Fritz sat on the bank of a clear running stream. It was a sweet stream. A calm stream. Nice warm water, gentle and soothing against the bottoms of her feet.

It was good to be here. She'd struck out barefoot, thinking it was only a short jaunt and forgetting about the rocks and grassburrs and bull nettles along the way. She was still picking some of the tiny white needles out of her ankles. There was no way to get them all, though. Some would have to work their way out later. In the meantime, it was hard not to scratch those ankles until they bled.

Yes, it was a nice stream. A safe stream. One which could lull you to sleep if you closed your eyes and leaned back for a minute. It was not the body of water that she wanted, but it would have to do. The caress of its slow motion against her tortured feet provided welcome relief. The journey had turned out to be longer and more difficult than she had realized in the beginning.

Suddenly overcome with weariness, Fritz gave in to it and let her back slowly descend until it found the earth. As soon as she touched it, she felt herself start to relax. Tension drained away as she absorbed the familiar energies of the soil. She left her feet right where they were, the warm stream rippling and teasing them in its gentle way. The sun worked relentlessly, determined to penetrate her bazooka-proof shades. She closed her eyes and drifted.

She knew where she wanted to be. She could picture it in her mind's eye. It was still a long way from here and now she was not sure she could make it. Her poor, tortured feet. But oh, to be there!

To sit beside the raging river as it crashed and hurled its way down the mountain ... to stand alongside it and witness its fury, to feel its power, hear its song. Feel its cool spray upon her face. To lie upon its banks, knowing that at any moment the thundering, rolling waters might come splashing over the rocks and claim her. To know there was no safe place along that raging river and yet to feel at one with it, excited by it, awed by it, impaled upon it.

Fritz's eyes flew open.

Suddenly she was not tired any more. She was not weary. Her heart was beating very fast. Thump, thump, thump, thump. So fast and so hard that she could audibly hear it ... thump, thump, thump ... pounding, clamoring, struggling against the inside of her chest.

What was it, anyway, about those raging rivers?

She jumped to her feet and headed back toward the path.