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CHAPTER TEN

Anna Wants to Be Friends

Julie sits up in her bed. She pulls the blankets closer. It is freezing in the room.

“Why are you following me, Anna,” she says. “Why

don’t you leave me alone? What do you want?”

Anna sits down on Julie’s bed. She takes Julie’s hand in hers. Anna’s hands are colder than Julie’s, they are like ice. She is pale and her eyes are dark. She is looking at Julie strangely again.

Julie is frightened. She doesn’t want to look at Anna’s eyes.

She touches the locket around her neck nervously.

“Don’t be afraid of me, Julie,” Anna’s voice is kind and friendly but it is difficult to hear. It seems she is talking under the water.

“I want to be friends, Julie. I want to be best friends. You and I are alike in many ways. We must be together.”

Julie takes her hand away quickly. “What do you mean, the same,” she asks.

“We’re both shy. We want to have a lot of friends. We are both lonely, we want to be popular, we want everyone to like us.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” replies Julie angrily. “I have a lot of friends at home.”

“No, you don’t,” replies Anna. “You’re lonely and you’re shy, like me. You’re jealous of your brother Paul because he’s more popular than you. He’s cleverer and he’s friendlier too. He has a lot of friends.”

Julie feels uncomfortable. How does Anna know these things about her?

“You are very like me,” Anna continues. “I wanted the same things when I came to Coniston Water many years ago. I just wanted to make friends, I wanted people to like me.

I tried hard to do the things they did. I went hiking and pony-riding. I played volleyball and tennis.

I was scared of the water and I couldn’t swim but I went boating with them. Oh, my story has a sad ending, Julie, a very sad ending.” There are tears on Anna’s pale face.

Julie doesn’t feel frightened now. She is curious. She feels sorry for Anna. She wants to know Anna’s story.

She says, “Okay, Anna we can be friends. But first, you must tell me your story. I want to know exactly what happened to you here at Coniston Water many years ago. Can you tell me?”

“Maybe you’re going to be frightened,” says Anna.

“No,” replies Julie, “I want to know. I must know.”

Anna looks over to the window and the lake outside. She sees something that Julie can’t see. She sees Coniston Water many years ago. She begins to tell her story. Julie listens very closely.