Читать книгу A Single Breath - Lucy Clarke - Страница 13

This is how it felt, Eva, when I went under. The icy shock of that sea was immense. My whole body contracted – my heart squeezed tight, my muscles clenched, my tendons constricted. With that first smack of water, all thought was flushed out.

The sea was bitter and relentless – shifting, pulsing, whirling, gripping me, yanking me under. An attack from all directions. My clothes became a fishing net, tangling me further. I kicked and thrashed, my breath ragged, limbs turning hopelessly. It was like no sea I’d ever known.

I don’t know whether it was minutes – or even just seconds – before the water started to numb me to the bone. My body convulsed with shivers, the fear of death ballooning in my brain.

I fought for as long as I could, your image bright in my mind. But gradually all the pain and struggle seemed to slide away with the heat of my body, the fight in my muscles – and I gave up.

That’s all I can tell you, Eva – eventually I gave up.