Anger.

Gavin felt burning anger radiating from the raging river. Roiling brown water and foaming spray tore itself in every direction. The chaotic maelstrom reminded him of a wild animal trying to get out of a trap. The giant inflated raft bucked and jumped on a surface of hostility as the river tried to escape its banks.

Dafydd laughed while steering from the back. Taeko and Hannah smiled and squealed with gleeful excitement on the right side. Mike whooped and hollered on the left.

Only Gavin kept a grim visage. Why wasn't he enjoying this adventure like the others? Was it because he was the only one who got the feeling the river was trying to kill them?

Obviously.

It had taken a day to traverse the narrow paths from the top down to the canyon floor. They hadn't anticipated riding the mules. Dafydd must have made the arrangements in advance since the track was nowhere near any of the official parks or tourist spots. When Dafydd brought the RV to the end of a gravel road, two men met them. They got the mule caravan loaded and together after only a few words with Dafydd.

The spectacular vista distracted everyone from thinking anything was unusual. Gavin wondered if their taciturn guides were as anti-social to all their customers. Bad for business. The stoic mule handlers spoke only to Dafydd and not much to him.

Gavin watched his friends talk and wonder at the scenery. They were still acting as if this were just a vacation. But every once in a while, Taeko would lock eyes with him and give a slight nod.

After delivering them all to the river's edge, the guides left with their mules and without a word. The five camped there for the night and got started the following day.

Now they were half a day down the river. Dafydd steered, and Gavin kept the front lookout. No people, no other tourists, intruded on their journey. It was just them, the river, and the canyon walls.

The raft turned sideways to the current and rebounded off one of the many boulders. Jagged rocks rose up like alien fangs to devour them. Gavin sensed hunger behind the anger.

Man, this is like liquid pinball! And the game wants to eat us!

White spray rained down on them. They swayed, dipped, rolled, and yawed, more gut-churning than any roller coaster. Strong sunlight bounced off the river in reflected shards of blinding light.

Gavin squinted to see and tried to shrug off the hostile hunger crawling over his skin like a thousand ants.

What did we ever do to you? Or is it just me you're mad at? Give us a break, will ya? Hey. We're just passing through!

"Gavin!" Dafydd yelled.

"Yeah!"

"Mike!" Dafydd cried.

Gavin turned and saw . . . no Mike!

"Where's Michael?!" Hannah wailed.

"Look around!" Gavin shouted. "He's wearing a life jacket! He can't sink!"

"I'll steer from side to side in the river to slow us down so we don't miss him! Gavin, look ahead! Taeko, Hannah, look to either side!"

The rapids subsided, but not all that much. Dafydd hauled on the steering oar, and everyone looked. Taeko's face was grave and intent, and her dark eyes flashed. Hannah looked out. Both her hands grasped lines along the side of the raft, and tears were streaming down her face in anguish.

Taeko and Hannah kept calling, "Mike!" "Michael!"

Gavin swiveled his head around, trying to look everywhere at once. How long did they have? If Mike was hurt, he could be face down in the water regardless of the life jacket. Gavin's heart lurched in his chest.

No one saw a sign of their missing friend.

"Gavin!" Hannah called out. "Do something! Please!"

The look on Hannah's face tore at Gavin's soul, and his stomach twisted as his chest tightened like a vise. What else could he do? Jump in? That wouldn't help. Even though it was futile to do so, the look on Hannah's face drove him, and he prepared to go over the side.

"Gavin! No!" he heard Taeko's sharp voice.

"Hold, you!" Dafydd shouted. "Calmer water ahead. We should be able to find him there if he's floated down and failed to hang up on anything!"

The raft slowed as the river widened, and the water became still. The current was still strong. Everyone looked all around.

"So, where is he?" Hannah bawled.

"Where's who?" Mike's voice drifted from the back of the raft, right behind Dafydd.

A hand appeared by the steering oar and slapped down on the side of the raft. Another hand followed, and then Mike's face, wide-eyed and grinning maniacally.

"Wow! What a rush!" Mike enthused as he clambered up into the raft.

"Michael!" Hannah squealed and jumped clear across the raft to hug the surprised young man.

"Hey. I'm okay!" He said.

Hannah broke her embrace. To everyone's shock, she then hauled off and slapped Mike across the face.

"Ow!" he yelped and held a palm to his cheek.

"Don't you ever do that again, Michael! Ever!" Hannah scolded.

"Uh, okay," Mike said. "But hey. It's not like I planned it."

"Why didn't you call out, yell, scream, or something?" Taeko accused.

Mike shrugged. "I had enough to do holding on and dodging the steering oar. And besides, I guess I just didn't think of that."

"You're an idiot," Taeko proclaimed.

Hannah put her hands on her hips and "hmphed."

"Hey, guys, I'm sorry, okay?" Mike pleaded.

"I forgive you," Hannah smiled. "This time."

Dafydd sounded like he was choking. Gavin had his hand over his mouth. Both of them started with strangled snickers and worked up into full laughter. Taeko joined in, and then even Hannah. At last, Mike began laughing too.

Mike coughed, rubbed his eyes, and took a breath. "Guys, hey, don't I get any sympathy points for almost drowning?"

They all started laughing again.

"Guess not," Mike griped. "Man. This sure ain't worth twelve credits."

The whole time they discussed Mike's brush with death, the raft continued downstream with Dafydd at the steering oar.

"Gavin!" Dafydd called out.

"Yeah?"

"Watch to the right. There's a branch just past that rocky beach and a sheer cliff after it."

Gavin looked ahead. "I see the cliff, but no branch!"

"You won't see it 'till we're passing it. But it's there. Get ready to steer us in."

"Roger!" Gavin was in front. He leaned forward. There! Hidden by a cleft of rock overlapping the river, the branch was only visible as they shot past. Gavin dug his paddle into the maw of brown water and got the bow pointed into a narrow piece of river which shot off between steep yellow cliffs.

"That's it!" Dafydd called as he steered from the back.

The raft sailed into the narrow chute, and the noise chopped off like flipping a switch. The blue water was peaceful and calming. Sheer cliffs of yellow stone rose up on either side, with only a ribbon of blue sky visible above. Their voices echoed like vulgar trespasses in the narrow canyon, and a moaning breeze dried their faces. Gavin inhaled deeply, taking in the refreshing atmosphere. His soul took in the tranquility like a long drink of cold water on a hot day.

"Whoa," Mike whispered.

"Yeah," Taeko responded. "Whoa."

"I feel like I'm in church," Hannah reverenced.

"Alright, aye," Dafydd agreed. "The river's exciting and dangerous. This feels, uh, tranquil, I'm thinking."

"Yeah," Gavin murmured. "It's like the open spaces back home. I mean, not like it really, but the same feeling."

"Mike, can you take over steering for me?" Dafydd asked.

"Sure, man."

"Just keep her in the middle," Dafydd directed.

They swapped places. Dafydd dug a handheld navigator and a small monocular out of his pack. He made his way to the front, next to Gavin, and started scanning the cliffs while consulting the navigator.

"What are we looking for?" Gavin asked.

"A tiny cave opening a hundred feet up."

Taeko produced a steel bottle, poured cups of hot tea, and passed them around. Dafydd raised his cup to her.

"You're a wonder, you are. Thanks," He smoothed.

"You're welcome," she deadpanned, turning away.

"Hey, Gavin," Dafydd whispered. "Is she always so, I don't know, sort of cold?".

"Of course not, silly!" Hannah pipped from right behind them, making the two guys jump and flinch. "Taeko is very sweet and caring. She brought you tea, didn't she? She just doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve. So be nice."

Gavin just nodded since he hadn't said anything.

"And who could argue with a lass such as yourself," Dafydd beamed. "Thank you. And I didn't mean anything, you know."

"That's okay, Davy," Hannah smiled and went back to sit with Taeko.

"You know, Gavin, no one's ever called my Davy before."

"No?"

"Not a once. But I think I like it."

Gavin smiled. "They don't come any better than Taeko and Hannah."

"And I'm thinking you're right." Dafydd scanned around and looked at his navigator again.

Gavin chased random thoughts and hunches around in his head. Whenever he was trying to puzzle something out, he thought about rounding up wild mustangs. The visual helped him get all the horses in the corral.

"Uh, Dafydd?" Gavin whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you a student? A university in Wales?"

Dafydd grinned. "You got me, man. I've never darkened the door of a University as a student, much to my late Dad's disappointment, I'm sure."

"And?"

Dafydd frowned. It didn't seem to fit his face well. "Not enough time to talk it out right now. I'll tell all of you everything later. Good enough?"

"Good enough, man."

"There!" Dafydd yelled and pointed. "Gavin! Mike! Take us to that little beach off to the left!"

There was a level stretch of pebbly ground, barely a hundred feet along the stream and just fifty or so wide to the rising cliff. Mike grunted on the steering oar, and Gavin laid in with his paddle. Soon they had the raft tied to a jutting boulder. Everyone pitched in to unload.

Mike stretched with his arms above his head. "So this is the place?"

"That it is," Dafydd confirmed.

"Well, let's set up camp," Mike suggested. "This canyon's already in shadow. It'll be getting dark early."

Gavin looked around. "Sounds good, but let's keep the tents about halfway between the cliffs and the water. Too close to the water'll be cold tonight. Too close to the cliffs, and we might get clobbered by a falling rock.

Dafydd looked severe and nodded.

Mike grabbed a tent bag. "That'll work."

Their feet crunched on the gravelly surface, and voices echoed off the cliffs. Bands of varied shades of yellows and reds ran along the canyon walls. The narrow piece of sky above was starting to darken from light blue towards indigo. Driftwood, white with age, dotted the edge of the river bank.

Taeko set up a tent for her and Hannah. Mike pitched a larger one for the three guys. Dafydd started a small fire, and Gavin got out the cook kit. Gavin noticed that Dafydd kept glancing up and down the narrow river and scanning the cliff tops.

Okay. You were cagey enough with the guides and coming down the path to the river. Now you're acting like somebody's going to crash the party or something. Yeah. We definitely need to talk, Dafydd.

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Chapter image by Ally Laws from Pixabay