The sky turned black without warning. One moment, the mist hung gently in the air; the next, thunder boomed and rain poured down in sheets, turning the forest floor into a muddy river. Leon grabbed Isabella's arm as water rushed around their ankles, swirling past tree trunks and carrying debris. "We're in a floodplain!" he shouted over the rain. "We need higher ground— now!"
They ran toward a cluster of boulders, but the water rose faster than they could move, soaking their boots and weighing down their cloaks. "The river's overflowing!" Isabella screamed, pointing to a surge of brown water crashing through the trees. It was too deep to wade through— strong enough to sweep them away.
Leon's eyes darted to a stand of thick bamboo nearby. "Bamboo rafts," he yelled. "We can build a raft— it'll carry us to higher ground!"
They fought their way to the bamboo, using Leon's knife to cut thick stalks. Isabella tied them together with camellia-oil-soaked hemp rope— the oil made the rope stronger, resistant to the water. Leon laid the insulation mat they'd made earlier on the bottom, preventing the bamboo from slipping. "Tie the stalks tight," he instructed. "We need it to hold— the current's fierce."
In minutes, the raft was finished— rough, but sturdy. Leon pushed it into the water, holding it steady as Isabella climbed on. He followed, grabbing a long bamboo pole to steer. The current grabbed the raft, sweeping it downstream, but Leon dug the pole into the riverbed, guiding it around rocks and fallen trees.
Isabella clung to the bamboo stalks, her hair plastered to her face. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"To those boulders!" Leon shouted, pointing to a rocky outcrop above the waterline. He pushed the pole harder, fighting the current, until the raft crashed gently against the rocks. They scrambled onto dry land, collapsing onto the stone as the rain continued to pour.
The floodwaters raged through the night, but they were safe— high and dry on the boulders. Leon watched the river, his breath ragged. The raft had saved them— a combination of his knowledge of bamboo, Isabella's knot-tying skills, and the insulation mat they'd made weeks earlier. Every skill, every tool, every lesson had led to this moment.
As dawn broke and the rain slowed, Leon smiled at Isabella. "We did it," he said. "We survived."
She nodded, grinning. "We make a good team."