Help me! Please! Help me!’
‘Hey! Where are you?’ Janine scanned the shore despairingly, but she could see only the flat, sandy, seaweed-strewn beach and the ever-rolling waves stretching into eternity. It was as if she was the only person in the whole world.
Except for the girl drowning.
‘Where are you?’ she yelled again. The sea was rising now, rolling over her head and shaking her.
She flailed at it unavailingly and her hand met flesh.
‘Ow! Janine! Jan, wake up, you’re dreaming again!’
Sam pulled the duvet away from her face and she lay still, breathing heavily while her heart rate got back to normal. ‘Better?’ he said, smiling down at her. ‘Did I wake you? Sorry. Couldn’t breathe,’ she said weakly.
‘Don’t be. I’m not surprised you couldn’t breathe. You had got your face right under the duvet.’ ‘Was I shouting again?’ ‘Well, you were making a very peculiar noise.’ She curled against his chest.
‘I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.’
‘It was worse,’ he assured her. ‘So was you smacking me in the ear. What were you dreaming, anyway?’ ‘Can’t remember,’ she lied. He wasn’t deceived. ‘Was it drowning again?’
‘It’s not me. It’s never me. I’m not drowning, it’s someone else. I can hear her calling and there’s no one but me to help. And I can’t.’
He hugged her. ‘Poor love. What a nightmare.’
It wasn’t exactly the same dream over and over. Sometimes it was a canal, the swimmer hidden by mist.
It had been rivers, swimming pools, even what looked no more than a puddle. But, whatever kind of watery place it was, there was always someone in trouble she couldn’t see. And she couldn’t help them.
This story is from the August 17, 2021 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 17, 2021 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fast&fresh DINNERS
Healthy meals to keep you satisfied on busy weeknights.
Health checks that could SAVE YOUR LIFE
We service our cars and boilers to make sure they run smoothly, so why not our bodies?
FEEL SEXIER in 60 seconds
Try these instant tricks to lift your libido and get turned on fast
Destination SWAPS
Change your favourite resorts for these great-value, lesser-known places
5 steps to the PERFECT HALLWAY
Try these makeover musts to transform the often-overlooked space into an entrance you can be proud of ai
The secrets WE KEEP
Two women explain why they realised it was finally time to speak up
Our split made us STRONGER!
Bernie Jones loves her husband more after their break-up 4
Can our beloved NHS BE SAVED?
With waiting lists for surgery reaching new highs, we investigate the lengths patients are going to in order to receive treatment
WANT TO SEE BEHIND THE CASTLE GATES?
It’s an interesting development that King Charles has increased public access to Buckingham Palace and opened up Balmoral Castle for the first time.
'The divorce SPEAKS FOR ITSELF"
Singer-turned-actor Billie Piper on her turbulent past and becoming the woman she is today