As Neil and Jack had feared, the blade of the keeper’s sword was more than sharp enough to slice through the ropes of the moldering bridge. With a single, clean stroke, he severed the fraying knots, cackling madly as he did so, his bushy black beard trembling with the vibrations of his laughter.
The boys cried out in alarm, but there was nothing they could do from their position, halfway across the ancient contraption. They were too far from either end of the bridge to jump to safety. Unfortunately, the only thing they could do was watch, as the wobbly bridge they stood upon was reduced to a state of utter uselessness.
As the ropes were severed, Neil and Jack each felt a momentary sensation of weightlessness. The boards beneath their feet fell away, leaving nothing for them to stand upon. Briefly, it felt as though they were hovering in midair, and they wildly flailed their arms about. Of course, there was nothing stable for them to grasp, and this proved to be a futile gesture, but it was an involuntary reaction that could not be averted.
Following the split-second of weightlessness they had experienced, there came a much less pleasant feeling: the force of gravity, pulling them down… down… down.
As they began plummeting, they were gripped with a sensation of incredulity. They could barely believe what was happening, and time seemed to slow as they fell. They saw pieces of the bridge flying all around them - rotting planks and pieces of rope going every which way, as the old bridge, which had served for untold years, was finally put out of its misery. Their stomachs felt as though they were rising in their bodies, like balls of pins and needles climbing into their chests.
As they fell, Neil and Jack locked eyes with one another. They were too preoccupied with the unpleasant process of plummeting to exchange words, but they felt their expressions of alarm adequately conveyed their concern over the current situation. Their mouths were similarly agape, and their eyes bulged like saucers, their arms wind-milling wildly through the air.
During this unplanned freefall, the abilities of their ears seemed to have been heightened. They could hear the crazed laughter of the keeper, and the air rushing past them, and - most alarmingly - the roaring river beneath them, the sound of which was rapidly growing louder as they fell toward it.
Of course, the boys would much rather fall into water than onto a pile of rocks or thorny bushes, so this was some consolation. However, they had no idea what the water beneath them would be like, once they met its wet embrace.
Was it deep enough to safely absorb the impact of their falling bodies? Or was it a shallow river, beneath the surface of which they would find only sharp stones awaiting them? Were there hostile creatures living within it? And where, exactly, would the fast moving water take them, once they landed in it?
As they struck the surface of the river, it was with a great sense of relief that Neil and Jack realized that the water was deep enough to absorb their impact. They plunged deep within, shocked by the icy coldness of it, which spiked their heart rates even further.
Hitting the water with a great deal of force from their fall, they went quite a ways down. A vigorous multitude of bubbles surrounded them, and the world went topsy-turvy as they temporarily lost their bearings.
As soon as they regained their orientation, they began kicking their legs and stroking with their arms, striving to make their way above water. They could spot the blurry outline of the sun above, peeking through the turbulent surface of the river.
They struggled as hard as they could, and they were making progress, but it was still quite a challenge, due to the strong current.
Unfortunately, the remains of the destroyed bridge further slowed them. Messes of rope and planks swirled in the water, thrown about by the current, tangling with the arms and legs of Neil and Jack.
Refusing to surrender, they pushed and pulled the debris, breaking free of it and swimming onward. As they continued struggling toward the surface, the blurry outline of the sun grew larger and brighter, and they knew they were getting closer to their goal.
After what seemed like minutes, but what was surely only seconds, they finally broke through the surface of the river. As one, their heads popped above the water line, and they gratefully gasped for air. They heaved and sputtered as the turbulent river splashed into their mouths while they were trying to regain their breath.
The immediate danger of drowning had been resolved, but they could already feel the strong current propelling them downstream. They were but tiny things against the force of the river, and it seemed they would not be able to swim to shore without a great deal of difficulty.
“Bon voyage!” cried the keeper from high above. He stood safely at the edge of the ravine, laughing madly as the current proceeded to carry the boys away. He even went so far as to hold up the sack with Noodles’ head, once more taunting them with it. “You should have never challenged me, you insolent landlubbers. Now... get off my island!”
“Your hospitality is on par with your dental hygiene!” Neil hollered up at the keeper.
“Enjoy Noodle’s noggin while you have it,” Jack called, struggling to keep his chin above the turbulent water. “Because I promise you - we’ll be coming back for it!”
Chapter Eighteen
Wild Ride
The Green Beans, Volume 4: Shipwrecked on Smuttynose Island Page 17