The Meadow Annual Literary Arts Journal 2022

82 The Meadow fields. “I guess it could have been an underground stream exposed by a bomb, or a little stream like you said. You know what the funny thing is? About twenty years ago, right when I started with the Resources Department, we got a similar report about the river. We figured it was just a joke, and when we went looking for it, we didn’t find anything.” “How could you have missed it?” Amanda asked as she steered the canoe into the center of the river. “No clue. Maybe the report was wrong, or maybe our equipment was wrong. Back then the department was doing everything it could to find more resources, and we didn’t devote a lot of time to it. I expect before long this river will slink back underground and that will be the end of our journey.” The river remained above ground. Their canoe zipped along, and Amanda took to trailing her hand in the water. “Fish. I wonder if it has fish.” “Even if there are any, we won’t want to eat them,” Bailey said. “They’re probably the most irradiated things on the planet. I would recommend keeping your hands out of the water.” Amanda sighed and lifted her hand out, looking at the western bank as she did so. She gasped and waved. “Doctor! Look!” The person standing on the bank gaped at them. “This river is going to be common knowledge before too long,” Amanda said. “Did you ever think you would get to do something like this, Doctor?” Bailey frowned at the person standing on the bank. “No, not really.” “Come in, Jacob.” Amanda waited. “Jacob, come in.” Bailey guided the canoe. Dusty dead trees choked both banks of the river. “It looks like pictures I’ve seen of right after the bombs,” Bailey said. “Just dead forests everywhere.”

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