This is one I wrote back in F2K , it was an excercise about falling asleep on a boat and awaking to find the raft deflating. 

   I awoke with a pounding head, and a stomach that was unsure if it would keep my lunch or not. As I laid there, it became clear that it was me bobbing up and down, not the world. I tried to get rid of the cotton in my brain without too much movement. I remember this feeling all too well, many mornings I have awaken after a night of drinking way more than I had planned. Now the big question, where the hell am I? I slowly sit up, and there goes whatever I ate over the side. That's better, it didn't agree with me anyway, but it made my head hurt worse.

Slowly, things started come back to me. I had had a really bad week at work and my girlfriend and I had gotten in a really big fight I decided that I was going fishing in my private spot. I found this pond in the middle of the woods on accident, and was surprised that it was still hidden out here. This was exactly what I thought I needed, so I put my inflatable raft and a small cooler of beer in the truck and headed for the woods. Of course, with the mood I was in I started hitting the beers before I even got here, and by the time I got to where I had to leave the truck and walk I only had what was left in the cooler.

With my head settling to a dull thud, I looked around. This immediately set my skin on fire, and I would've screamed if it wouldn't have set the drumline off in my head. Ok, by the way I'm burnt to a crisp and the position of the sun, I must've been out all day. I found myself in the middle of the pond. My heart sank when I reached for the oars and found them gone. Upon looking around I saw them, in the water about twenty feet out from the raft. So I reached for another beer, figuring that would help cure the hangover. Dating an alcoholic, I knew that little trick. Much to my dismay, I also had knocked the cooler over. I then saw it halfway to shore.

I decided I had enough of this little getaway, also I wanted to get to the jumbo sized bottle of aspirin in the glove box. I sat up and immediately felt something wet under me. Oh god, I didn't do that too, did I? Wait no, that woulda been warm, this is cold. That was about the time I saw the bubbles from the end of my raft. Upon closer inspection I saw the culprit. Figures, the only damn thing I could catch is my raft. Panic was beginning to set in at this time, because I can't swim and I didn't bring a life jacket. I had only planned on being out a short distance and only being out for a couple hours.

The trees along the shore looked like shrubs and I couldn't see the narrow grass line at the edge of the water. I decided that this was time to ask myself what McGyver would do. Realizing I didn't have a swiss army knife, I knew I was screwed. I wrapped the ropes that surrounded the outside of the now half deflated raft under my arms and began to dog paddle. the raft made an awkward life jacket, but it was keeping my head above water. On the down side I was also causing the raft to deflate faster. I might've made it without a problem, if it wasn't that I was hungover and every muscle was tight and aching. By the time I was a quarter of the way back I had to stop because I hurt so bad I thought I was going to pass out. I did not want to stop because I knew the gravity of the situation, but given my physical situation my body just quit. When I could finally move, I began to dog paddle again. The raft was almost deflated by now so I could feel myself sinking lower and lower.

I was almost halfway to shore when the raft completely deflated. By this time I was completely exhausted, and trying to fight to stay afloat was useless. Whoever said fat floats is a liar. As I sank to the bottom I thought this was a great ending to a great day. I couldn't help wondering if anybody missed me yet. At least the water was cool on my sunburns, I thought as I looked up at the sun setting on this day and my existence.