2nd November 1968

Clancy and Sonny had set out that morning energetically. But now they had been walking for ten minutes, her feet were starting to ache and the camera in her hand was starting to feel very heavy. She had promised her mother in her last letter that she'd send some photos. Sonny had suggested that she get some photos of the black swans down at Longwater Point.

Skippy hopped forward and paused as Sonny asked, "Why don't you let me carry the camera?"

"I can manage; I got it for my birthday and it's very precious, not to mention expensive."

Clancy stumbled along, her braids falling around her face. Sonny grinned and shook his head. "If I could carry it we'd be there a lot quicker!" At her dubious facial expression, he added, "I won't drop it, I'm used to carrying things like that for Dad-"

"It's not that I don't trust you, Sonny," Clancy sighed, wrestling her camera quickly from the little boy who had grabbed it. "It's just that I promised my mother I wouldn't let it out of my hands."

Sonny shrugged and ran ahead with Skippy, leaving Clancy trailing along and wishing she could give it over. Skippy waited on a cliff by a tree. Clancy smiled and sank onto the grass, taking in the beauty before her gratefully. Sonny motioned for her to be quiet as she set the camera up. She peered into the lens, and smiled at how graceful the birds looked swimming about. Distracted with Sonny chattering about how they needed to hurry, Clancy screamed at the surprise of something dropping on her neck.

When Clancy had recovered from the shock, panic rose as she saw that her camera had fallen into the lake. She started to sweat in fear, her face flushing. "What am I going to do?!"

"I'm sure we can get it!" Sonny said confidently, putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's only a few feet deep, there."

Clancy buried her face in her hands, shivering at the thought of the spider that had landed on her neck, and what her mother would say. "What am I going to tell her?"

"We can dry it off. She'll never know the difference!" Sonny grabbed her hand and started to bring her down to the lake. "I know the way down."

Clancy tried to calm herself as she, Skippy and Sonny reached the water. They stood, trying to find where it had fallen in. Sonny took her hand, wading into the water. Clancy looked down at her now wet jeans. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going in after it!"

Clancy shook her head, pursing her lips. "No, you better let me look."

Sonny groaned and started to swim out deeper. Clancy saw his head duck under and then come up again after almost thirty seconds. Clancy ventured out further, disliking the feeling of only her lower legs being wet.

Sonny swam back and shook his head. "I can't find it! It must be further out!"

"Well, I'm coming to look too."

"Be careful! There's a sort of a ledge there!"

Clancy kept her eyes peeled on Sonny as he disappeared under the water again. She moved forward once more herself, sharply watching for any living thing. Underneath her feet were large rocks, and she was careful not to slip on them as one moved under her foot. She took one more step forward and screamed at how far she plunged. Her foot was stuck under the ledges of the two biggest rocks.

"Owwwwww! I got my foot caught, Sonny! I can't move it!"

Sonny was at her side instantly, sticking his head under the water and trying to move the rock. Clancy felt anxiety rise again, but she forced herself to take deep breaths, no matter how hard her foot throbbed. Next the little boy tried pulling at her leg, making her cry out in pain.

"I'll go get help!" Sonny told her loudly when he surfaced.

Clancy couldn't keep her eyes off the tide marker, which read 'Four'. In an hour the water would be over her head.

Sonny and Skippy returned after eight minutes. He had done his best to be faster than they had been that morning. Clancy had been watching the water around her nervously, knowing that sharks often roamed this lake. Sonny frantically explained to her that Matt was in town, but Jerry and Mark would drive the patrol boat around to save her.

Clancy's face was completely white and the water was up to her shoulders, and the tide marker had risen to 'Five'. "Oh, Sonny…"

The little boy gripped her hand from under the water. They both waved, Clancy slightly weaker, to the boat that went speeding past them. Jerry must have seen, as he turned and advanced it towards them. Then the waves started, caused by the boat. She spluttered, fighting to keep her head above water until they stopped. Mark hopped out of the boat at once in his swimming gear, holding a rod that he could prod at the rocks with. Clancy smiled faintly at him, finding it hard to take breaths, whether it was because of how deep her body was in or how much she was panicking. He nodded at her and dived under the water to try to move the rocks.

Clancy could feel him moving the rocks, as he also gripped her leg in an attempt to free her foot. With the water rising rapidly, it seemed all too easy for her to drift away and fall asleep in the water. But Mark rose again, snapping her out of her momentous trance. He shook his head nervously, and Clancy gasped for breath. He swam back to the boat and Jerry lifted him up. The water up to her chin and the tide marker up to 'Six', Clancy waited as calmly as she could for Mark to return. Her eyes subconsciously closed, and when she opened them, Sonny was pressing a reed into her hands. She put it in her mouth as the water covered her head. Clancy prayed for Mark and Jerry to give her air as the reed was nearly fully covered with water as well.

The tide marker had reached 'Seven' when Mark and Jerry returned to her side with an air tank. Mark put it on from the back, and Clancy sucked in a breath for her screaming lungs. He gave her a thumbs up before moving down below to help Jerry to move the rock. Clancy could feel them working away, but she soon realized there was no result. The rocks were simply too heavy to budge by hand. Jerry motioned to Mark for him to swim up, and the younger boy gave Clancy a worried look before doing so.

"Remember, there's only twenty minutes of air left in that tank!"

"We'll never get them budged! The rocks will fall and break her legs!"

"Well, if you can stop them from falling on her, I'll try and pull them away with the boat."

Jerry was already racing towards the boat, simply ignoring the shark fin to his left. Sonny screamed his name from the shore. Jerry clambered up into the boat before the shark could even reach him. He attached a rope to the boat, jumped out, and threw it to Mark. Clancy gulped some air as Mark secured the rope to the rocks. He patted her shoulder encouragingly as Jerry started the boat.

The next thing Clancy knew, the rocks were lifting and Mark helped her foot rise to the surface. She was weak and tired, barely able to move, and so Mark helped her over to the boat. Sonny was back in the water and telling her to breathe. She opened her mouth to retort, and found that all she could do was breathe. Jerry grabbed her hand and pulled her up into the boat.

She lay there for a few minutes, almost in tears, wet, and exhausted. Sonny snuggled into her, equally as wet, and despite her sleepiness Clancy was thrilled that he had hugged her. Mark wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and she smiled at him too.

Later that afternoon, Jerry finished wrapping her ankle as Clancy lay on an armchair. She had thanked Jerry and Mark over and over for saving her life, so much so that they playfully groaned every time she said 'thanks'. Matt had placed a pillow behind Clancy's back, Sonny had brushed her hair, and Mark had once again supplied a blanket.

"As far as I know, in a couple of days it'll be as good as ever." Jerry smiled, and for the first time Clancy realized that she had become friends with the reserved pilot.

"Then you'll be able to do some real diving." Matt remarked dryly, his face breaking into a smile as everyone complained loudly.

"I doubt I'll ever be able to get my camera back." Clancy sighed with a sad smile on her face.

Sonny hopped up from the floor and took something from Jerry. "Mark got it, Clancy!"

Clancy glanced at Mark, who was looking at her somewhat shyly. "Thank you, Mark. That means a lot."

"You might not want to thank me…" Mark chuckled, nodding to the camera Jerry was holding out. It was green, and clearly ruined.

"I'm sure I can get it fixed…?" Clancy shrugged. "Thanks anyway."

She leaned over and kissed Mark's cheek, causing Jerry to burst out laughing, Sonny to stick his tongue out, and Mark to give her a wide grin.