P108-P109
She turned and gazed back down the slope in the direction of the fall, and there, below her, clear in the morning light, she saw the valley rolling away to the west and the river weaving a path through it towards the sea.
And, far away in the distance, to her astonishment and joy, was the sea itself, floating, it seemed, like a deep blue cloud.
...
"I didn't konw we could see that far." She found she was whispering, as though she were in some sacred place. "It's like...it's like..."
"Like seeing a whole life," he said.
"A whole life?" She looked round at him, though she already sensed what he meant.
"The life of the river." His eyes remained fixed on the horizon. "It's born here and it runs its allotted distance, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes straight, sometimes twisting, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, and it keeps on running until it reaches its end in the sea. I find that comforting."
"In what way?"
"Just to know that whatever happens to the river on its journey, it'll end up in something beautiful."
"But death isn't beautiful," she said, thinking of Grandpa.
"It's dying that isn't beautiful," he said, still gazing at the saa. "But then, living isn't always beautiful either. This river will have its battles on the way but it'll keep on running because it has to. And even when it reaches the end, it'll already have started renewing itself here. I find that comforting, too."
Whoever is reading this must stop now. Continue reading will ruin the book anyway. You should go get the book for yourself and read it instead of this. When you finish reading, you will know what I am talking about.
Retell begin...
Pop was Jess's grandpa. He was an artist. His parents died in a fire when he was 15 years old. Since then he left his home and never went back to the village again. And he was a man didn't like to talk about old time. He had a friend named Alfred but he never got in touch with him.
Jess was 15 years old. She was a good swimmer. She could spent hours in water. She swam every morning. Pop like to watch Jess swimming. Jess was Pop's best companion.
They were living with Jess's parents. And they were planning to visit Pop's hometown.
One morning Pop suffered a heart attack. He spent 3 days in hospital and then ignored everyone's advice, managed to go home himself and decided to visit his hometown the next day. So began the story.
1. The night Pop got home, the night they before set off, Pop work through the night painting a picture named River Boy.
2. Jess's parents drove a day long to send themselves to Pop hometown. They got to a cottage. It's 25 miles away from Braymouth with a river beside among the trees under the hills. It's already dark. They got in and went to bed.
3. It's the first day in the cottage. Jess woke at five thirty. She went out to swim in the river. Somehow she had a feeling she was not alone.
In the morning Jess's parents went to visit the Gray who owned the cottage. Pop continued his painting by the river. But the painting was not good enough and Pop suffered a heart attack again. Afraid of Jess's parents would force him back to hospital, Pop told Jess not to tell them about the heart atack. Jess gave him a promise.
Jess managed to get Pop back to cottage. Her parents came back with a old man who turned out to be Alfred, Gray's wife's father. Alfred was a man never close month. He talked too much and no one could stop him. Jess's parents spent the afternoon with him. But Jess got out and climbed the hill.
Jess had a feeling about someone was watching her when she was with Pop painting in the morning. Now She climbed to the top of the hill, at the source of the river, a waterfall, she had the same feeling again. She looked around and finilly found a boy standing at the top of the fall. Jess stared, trying to see more, but her eyes were starting to water in the sun. She blinked and rubbed them and stared back. But the boy was gone.
Jess went back to the cottage and talked to Alfred. But Alfred told her there were no boy around here.
In the night Jess saw the boy moving in the stream through window. She run out to chase him but had nothing.
4. It's the second day in the cottage. Pop continued his painting in the morning. Jess was with him. Pop told Jess to go to swimming. Jess followed the advice. But when Pop found out Alfred was comming he managed to hide himself in the roof box. No one know where Pop was. Everyone looked around for Pop. Then when Alfred went away, Pop showed himself out. But Pop had exhaused himself and slept throught the afternoon.
In the night Jess saw the boy again. She run out the cottage to the river and hide behide a tree. She observed the boy. The boy felt her. He turned and looked towards her. But he didn't found her so he swam away.
5. In the 3th - 9th days in the cottage. Pop was the colour of death but he refused to go to hospital. Doctor Fairweather came everyday. So as Alred. Everyone kept company with Pop and waited. Jess didn't went to swimming anymore.
6. In the 10th day in the cottage. Pop told Jess there was no hope he could finish the picture. He was ready to go to hospital.
Jess was sad that Pop had given up. She went into the river crying. Then, the boy showed up. He asked about Jess what was going on and gave her advice about being Pop's hand to help Pop finish the picture. At last, the boy asked Jess to help him "up at the source, the day after tomorrow, at dawn".
7. In the 11th day in the cottage. Jess help Pop moved his hand and arm so Pop could continue the painting. They worked hard and finally the picture was finished.
8. In the 12th day in the cottage. In the darkness before dawn, Jess set off to the source to meet the boy. There the boy told her he wanted to swim from the source to sea. The boy invited Jess to swim together. Jess refused. The boy said himself was afraid of alone before, dived at the very lip of the fall. He set off by himself anyway.
Jess went back to the cottage but only meat Alfred. Pop had another attack and Jess's parents took him to the hospital. Alfred told Jess about Pop's childhood. Pop was going to swim the length of the river one day, all the way from source to sea.
Jess suddenlly knew that the boy was Pop. She rushed out to the river and dived in. She wanted to catch up with him. After hours and hours swimming, Jess exhaused. She thought she could catch up with Pop's spirit and she turned to the bank. Then the boy came out. He told Jess to swim with him a little longer. They swam on towards the sea together. When Jess suddenly realized she was finally in the sea, she also found Pop was gone.
Jess swam to the bank. A policewoman told her she had swam 11 hours. She took Jess to the hospital. Pop died half an hour ago.
9. The last day in the cottage. Jess climbed up to the source again with Pop's ashes. At the very spot the boy dived, Jess tipped the urn, let all the ashes scattered into flight. Then Jess threw the urn down into the water.
When the river boy first talked to Jess, Jess asked him who he is and before he could answer Jess told him hold the answer. Somehow, deep down, Jess knew the truth herself. She just couldn't face it.