Part 4 (1/2)

I lean over and say his name, my mouth close to his ear, but he doesn't react. He's unconscious, I think. Is he breathing? I wish I had a mirror, to see if it mists from his breath. But do the Mer breathe warmly, as we do? He's so cold.

”Do you think it's safe to put him in?” asks Jenna, ”What if he drowns?”

Put him in sounds so awful, like putting a pet goldfish into a bowl. This whole day is making me feel horrible about being human. The responsibility of knowing what to do for Malin feels as heavy as his body when we were carrying him. If only he'd tell me how to help him into the water...

But Malin is silent. He's far away, in a place where no one can reach him. Come back, I whisper under my breath. Come back. He doesn't stir or speak, but at that moment, deep inside me, his voice echoes: I must be in salt water if I am to live.

”Mer won't drown,” I say to Jenna, with more confidence than I feel.

There's no shallow end to King Ragworm Pool. The rock has been hollowed out by water over thousands of years, and the sides of the pool are sheer. There's a ledge at the other end where Jenna and I usually scramble in and out of the water, but we can't clamber all the way round there carrying Malin.

”How're we going to get him in?” asks Jenna.

”Let's move him to the edge. If we pull the groundsheet so it's over the rock and down to the water, we can sort of slide him, maybe. I'll get into the pool and then if you ease him over, I'll make sure he doesn't bang his head or anything.”

”You'll be freezing!”

”Yeah, I thought of that.” I stand up and pull off my hoodie and jeans. ”Hold him under the arms so I can get him in tail-first.”

We get Malin to the very edge of the pool, with the protective groundsheet under him but not wrapped around him. Carefully, we pull the groundsheet free so that it hangs down, touching the water.

”I'll splash water all over him so he slides better.”

”OK.”

My toes grip the edge. King Ragworm Pool has never looked so cold and dark. I shut my eyes, stop breathing, and jump in.

I come up gasping, throw my hair back, and swim to the side.

”Stand back, Jen!”

I tread water, raising myself high while I scoop up handfuls of water and throw as much as I can over Malin and the groundsheet. Then I brace my feet against the rock and kick backwards, gripping the end of the groundsheet. My weight pulls it tight, like a chute.

”Push him now, Jen!”

Jenna grunts with effort as she tugs and pushes, easing Malin over the lip of rock. The groundsheet tightens as Malin starts to slide. Suddenly there's a rush of weight and movement. Just in time, I jack-knife away as Malin plunges over the edge of the rock and into the water. The pool surface breaks up and I can't see him any more. Jenna's leaning over the edge.

”Where is he? Is he all right?”

”He's at the bottom.”

I can see him now. For a second I think he's moving, and my heart leaps with hope, but then I realise it's only the disturbance of his fall.

”I'm going to dive down and have a look.”

”Be careful!”

I am so cold now that I've gone numb. I kick off against the rock, down to the bottom. There he is. Face-down, not moving. Only his hair stirs as it flows upward. I touch his shoulder and he drifts a few centimetres, then he's still again. I've got to breathe. I push upwards and burst through the surface, shuddering with cold.

”Morveren! Come out! You'll get cramp.”

”Just a just one more dive-”

I steady myself, draw in the biggest breath I can take and dive again. I swim to Malin. He's turned a little now, on to his side. I can see the gash in his tail.

Suddenly Malin's body quivers from end to end, as if a current is running through it. He hangs still, then his tail moves. With one stroke, he is in the deepest shadow of the rock. I want to follow him, but I can't stay underwater any longer. I rise to the surface, and this time I know that Jenna's right, I've got to come out. If I stay in any longer I'll be too weak to climb out.

I swim slowly to the edge. Jenna's scrambled round to help me, and soon I'm lying on the rock, so exhausted that I hardly feel the cold. She takes off her own T-s.h.i.+rt and rubs me hard.

”I've brought your clothes round. Get them on quick, Mor, you're all blue.”

My hands shake so much I can hardly get my hoodie over my head.

”Put your hood up, that'll keep you warm.”

”Have you a got any a chocolate?”

Jenna shakes her head. ”We've got to get home straight away, you're freezing. I thought you weren't going to come up, the second time. I was all ready to dive in after you.”

”That was s-s-stupid-”

”I saw him move, Mor. He's all right.”

I nod. I'm not sure that ”all right” is really the correct description of how Malin is, but at least he's not dead, and he must be conscious or he wouldn't have been able to swim to the side. He wanted us to put him in the water, and we did. We couldn't do any more. But that gash in his tail, gaping under the water- ”You're shaking, Mor. Come on.”

It starts to rain again on the way home. I don't feel cold any more, but my head doesn't seem to belong to my body. I have to concentrate hard to put one foot in front of the other.

Digory's not in the cottage, but he's left a note: i am Gon to sea Mum.

”I hope n-n-not,” I say.

”What?”

”G-g-gone to sea. We've g-g-got enough a to worry about w-w-w-without that.”

”Your teeth are making a horrible noise, Mor.”

She's right. They are chattering. I've read about it in books but never thought it could happen in real life. My teeth are clas.h.i.+ng together so hard I'm afraid bits will chip off.

Jen rushes upstairs and runs a bath. It's so hot that it hurts to get in, and she pours in half Mum's lavender bubble bath so that bubbles come right up the edge.

”I'm going to make you some hot chocolate. Don't fall asleep, Mor.”

”Don't worry. I'm not going to drown in the bath after not drowning in the pool.”

My teeth have stopped chattering. Jenna brings me a ma.s.sive mug of hot chocolate and sits on the edge of the bath while I drink it. It's so sweet I feel the sugar rus.h.i.+ng through me.

”Yum, that's amazing. Don't watch me like a nurse, Jenna. I'm fine. I just got a bit cold.”

”You were all covered in blue patches. I nearly called Dr Kemp. I thought you were going to have an asthma attack.”