تجربه‌ی ترسناک

CHAPTER SEVEN

A Frightening Experience

Suddenly Julie is in the water. It is cold, very cold.

Her clothes are pulling her down. She remembers that she isn’t wearing her life jacket.

“Oh no” she thinks. “I’m not a good swimmer! I must find my life jacket. It can keep me above the water.

” She looks around in the water for the life jacket but she can’t find it. She begins to panic. Then she remembers Anna. Where is she?

“Anna Anna” she calls, “Oh, I hope she’s all right. I hope she isn’t under the boat.”

She looks around desperately. There is an island nearby. Can she swim to the beach there?

“The island isn’t too far,” she thinks. “I can try to swim to it. I can get help and we can come back and look for Anna.” She starts to swim but it is very difficult.

The water is cold and her arms and legs get tired very quickly. She stops and begins to shout, “Anna! Anna! Where are you! Can you hear me? Are you all right?”

No one answers. There is nothing on the lake but the wind and the rain.

“Oh, God, please help me! I’m so tired!” sobs Julie. She looks around again and shouts, “Someone help me! Help me!”

Suddenly Anna appears in the water in front of her.

“Anna You’re okay” cries Julie. “I’m so happy to see you!”

Anna stretches her arms towards Julie. She says, “Don’t worry, Julie, I’m here. Do you understand? I can help you.”

But something is wrong. Anna isn’t swimming in the water, she is standing in it. The bright light around her is stronger than ever.

She is smiling. “Julie, Julie, let’s be friends. I want you to be my friend! I want to take you to my home. Come home with me,” she says, and she takes Julie’s hands.

Julie looks at Anna. Anna looks at Julie. Julie tries to look away but she can’t. There is a strange power in Anna’s dark eyes. She says again and again, “Come with me, Julie. Come with me.”

Julie is swimming very slowly now. She hears herself say “What must I do, Anna?”

“You must swim down to the bottom of the lake,” replies Anna smiling. “The water is warm, it’s lovely. The water is your home, Julie.”

“Yes, Anna,” says Julie, still looking into Anna’s eyes. “I’m going to swim down with you.”

Anna is near her. Anna is in front of her. She is talking to her under the water in a faint, far-away voice. She is saying, “Follow me, Julie, follow me.

We will be friends, sisters. Forget about Holly How. Forget about Paul. Forget about your family. Follow me.”

Julie doesn’t think about her parents, or her brother. She can’t remember Holly How. She can only see Anna’s eyes. She feels Anna’s hands on her shoulders.

She is pushing her down. Julie swims under the water with Anna, down and down into the deep lake shadows, deeper and deeper into Coniston Water.

Suddenly a small silver light flashes through the water. The silver locket! Julie’s eyes follow the light and she stops looking at Anna for a minute.

Immediately she realizes where she is. She kicks her legs and starts swimming up to the surface. Her heart beats faster and faster. She must get some air!

Up, up, up. Then she is on the top of the water. She takes a deep breath and begins to shout, “Help! Help! Someone help me!”