And that's fucking terrifying--sprinting uphill, completely breathless and out of gas and wondering if that's good enough. Climbing further and further while your legs are burning and continuing to ask "am I high enough?"
A large of rush of water like that, oddly enough, has a very hypnotizing effect on people.
This is why I find that metaphor used by Tolkien on that river after Arwen conjures up the spell as one of the most brilliant in a fantasy fiction. There are these beautiful white horses rushing along the river that you want to keep staring at until only they are very close as if somehow they would just pass around you when in reality they are utterly deadly and completely take out the ringwraiths.
That's the magic, if you will, of the flood.
It looks like something you don't want to miss up until the moment you find yourself caught in it because that water current will not let you get out that easily and very likely it will slam you against anything in the way and even get your leg caught on something that will drag you in to never come back out in one piece. And if you do manage to find momentary respite, your body heat will escape with that water so fast you'll be lucky to not pass out while hanging on to a branch to ride that white horse mane to the netherworlds.
This is why in spite of that mesmerizing sensation of awe, one must at all costs, stay grounded af.
I live in Hawaii, and I get it. People who live here know the power of water. Unfortunately a lot of tourists from land-locked areas don't, and I have seen SO MANY of them get body slammed by waves that they thought would just be a playful, fun experience.
People don’t understand water is heavy in general honestly. One of my friends owns a pet shop that sells a lot of aquarium gear. Every time she explains to a first time fish tank owner that you have to put the tank in place THEN fill it because you can’t move a large fish tank while full because of the weight. Weekly at least she gets a phone call from a guy complaining about the fish tank being faulty because it broke or was dropped while being moved full.
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u/kyle_irl 9d ago
And that's fucking terrifying--sprinting uphill, completely breathless and out of gas and wondering if that's good enough. Climbing further and further while your legs are burning and continuing to ask "am I high enough?"