UNDER THE MYSTIC RIVER

Under the Mystic River

By
D. L. Miller

         Follow the Mystic River across the desert plains as it falls down the face of a canyon upon the tributary below. Between the canyon walls, he sits on a stone behind the waterfall looking down at the misty white waves at the bottom. With a breath taken and a leap of faith through the cascade of water, he submerged under water, under the Mystic River.

         Under the mirrored river of water, he swims towards the blue light of the surface. As his travel begins he feels trapped by a current dragging him further below, under the Mystic River. He struggled in haste to pull against the undertow, but with no success. Down into almost darkness he slowly disappears from the blue light of the surface.

         As the young man continues to struggle for his freedom against the hold of the river, he feels a hand grasp his. Turning to see who had grabbed hold of his hand, he saw her. She smiled as her long brown hair floated behind her. She waved for him to follow with one hand and the other guided the straying young man towards the surface of the Mystic River. With ease, he swims to the surface reaching the blue light he had aimed for just moments before.

         In deep breath he gasps as the young woman unknown to him guided him to the river shore. Settling over him upon her knees, she smiled as she brought her hair over her shoulders and then stood as if to leave him behind. She begins to walk away. He calls to her, she stops, and turns to him standing in a white clinging dress gathered about her. She smiled as drops of water fell from her face and eyelashes.

         The young man stood up from the sandy riverbed beside a mountain and not the canyon he had leaped from its waterfall. There no longer were canyon walls, but lush forests on both sides of the river, of the Mystic River. Looking around him, he noticed that the sun was a brilliant orange hanging low in the sky. Yet, the waterfall remained pouring, now from the edge of a mountaintop.

         He stumbled a bit, but caught his balance. After standing still for a moment, he looked to the young woman for approval to come near her. Again, she simply smiled, an inviting response to the young man.

         The young man moved slowly towards this beautiful young woman. Noticing her skin, he saw that the sun had kissed her and her eyes were as blue stars, big and warm. Long brown hair draped her tanned shoulders. She wore nothing on her feet. She seemed to feel comfortable with her surroundings. The white sleeveless dress that clang to the body of this young woman, revealed her to be lovely.

         The young woman shyly moved towards the young man. She noticed that his hair was golden in color. His green eyes seemed to call her closer. The bare chest and muscular form of the young man was attracting, so she drew even closer. The young man wore shorts and the pebbles of the riverbed stuck to his feet.

         With silent introductions made, the two stood facing each other. She took hold of his hand and began to walk along the river’s edge. There was no hesitation in his following her.

         To a place built in the trees, she led him as she lived alone. Looking around him at the forest filled with living voices of creatures, he wondered how she came to be there. On the ground, she gathered branches and lit a fire as night came upon them. Serving him something to eat she watched him, pleased to see him satisfied.

         There were no words exchanged, as he understood her when she smiled at him. He was at peace in her presence and found her beauty unmatched. She gazed at him through the flames and found him to be alluring.

         Late and chilled she led the young man up into a place built for living in the trees as if life came together for her, for branches entangled upon her coming. She guided the young man to rest beside her on the bed of leaves and vines that had answered her thoughts of its arranging such shelter. She fell asleep beside him comfortable with the arrangement. He watched her sleep and felt as if this was his place to be, content with what she had around her, because of her.

         The stars shined through the trees and he found himself truly enchanted. He watched the young woman breathe and he felt the heat of her body close to him. The young man too, fell asleep.

         Waking in the morning the young man found that the young woman was no longer laying beside him. In the daze from his late slumber, he blinks his eyes and gains focus. Looking down out of the trees, he sees the young woman walk into the Mystic River.

         The young man climbed down from the trees leaving the vines of the trees to return to their original form. Branches drew back and vines fell to hang alongside the trees as was their original position.

         He found his way to the river’s edge where she was bathing. He watched her for a moment moving about as if she was nature while the orange sun hung high in the sky and water glistened around her. She smiled catching his eye, tilted her head a bit in flirtation, and begins to swim towards the young man.

         The young man begins to walk into the water towards her. She shook her head in panic and held her hands high to stop him, but he drew closer to her still. He no longer felt the earth under him as he moved to swim beside her, but something pulled him under the surface of the water, under this Mystic River. The young woman called out in deep mourning and then began to weep heavily. He struggled to swim upward, but with no success, the darkness of the river pulled him under too deep.

         After a moment in the darkness, he began to float upward with no resistance. Quickly, he moved up toward the blue light of the river as each stroke of his arm created waves in his wake.

         Reaching the surface again, he took deep breath. He smiled and began looking around him. There was nothing to find beside the mountain, but the walls of a canyon along each side of the river. The waterfall again poured off the canyon's edge, from which the day before he had leaped.

         Coming out of the Mystic River, the young man fell to his knees in agony bringing his clutched fists to rest upon his forehead. Quickly the young man ran back into the river and began to swim in it hoping that he might return to the young woman. There was no success.

         Returning to land, again he cried out heart sick. With the sandy river’s edge under his feet, he felt empty. He turned to face the river water and looked at the sky’s reflection, as he had returned to a sun of yellow. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes hanging his head in broken heartedness, beside the Mystic River.

-End-