One Happy Minute Stole My Friend's Life For Good.

"Smile!" Jane said as she pulled her camera out while laughing at me as I attempted to battle a massive wave in the sea that soaked me as I tried to swim to the shore.

We didn't think anything of it. We saw the waves, and we thought they would be fun to swim in.

"No!" I cried as she filled her bucket with cold water and threw it over my head.

She tried to chase me with a second bucket as I dived and splashed around in the water whilst trying to escape her.

We had only been in the water for a few seconds before I complained; Jane found it funny and, being her usual comical self decided to pick on me for it.

Out of nowhere, another huge wave flew over our heads. I managed to stay afloat, but couldn't see my friend anywhere.

The current had become strong, and the tide had become violent, though it wasn't like that when we first entered the water. Yes, the waves were relatively high, but the sea seemed safe to swim in. We decided to take a risk, ignoring the warning we had received that morning not to swim because of the current.

We didn't notice the high tide or strong current before we entered the water. We decided that it wouldn't hurt to have one moment of happiness, and now I feared my friend was dead

"Jane!" I shouted again, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

My heart was beating fast, and bile rose in my chest as I panicked that she might have drowned.

I knew I should get out of the water, though I was desperate to find my friend, and then I saw the lifeboat.

Common sense told me to try to swim to the boat and ask them for help. I tried to battle the current, which seemed to have become more potent by the second, but it kept pulling me back.

"Where are you, Jane?" I shouted once more before a huge wave pulled me under, and I had to fight hard to get to the surface. I was coughing and spluttering when I came back up.

I felt cold, and my body shivered like someone had put me in a freezer. It shocked me because a minute ago, the weather was warm and sunny, but now the sky was overtaken by frightening black clouds, and it started raining heavily.

I was terrified.

I saw someone or something floating in the water. I couldn't hide my sense of dread. I swam out to it anyway.

I recognized the body being Jane

Jane wasn't moving. I tried to resuscitate her.

1,2,3,4, 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,

"Come on Jane, don't die on me now!" I cried,

16, 17, 18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,

I knew that it was no use. I kept trying,

28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,

I was exhausted and stressed out, but I had to save my friend,

41,42, 43, 44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,

I knew she was gone. I couldn't let her go,

55,56,57,58,59,60,

I froze. Tears fell down my face. I cuddled Jane's body for a few seconds, hoping that she would come back, but she wasn't breathing. She was cold and blue

With more tears in my eyes, and a pain stronger than my heart could handle, I let the body go.

"Goodbye Jane, my best friend," I said softly between tears.

I knew this was my fault.

If only I had used my common sense instead of selfishly indulging in one minute of happiness, my friend would still be with me.

The sea was violent now, and my lungs were filling up with water fast. I had to force the air into my lungs just to breathe.

The lifeboat picked me up. They wanted to know what had happened, but guilt kicked in hard, and I couldn't say anything. When I reached the shore, I couldn't speak. I stared at the sea.

I couldn't get the image of Janes's drowned body from my mind.

I couldn't believe that one minute of stupid behaviour had taken my friend's life, and though I never recovered, I vowed never to behave as stupidly ever again.