10 Minutes

"bump"

Can felt his panic rise as the sun seemed to travel across the sky at a much faster pace than it had minutes earlier. He had walked along the lagoon back and forth and up above the waterfall and still there was no sign of her. He knew she hadn't come back around and that made his heart skip a beat. He knew her to be a strong swimmer having swam with her in his pool many times. She was quick and strong and smart but anyone swimming alone was at risk of a cramp or a mishap and that was in the relative safety of a pool. They were out in the wild and even a bug bite or snake bite could have caused a problem. He felt ill thinking about every eventuality and still she was nowhere to be found. He rounded the lagoon once more and then noticed that there was a passable space beyond the small falls and followed the path until it darkened and narrowed and then opened up to the other side of their island. The beach. The ocean lay before him. He looked in both directions but saw nothing. He walked into the waves and called her name out loud until he was horse. He didn't fail to notice the sun continuing to move across the sky and it made him instantly more nervous. He walked and then ran to his right as far as the beach would allow before the vegetation and the rocks prevented further movement forward. If she had gone this way she would have had a hard time navigating the rocks with her flip flops. He looked around but nothing seemed disturbed by the weight of a human body and so he turned and raced back in the opposite direction feeling  suddenly  sure that she had gone this way. He ran parallel to the beach keeping on eye in the water at the distance where a swimmer would dare go and then back to the beach ahead of him. His eyes picked up the familiar form of objects in the sand and his heart squeezed in his chest as he recognized her flip flops. It meant she had come this way but it also meant she had entered the water. He ran faster along the beach entering the water here and there calling her name and feeling the panic rise within him. "SANEM!!!!"... "Allah help me when I find you. Please bebek don't you dare leave me now". His leggs pumped up and down across the beach and he felt the way his body seemed to cool as the sun slowly descended back down across the horizon where it would eventually dip down leaving him without light and the ability to see. He cursed himself for not bringing a flashlight. He ran into the surf again and called again  and again but the silence only proved that he hadn't found her. He wouldn't let himself think further than that. The beach dipped to the left and he followed it then slowed his run to a jog until he stopped completely. His breathing was shallow from exertion and fear as he saw that he would soon be running up to the rocky edge of the beach without anyway to pass it. "SANEM! ...... SANEM!!!". The silence made him suddenly loose his patience and he ran directly toward the rocks. She had to be somewhere near here, any other thoughts were not allowed to penetrate his mind. "SANEM!!".

Her arms felt like leaden boards. It was all she could do to keep herself afloat. The current had taken her far off and although she knew she should fight it her brain screamed at her to head for shore. All at once she felt the pull release and she nearly swallowed water as she gasped with the joy and hope of someone who has been awarded a second chance. She drew up her strength and swam with all her might. She could feel the tide helping her a bit but she needed to keep swimming at a constant pace to not cramp up. She kept her eyes on the beach every few strokes and prayed that she would be free of any further currents. She could see she was dangerously close to the rocks and did her best to angle her body away. The effort seemed monumental just now and her reserves were waning. She felt stupid for having put herself at risk. She knew better and yet look where she was "now is not the time for self recrimination. You need to focus and blot out any fear. That won't help you now. Think of him and getting back to him. That's all that matters. You've been through worse than this and survived. Don't give up". Her voice was back and for once it wasn't sarcastic just direct and to the point. She dug deep and swam promising herself that she would give them a chance and tell him her truths. "Please Allah, don't let it be too late". She felt a bump on her leg and then a searing pain and although it took her mind a moment to register what it was, she knew she was in trouble a moment later. More trouble than she cared to think about. She turned slightly to the left and gasped as the pain suddenly increased from her upper thigh. She twisted around in the water and reached down and felt a gash and then pulled her hands up. She didn't want to think about it as a sudden surge of desperate energy filled her and she swam hard. She wouldn't give up. Not now.