Neal dug his fingernails into the gnarled bark of the tree, water surged and swirled carrying various debris underneath. Not even an hour ago he was with his older brother Kenny. Lightning popped and thunder crackled across the sky as the mighty Mississippi River left its banks. The pouring rain was ceaseless, as the river swelled. Soaked, cold, with fear and worry seeping into his bones, the ten-year-old wondered if he would live to see his family ever again... or if they even survived the flash flood.