Blood Water Read Online Free

the brain's
way of telling you that something's going wrong, or
that something has happened to it and it needs time to
recover.'
    'Mmm, yeah, I suppose. I can't believe all this is
because I didn't drink enough water.'
    'Yes, well,' Dad said, drying his hands on a towel,
'you'll know better next time, won't you? Graham said
you were "severely dehydrated" and narrowly avoided
heat exhaustion. People have had strokes after going
through what you did.'
    'Seriously?'
    'Yep. So you'd better be careful next time.'
    'Yes, he'd better,' Mum said, coming in to check on
the status of dinner.

CHAPTER 4
    Feeling lazy, Sean slept most of the following morning.
After lunch the rain eased up a little, and by then he was
desperate to get some fresh air; he felt like a prisoner.
Mum would be home from the hospital at about three,
so he had over an hour of freedom before she got back
to insist that he should rest. He needed to get out, but
he was also curious to see how high the river had risen.
He put on his jacket, then his boots, opened the back
door and stepped outside.
    It looked like the end of the world had begun. Water
streamed over the slabs in the back garden and large
muddy pools had already drowned the flowerbeds. The
sky was unbroken grey clouds. The weather reports had
been right: this was really bad. God , Sean thought. If it
goes on much longer we'll all be submerged .
    Although the rain was definitely stopping, the water
was taking a long time to drain away into the already
sodden ground. Sean locked the back door, then turned
and splashed his way to the gate, stepping onto the
driveway and looking to see if there was anyone else
around. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't. He crossed the
end of the cul de sac and went down the small path that
led to the main road, hoping no cars would race through
the deep puddles by the kerb and soak him.
    As he passed the hospital and the New Inn, he wondered
how much damage the rain might do, and if it
would be permanent. It wouldn't be the first time the
river had burst its banks, but it had rarely reached the
high street. If it did so now and flooded the shops and
houses of Orchard Wells, they would be in trouble.
    When he reached the petrol station he was able to
see the bridge and the river, and what he saw made him
stop and stare. The river was far higher than he had
expected; it raged under the arches of the bridge and
was no more than a metre from the road. The foaming
muddy water swirled as it hit the bridge; large branches
and foliage were sucked under the torrent to emerge in
pieces on the other side. He'd seen the river high, but
never this high.
    He walked on and saw a crowd of people gathered
by the bridge, marvelling at the spectacle. As he moved
among them he watched them shake their heads and
laugh or just stare at the water surging past. He looked
up into the sky and groaned as the rain resumed; how
long would it be before the water rose up over the
bridge? It had already swamped more than half of the
field on the side of the river he'd just left. On the other
side, the town side, it was nearly up to the car park of
the Bridge Hotel.
    After Sean's eyes had taken in enough, he walked
on over the bridge, and instead of continuing up the
high street he turned and followed the path along the
river, towards the park. He couldn't take his eyes off the
raging water, mesmerized by the little whirlpools. Two
women with small children passed him, the children
giggling and whooping with joy at the swollen river,
their mothers markedly less impressed. Sean looked up
to see lighter patches in the sky. Perhaps the sun would
make it through after all.
    As he entered the park, he kept his eye on the river.
A huge branch bobbed above the surface of the torrent
as it was hurtled downstream. He watched it until it
disappeared from view, then walked on, turning right
by the pagoda, where the river met a stream. The stream
was also