At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories) - By Barbara Bretton Page 0,111

brushing up against her legs. There were lots of strange things lurking about underwater, eels long and skinny as snakes, big ugly sharks with jagged teeth and dead eyes, even dead bodies like she had seen on the telly.

Maybe she should go home and come back tomorrow when the sun was shining and the seagulls were awake. That sounded like a good idea. She turned to retrace her steps when suddenly her right foot slipped a little and she tried to stop herself but it was too late. Her foot slid down and wedged itself between two rocks. She tried to wiggle her way out but each time she moved the jagged edge of the rock pressed deeper into her ankle.

She cried out for her father and then she called for Gracie too but there was no answer except for the shrieking sound the ocean made as it rose higher all around her.

#

You couldn't miss the fact that high tide was rolling in, but only Gracie realized they had no more than ten minutes to find Sophie before the thin strip of remaining rocks vanished altogether. She knew this stretch of beach well. In many ways, it mirrored the beach by the lighthouse where she and Noah had fallen in love. It was great for sunbathing at low tide when the receding water revealed hidden stretches of smooth sand, but once the water started rolling back in, you could get in trouble in the blink of an eye. If the rocks didn't get you, the currents would.

She didn't say any of that to Noah. He knew the realities of Maine beaches. She saw the way his eyes darkened when he realized the tide was rising.

"I don't see anything," he said into the wind. "The place is deserted."

She cupped her hands around her mouth and for the second time that day she screamed, "Soophiiiie!"

Noah did the same, louder still.

"Wait!" Gracie motioned for him to be quiet. "I hear something."

"I don't hear—"

"Papa!" The sound was soft, so soft it was almost lost in the rush of wind and sea. "Papa, help!"

"I see her!" Gracie pointed farther down the beach. "She's lying across the rocks. Stand up, Sophie! The tide's coming in."

Sophie tried but failed and a chill ran up Gracie's spine.

"Stay here," Gracie said to Noah. "I'll get her. I'm better than you are at walking on these rocks."

"The hell I'll stay here. I'm going with you."

She would have been disappointed if he'd said anything else.

They struck out over the rocks, scrambling, slipping, swearing under their breaths. Even Gracie found it tough going. The sky melted into the sea; the rising tide obscured the rocks and made each step a leap of faith.

Gracie cried out suddenly as the bottom dropped out beneath her and she found herself in at least ten feet of murky, icy water. "Stay there," she warned Noah as she dogpaddled fiercely to stay afloat. "One of us has to be able to go back for help if something goes wrong."

She did a quick crawl toward Sophie, who was shivering uncontrollably. The child looked in Gracie's direction, but there was no recognition. Hypothermia, Gracie realized. She was well on her way to unconsciousness.

"C'mon, Sophie!" Gracie cried out. "Stay awake! Don't give up on me!" Her arms were lead weights slicing through the water. Her mind was oatmeal. She peered into the darkness but Sophie's tiny form blended in with the rocks and the water, appearing and disappearing at will. "Wave to me, Soph!" Move, scream, anything to give her something to aim for, a focal point in all of the sameness..

Thank God, Sophie somehow registered her words and lifted her hand. Gracie fixed her sights on that slight movement, narrowing her concentration until there was nothing left in the universe but that faint back-and-forth movement.

A little more... just a little more... don't be distracted... don't look toward the horizon or you'll never get back on track... you're almost there... almost...

Moments later Sophie threw her arms around Gracie's neck and clung to her as if she'd never let her go.

"Don't leave me here," Sophie cried. "Don't let go!"

"Don't worry," Gracie promised as the current swirled around them. "You're safe with me now, Sophie. Everything's going to be alright."

Gracie tried to strike out toward shore but the second she moved Sophie let out a cry and Gracie realized with horror that the child's foot was stuck between the two rapidly disappearing rocks.

#

Ruth paced the driveway, calling Sophie's name, praying, trying not