Darkness-cold - churning water - roaring, like a thousand lions - spinning around and around - bashing into rocks - arms wrapped around my face to protect it - tucking up my legs to make myself smaller, less of a target.


    Wash up against a clump of roots - grab hold - slippery - the wet roots feel like dead fingers clutching at me - a space between the water and the roof of the tunnel - I draw quick gasps of breath - current takes hold again - try fighting it - roots break off in my hands - swept away.


    Tumbling over and over - hit my head hard on a rock - see stars - almost black out - struggle to keep head up - spit water out of my mouth, but more gushes in - feels like I''m swallowing half the stream.


    The current drags me against a wall - sharp rocks cut deeply into my thighs and hips - freezing-cold water numbs the pain - stops the flow of blood - a sudden drop - plummet into a deep pool - down, down, down - held under by force of the falling water - panicking - can''t find my way up - drowning - if I don''t break free soon, I''ll...


    My feet strike a wall and propel me forward - drift slowly up and away from the pool - flow is gentle here - lots of space between water and the top of the tunnel - able to bob along and breathe - air''s cold, and it stings my lungs, but I gulp it down thankfully.


    The stream opens out into what sounds like a large cave. Roars from the opposite end: the water must drop sharply again there. I let myself drift to one side before facing the drop. I need to rest and fill my lungs with air. As I tread water near the wall in the dark, something clutches at my bald head. It feels like twigs. I grab at them to steady myself, then realize they''re not twigs - they''re bones!


    Too exhausted to be scared, I grasp the bones as though they were part of a life buoy. Taking long, deep breaths, I explore the bones with my fingers. They connect to a wrist, an arm, a body, and a head: a full skeleton. This stream was used to dispose of dead vampires in the past. This one must have washed up here and rotted away over the decades. I search blindly for other skeletons but find none. I wonder who the vampire was, when he lived, how long he''s been here. It must be horrible, trapped in a cave like this, no proper burial, no final resting place.


    I shake the skeleton, hoping to free it. The cave erupts with high-pitched screeches and flapping sounds. Wings! Dozens or hundreds of pairs of wings! Something crashes into my face and catches on my left ear. It scratches and bites. I yelp, tear it loose, and slap it away.


    I can''t see anything, but I sense a flurry of objects flying over and around me. Another collides with me. This time I hold on and feel around it - a bat! The cave''s full of bats. They must nest here, in the roof. The sound of me shaking the skeleton disturbed them, and they''ve taken flight.


    I don''t panic. They won''t attack me. They''re just frightened and will settle down soon. I release the one I''ve caught and let it join the rush above me. The noise dies down after a few minutes, and the bats return to their perches. Silence.


    I wonder how they get in and out of the cave. There must be a crack in the roof. For a few seconds I dream about finding it and climbing to safety, but my numb fingers and toes quickly put an end to thoughts like that. I couldn''t climb, even if I could find the crack and it was big enough for me to fit through.


    I start thinking about the skeleton again. I don''t want to leave it here. I tug at it, careful this time not to make too much noise. It doesn''t budge at first - it''s wedged firmly. I get a stronger grip and pull again. It comes loose, all at once, and falls on top of me, driving me under. Water gushes down my throat. Now I panic! The skeleton is heavy on top of me, weighing me down. I''m going to drown! I''m going to drown! I''m going to -


    No! Stop panicking. Use my brain. I wrap my arms around the skeleton and slowly roll over. It works! Now the skeleton''s underneath and I''m on top. The air tastes good. My heart stops pounding. A few of the bats are circling again, but most are still.


    Releasing the skeleton, I guide it out toward the middle of the cave, using my feet. I feel the current take it, then it''s gone. I hang on to the wall, treading water, giving the skeleton time to wash ahead of me. I begin thinking while I wait: was it a good idea to free the skeleton? A nice gesture, but if the bones catch on a rock further along and block my way...


    Too late to worry now. Should have thought of that before.


    My situation''s as desperate as ever. Crazy to think I might get out of this alive. But I force myself to think positively: I''ve made it this far, and the stream must open up sooner or later. Who''s to say I can''t make it to the end? Believe, Darren, believe.


    I''d like to hang here forever - easier to cling on and die of the cold - but I have to try for freedom. In the end, I force my fingers to unclench and let go of the bank. I drift out into the middle of the stream. The current bites at me and takes hold. Speeding up - the exit - roaring grows furiously - flowing fast - angling sharply downward - gone.