CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

I snuggle deeper under the blankets, the waves rocking the little boat. Side to side, I go. It's calming, like being a baby in a cradle.

Did my mother ever rock me in a cradle like this? I can't remember. I was so little when she died, I don't even recall her face. All I have of her are a few photos.

Suddenly, a blast of cold air hits my cheeks, and I shiver. I try to pull the blankets tighter around myself, to keep out the icy chill. It does no good. There's a storm heading my way.

I see it gathering on the horizon, dark clouds rolling and converging. It’s the kind of storm that destroys everything in its path. Relentless. Unforgiving.

I climb to my feet, searching for a way off this little rowboat. All around me, though, there’s only water. Deep, dark water that could swallow me up at a moment’s notice.

Panic floods my heart, and I grip the edges of the boat. I need to get out of here.

The rocking intensifies, and the panic claws its way up my chest. I’m screaming, screaming