An incident

When you are happy, you never think that it can end in a second. Of course, if you always had tried to imagine something bad, you would not have been so happy. After an incident I had had once, I understood that happiness could be just one step away from loosing it. I was seventeen. Summer was in the air, but we could not enjoy it because it was the time of our graduation and we had to study for our final exams. When exams were over, we were relieved and decided that we deserved some rest. Usually, people prefer resting on beaches, living in expensive hotels, eating at exclusive restaurants, and enjoying other services provided by travel companies. Although it really is careless relaxation, my friends and I always preferred to travel to wild places. After the complicated life of the big city, with its intense traffic and polluted air, with its endless problems, union with nature seemed to us the most worthwhile way to relax. Getting prepared for the trip already made me excited. It was very important not to forget anything. Finally, when all preparations were made, and the cars loaded up, we, following our chosen route, dreamed of our coming adventures. On that particular vacation, we had chosen a place named Blue Lakes. It was really a place of wildlife. In the summer, the forest was beautiful. It burst into leaves and needles, and abounded with mushrooms and berries. The unbelievable silence was sometimes interrupted only by birds and insects. The amazing lakes, which were situated all over the wood, seemed to complete the picture. In addition, Mother nature had given every lake some unique feature. Red Lake, for example, seemed to have red water, because of the iodine in it. Cold Lake had a very low temperature, even on the hottest days, so that when I touched it with my foot I shivered from its chilliness. But the most impressive lake was Dead Lake, which seemed to boil because of its phosphorus. Due to it, the lake was always under a fog. Besides, Dead Lake's bottom had several levels. In other words, it was like a labyrinth under the water. It was untouchable and, at the same time, mysterious. We camped near a lake that was simply beautiful, without any of the aforementioned extraordinary qualities. Soon, everybody found himself busy with fishing, swimming, and playing games. Sometimes, leaving two people at the camp, we went to see the other interesting places. During one of those trips, we had to cross a deep and narrow river which had such a strong current that we could not swim across. As I said above, the place was wild and, of course, there was no bridge. We solved that problem by spanning the two banks with a log. Half of us crossed the river without fear, but when my turn came, the fear thrilled through my veins. I am not a good swimmer; therefore, it was a serious problem for me. I tried not to show my fear. I said to myself, "You can do it," and started going. My legs were trembling, but I managed to hold my balance. When I was watching my steps, I could see the strong current. Yet I kept saying myself, "A few more steps and you are done". At the moment when I was half way across, suddenly, the log turned and I lost my balance. I got wet instantly. Thousands of bubbles pushed from my body. Unwillingly, I inhaled some water and felt that I was carried away by the stream. I waved my hands desperately trying to swim, but the current forced me straight ahead. Despite all the water around me, my throat was dry. I felt myself getting tired and panicky. Eventually, I grabbed a branch of a tree that was growing almost in the river. Then, my friends threw me an end of the rope and pulled me out. I was coughing and felt dizzy, but it was good to feel the ground under my feet again. After everything was over, we returned to our camp and, after a while, everybody seemed to forget what happened to me, or when somebody brought it up, he just made fun of it. It wasn't funny for me though. I could not help thinking that I had started crossing the river just because I did not want to look like a coward in front of my friends. Who knows what could have happened to me if I had not seized the branch. I could have drown easily. One minute ago I was happy and another I did not know where I was going to. After this incident, I am afraid of not only water, but also loosing something because of my thoughtlessness and impulsiveness. I became more careful and mature. When I am happy now, I always say to myself, "Watch out!"