The next morning, Aunty M and I walked Biggles along the beach. She stopped to talk to friends and neighbours so Biggles and I walked on ahead to the rocks at the far end. There were dinghies from the sailing club bobbing about on the sea and the fishing boats were coming back to the little harbour. Biggles found a huge piece of drift wood which he dropped at my feet so I could throw it into the sea for him.
“Ok Biggles, but only if you promise not to swim out too far.”
I threw the stick just a short way out, and he found it and brought it back to me. We carried on with the game until he got bored, and ran off to find a cuttlefish which he then devoured.
“Biggles you are revolting. Naughty boy.” Just watching him made my stomach turn.
As I looked out to sea, I could see one of the dinghies suddenly dip and turn, and capsize. I wasn’t sure if anyone saw what happened. I shouted to Aunty M and she came running towards me with one of her neighbours, Major Brunswick.
“Good Lord, they’ve capsized. We must get help and quick,” shouted the Major.
“I’ll run back to the house and phone,” said Aunty M.
“I’ve got my phone with me, Aunty M.” I dialled 999 and asked for help. Within a few minutes, there was a roaring sound and a lifeboat came speeding out of the harbour heading for the sinking dinghy. It was so exciting. I’d seen a rescue on the television but never in real life. The lifeboat was going so quickly dipping up and crashing down in the waves. Overhead, behind us came a roar. The noise was deafening as a helicopter flew just above our heads in the direction of the rescue scene. The helicopter hovered above the lifeboat whipping up spray and foam. We saw the hook go down with a rescuer dangling from it, and then the figure of a small person was pulled up held tightly by one of the rescue team. The helicopter came back towards us and flew passed on its way to the hospital in Madingly. The dingy bobbed back up the right way and was fixed onto a rope to be pulled along back by the lifeboat to the safety of the harbour.
Later that evening my mobile rang.
“Hello is that Florence?”
“Yes it is.”
“Hi my name is Sam. Samantha Finn. I just wanted to say thank you for calling up the emergency services today. It was me that had to be rescued.”
“Are you Ok?” I asked.
“Yes, just a bit shocked and embarrassed,” came Sam’s reply.
“I did nothing really. It was lucky I had my mobile with me.”
“Yes, it was. But thanks for what you did. I owe you one. Where do you live?”
“In London, but I’m staying here with my godmother for a couple of weeks.”
“I’ll buy you a coke when I get out of hospital. I’ll phone you again. Bye and thanks again,” said Sam.
Great, I thought. Maybe a new friend. I hadn’t met anyone since I’d been here and she might keep her promise and help me meet some others too. What an exciting day it’d been.
After supper, I washed up and decided to read while I was listening to my iPod. Aunty M was watching a programme on the TV about the Egyptians and I wasn’t interested in it. I remembered I’d left last month’s Girl Talk up in the attic and I wanted to finish reading it. So I climbed the steps pulled myself up and walked towards the sofa. As my eyes got used to the dim light, I saw someone sitting where I had been, reading my comic.