IN DEEP WATERS

Chetana, Preeti and Karthika were cousins and close friends. They were always together except in school, as they were in different classes. They were also adventurous, which made their parents and grandparents anxious at times. They started early to school and returned late, as they always had so much to talk! They shared jokes and stories, teased each other, exchanged books, laughed, giggled, and shouted. The fact that people were watching them did not bother them at all.

It was March and the exams were over. The river near the school was more or less dry except in certain places, where the water was only knee deep. They could easily cross the river to reach home. They could play in the shallow waters too. So now, coming back from school was a lot more exciting.

One day, it rained heavily. The three girls were excited to see the water in the river rise. When it rained in the mountains, the water flowed into the river. So, the river had filled up a little. It was so beautiful as the trees and shrubs around were wet and green. The girls stood on a rock, enjoying the scenery. There was no one around to disturb them. Suddenly Chetana got an idea. “I am going to sit here,” she said, as she sat down and dipped her feet in the

water.

“What if my father sees us?” asked Preeti, anxiously. Her father kept a strict eye on her activities, often following her wherever she went. Meanwhile, Karthika had already followed Chetana and started playing in the water. “Nobody will know that we played in the river,” she said. She was not afraid of anybody. Though reluctant at first, Preeti also joined them.

There was one place where the river ran deep. It was impossible to reach the bottom of the river and there were rocks underneath that could easily trap anyone who jumped in. Even good swimmers were afraid of that spot.

But, the three friends wanted adventure and decided they would test the waters. For safety, they decided to hold hands. It was fun, and they took turns to take the plunge. Even though they could not reach the bottom of the river, it was still fun. They played the game many times.

“Shall we go in pairs?” said Preeti, and exhilarated with the swimming the other two agreed.

Karthika stood on the bank and held the hands of Preeti and Chetana. But, with two of them swimming Preeti lost her balance. Her hands slipped and she fell into the river. The girls panicked. Though they managed to move away from the dangerous depths, they were drowning.

The water had risen more than they had imagined.

Preeti was still close to the bank and Chetana pushed her towards the edge so that she could come out. Cold and frightened, she stood on the banks not knowing how to save her friends; she did not know how to swim. Karthika tried to swim, but found that Chetana had caught hold of her feet, in the hope of staying together. Meanwhile they were moving further away from the bank. The duo went down into the water together, tried coming up for a breath and then went down again.

Fortunately, a woman came by. She quickly threw her sari towards Chetana, holding the other end firmly. Chetana caught it and got out of the water. Karthika swam and joined her. They stood on the bank, shivering.

Meanwhile, Preeti’s father had almost reached the river. The three girls had already promised each other not to utter a word to anyone. As they walked home, Preeti’s father was surprised to see them unusually quiet.

For the next couple of days, everyone remarked on the exemplary behaviour of the three girls.