11/365 Flood Girl

The whole trailer stinks like dirty water. The girl's long hair is greenish-yellow. They rush into my bathroom.

“Gah, her skin, it's so slimy,” Dave says. Then Mom screams.

10/365 Flood girl

“We have to get her to a hospital!” Mom shrieks.

“How, by helicopter? Get her into the bathroom.”

9/365 Flood Girl

A naked girl. I drop the string cheese and pull Madison close. The girl's not moving, her body all limp in Don's arms.

8/365 Flood Girl

The screen door opens and there's Mom and Dave, Don, and a naked girl.

7/365 FLood Girl

Then Mom's out in the water too, and Uncle Dave. I almost open the door, but no. “Mo-om,” Madison whines at me. She's hungry. I need to pack up her toys and stuff. I open the fridge and pull out a string cheese for her. Baby's kicking. I take out another for me.

6/365 Flood Girl

Don from across town is wading in that nasty water, pulling a boat. Brilliant.

5/365

“Hey! Oh!” comes the shouts. I stand inside the trailer, too pregnant to be filling sandbags. Madison clings to my leg as I look out the screen door.

4/365 Flood Girl

We need to admit it's over, pack up the trucks and head down the road to higher ground.

3/365 Flood Girl

I watch Mom stand out there with her brother Dave, staring out across Route 7 into the water, across "Lake Olive Branch". That's what Brad called it this morning while we split the rest of the coffee.

2/365 Flood Girl

All there's left to do now is wait for the water to destroy it all.

1/365 Flood Girl

The river topped the levee yesterday.