"You did really well, Bon!" Shouted Phil angrily. Bon bowed his head guiltily.

"Mal! Hold on to something!" I shouted. My brother just showed up every now and then, gasping in desperation. He thrashed around and tried to hold on to something. But without success. Crap.

"A ... Ang!" I heard a panic cry. He was afraid. Panic fear. And that was no wonder.

"Hold on tight!" I moaned as he slipped past a stone. Then he was gone for a while before he reappeared. Over there. There was a fallen tree there. I could climb it and then pull him out. I quickened my pace and knelt on the tree trunk. "Mal! Take my hand!" I screamed over the incredible volume of the water. Desperate, my brother reached out his hand to mine, but our fingers just brushed one another.

"A ... Ang!" Mal moaned and went back into the water. I saw him trying to hold on to a smooth rock.

"No!" I cried and kept running to catch up with him. Crap! There was a waterfall. "Mal!" I screamed. I only saw how he was thrown over the edge. We ran to the edge and looked down desperately. I heard a groan and turned my head. Mal hang on a branch. Thank god! He was dangling from a tree root. The water was still beating him en masse. "Hold on tight!" I cried desperately, looking for a way to help him. His fingers slipped more and more over the wet root. The water that hit him pushed him down. "For heaven's sake! Hold on tight!" I screamed. "Bon, Cliff. You have to hold me tight."

"What are you up to?" Cliff asked shakily.

"I hold out my hand to him and you have to pull me and him up." They nodded timidly. I stood on tiptoe and offered my hand to Mal. It wasn't enough by a few inches. "Mal! You have to jump! I'll catch you!" Mal looked at me fearfully and desperately clung to the root. He was only hanging on the lower part and was about to slip off. "Promised! I catch you! Jump!" Mal nodded fearfully and turned to me. The water pushed him a little deeper again. He closed his eyes and pulled himself up a little before throwing himself at me with all the strength he had in his arms. I stretched out both my arms and grabbed him. However, he was damn slippery because of the water. I took him by the shirt and he slipped out of it. "No!" I screamed. Mal screeched briefly and then it was quiet. I started to cry. Cliff stared down the waterfall in shock. "Mal." I whimpered and pressed the wet shirt to me. I had dropped the person I loved. It was my fault! There was a moan and then:

"Ang?" I knelt down and looked down the slope. Thank God! Mal stood on a tiny ledge! He hadn't fallen! Thank you God! Phil and I gave him our hands and pulled him up. Mal fell trembling on the floor. He wiped his wet hair from his face. "Holy shit. I really thought it was over." Cliff chuckled in relief.

"Never do that again!" I shouted and hugged him tightly. I cried.

"Sh. I got you. All right, Ang." Mal mumbled and rocked us a little.

"I dropped you." I cried.

"But I still live. All good. It was a good idea anyway, Ang." I noticed the blood running down Mal's forehead.

"You're hurt." I said in shock. He wiped his forehead. "From what is that?"

"I hit my head on a rock." I saw all the deep scratches on Mal's body that happened when he was dragged through the water.

"Oh shit." I whispered, looking at the laceration on the back of his head.

"I'm so sorry." Bon cried.

"It's okay." Malcolm muttered and stood up.

"No! Not good! You almost died because of Bon's childhood!" I cried, crying.

"Nearly. But I'm not." Malcolm said, hugging me again.

*

We were on the water for the rest of the day. But no longer at the rapids. I didn't go in, but stayed with Mal and took care of his wounds. As best I could because our bandages were at the warehouse.

"Go in and have fun." Mal mumbled half asleep.

"Can I ... can I go painting?" I asked shyly. I loved to draw. But my dad said it was for girls. Mal got me pens for my birthday and I loved using them.

"Yes of course. Where?"

"I saw a really great tree on the way." Mal nodded. I took the rucksack in which my things were and also put on long pants and shoes.

"Put your pants in your shoes, Ang." Malcolm warned. I nodded absently and ran to the tree. I sat down and started drawing. The time around me disappeared and I even noticed it. Suddenly it was only dim and almost dark. I was afraid. The others had gone home without me. I ran as fast as my feet coul, into our camp. I was so afraid! When I got to the tents, the fire was only a little on and nobody was sitting there anymore. But there was light through the tarpaulin. I ran to Mal's tent and opened the zipper. Mal sat there with a flashlight. He wrote a diary. "Oh, I thought you wouldn't come again today." Mal said with a giggle and looked up at me.