The necessary match

The trees were in full bloom. I admired the delicate blooms of the dogwood trees as I strolled my parent’s grounds. It was all there was to do since my mother had found me hiding out in my usual spot in the library and lectured me endlessly on how I should be preparing for the courtship event that was to take place tomorrow evening. At least being out of the house gave me peace and quiet from her speeches of manners and how to engage in polite conversations. She wouldn’t dare leave the house the day before the courtship event. Not when there were so many fine details she needed to ensure were perfectly in order. My dress alone had been enough to take up two weeks of her time. The thought made my head throb. I decided to take my usual stroll through the woods to distract myself from any other thoughts of the ordeal. I made it to the river that ran through the very edge of our property. A large tree had fallen across the river and made a perfect bridge for me to cross. I stopped to breathe in the scene. The smell of the mossy forrest floor and the blooming trees of spring wafted through my nose. A warm breeze breathed through, lifting my long brown hair gently off my back. I gathered the edges of my gown as I began to step carefully onto the fallen tree. I made it almost to the other edge of the creek when I felt my footing falter. A small gasp escaped me as I began to fall into the rushing waters below. The rain that had come yesterday made the waters more violent, and I quickly became overwhelmed by the rushing current. I began to frantically reach for anything to stop myself as I was pushed by the current. There was nothing that I could get a grip on regardless of how hard I tried. I could feel the cuts I was making on my hands as I grasped for the rocks rushing by to no avail. I was struggling to keep my head above the rushing waters and it felt like I had been going on and on like that for a very long time. I was finally able to keep my head above water long enough to see the mouth of a cave that the river was heading straight into, then everything went completely dark and I heard the water getting louder ahead. Before I could register what was happening I was free falling with the water deeper and deeper into the cave. I remember hitting the pool of water that was waiting below, the stinging of my skin hitting the water. I came up gasping for air and trying with my last bit of strength to swim away from the waterfall I had just tumbled down. The current pushed me to the edge of the water and I was barely able to get the top half of my body out of the water before I felt the last of my strength leave me. I began to drift into unconsciousness when I saw a soft glowing light coming my direction, and heard the soft voice of a young woman ask, “Do you think she is alive?” And then everything went dark.