Sept 10

The moonlight gleamed upon the waters of Okanagan Lake. We held hands and wandered the peaceful shoreline in the town of Peachland. We connected in the silence of the evening as darkness enveloped the aquatic mirror in front of us. It was a moment of beauty, peace, and serenity that we clung to in the chaos of our recent days.

Krista and I stared into the distance, breathing in the clear air and the calming presence of the lake and the mountains in the distance. Recharged and energized we turned and walked along the boardwalk. Looking for a more serene route we followed the dock along swim bay. Holding hands we felt connected, we felt secure in each other. Without any expectations, we enjoyed the calm beauty of the night and wandered in the darkness. Step by step we sauntered on, feeling the solid boardwalk beneath our feet.

Then in an instant, it was gone.

I placed my left foot where I thought the boardwalk would be. It was no longer there.

I was falling.

With a crash, I hit the beach below. In the same instant, my wife landed on my shaken body. I lay there in a daze, uncertain what had occurred. Voices came into my consciousness; a couple had seen us fall. Two shadows stood above asking if we were alright. I lay there searching inside my body. Feeling the pain and aches I did not want to move. Looking up I could see the edge of the boardwalk about four feet above us. The shadows climbed down and offered a helping hand. I needed a moment, I needed to catch my breath, to regroup myself. I asked my sweetheart how she was. Her head was sore, she had struck it on the gravel of the beach.

With a force of will and an effort by our rescuers, I managed to stand. We grabbed the edge of the dock and began to move toward the light at the end of the dock.

Suddenly, Krista went down again. I turned to help, but the samaritans stepped in and helped her up again. I rested on the edge of the walkway, concerned, and confused. My wife regained her footing and proclaimed herself ok. We managed to climb the rocks with help from the nice couple who watched our sudden fall.

I held my wife in my arm as we started back toward the lights of the roadway. Without warning, she dropped in my arms. Panic set inside me. I called out to Krista, fear, and anxiety overcame my being as I lowered her to the ground.

“Krista! Krista!” I cried out, her eyes shut and a snore escaped her mouth. I was lost – “Call 911, Call 911!!!” I willed our saviours to call an ambulance. After seeing my friend in a state of disarray in hospital this week, I had an added fear for her safety.

“What happened?” came a groggy reply as my wife regained consciousness. I sat her up on the ground and asked if she knew where she was. “Peachland” she confidently replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief and held her in my arms.

At that moment another passer-by stopped and offered to help. He was a retired fire-fighter and was trained in these situations. We explained what happened and he offered to stay and help. We now had Peter, Mira, and Chris, total strangers, who were now stopping their lives to assist us. It is times like these that I am grateful for the human kindness that exists in this world.

Chris the fire-fighter told my honey to lie down and not move until the ambulance arrived. The next ten minutes passed slowly and we attempted to regain our strength. As we waited it became clearer that Krista was feeling better from her trauma and I hoped it was only a mild concussion that she suffered.

The peace of the night was broken by sirens on the highway. It was a disconcerting feeling knowing the flashing lights were coming for us. As the ambulance parked two young lady paramedics emerged. Their calm professional manner allowed us to relax and know we were in good hands.

Peter and Mira described how they saw us disappear off the boardwalk. they elaborated how Krista had fallen twice, the second time losing consciousness. I hurt everywhere but knew that I had not suffered any real trauma upon my fall. I was worried about what had befallen my wife and why she had suddenly passed out. We gratefully thanked the strangers that stopped in the night and they wandered off to continue their walk along the shore of Okanagan Lake. We all agreed that a light on the dock would be much safer, imagine if an elderly couple had fallen as we did…

The paramedics examined Krista and were confident she had suffered a concussion. We were given the choice to get in the ambulance and go to the hospital or to go home and keep a close eye on each other. After considering the options we elected to go home and watch each other. Krista was clear and seemed to have recovered from her impact.

Our home was a welcome sight and we relaxed in the safety of our sanctuary. I awoke the next day, bruised and sore but grateful for the efforts of the strangers in the night. My wife had no lingering effects from the fall and I was still able to walk, with a limp but walk nonetheless.

I called the town of Peachland and advised them of the danger posed on their peaceful boardwalk. We know for the future to watch where we step in dark.

Life is full of lessons; we never know when one will suddenly take away the solid ground we rely upon.