The Devil's Playground

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It was the Spring of 1891 that the old prospector awoke to the terrifying sounds of rushing water. Close, much too close, he thought as he sat up quickly, barely realising that he was soaked through and through and trying to wake up. He could not believe what he was seeing! He threw up a fist in each eye socket, a futile an attempt to clear the sleep from his crusty old eyes so he could get a second look, secretly hoping the next time he opened his them, things would make sense.
He slowly drew his fists away from his face, his eyes squeezed shut, hoping it was a bad nightmare, and knowing it wasn't. Finally he popped open his eyes only to discover, everything inside his dusty little shack was afloat and the water was deeper now than before!
He imagined what he looked like, up on top of his bed all crouched over and drenching wet, his nightshirt clinging to him, wild eyed, mouth hanging open.
He flashed back Twenty years, to the day he had homesteaded himself a hundred and sixty acres of property on the outskirts of Phoenix.
His property bordered the bank of the Salt river on one side. He had asked the man who's homestead bordered his own, how often it flooded and the rugged old man had looked him straight in the eye and said,
“Hell gonna freeze or' in Arizon-i-a before any water move down that dead ole' creek, I ain' neer seen it a flowin' mor'an a trickle, an I done lived here pret'neer
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...is way up the crumbling embankment where he landed.
He turned his head to look back at the old tree and felt a pang of sadness for the ancient salt cedar as he watched it being carried away, its old roots spreading high up, out of the water, like an old withered hand, spread out to say goodbye. The old man bid his farewell to the ancient salt cedar and then found himself thrusting his body up and over the top of the embankment, landing face down. He quickly rolled away from the edge of the embankment and stopped on his back, his old chest heaving for lack of oxygen. His breath was coming in tiny gags and gasps and his face was red and swollen. His heart was pounding so hard he thought maybe he wouldn't survive after all.
He laid there trying to catch his breath and hoping he'd be able get up so he could head towards where help would be.

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