Billy and Jimmy walked along the trail that afternoon in late August.

“We should have brought our fishing stuff,” Jimmy said, as he walked next to the lake.

“Yeah, but you would have to carry your stuff and my stuff,” Billy replied.

Billy stopped and looked up, huffing and puffing slightly as he leaned next to a tree and held his crutches upright with one hand. His skinny legs jutted out from his shorts like two popsicle sticks from a frozen treat. Jimmy had actually made fun of him once, saying he looked like a popsicle. He had no choice but to wear popsicle-colored shirts – bright blue or cherry red or even lime green. It was his mom’s fault, he’d said. She’d brought them home from the church’s giveaway bin, as times were tough now on just one parent’s salary. They couldn’t afford new clothes. And Billy had lost so much weight since the injury. He’d broken his leg over the summer, requiring pins and screws to put it back together. It occurred in the same car accident that killed his dad, three months ago. He looked up at the sky, happy to be outside. He dismissed the thought of looking like a popsicle.

“But look, there’s all these great fish right here. Look at that one,” Jimmy said, pointing to just under a log.

“That’s not even a fish, Jimmy, it’s a log with leaves on it.”

“It’s a catfish, I’m telling you,” Jimmy said.

They both inched closer to the water, Billy now hobbling on his crutches.

“Man, I’m so winded and we’ve only walked a quarter of a mile,” Billy said, looking out at the river. “I can’t run this fall or go out for basketball in the winter. I’m never gonna be back to how I was. And these darn shirts. Wait till the seniors lay eyes on me.”

A catfish surfaced from the water, then another, where Jimmy had said he saw it. Only he noticed. Billy was looking at his leg.

“I know it’s tough, Billy, but you’re gonna come back,” Jimmy said, genuinely trying to encourage his friend. “In some way. You’re too talented not to. Besides, with all these walks we’ve been doing, I can already see you getting muscle back in your delts. Those things aren’t crutches,” he pointed to the silver sticks at Billy’s side, “those are gun developers.”

Billy rolled his eyes and his heart sank, thinking about how much muscle he’d lost since the accident. Jimmy was always so generous, so optimistic.

Trees rustled and the wind blew.

Suddenly their reverie was interrupted by a slap and a loud thud. Billy went into the water, which was deep and cold. A strong current pulled it along. Before Jimmy could reach out to help, Billy was swept away by the water. Jimmy was pulled away by something else – a cold hand and cold cuffs around his own hands. A fabric material was pulled over his face and he could no longer see. He yelled out and tried to wiggle free. He was thrown into a nearby area on the ground. At least it was soft. He could hear footsteps running away. He laid in a ditch, damp leaves all around him. He brought his cuffed hands around to the front of his body by looping them under his legs. When his hands were in front of him, he reached up and pulled the bag off from his head. Billy! He thought. There was no way he’d be able to swim with his leg. He could drown. Jimmy examined the cuffs on his wrists, realizing they looked like cheap knockoffs. He pulled his wrists apart with all his might but couldn’t get them undone. He saw a large, pointed stump coming out of the ground and drove the chain over it while separating his arms. The cuffs separated.

Jimmy looked around. He didn’t see anyone. He ran back to where he and Billy had been before they were assaulted. One of Billy’s crutches lay on the ground by the edge of the river. Where was the other one? Where was Billy? Jimmy started running along the riverbank, looking for any sign of Billy, mainly his bright blue t-shirt he’d worn that day. Nothing. His heart raced as his eyes scanned the top of the flowing waters. He maneuvered around stumps and roots. Finally, he came up to him. Billy wasn’t in the water, but on the water’s edge, next to a large tree trunk that had bent at almost 90 degrees out over the water, some of its branches dipping into the river like fingers.

“Billy, are you okay?!” Jimmy shouted. He was relieved to see Billy’s chest moving up and down. He was soaking wet. About 50 yards away lay Adam Brinkler, a senior at their school. There was a large gash and burgeoning lump across the top of his head. He held his hands to his head. “What happened?” Jimmy asked Billy as he took in the situation.

Billy looked relaxed, despite lying there in his wet clothes. He explained, “Well, I had my one crutch still with me when I went into the water. A little ways down I saw this tree while I was floating there. I used the top part of my crutch to grab that little knob hanging from that branch and I was able to pull myself up here. I saw him running by and thought it couldn’t have been anybody else that would push me into the water. And I remember you saying how these crutches are ‘gun building machines,’ so I clipped that long limb back and shot it like a sling right into his head. He’ll be alright. Are you okay?

Jimmy was a little shocked and stood there quietly. He finally said, “Yeah, I’m alright.”

“Well, I guess we should help him,” Jimmy said, looking at Adam and the welt on his head.

“I did,” said Billy. See the ice he’s holding to his head?”

Jimmy walked closer then grinned. He looked back at Billy. Adam was holding a large, wrapped popsicle to his forehead.

“And Jimmy,” Billy said, “just so you know, there are catfish out there.”

Adam was suspended from two football games that fall as was his accomplice Bryce, who had left the scene. They both had to serve community service time for the school as well. They had told the principle that it was a prank intended to just make Billy fall onto the ground, not into the river. The principle reiterated that Billy and Jimmy could have been seriously injured and that Billy could have even drowned.

Billy continued to heal. His recovery took a small setback when he was pushed into the water, but there’d been no further serious damage to his leg. Jimmy still invited Billy to walk and they continued to do so. They even took their fishing gear, as Billy had to sit the sports season out. He continued to gain strength and even won the city’s informal pull-up competition. He was ready to go back to sports the following year.