ELLEN

12.00 A.M.

She needed to throw up. She couldn’t get any oxygen. It was impossible to breathe. Something welled up out of her mouth. Her body was thrown to the side.

Agitated voices around her. Someone was shaking her.

‘Hold on, Ellen. An ambulance is on its way.’

Everything was blurry. She tried to see.

‘You fainted in the water, Ellen.’

Stuff welled out of her mouth, she couldn’t stop it. Her hand was shaking. Her whole body was shaking. It couldn’t be stopped.

Suddenly, she saw the outlines of the dock, and the tree rings on the wooden boards.

She opened her hand, and Elsa’s necklace dropped down onto the dock.

She lifted her eyes, and looked into her father’s eyes. ‘It wasn’t me …’

He placed his hand under her neck and picked her up.

‘Shh,’ he said, hugging her. ‘It was an accident.’