Free The Other Side of Nowhere by Stephen Johnston Page B

sucked in by Matt’s taunts and jibes.
    Maybe if Matt hadn’t been yapping so much I might have noticed the sound earlier. As it was, I felt it more than heard it. A kind of throbbing vibration. As we came out onto the beach, we all looked skywards, and suddenly the throb became a roar and, seemingly, just metres above the treetops was the grey-white underbelly of a plane.
    ‘Hey! Hey !’ I yelled uselessly.
    George ran onto the beach, waving her arms above her head. Matt quickly overtook her and sprinted towards the water. I bolted after them. Matt was in the water jumping about crazily and screaming at the low-flying plane as it flew off over the ocean. I pulled up next to George, panting hard. Together, we yelled at the top of our lungs, a cry of wild enthusiasm, frustration and anger all rolled into one.
    Then the plane’s wing dipped and it banked right. My heart somersaulted. They’ve seen us! They’re coming back!
    But then the wings straightened again and the plane disappeared from view beyond the rocks on the point.
    George dropped to the sand. ‘Well, at least we know they’re looking for us,’ she said flatly, her voice lacking any optimism.
    ‘We should have stayed on the beach,’ I groaned. It probably sounded like I was blaming George for making us look for a new campsite. But she just shrugged, before hauling herself up and walking to the water.
    I followed her and waded through the shore break letting the cool water wash away the sweat and dirt. The rhythm of the waves eased the ache in my overheated muscles. The only thing the water couldn’t fix was the massive sense of disappointment brought on by the plane.
    We were still lounging in the shallows when Matt spotted Nick clambering back over the rocks. When Nick saw Matt waving, he started jogging towards us. We all came out of the water to meet him.
    ‘Where’ve you been?’ asked Matt. ‘Did you see the plane?’
    ‘Yeah I saw it. Shame it didn’t see me,’ said Nick breathing hard. His face was covered in sweat and it looked like he’d been running hard for a while. ‘But don’t worry. You’ll never guess what I found.’
    ‘Water?’ George said.
    ‘Even better … The Dolphin .’

‘ The Dolphin ?’ I gasped.
    The yacht had been heading straight for the rocks when we jumped off it. I thought for sure it had been smashed to pieces.
    But Nick was nodding. He pointed back the way he’d come. ‘There’s another bay round there with rocks at the end of it. She’s run aground on them. Jammed tight for now, but I don’t know how much longer she’s got. If we hurry we might be able to get some supplies before she goes under.’
    He raised an eyebrow, as if willing me to challenge him again. But this time it was a no-brainer. I nodded.
    ‘We’ll need some rope,’ Nick said.
    ‘I’ll get it,’ Matt said, turning on his heels before swinging back around. ‘Oh, hang on. But we used it to tie the sheet to the trees.’
    ‘The sheet? What trees?’ Nick asked.
    ‘Never mind,’ George said. ‘Just get the rope, Matt. We’ll put the sheet back up later.’
    He shot off like a rocket up the beach.
    Nick headed straight into the water and only came out when Matt reappeared, strengthening my hunch that he was avoiding me. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. As soon as Matt handed over the rope, Nick set off, and we had to jog to keep up.

    The beach Nick had found was longer than the one we’d landed on. As we reached the sand, Nick shifted from a jog to top gear and George, Matt and I sprinted behind him. It was only when we reached the end of the sand that I caught sight of the yacht. We paused at the edge of the rocks and stood on the beach bent over, trying to catch our breath.
    The Dolphin was stuck all right – impaled precariously on jagged rocks about halfway along the point. With each wave surge she was pushed higher up the rocky outcrop before the backwash sucked her down again. She creaked and squealed as her