Chapter 1
Rocks
There are so many things to look for on a quiet beach; sea creatures, interesting shells and pebbles, messages in bottles washed in with the tide and really anything your imagination can come up with. But in looking down or out to sea you don’t often look behind you and upwards. And that can be a big mistake!
For some people it might be a seagull that rudely awakens them from their daydreams, coating their heads with a stinking, slimy white reminder of where they are. For twelve year old Aimee it was something much less embarrassing and far more frightening...
As she stooped to pick up an interesting little pink, gold and white shell the first crumbs of clay began to fall into her hair and over her back. Before she had the chance to look up, the crumbs turned to clods and within seconds a whole mass of clay, soil and small stones had slumped down on top of her. She didn’t have much time to scream and then she couldn’t as her mouth filled with mud. She was sent sprawling to the sand by the overwhelming mass of debris until only the top left half of her head remained uncovered and she was just about able breathe through one nostril.
After several minutes the realisation of what had happened pushed its way through the fog of shock. “I’ve got to shout for help… the tide will be starting to come in soon.”
She wiggled her fingers but it soon became obvious that her right arm was trapped underneath her body and her left, though to the side, was held fast by the clay and stones. She tried pushing the mud out of her mouth with her tongue but although she managed to empty it, it was still below the soil and the weight pressing down on her back meant that breathing was so difficult that anything more than a squeak was near to impossible.
“Oh please someone come, please,” she thought and again she tried to move her left hand. Her fingers managed a little wriggle and moved a few fragments of earth while the rest of her hand and arm was locked solidly in place. Another wriggle loosened a little more earth, but it was obvious that unless help came soon she was going to be at the mercy of the sea. “Help, oh please someone help.”
Then more thoughts started to come to her, thoughts of her mum, her brother, Jamie and her dad… her dad, five years gone now. She might never see Mum and Jamie again…but she might see Dad… No, she had to keep trying to move, to shout, and to dig.
She again tried to wriggle, to claw at the earth and slowly she managed to move enough of it to begin to turn her whole hand a little, but enough to give hope.
“Yes,” she thought, “I can do it, I will do it, I will escape!”
She wriggled and clawed and moved until more and more movement came to her left hand and then a little to her arm as she was able to push it forward into the space her hand had made. They were just little bits of movement but they seemed to Aimee like great leaps.
With her limited hearing she tried to listen for any noises that might mean people were around, footsteps in the sand, children shouting, or dogs barking – that would be great, they’d be bound to sniff her out! But all she could hear was the sound of waves getting closer. And then another sound came to her, one she didn’t recognise at first because she’d never heard one so close up before. A seagull had landed so very close by that she felt the draught from its wings on the top of her head.
The gull walked in circles around Aimee’s head, investigating what the landslip had brought… and then to her horror it began to peck!
Aimee screamed in her mind but could get no more than a whimper out of her mouth. Her left hand grasped and scraped more and more frantically, getting more movement to her arm, but not enough to help. Pain seared through her head as the gull’s sharp beak tore into her scalp and pulled at her hair.
Her fingers again pushed forward into the earth, given more power now by the pain and fear the gull had created. Then they touched something that blocked their way, something smooth…and warm. She scratched around its outline, trying to get a hold on it to pull it away while the gull again pecked and this time tore open a small flap of flesh on Aimee’s head. The pain made her shake as she managed to whimper a stifled, “I want to go home!” before her mind gave up and she lost consciousness.
From Chapter 3
Bottle
Aimee watched the taxi to the end of the road and then turned to go to the house. There, sat on the top of the roof was a seagull, the seagull – she had no doubts about that. It stared down at her. She stared up at it. “Who are you?” she breathed and then was startled as the bird looked away from her towards the road and, giving its raucous laughing cry, spread its wings and took off. It circled in the air and then wheeled away over the field towards the cliff tops.
“Hiya Sis’! They’ve let you out of the funny farm then. Welcome home Scarface!” Jamie shouted. But she didn’t turn, she just stood and stared, transfixed by the flight of the seagull until it dipped out of view over the edge of the cliffs.
Putting his hand on her shoulder did the trick though and she wheeled around and screeched, “Jamie, don’t you ever sneak up on me like that again!” She burst into tears and ran into the house, went straight up to her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
“Nice to see you too Jamie,” Jamie said to himself and shrugged his shoulders, went into the house and called out, “What’s for tea mum, I’m starving!”
Mum was standing in the kitchen waiting for him.
“What have you said to upset her then? You know she’s a bit delicate at the moment since… well since whatever happened. You really have got to try and be nice to her you know,” she said sharply.
“But I only said “Welcome home” Mum…honestly!” Jamie replied, his feelings had been hurt. He actually liked his sister even if she was a girl. She wasn’t one of those silly, “look at my new clothes,” sisters that the other boys in his school seemed to have. She could play football pretty well and didn’t mind if she got bruised. In fact she actually did most of the bruising! She was a good big sister to Jamie, though he wouldn’t want to admit it to her. He had been genuinely upset when he’d found her on the doorstep. Not just because of the cut and the blood and the mud, but because he hated the thought that someone had done this to HIS sister. And now she was different and he couldn’t understand why.
“Try to be nice to her Jamie, just for a little while love, till she’s a bit stronger eh,” Mum said more gently, she knew that he cared but he was a bit insensitive at times.
“I will mum, I promise.” he looked into her eyes and could see that she was as worried as he was. “I’ll go and say sorry to her and be all sympathetic like,” he smiled.
Mum smiled back, “Do your best, that’s a good lad.”
Jamie ran up the stairs and knocked gently on Aimee’s door. There was no reply so he knocked louder. Still no reply so he knocked as loud as he dare.
“If that’s you Dogbreath I don’t want to see you!” she shouted.
“Aw, come on Sis’ I want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was really glad to see you were home. Open the door, come on Aimee.”
The door opened just a little and Aimee spoke through the gap, “If you’re going to say you’re sorry you must do it on your knees. You must grovel for my forgiveness.” He couldn’t see her smile.
“Grovel!” he sputtered, “You’ve got to be j...” then he remembered his promise to Mum and sank to the floor. “Alright, I’m down on my knees. Now open the door please.”
The door opened slowly and Aimee’s face appeared around the corner of it. She started to laugh, not only at Jamie who was knelt down with his nose to the carpet muttering “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” but because Mum was stood behind him holding her mouth trying not to burst out laughing as well.
Jamie looked up, saw Aimee, saw where she was looking, looked around, saw Mum and said quietly, “It had better be spaghetti Bolognese for tea!”
“It will be love, it will be,” said Mum as she went back down the stairs still giggling.
Aimee pulled Jamie into her room and pushed him onto the chair. “Sit down,” she said when he was sat down. “I’m sorry I went off like that in the garden…it’s just that… I’ve got something… er… something on my mind at the moment and you startled me.”
“You startled me as well! I’ve never seen you like that before. What is it then? You’re not worried about going back to school tomorrow are you?”
“School, oh no! I’m not going back tomorrow; I’ve not to go back for another two weeks. The Doctor said so,” Aimee answered.
“Two weeks! Two weeks off school… you jammy grotbag! Two weeks for a little scratch on your head!” Jamie was astounded by her good luck, forgetting all about her ordeal.
“Look Jamie, forget about school… I think I might need your help. I’ve got to try and sort out what happened to me. Something strange is going on and I don’t know what or why it’s happening to me.
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