Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 550 by Angharad

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The poor woman just overbalanced into the brown fast-flowing water. What could I do to help? I glanced around anxiously, but there was absolutely nothing I could throw her as a buoyancy aid. She was splashing around frantically as she tried to grasp vegetation on the bank; the girls were getting upset. Oh shit.

What could I do? I certainly couldn’t jump in to save her–I wasn’t a strong enough swimmer, and that would mean two of us getting drowned or smashed against the stone piers of the bridge on which we were standing.

I dialed 999 and called for emergency services, told them who I was, where we were, and finally what had happened. She was being washed into the midstream. I couldn’t watch. I switched off the phone, and wished there was something I could do. If only she’d come near to the bank, I might have been able to grab her.

I saw a dog scramble out and up on to the bank. Stupid creatures, it was all right, she was drowning. I glanced at Kiki–then an idea came to mind. “Trish, hold on to Kiki, don’t let her go anywhere.” I grabbed the dog and undid her leather collar, she immediately frisked about and I shouted at her to sit. She sat.

I held the plastic handle of the leash, it was really a string that was rewound on a spring thing. It was about fifty feet long. I began drawing out the line, it might not be strong enough, but it was better than doing nothing.

When I got to the end of the line, all fifty feet coiled in my hand, I watched to see where the woman was, she’d disappeared. My heart sank. Where was she? She bobbed–up still in midstream, rapidly washing towards the bridge.

I shouted at her, “Catch the line.” I threw it but it flopped in the water a few feet ahead of me. It wasn’t heavy enough, and worse then that, Kiki’s collar had come off it. Oh shit, this was not going well.

I pulled the string out and after tying it around my wrist, flung the handle end towards the woman, who’d gone under and bobbed up again. The fight as going out of her, possibly from cold and shock.

In slow motion, I watched the red plastic handle fly towards her, and almost bash her on the head, falling just beyond her. I tugged on it and it hit her as I pulled. She automatically grabbed it. “Hold on,” I screamed at her, doubting whether she’d hear me against the roaring of the water. “Stay there,” I told the kids as I ran towards one side of the bridge.

The line snagged on something and I stopped to see it was caught on the side of the bridge. If I pulled too hard it would snap and all would be lost. I ran to the snag and freed it, I hoped she was hanging on.

I ran around the buttress of the bridge and down the bank tugging gently on the string. I felt some resistance and hoped it was still her hanging on to it. I felt my feet slip as I descended the bank and I sat down with a thump on the wet grass, about six feet from the rushing water. I tugged on the string and saw the bundle of clothes halt in its rush to the bridge. She must have wrapped it around her arm.

In the distance sirens sounded, help was coming, if only I could hold on to her, and if she didn’t drown or die of cold. I pulled her gently along the bank away from the bridge, trying to keep my footing on the slippery grass. A fire engine came hurtling across the park, churning grass as it drove towards us.

Moments later, two burly men ran up with a ladder. “My dog’s lead,” I said pointing to the string, she’s on the other end.”

“What your dog? We heard there was a woman.”

“The woman,” I shouted back.

The sirens of an ambulance grew louder as it came towards us. Two more firemen held the ladder as the one who’d spoken to me clung on to it and grabbed the end of my line, he pulled it and then snatched at the bundle of rags, it eluded him and he swore.

Once more he leant out and tugged the line, pulling the bundle towards him. He snatched again and this time he grabbed her. Another fireman slid down the bank, grabbing the ladder, he helped to pull the unconscious woman out of the water. Another helped to heave her up the bank and the ambulance crew came dashing up. One of them cut the line before I could tell him it was my dog’s lead. Now how was I going to get Kiki, not the most attentive spaniel, back to the car?

Remembering the dog, I suddenly thought of the children. I walked back towards them as the paramedics fought to save the life of the unfortunate female.

“Kiki’s been a naughty girl,” said Trish.

“Never mind, let’s go home, eh?”

“Yes, Mummy,” said Mima and she hugged my legs crying. “I was fwighted.”

“It’s okay sweetheart, you’re safe now.”

As we walked back towards the car, a police officer approached me. “Was it you who called 999?”

“Yes, officer.”

“And you held her against the current?”

“Sort of, with my dog’s lead, although the paramedic ruined it.”

“Sorry, about that. Do you know how long she’s been in the water?”

“About five to ten minutes, she fell in trying to rescue her dog. That’s it, the stupid Labrador over there.” I pointed. “She fell in and it got out.”

“So you saw it, then?”

“All of it.” He took my name and called in reporting it to some central control.

“We might need a statement, hang on, weren’t you there when that boy died sledging?”

“Yeah,” I sighed, “I hope this one turns out happier.”

Movement caught my eye and I turned to see the ambulance go screaming off. I offered a silent prayer to the God I don’t believe in–well maybe she did?

“Are you going to catch her dog?” I asked the copper.

“Nope, the dog warden can do that, it might be nasty with strangers.”

“Oh bollocks,” I said and called the bewildered animal which trotted towards me. When it got to me, I grabbed its trailing lead and gave it to the copper. “Here, pretend you’re a lion tamer.” Then to the dog, I said, “Sit,” it did and so did Kiki.

We did manage to get back to the car, where I nearly had a heart attack. I couldn’t find my keys. Mima held them up to me. “Where did you get those?”

“You dwopped them, Mummy, I picked um up.”

“You are a clever girl, in fact you are both very clever girls.” The dog barked as if it recognised being left out. “Okay, Kiki, you’re a clever girl, too.” We all laughed and I opened the car.

On the way home we passed a pet shop, so I was able to get another extending lead, I also got Kiki, the largest bone I could find. The femur of a sheep or pig, they call them, ‘postman’s legs’. The meat was cooked and I knew she’d spend the afternoon stripping it off.
In the newsagent next door, I bought myself a chocolate bar and the girls a small pack of chocolate buttons each. I felt in need of a sugar hit, and assumed they might as well. They didn’t argue, that was for sure. Mima was about to give some to Kiki, when I stopped her. “Meems, don’t give chocolate to Kiki, it’s poisonous to them, it can make them very, very ill.” Mima went scarlet and faced back to the front of the car.

“Look at the time. Where have you been?” asked an anxious Stella. “I nearly got them to drag the river for you.”

“Don’t, Stella, it’s not funny.”

“What are you on about?”

“Mummy helped pull a lady from the river,” said Trish beaming.

“Oh no,” gasped Stella.

“Yes she did, she puwwed hew out with Kiki’s wead.”

“Eh?” said Stella.

“She used the dog’s lead to rescue her,” Trish translated.

“Goodness, what a resourceful lady your mummy is?”

“Actually, she’s very clever,” said Trish.

“Vewy cweva,” echoed Mima.

“Woof,” said Kiki, so maybe it was unanimous?