Carack

Ch2 p4

‘We’ll be OK now,’ he reassured her. ‘Won’t be long now and we’ll be out of the water. I’m standing up.’ There was no response and Gerent hitched her higher up his back. His damaged arm hung useless and aching at his side. He knew he had to find high ground as soon as possible. His strength was almost gone and the water was still too deep for the girl to be able stand up. He trudged forward muttering out loud through his teeth.

‘Some dream this is. I’ve fallen off a horse, been soaked through twice and nearly drowned once. Hugh if only you knew, can’t you wake me up for heaven’s sake!’ He staggered and fell into a deeper patch of water. The girl screamed but held on, her weight almost kept him under. He struggled to his knees and stood again. All around him was in darkness. Gerent did not know which way to go.

‘If we don’t find dry land soon I don’t think we are going to make it,’ he said and the child clung on tighter still.

‘Gerent!’ a voice called off to Gerent’s right, he swivelled his head to look that way but could see no one, and then the voice came again.

‘Gerent walk this way. Follow my voice. There dost be high ground here!’

Gerent turned toward the voice, it sounded like the man he had met in the inn.

‘What was his name,’ he said to himself. ‘ N- N something. N’zim, that’s it N'zim! How did he get here? Where-ever here is. I don’t know how he can see me when I can’t even see the land never mind him. Which way should I go!’ he shouted as he staggered forward.

‘Thou art walking toward me. Keep heading in the direction thou art going now.’

Gerent felt the ground begin to rise and the level of the water dropped to below his knees. He loosened the grip of the girl from round his neck.

‘You can get down now, it is safe. The water level has dropped. Please,’ he added, as she gave no sign of releasing her grip. ‘Please I-I can’t carry you any further. I can hardly walk at all I’m that tired. It is Ok I promise.’ He felt her release her grip and she slid down his back. There was a splash as she stumbled but he caught her arm and steadied her.

‘Alright?’ he said.

‘Y-y-yes t-t-thanks,’ she stammered with the cold. She took hold of his good hand and the two of them climbed higher up the bank to get right out of the water. When they reached ground where their feet no longer splashed in the water Gerent looked about for N’zim, but there was no one there. All around was in inky darkness so he called out.

‘N’zim where are you!’ He waited but there was no response. The child began to cry.

‘There’s no one here’ she said. ‘Is there a way home from here?’ Gerent looked down at her.

‘I don’t know,’ he said in a quiet voice. ‘I just don’t know. Perhaps N’zim’s gone for help. Let’s just sit down here and wait. I’m too tired to do any more. In this dark we couldn’t find our way anywhere. If help doesn’t come when it’s daylight at least we shall be able to see where we are and where we can go. I’d rather not fall back into the river again tonight.’ Gerent felt so tired and his arm ached too much for him to wander around trying to find the route N’zim had taken. He had to rest, if N’zim had gone for help he knew where to find them.

Gerent sat down, gritting his teeth against the pain caused by his arm, and the girl sat next to him. In the dark, he could feel her shivering so he wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her close to him. They had sat in silence for a while when Gerent realised the girl had gone to sleep. It was something he longed to do aswell. Then taking care not to disturb her and to avoid moving his bad arm any more than necessary, he lay back on the grass and soon was soon asleep also.

Gerent was awoken by the sound of voices shouting.

‘O’er here!’

‘Oi can see ‘im!’

‘Ee’s got the chil’ wi’’im!’

‘This way!’  

Gerent opened his eyes to see the child standing above him, jumping up and down and waving. It was morning. He was cold and stiff but he sat up, groaning with pain as he did so.The girl looked round at him in excitement.

‘They’ve found us,’ she said. ‘They’ve found us! And we’re on an island. There was no way we could have gone anywhere else last night!’ Gerent looked around and saw that she was right. He was sitting on the verge of a track but to all sides the ground sloped away under water. The wide area of flat fields before him had given the river space to flood into. It was this that made the current slow down and enabled him to reach hig ground and safety. Gerent looked across the main channel of the river, where a bridge should have connected the two banks. He could see a group of people arriving at the water’s edge on the other side, there was no sign of N’zim at all, which Gerent found odd.