Story Ten: The Floating Jacket

14-year old Gordon Arnette had overheard two very drunk men talking about how they were going to go swimming in the Norwalk River that very afternoon. Thomas McGarry and Jimmy Dowd had been talking very loudly at the local convenience store when Gordon overheard them. And while to them the plan sounded like a good one, Gordon knew better. The river was not easy to navigate, especially by two men who were obviously highly under the influence.

Following Them To The River

Gordon followed the two men, instinctively knowing that nothing good could come out of their plan. Not being able to stay quiet for much longer, he attempted to dissuade both men from their decision to go swimming, but they refused to listen to the teenager and still got in the river. Just as Gordon thought, they were soon being washed away in the strong current of the water, and he knew that if he didn’t save them, they would surely die. Gordon got an inflatable raft that happened to be on the side of the river, and paddled swiftly after them.