The cold water stabbed Bridget’s ears, but she kept her head thrown back, letting only her nose and mouth rise out of the water. The river’s current tugged her, carried her only a short distance before her arms knocked against one of Wilcox’s roots. She grabbed it and wound her legs around roots as thick as her arms. Wilcox had reached out and grabbed her. Or Mum as a selkie had lifted her up and into the watery sling.
With her head thrown back and the last of Wilcox’s leaves blowing in the October breeze, the pain gradually decreased. Minutes later, her head pounded, felt swollen with cold. Despite the fierce headache, she needed more minutes before she worked herself onto her knees. After so long in the water, her body jerked with cold and her ears pounded more than her scalp burned. He
