slope, she heard Rowdy call from behind her, “Good afternoon, Miss Calliope. What finds you out this way?”
Whirling around to face him, Calliope was astonished to see that Rowdy was almost directly behind her already. He must’ve been in a hurry to wash off his shoulder indeed, for she’d only just left the side of the mill where the loose board hung.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You startled me, Mr. Gates. I just thought …well, that I’d take a stroll out away from town this afternoon, and…”
“Be careful, Miss Calliope,” Rowdy warned, frowning at her. “The spring rains have softened the edge of the —”
But Rowdy’s warning came too late—for in that very moment, Calliope felt her heels begin to slip. Her back was turned toward the edge of the high bank above the millpond—the high bank that was in the very least thirty feet above the water.
As she screamed, flailing her arms in an ineffectual effort to regain her balance, she felt the moist soil of the edge of the bank beginning to slip away beneath her.
Without pause Rowdy tossed his wadded-up shirt aside and rushed forward. He knew that if Calliope Ipswich slipped down the side of the high bank, she would be torn to shreds by the sharp rocks jutting out of the bank on her way down. Therefore, his reflexes and instincts knew that, though it was a high distance to fall, it would be far better for her to hit the water and avoid the side of the bank altogether.
He heard the young woman scream as he grabbed her under her arms, pulled her against him, and pushed against the wet, slippery ground with every ounce of strength in his legs. With any luck, he’d pushed hard enough to throw them both clear of the jagged rocks protruding from the high bank. Twisting in the air as his arms locked around Calliope, Rowdy next felt the air be forced from his lungs as his back hit the water’s surface, plunging he and Calliope into the millpond.
He felt something sharp strike the back of his head and right side of his face an instant before he pushed against the bottom of the millpond to send him and Calliope rising toward the water’s surface.
As their heads simultaneously broke the millpond’s surface, he heard Calliope gasp for breath. His own breath was more difficult to inhale. The punch of hitting the water so hard on his back had rendered his lungs empty and too stunned to take an easy breath. But in another moment, he inhaled and began swimming them toward the opposing bank of the millpond where the ground was level with the water.
As Rowdy Gates pulled her up onto the bank of the millpond, Calliope found she was dizzy. Everything had happened so fast! It was only moments ago—literally only moments ago—that she’d felt the soft soil of the high bank begin to give way beneath her feet. Instinctively, she’d gasped and held her breath when she realized that she and Rowdy were falling through the air on their way into the millpond, and she was thankful for the instinct. Otherwise she might have inhaled water after plunging into the pond, rather than already having her lungs filled with air.
“Are you all right?” she heard Rowdy cough.
She nodded as she wiped water from her eyes.
“Are you sure? You’re not hurt at all?” he repeated. She heard him cough again and then spit.
“I’m all right,” she panted as she struggled to push her wet hair out of her face.
All at once , however, she felt something else on her face—something warm. When she felt it next on her lip, she licked her lip and recognized the salty taste of blood. Calliope didn’t feel any pain, other than a grueling soreness that was beginning to overtake her arms and legs. Therefore, she angrily pushed her wet hair from her eyes and looked up to where Rowdy Gates was hovering over her.
“You’re bleeding!” she cried out then. And it was true! Blood was everywhere over Rowdy’s face. And though she could see that some of it originated from a large wound
Whirling around to face him, Calliope was astonished to see that Rowdy was almost directly behind her already. He must’ve been in a hurry to wash off his shoulder indeed, for she’d only just left the side of the mill where the loose board hung.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You startled me, Mr. Gates. I just thought …well, that I’d take a stroll out away from town this afternoon, and…”
“Be careful, Miss Calliope,” Rowdy warned, frowning at her. “The spring rains have softened the edge of the —”
But Rowdy’s warning came too late—for in that very moment, Calliope felt her heels begin to slip. Her back was turned toward the edge of the high bank above the millpond—the high bank that was in the very least thirty feet above the water.
As she screamed, flailing her arms in an ineffectual effort to regain her balance, she felt the moist soil of the edge of the bank beginning to slip away beneath her.
Without pause Rowdy tossed his wadded-up shirt aside and rushed forward. He knew that if Calliope Ipswich slipped down the side of the high bank, she would be torn to shreds by the sharp rocks jutting out of the bank on her way down. Therefore, his reflexes and instincts knew that, though it was a high distance to fall, it would be far better for her to hit the water and avoid the side of the bank altogether.
He heard the young woman scream as he grabbed her under her arms, pulled her against him, and pushed against the wet, slippery ground with every ounce of strength in his legs. With any luck, he’d pushed hard enough to throw them both clear of the jagged rocks protruding from the high bank. Twisting in the air as his arms locked around Calliope, Rowdy next felt the air be forced from his lungs as his back hit the water’s surface, plunging he and Calliope into the millpond.
He felt something sharp strike the back of his head and right side of his face an instant before he pushed against the bottom of the millpond to send him and Calliope rising toward the water’s surface.
As their heads simultaneously broke the millpond’s surface, he heard Calliope gasp for breath. His own breath was more difficult to inhale. The punch of hitting the water so hard on his back had rendered his lungs empty and too stunned to take an easy breath. But in another moment, he inhaled and began swimming them toward the opposing bank of the millpond where the ground was level with the water.
As Rowdy Gates pulled her up onto the bank of the millpond, Calliope found she was dizzy. Everything had happened so fast! It was only moments ago—literally only moments ago—that she’d felt the soft soil of the high bank begin to give way beneath her feet. Instinctively, she’d gasped and held her breath when she realized that she and Rowdy were falling through the air on their way into the millpond, and she was thankful for the instinct. Otherwise she might have inhaled water after plunging into the pond, rather than already having her lungs filled with air.
“Are you all right?” she heard Rowdy cough.
She nodded as she wiped water from her eyes.
“Are you sure? You’re not hurt at all?” he repeated. She heard him cough again and then spit.
“I’m all right,” she panted as she struggled to push her wet hair out of her face.
All at once , however, she felt something else on her face—something warm. When she felt it next on her lip, she licked her lip and recognized the salty taste of blood. Calliope didn’t feel any pain, other than a grueling soreness that was beginning to overtake her arms and legs. Therefore, she angrily pushed her wet hair from her eyes and looked up to where Rowdy Gates was hovering over her.
“You’re bleeding!” she cried out then. And it was true! Blood was everywhere over Rowdy’s face. And though she could see that some of it originated from a large wound
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