“Flood at Five Mile Creek!” hollered 16-year-old David Williams.

Amanda and Emily Carson jumped out of their father’s car just as it came to a stop. They raced through their summer community, following David into the woods. The girls almost flew over the path, green tree suckers whipped at their bare legs while rain poured down their hair and into their eyes. But they didn’t stop.

David led the way through the soggy wood, past the trail to the creek. The creek was swollen with raging water that gushed over rocks, rising higher and loosening the soil on the creek banks.

On the other side of the stream stood seven-year-old Samantha and her little pug dog, Freddie. Emily leaped over a narrow part of the creek to join Samantha. Emily wrapped a protective arm around Samantha’s shoulder and guided her away from the bank of the creek. Amanda stopped short almost tripping over Muffin, her rag-tag mixed breed dog. Muffin barked. Freddie saw Muffin and wiggled closer and closer to the edge of the creek straining against his leash and wagging his tail, trying to get Muffin’s attention. His wide mouth parted in a pug-like grin as he panted. Muffin barked a caution to him, but he couldn’t hear her over the roar of the stream.

As Freddie stepped on the edge of the creek bank, the ground gave way. His weight snapped the leash from Samantha’s hand and Freddie fell into the rushing water. Samantha screamed. Amanda yelled to her sister,

“Grab Samantha.”

Emily tightened her grip on the young girl and pulled her back from the creek’s edge just as more soil dropped into the creek. Emily and Samantha moved quickly back to safety. Freddie bobbed up, trying to dog paddle and keep his head above the swirling water. He began to move downstream. Amanda, an athletic sixteen-year old, picked up a forked stick and ran downstream, trying to catch up to Freddie.

When she got closer, she jabbed the stick at the loop in the leash, trying to pull it out of the water. But Freddie was moving too fast. The slippery leash was soon out of her reach. Amanda hoped that the leash wouldn’t get caught between two rocks and drag Freddie under.

The game little dog continued paddling and gulping for air whenever he bobbed above the water. Way downstream was a big, flat rock jutting out into the water. Amanda and David ran down as fast as they could to get ahead of Freddie.

Amanda knelt down on the rock,

“Grab my ankles,” she yelled to David.

David gently put his weight on her ankles to steady her. Amanda lay down half on the rock and half dangling over the water. She looked for Freddie. Once she saw him, she submerged her hand completely under the water and waited for the leash to float over her hand. The leash snaked slowly closer. Amanda was patient as the rain slowed to a drizzle.

Finally the leash drifted over Amanda’s hand. She clamped it shut on the leash and pulled Freddie closer to her. Then she wrapped the leash around her hand and slowly guided Freddie to her until she could get a good grip on his harness. David tightened his grip on her ankles. Amanda lifted the dripping dog out of the creek and hugged him to her.

David helped her up. Then Freddie shook off all over Amanda.

“That’s gratitude for you,” Amanda said as she jumped aside to avoid the dousing.

“It’s not like we’re not already soaked,” David laughed.

Emily and Samantha caught up to the kids and the dog.

“You saved Freddie!” Samantha squealed hugging both Amanda and Freddie at the same time. Freddie grinned and licked Samantha’s face. Muffin scolded Freddie for his foolish behavior. But when Samantha finally put him down, Muffin licked his face as the little dog smiled at her and panted.

“Let’s get dry,” Amanda suggested. Then she looked at her 13-year-old sister, started running and shouted, “Race you home!”

“No fair!” Emily shouted. “You got a head start.” Emily and David raced after Amanda to their bungalow. Samantha and Freddie returned home, tired from their adventure.