It seemed like it had been raining forever. Dark storm clouds raced across the skies, dumping gallon after gallon of rain on the valley. Lightening seemed to light the skies in waves, as the thunder became a seemingly unending rumble that echoed through the hills. It was only about eight PM, but it was already pitch black outside. Harv Bennett came into his old farm house. Harv was in his late 40's, dressed very casual, and looked like he belonged in the wilderness. He had lived in this area all of his life.  

Inside the house, sitting in the parlor, were a couple of refugees from the storm who had become stranded in the rain near Harv's house. They were both soaked from the deluge, sitting near the parlor stove, trying to get warmed up and dried out. Harv had made them a cup of hot coffee to sip on. He looked at both of them as he spoke.  

"It don't look none too good out there right now. The river's startin' to rise real fast now. All the gullies are full of water, racin' down like rapids in a mountain stream in the Spring time. We're on high ground here, so we're safe for now, but the whole place will be just an island soon. This area is surrounded by the river and several creeks that feed into it. It won't be long 'till they're outa their banks and over the road. Pretty soon, the power will be a goin' off as the transformers get covered by the flood waters.  

Like I said, we're safe for now, but who knows how long we'd be stranded here, or we could take off now and at least make it to Cedar Creek. I doubt we'll get much further than that before the water goes over the main highway. At least, if we get stuck there we'll have electricity and drinkin' water. It should be on high enough ground we'd be safe, but Cedar Creek isn't as high as the ground here. There is that chance city may flood. It hasn't since they put in the Paoli dam, but the town had been flooded before. It's all just a gamble one way or the other. Then too, they've been worried the Paoli dam might not hold. Cedar Creek would sure and flood then, but if we're there, they're more likely to send out rescue teams. Here, we still should be high and dry even if the dam breaks, but then, we might be stranded here for quite a while. I just don't know, so I'm leavin' it up to you folks to decide."  

One of the refugees spoke up, "Let's see what's happenin' with the Paoli dam first before we make any decisions."  

Harv responded, "That sounds fine to me." With that, he turned on the radio. The song "Who'll Stop the Rain" was just ending. Then the announcer came on.  

"This is Myron Johnson, WXTE, 103.5, Ecstasy on your radio dial, with the latest on the weather conditions around the Cedar Creek area. Meteorologists say we can look forward to at least 12 more hours of torrential rains. The low pressure system which has been causing all of this bad weather is still stalled Southwest of us. This keeps pumping in more moisture for this storm system to feed on. Already, small creeks and streams are out of their banks. There's water standing in many low spots. Conditions around the area would be worse if it weren't for the Paoli dam. Department of Natural Resources personnel have kept the floodgates closed for the present, holding back the deluge in Walker reservoir. Officials don't know how much longer they'll be able to keep gates closed. Heavy ice damaged the structure of the dam last Winter. Repairs were in progress but had to be halted due to the heavy rains. Presently, there is much concern for the dam's integrity, so officials fear they'll soon have to open the floodgates to relieve pressure on the dam. Please stay tuned to 103.5 Ecstasy on your FM radio dial for the latest updates on this storm."  

Harv commented, "Well, there you are. Not much good news on there, either."  

Then, the other refugee spoke up, "Well, whatta you think, Harv? What should we do?"  

"Well, if'n it wuz just up to me, I'd just stick it out here. This is about the highest ground around, even though it's surrounded by water on all sides," Harv answered.  

"But what if the dam breaks? Can you guarantee we'd still be safe here?" the other refugee queried.  

"Well, there ain't no guarantees in life. If the dam breaks, we still should be all right. We're nearly 30 feet above the river at flood stage, but if the floods were to cause a log jam or somethin'; then, water could be backed up for miles around here. It'd fill up all the gullies and hollers. Then? Well, who knows?" Harv replied.  

"Well, that settles it," said the first refugee. "I say we go to Cedar Creek. At least, we stand a chance of being rescued if the dam does break."  

"I guess I'd rather be where there's electricity and other people," the other refugee replied meekly.  

"Well, I guess that settles it, then," Harv replied with a smile. "Let's all go out and pile in my old truck. It should be high enough no standin' water should drown her out."  

Harv secured his house (George, this is Jeanne, mention Harv leaving a note for Ray- you don't really have to say what's in it - but the gist of the note says you are going to Cedar Creek and on farther if the river isn't too high, etc., and advises Ray what to do), and then, the three piled into the cab of Harv's truck. It was an old 4x4, with large tires and a lift kit. It sat well off the ground. They turned out of the lane leading to Harv's house onto an old county road. They drove only a few hundred feet before the road started down a steep grade. Although the truck's wipers were on high, they were still having trouble keeping up with the downpour. It was as if someone were spraying a large fire hose at the windshield of the truck. Everything was dark and blurry. Wicked streaks of lightening kept lighting up the landscape like a powerful flashbulb. This made it even harder to see, since Harv's eyes kept having to adjust to the bright flash. He turned on his fog lights to see if they would help.  

Harv was driving very slowly and carefully. Ruts had been washed out of the road by the deluge. As the truck slowly neared the bottom of the hill, there was a torrent running down the center of the road like it was a small stream bed. Suddenly, the truck lights flashed upon and reflected back from the dark water that was rushing over the road at the bottom of the hill. It was just a short stretch until the road rose again, so Harv carefully steered the truck into the raging torrent. The road was very rough from the rushing water cutting ruts into the road. That, plus the rushing torrent made the truck rock back and forth as they forded the racing stream, causing the refugees to gasp audibly.  

Soon, the truck was pulling itself up the next incline. The whole landscape was surreal. Where there were once gullies, there were now bayous. Here and there, there were waterfalls as the runoff from the downpour cascaded off the tops of ridges. The road was muddy in spots, so the truck had to labor to pull itself through the thick muck. Harv drove along the road as it meandered back and forth over a slight ridge. Then, the road began to slope down to a wide valley area. Suddenly, the road seemed to disappear into a dark lake bed. It was hard to tell where the road ran through the black pool.  

Harv looked over at his passengers and said, "Don't worry. I've driven this old road so long that I know it like the back of my hand."  

With that he steered the truck into the dark pool. Water began rising very rapidly around the vehicle. It climbed closer and closer to the bottom of the cab. Then, water from the truck's wake splashed up through a hole in the old truck's floor board. The water splashed on one of the riders feet causing her to gasp and grab Harv's arm real tight.  

Harv smiled and commented, "I'm gonna hafta fix that one of these days."  

Harv kept steering the truck around the edge of the dark pool. There was a wide swath of white water there. It was caused by the water washing across the road bed, down into the adjoining gully. Between the froth and the fence posts, Harv knew where the road bed ran. It wasn't long before the road, again, rose above the water to higher ground.  

Harv commented, "Well, that's the worst of it until we get to Cedar Creek."  

The road, then, wound around to higher ground. There were still places where water was standing, but it was easier going. The fields along the road looked like flooded rice paddies. The lightening reflecting off the mirror-like surfaces, sometimes, made it hard to distinguish between the ground and the sky. County roads, as they criss-crossed the flooded fields were the only dry areas. The standing water with criss-crossing roads made the landscape appear to be hundreds of large mirrors laid out on the ground. Soon, the travelers could see the lights of Cedar Creek ahead. It looked like a twin city with its lights reflected back up in the flooded fields.  

Harv commented, "Maybe, we ought to see if we can drive on further tonight to get further away from the river. We could go on to Harpersville. That is, if we can still cross over the river?"  

Harv drove on through town to the avenue approaching the bridge across the Big Sandy River. A wide expanse of rushing water separated them from the approach ramp to the bridge. They could see water rushing within a few inches of the bottom of the bridge.  

Harv commented, "So much for that idea. We'll go on down to the Sandburg Arms Hotel. They have a coffee shop there where stranded travelers sometimes wait."  

Harv pulled into the parking lot at the Sandburg Arms and stopped. The trio rushed through the pouring rain into the coffee shop. They got themselves some coffee to drink and sat down at a table. There were several other people sitting around the coffee shop. It was very quiet in the place. You could hear the rain clattering down on the building's roof and splattering against the window pane. A Regulator clock hung up on the wall was ticking away. Everyone seemed to be in a daze.  

Finally, Harv could take the silence no longer, and he spoke up, "Looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a good while. We's might as well git to know one another. It might pass the time a little. I like listenin' to stories, myself. Reckon I must be somewhat of a busy-body. Well, anyway, I'm Harv Bennett. I live a few miles West of town over by Oakley Ridge. These two people, here, got stranded with me. We decided to drive on over here in case we got caught by the floodwaters. Well, anyway, I've lived around these parts most of my life. If'n any of the rest you would like to introduce yourselves and tell us a little about you, well, it might just pass the time a little..."  

And now the rest of the story…