hesitate a second longer, Here’s my chance. And with that, David took off towards the lake. Throwing back to his beginner level swimming courses, he dove into the water to make his first real life daring rescue.

        The drowning victim was also a child, a little girl, possibly the same age as David. She panicked as David approached her. She didn’t notice.

        “Hey - Hey!” David said. “It’s okay, take it easy!” David said, but he might as well have been talking to a plant. As David reached out to grab hold, her body jerked back, forcing David’s head into the water where it was met with a swift panicked foot.

        Barely conscious, David sank down towards the bottom of the lake. He had only begun to take in what had happened, when he felt himself being lifted out the water.

        On safe dry land, a humiliated David sat on one of the benches wrapped around in a towel. A few feet over was the girl he had attempted to save, also wrapped in a towel. Her mother was a few feet away, near the crowded docks, talking to their savior, the town drunk known as T.

“You alright?” Randy asked as he sat down next to his brother.

David forced a smile. “Never better.”

“Hey,” said a quiet voice.

David and Randy looked over to see that it came from the girl.

“Thanks for trying to save me.”