The Brook

"Damnit, damnit, damnit," I murmured to myself. "Out of all the places to wind up." I shook my head, Could it get any worse?

Just then, a harsh breeze passed through, bringing along with it a shadow that blocked out the moon. I raised my eyes to see thick clouds gathering above and felt the all-too-familiar nip of the cold from the nearby mountains. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders for warmth. Wonderful...

I got to my feet and dug a hand into my pocket for my phone. I hoped that perhaps by some miracle it had survived. I pulled it out to find it hadn't. The water and the being tossed to-and-fro had made certain of that. Cracks had spider-webbed across its entire screen, with small dark blotches of water beneath it; I saw my own battered reflection within each crack. I looked nothing like the young fair-haired, twenty-year-old exchange student I used to be. I'd lost my windbreaker and been left with a soaked burgundy t-shit, tan ripped-up cargo pants (thank you rocks), and a haggard face.

I let out a sigh and slid the phone back into my pocket; then looked around for something–anything that could help me. But all my dark eyes beheld was a thin veil of mist rising within the forest coupled with low lighting–thanks to the thick, unending canopy of trees, it made it almost impossible to see no more than three yards at a time (hence the "black" part of the forest's name). To my east, the river ran for what I assumed was another one or two miles. Several brooks and streams branched off from it, but I couldn't see much beyond that due the mist, although I could see the peaks of the nearby mountains jetting above it. The shore to the north of me matched the south: a thick forest with almost zero-visibility.

So, I've got two choices here. I tossed a look at woods behind me. I can press my luck and take a stroll through the woods until I find a path or trail. Or... My eyes flew back to the water. I can follow the river.

Both choices looked bleak. I had no idea how far the current had carried me, but judging by how close the mountains were–which was very–it'd been far. I'd have a better chance of finding a town if I went down-river rather than up it. But still, how far would that be? I mulled over the question a few good minutes, before settling on following the river. Sooner or later I'd have to stumble across some sign of civilization. I just had to.

***

I'm not certain how much time passed as I walked, not with my phone busted. The only other item I had on me was my wallet and its contents, and I was pretty sure fifteen Euros cash wasn't going to get me back home to my dorm, not in this situation. Of course, I would've traded everything in my wallet at that moment for my jacket back and a break from the stinging pain in my ribs.

On a somewhat brighter note, my clothes had begun to dry off (though I found it a bit too slow for my taste), so eventually the breeze wouldn't be too bad after that happened. On a darker note, I'd yet to see any signs of a town or another road, which was unreal. Several towns and roads peppered alongside Danube River, I knew that for a fact. So unless I had drifted at least thirty-plus miles downriver (a scary thought) I should've seen something by then.

I trudged on for another painful hour or so, before I spotted something: a small splash of orange within the mist. A light.

My hopes rising, "Hey!" I hollered then broke into a light run. "Somebody there!? I need help!"

As the light grew, I heard rushing water and noticed that the river's current had quickened, but I brushed it off–my hopes of being rescued had driven all curiosity out. When I was about five yards away, I realized that the light was smaller than I thought, and there were in fact two of them–both chest level. When I broke through the last veil of gray, I slid to a stop.