A River Runs Through It Novels & Stories

“You never could.” River’s mind raced. He knew this land better than anyone. He grew up here. He knew every hiding spot, every weak structure. Dominic knew too, but River was faster, younger, desperate. He grabbed a broken brick from the ground and threw it at a window nearby, creating loud noise. Dominic turned toward it instantly. River ran. He sprinted around the side of the shed, breathing hard. He grabbed a long metal rod leaning against the wall. His heart pounded in his ears.

I started with a map, crossing the dots for the nearest river and after finding it, I was overjoyed. I desperately need the water, no. I am craving it. My hands are still trembling as I sneak through the hallway, careful not to get caught on the cameras. After doing this for so many days; I have quite become a pro. I go through the courtyard as I slip past the gate that guards the north river.

Micah maneuvered the car through the dense forest, narrowly avoiding collisions with trees and rocks. James shouted directions, his voice cutting through the chaos. "There's a river up ahead! If we can cross it, we might lose them." Micah nodded, his jaw set. "Hold on tight." The river came into view, its rushing waters glinting under the moonlight. Micah didn't hesitate, driving straight into the shallow bank. The car jolted as it hit the water, the current tugging at its wheels. "Go, go, go!" James shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the river.

At last, they emerged from the trees and stood before a waterfall. Moonlight bathed the scene in ethereal silver, the cascading water sparkling like molten metal under the night sky. The sound of the rushing falls filled the air, a soothing rhythm that seemed to drown out the world’s troubles. Chen turned to Victoria, his face soft with empathy. “Have you ever watched a river or a stream flow?” he began, his voice carrying a thoughtful feel. “No matter what gets in its way—rocks, debris, even entire trees—it always finds a way to keep moving. If its path is blocked, it doesn’t stop. It carves out a new one.”

Her scent is everywhere soft perfume, shampoo, maybe something floral. I drive. I don’t know where I’m going, only that I need to get away. Far away. I can’t be caught with her. I can’t explain this. No one would believe me. Then, like a whisper from the universe, I remember the river. It runs through the woods, just past the highway, maybe fifteen minutes out. Quiet. Hidden. No lights. No cameras. No witnesses.

I kept walking, not even glancing back as she ran after me in tears. However, the bustling streets stood between us, and she could never get close again. Frank's gravestone lay in the countryside, where he once spent his happiest days. That was where he wanted to rest. I took the peace amulet that Frank used to wear and tucked it into my bag. As I got on the plane, I held onto the amulet tightly and drifted off to sleep. Frank was in my dream, just as I remembered him, with a smile on his face. He said, "Dad, thank you."

You’re our priority. The endless ride through the damp and murky forest leaves us all irritable. I’m quiet we ride down a steeper slope, covered in pine needles towards the rushing sound of water. ‘We have to cross,’ Thade calls back and the three of us catch the leaders. We line up on the bank of the river, horses shifting nervously. The waters rush, raging past in bursts of white foam. Rune dismounts, landing in a long grass as she moves down the bank, pointing out a section where the rocks are smaller and the river shallows out. There’s more foam, the current fast but not as deep.

She crosses to the window now, close enough that her breath fogs a small circle on the glass. Below her, forty-one floors down, the river runs green-black under the bridges, barges cutting slow wakes through water that never quite loses the chemical bite of the dye plant upstream. Somewhere down there a busker works a saxophone against the wind, notes snatched away half formed before they reach this high.

"No, I have been even higher than this, but this has never been here. Its moving so fast, why do I feel like it's moving towards us?" What they were looking at could only be described as a several mile white with a slight blue highlight river. This river flowed in a loop in the sky. It ran, back and forth, up and down, until several loops were formed and river was moving at incredible speeds. "Today is truly a sad day, to think that you, a man that Xasha looked up to so much, would team up with the DelaVega City to harm him and his interests," A disembodied voice of a young lady came from everywhere of the same time.

"Run for your life!" Something red-hot and furious surges through me and gives strength to my legs. She's the only thought I have as I let my stunned legs run away from the river, past the bewildered people who don't understand why a girl would be running towards danger instead of away from it, over the creaky wooden bridge that has existed even before the birth of my parents and to the market that has served as a common ground for our kingdom and neighbouring kingdoms.