The River on 7th Avenue

5th October, 2025

The first thing I had been told once I moved to this town was to be cautious of the river on 7th avenue. It was wedged deep between surrounding boulders and trees and for some reason labelled dangerous by adults. The first time I ever went there I was amazed. A beautiful, glistening river that seemed to flow endlessly. And that’s exactly why it became such a famous place to lounge (for the kids of course). People were always there—always. Maybe it was the thrill of how dangerous the adults had coined it. Over time it had lost its dangerous appeal though. Rather it became what it always was—a hang-out spot. Just like any kid I too frequently visited the river. It was quite serene when people weren't blowing things up or setting off fireworks—though it was unlikely that wouldn’t be happening. But the other day, something strange happened. Our town's ‘favourite grandma’ went missing. No one knows where she went, she was just gone… everyone looked for her that afternoon when the news broke. All the kids, all the parents—everyone—searched for her. Sadly, we found nothing. We all worried that day. We didn't know what to do. For a lady of her age, she couldn’t have left—if she had we would have known anyway. So we resorted to our old ways and searched the river. Unsurprisingly, we didn’t find her. So much for fearing the river when I had first moved here. God, I was terrified. But the years moved on and it didn’t seem as scary. Still, the locals made it out as something incredibly dangerous for no good reason. It posed no threats anyway, so why make such a big deal about it? We had returned home late that night. We all continued to worry—poor Anna—she was the sweetest. I reminisced, all the times she had frequently baked cakes and pies for children, sitting on the porch of her timeless house handing them out. Oh how terrible this situation is.

6th October, 2025

The following day the town continued searching. Seeing as it was a weekend, we would all have more time to search for Anna. But, since our town was small, it was most likely that we had already searched the entirety of it—what else was there to explore? Seemingly ‘a lot’ retorted my father as I complained. Hours had passed and we had searched the same area three times. My legs were aching and my stomach writhed. As much as I loved Anna, I loved my free time more. So, I grabbed my notebook and snuck off to the river. It was a perfect time to go—no one else was there so I could do anything I wished. I listened to the water rush away as I rested upon a large oak. I scribbled in my notebook for a while then sat by the water. Dipping my hand in the river, I felt the cool water rush over it. Just as I have said, it was beautiful. I closed my eyes and lay there—calm. My hands remained in the water as I rested. Suddenly, I toppled over and I was pushed downstream. Begging for air, I thrashed viciously. The river tugged on me incredibly fast and I had lost my sense of direction. I attempted to swim back up but to no avail, I continued downwards. Then the river slowed and I collided with land. Coughing uncontrollably, I struggled up. My vision blurred and I swayed. I had fallen on top of something peculiar—it looked really weird. As I observed it intensely the figure came into view and I gasped (coughing still). It was Anna. Pale and motionless, laying there somewhat peacefully. She was incredibly disheveled—her hair grimy and flailing, clothes blood-stained and her glasses smashed beside her. That is all I could see before I passed out. 

7th October, 2025

I woke up in a hospital bed (to no surprise). 

“Hello Jazmine, how are you feeling?” asked the doctor who had appeared at the door. 

“Yeah I’m fine—where’s Anna?” 

He paused for a moment, “I’m afraid she passed away.” 

My head slumped back onto the pillow behind me. I mean after seeing her I could surmise that she was probably dead, but in no way was that what I wanted. 

“Jazzy!” Squealed (presumably) my mother, bursting through the door. She threw herself on me and sniffled. 

“How are you, baby?” 

“Fine.” I said lamely.

“You must’ve heard about Anna…” her voice trailed off

“Yeah.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But why did you run away anyway!”

“I’m sorry mom, I just got bored…”

“You didn’t even think to tell me?” She scowled. 

Parents were always like this—irritating. I probably should have told her; I did get in a dangerous situation. But that's still whatever. What annoyed me (and everyone else my age) is that they banned people from accessing the river. It was fun and all—going down there—but knowing any of us could have died that easily was terrifying so maybe it was for the best anyway. Turns out all those warnings really were true—the river was dangerous. 

23rd October, 2025

It’s been about two weeks since I almost drowned. That's what I say to everyone now—it never fails to amuse me. People still break into the river which is annoying for the police. Whenever that happens they have to go down there but all the kids will have disappeared by then anyway. Anna’s funeral was a few days ago. It was sorrowful and I admit I cried a bit; it was a beautiful way to celebrate her life though. There were many pies and cakes at the reception and we shared stories and laughter. From what I can remember, the whole town had attended (which isn’t an enormous amount of people but still a lot). Anyway, it was great but very emotional to say goodbye—that’s just what you have to do sometimes. I hope I don’t forget to make another entry here, if I do, I apologise prematurely. Life is hectic at the moment with school and other stuff—you know how it gets. Anyway, I’ll write back here next week and update you, alright?