“If the water keeps rising, I’ll float away,” his grandfather said suddenly, a strange, feverish glint in his eye. “What do you mean?” Aditya asked, half humoring him, half concerned. “I’ve got it figured out,” his grandfather said. “The drinking water gallons. I’ll tie them to me with the rubber tubes from your spare tires. They’ll keep me afloat. I’ll drift off, away from all of this.”
Aditya shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere, Grandpa. We’ll be rescued before it comes to that.” The fever had clearly taken its toll on the old man, but Aditya couldn’t bring himself to argue. He’d let his grandfather believe in his strange plan if it gave him some comfort. Meanwhile, Aditya continued to check the water levels, praying they wouldn’t rise any higher.