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墨書 Inktalez
I can only dog paddle, you know? Didn't you realize that? Am I really going to meet my end here today? I refuse to accept it! So I quickly started paddling, dog paddle it is; at this point, who cares about appearances? I paddled a few strokes and felt like I was nearing the edge of the ditch, but suddenly a strong current swept me back to the center. The rain was pouring down heavily, and the speed at which the water was gathering was astonishing. I could only say that this ditch was built exceptionally well, effectively channeling water away, but it was making things difficult for me. I was truly in despair. While hurriedly keeping my mouth shut, I kicked my legs and paddled with all my might.
Finally, my fingers grazed the edge of the ditch, and I clung to it as if it were a lifeline. I pulled myself up with all my strength, but the force of the water was too powerful, and my body was uncontrollably swept back to the center again. Despair washed over me, but a deep-seated urge pushed me to keep struggling. Yes, it was for the children. It dawned on me that I was a father; what would happen to them if something happened to me? Thinking about how little I had done for them over the years made me realize that their struggles with autism might be partly my fault. I had been too focused on my own enjoyment. Sighing inwardly, I resolved that if I managed to escape this time, I would take good care of my parents and children and fulfill my responsibilities as a man of the household.
I tried again, this time being more cautious to avoid the strong current. I kept my mouth tightly closed to prevent water from entering while kicking my legs and paddling with all my might. After much effort, I finally touched the edge of the ditch again and successfully pulled myself onto a narrow ledge. Fortunately, the rain hadn't been heavy enough to fill the first layer of drainage.
Sitting on that narrow ledge, I gasped for air as my body trembled from tension and cold. At that moment, I heard Dou Dou and Ya Ya crying out: "Daddy! Daddy! Come up!" I hurriedly shouted back, "Dou Dou! Ya Ya! Don't be afraid; Daddy will come up right away!" Looking up, I realized there was no way to climb out. The ditch was about three meters deep on either side—three meters! There was no way I could jump up there with all this extra weight on me. Oh dear, what should I do? The two kids kept crying out, and I couldn't help but curse myself for agreeing so thoughtlessly to Hua Yiduo's request. That woman is such a troublemaker!
Fortunately, the rain gradually stopped. I tried to find a place suitable for climbing up, but looking at the cement edges and steep slopes made it seem impossible. Even if I were agile, there was no way I'd be able to climb out; the government had really done an expert job on this drainage system! My mind continued to grumble.
Just when I felt hopeless, I heard voices above me. Looking up, it seemed like a few off-road cyclists were asking Dou Dou and Ya Ya what had happened. Then they spotted me—how embarrassing! The ditch was at least two meters wide from the foot of the mountain, with low shrubs planted along the edge to prevent passersby from falling in. And yet here I was, somehow managing to tumble into it despite all that! Why couldn't I have been this precise when buying lottery tickets? What a letdown.
The young men shouted down to me: "Buddy! Hang in there; we're thinking of a way!" I quickly replied, "Thank you! No rush!" But how could there be no rush? I started despising myself for being so hypocritical! After discussing among themselves for a while, they split up to find something. A little later, they called out: "Buddy! Grab onto this vine and climb up; we’ll pull you from this side." Grabbing hold of their makeshift vine rope, I began climbing up—one step, two steps, three steps—then snap! The vine broke! How humiliating! With a thud, I fell back onto the narrow cement ledge again, wincing in pain as those guys above shouted: "Buddy! Time to lose some weight!" Seriously? Was this really a joking matter? Those little rascals!
They went back into the woods and found more vines to weave into a sturdier rope. Meanwhile, I took off my soaked backpack and wrung it out as best as I could so that I wouldn’t be carrying a sack full of water. Grabbing hold of the new rope again, I attempted to climb once more. This time it felt very sturdy and provided great support.
"Be careful; we’re pulling you from above," they said as they all pulled together.
"One, two, three—pull!" With their count, I felt myself being lifted upward. Using both hands and feet together, after several steps of effort, I finally managed to reach the path at the foot of the mountain.
"Thank you so much!" Standing up straight, I bowed deeply in gratitude.
"No problem; it's what we do. Were you taking your kids out for an off-road hike? It looks like more rain is coming; see that patch of woods ahead? There’s a Small Train Station just inside; you should hurry home before the next train arrives," one of them said.
"Be careful yourselves; it's quite dangerous in those woods with many wild animals around," I warned them.
"Don't worry; we come here often and know these woods well. As long as we don’t provoke them first, those wild animals are fine," another guy confidently replied. So it’s my fault then? Not like I've been provoking them!
Looking at my soaked backpack and muddy self covered in bruises, I said: "Alright then; I'll heed your advice—let's head to the station." With that, those young men helped get both kids onto their bikes while one came over to assist me as we made our way through the dense forest toward the small train station.
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