FlOoD--Part Thirty

Thousands of Miles

ThIrTy

 Peterson's knees were beginning to talk to him. To be strictly factual, they had been talking to him for a not inconsiderable period of time. They were now beginning to raise their voices and demand to be heard. It had all started innocently enough in a mild tone that simply desired to impart information. His left kneecap had commenced thusly: "I say, old chap, what we happen to be resting on down here doesn't seem to be of a flexibility conducive to retaining us in a state in which we can best operate in the future. If you don't mind my saying so, it'll be putting me into a state approaching discomfort before you can say 'Bob's your uncle'. And once we hit discomfort, why, who knows what lies ahead. There lies the road to the big P. So, again let me say, with the best of intentions, we're not at our best and brightest down here. Just passing along information that I thought you should be aware of." Peterson is trying to see if he can discern why the boat has been picking up speed and whether this rushing of waters is leading them anywhere in particular. And now his right knee pipes up. "Heavens to Murgatroyd, what am I lying on here? This thing's as hard as a wooden plank. Hey, Pete! You might consider giving us a little break here. My nerve centers ain't takin' kindly to the pressure and you don't exactly weigh what you did ten years ago. Huh? Keep this up and it ain't gonna be pretty. I'm lettin' ya know now, you'll be sorry." Even with the moon shining brightly, which is only an occasional happenstance on this night of great clouds which frequently darken the scene effectively, Peterson can see little besides rushing water in front and large shadowy walls on either side of him. His boat seems to be rushing through a canyon of some type. But his knees have more pressing needs. The left is still attempting to penetrate to Peterson's awareness with a calm reporting of the facts. "Well, there we go. Discomfort lies behind us and we are now roaming through the fields of high tension and strain that will soon be pushing us to the brink of you-know-where. It's not too late to bring us some relief in the form of an adjustment to release the pressure and begin the flow of some warm relaxation. Ah! Doesn't that sound like a good idea? Free us from the grind that - "