فصل 35

FINCH

How to survive quicksand

That night, I move into my walk-in closet, which is warm and cozy, like a cave. I push my hanging clothes to one corner and lay the comforter from my bed on the floor. I set the jug of Mudlavia healing water at the foot and prop Violet’s picture against the wall—a shot of her at the Blue Flash—along with the license plate I took from the scene of the accident. Then I turn off the light. I balance my laptop on my knees and stick a cigarette in my mouth unlit because the air’s too close in here as it is.

This is Finch Survival Boot Camp. I’ve been here before and know the drill like the back of my too-large hand. I will stay in here as long as I need to, as long as it takes.

The MythBusters say there is no way to drown in quicksand, but tell that to the young mother who went to Antigua for her father’s wedding (to wife number two) and was sucked into the beach as she watched the sunset. Or the teenage boys who were swallowed whole by a man-made quicksand pit on the property of an Illinois businessman.

Apparently, to survive quicksand, you should stay perfectly still. It’s only when you panic that you pull yourself under and sink. So maybe if I stay still and follow the Eight Steps to Surviving Quicksand, I’ll get through this.

1. Avoid quicksand. Okay. Too late. Moving on.

2. Bring a large stick when going into quicksand territory. The theory here is that you can use the stick to test the ground in front of you, and even pull yourself out of it if you sink. The problem with this theory is that you don’t always know when you’re entering quicksand territory, not until it’s too late. But I like the idea of preparedness. I figure I’ve just left this step and have gone on to:

3. Drop everything if you find yourself in quicksand. If you’re weighed down by something heavy, you’re apt to get pulled to the bottom faster. You need to shed your shoes and anything you’re carrying. It’s always best to do this when you know ahead of time that you’re going to encounter quicksand (see number 2), so, essentially, if you’re going anywhere that might even possibly have quicksand, go naked. My removal to the closet is part of the dropping everything.

4. Relax. This goes back to the stay-perfectly-still-soyou-don’t-sink adage. Additional fact: if you relax, your body’s buoyancy will cause you to float. In other words, it’s time to be calm and let the Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect take over.

5. Breathe deeply. This goes hand in hand with number 4. The trick, apparently, is to keep as much air in your lungs as possible—the more you breathe, the more you float.

6. Get on your back. If you start sinking, you simply fall backward and spread yourself out as far as you can as you try to pull your legs free. Once you’re unrooted, you can inch yourself to solid ground and safety.

7. Take your time. Wild movements only hurt your cause, so move slowly and carefully until you’re free again.

8. Take frequent breaks. Climbing out of quicksand can be a long process, so be sure to take breaks when you feel your breath running out or your body beginning to tire. Keep your head high so that you buy yourself more time.