The Flood Rescue

• Benjamin Mccarthy, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2012

On a barren hill I sit and wonder whether I will survive the night and return to the comfort of my kennel at home. The trees I normally use as landmarks have been swallowed by the swollen river around me. So now my wet and woolly companions and I share the only piece of raised ground I can see in any direction. My legs can barely hold me up; I am exhausted, struggling to move, but aware that if I give up and fall to the ground, my charges and I will surely perish.
I convinced these frightened, exhausted and stupid animals to enter the raging torrent that surrounded us to try to move to safety. I held little hope that we would be able to accomplish this task. They were as exhausted as I, and their heavy wool made it difficult for them to walk in the muddy conditions, much less swim. However, I had to try. From the hill in the distance I watched my family leave on a boat yesterday afternoon as the rising waters engulfed their home. I could hear them calling me but could not get to them. I was responsible for the animals left behind. In order to get the remaining sheep to safety I had to get them to swim through the putrid smelling water at least two feet in depth.
In a final attempt to get the sheep through the water I let out an almighty howl and with a sigh of relief the first sheep goes charging into the water with the other fifty sheep close behind, I kept on barking till I had no oxygen left so that the sheep didn’t have time to think about turning back. The sheep and I were struggling to breathe but we had to push on otherwise we would surely perish, when it came my turn, the strong current dragged me downstream a bit, but I managed to get out of the water and get back to the sheep to keep them moving.
The sheep were vague of where to go as I attempted to get them to a higher paddock where would be safe for the duration of the flood. The sheep were in desperate need of a break however I dared not let them pause for even a moment for fear they would lie down and be drowned. We walked instead of running for a little bit but once we all caught our breath back were are running again as we were quickly running out of time as the paddocks we were just in were now covered in water.
We must have trudged at least ten muddy, sloppy and wet miles, as the sun goes down. I wonder if I have moved them far enough away from the river and if the river is actually going to reach where we are now. I hope we are still sitting here in the morning, and not floating randomly in the flooded river. If the river rises further, we will most surely not survive.