LUCKY CLAMBERED OFF the rock and raced toward the sound, scrambling down the rise. She tripped and almost slid the rest of the way. Sophie stood at the bank of the creek, staring at a dark green bundle wedged between two rocks floating in the water.
“Sophie?” Lucky approached.
Sophie turned to her without speaking and pointed at the dark mass in the creek.
The dark green bundle was a man’s jacket floating and inflated like a balloon. Lucky recognized the shape of a white hand under the water. Denim jeans covered a pair of legs that protruded from the jacket. A dead man was bobbing in the water.
She touched Sophie’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Sophie gulped and nodded. “I just didn’t realize what I was looking at.” They stood in silence staring at the corpse for several moments.
“Is he really dead?” Sophie asked.
Lucky nodded. “Looks that way.” Burbling water gushed over the rocks. The body had been snagged by an overhanging tree branch entangled in the coat.
“We need to check, don’t we?” Sophie said. “What if he’s just unconscious?”
“I really think we’re too late.” Lucky turned away and grabbed a long, sturdy branch that lay on the ground. “But I think we should have a look at him.”
Sophie nodded. “Go ahead.”
Carefully maneuvering the long branch, Lucky snagged the edge of a pocket and pushed gently. The body rolled over slowly. The man’s face was a mask of bloody flesh.
Who Wrote That?
I don’t know.
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday, Lisa!
Pat T