Only boring people get bored. If you have a creative and open mind, you will never be without entertainment.
Since I will most likely be out of commission the next several days having a reunion with my brothers, I feel comfortable throwing a second blog up. This is more of an adventurous summer tale during an unusual moment in life.
It was the only time in our existence that we all lived together (in the future, look for a story about a kidnapping). Joe, Scott, and I ended up residing in the home I grew up in. They had quickly gotten to know my friends...my best friends; Norola, Edwardo, Joseph (not to be confused with my brother), Kylla, and Ignacio. We did everything together, so much so that rumors, I learned, would spread about us. All of them false, but hell, we were rock stars like that.
Usually, when we all got together, an adventure ensued. We would gather on a daily basis to watch television, talk about life, or dance like fools. Sometimes, one of us would get a bright idea and the others would feed off of it. I don't recall who initially thought of it, but this would prove to be one of our more dangerous escapades.
Early Saturday morning, we all gathered together on the train tracks that ironically formed something of a racial border through town. Typically, mostly blacks lived on one side, while whites lived on the other side. My older brother, Joe, and friends, Joseph and Ignacio, were not with us. Norola, Kylla, Edwardo, Norola's sister, my "new" little brother, and me trekked towards the unknown. Thinking back, maybe it was a spontaneous idea, because we didn't bother to tell anyone.
I remember it being perfect weather. We walked, talked, laughed, and my brother hopelessly flirted with Norola's sister. We walked for hours.
At some point, we the tracks crossed a bridge over a small creek. We scaled down these large rocks that led underneath the bridge. It was a little hidden "paradise".
I was prone to getting struck with random moments of melancholy. I suppose it isn't surprising, if you've been reading our other blogs. Solitude was usually my cure. So, as everyone chatted and laughed, I went exploring.
The location really was peaceful and inviting. Trees were scattered between the bridge and an open pasture. I took a deep breath and then my legs began to shake. The weakness sort of rolled up my body until my head began to spin lightly. I quickly sat down. After a few seconds, I tried to stand but my legs were like jelly. I think I called out for Scott because I could hear his voice.
When he found me, I told him that I was having trouble walking and didn't know why. If my memory serves me, Scott actually picked me up and carried me back to the bridge. We sort of waited around a little bit to see if the feeling would come back to my legs. Everyone was concerned, not just for my condition but also because the sun had started its journey down and it was a two hour walk back home.
We discussed our options and Scott insisted that he could carry me back (showing off for the girl, no doubt lol). With some help, I was carried back up to the train tracks.
Scott slung me over his shoulder like a knapsack and joined the others back towards home. I'm not sure how far we had gotten, but we heard the noise. It was soft and distant. That didn't last long.
A wave of panic hit the group. Scott tried to stand me up, but my legs were still useless. "Chris, you need to run" Scott insisted. I agreed. My legs did not.
So, the girls ran back to the rocks that led us under the bridge. Edwardo and Scott each took an arm and dragged me down the tracks. I tried so hard to get my legs moving, but I think they just flopped around.
To be honest, it was kind of a blur at this point. The train must have been close enough to freak everyone out. The girls went spilling over the large rocks. Scott, in one last act of...hmmmm....something, took my arm with both of his hands and flung me and Edwardo (who was still holding my other arm) off the tracks and onto the rocks which embraced us in pain.
My eyes were shut as the train went chugging by. We all just lay there, motionless until the air grew silent and the train had disappeared. Edwardo's back was hurting and I wasn't any better. Somehow we made our way back down to the creek. Now, we were starting to really worry. We needed a plan. Here's what we did.
Scott, not failing to mention his time with boy scouts, dug a shallow hole to put me in. Seriously...he said it would make me comfortable (and truth be told, it was). He also started working on building a fire. We had decided that we needed our strength, which meant food. So the girls set off for a four hour (2 hours there, 2 hours back) search for food and water. Edwardo helped take care of me as much as he could, but his back suffering.
Long story longer, Scott made a fire, the girls made it back with food, and after some time I started to gain movement. Once I was able to get to my feet (my first experience with hypoglycemia), we all made the final trip back across the train tracks. It felt so good to be back among civilization. All of us parted, almost unceremoniously.
Scott and I dragged ourselves back home, but found that Joe was at Edwardo's house. We were anxious to rest, but more anxious to share our day. As soon as we entered Edwardo's living room, Joe reacted like a big dog. He tackled us, wanting to wrestle... ... ...Really, Joe?
I grew up in one of THE smallest towns you could live in. Adventures are where you make them...but I don't recommend looking for them on the railroad. That was just stupid.
-Nanaki
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