Killer River

At the foot of our street in Otterburn Heights flows the Richelieu River. It is a major river, a mighty river. And it almost killed me twice...A little poetic license, but not much. Across the river is St. Hilaire. And in St. Hilaire there is a Dairy Queen. For us suburban kids, this smacks of something exciting and urban. We don't want to go with our parents, we are not old enough to drive, so- we walk across the train bridge...a single track line across a wide expanse of water. What if a train comes? Well, I try not to think of that possibility, but there are little boxes here and there hanging out from the sides of the bridge. Kids have said those are safe if worse comes to worse and the train can't be outrun. And, of course, one day it happens. It is a busy line and we use it regularly. Here it comes! We certainly can't get across the river in time! Into the box we scramble for an unforgettable two minutes. There are three of us huddled together. the train roars by just a couple of feet away. The box shakes and rattle. I look down and see the river flowing rapidly below us, water far to either side of our perch...This ice-cream sandwich had better be good!

Who am I with? I think I remember. Some of my friends and I have walked over the train bridge to meet some cute French-Canadian boys. It is a warm day, summer holidays. On the river bank, periodically, are signs, Do not swim in the river...But, some do. And eventually, I jump in as well. I swim out rather far, fearful the whole time. How deep is the water beneath me? Where are the currents? Good my parents can't see me now! Even with my short-sighted eyes, I see something floating toward me. It is almost on me, when I recognize it. It is a big wad of toilet paper! I swim to shore at record speed (for me) and now understand the layers of meaning under the words Do not swim in the river...(And not long after this, one of the boys in the group, who lives in a house overlooking the river, sees a body floating on its surface!)