"Man's experience in the world is to enable him get out of its whirlpool"___Swami Vivekananda.

Chikamharida's POV.

I paused. I'd been making a half turn and that seemed to have frightened her enough to be rash. Rubbing her forehead next to one of the trees behind us was Chilli. She was still in her sports bra and leggings and adding to her overall look was a guilty smile.

It wasn't funny that even my neighbour was stalking me; I thought it was only Maley. I looked at Adele who had hurriedly sat on the diary she was reading and was spearheading us with dagger eyes.

Now she had her grandmother's look, unlike her dad.

"How long have you been here?" I asked Chilli. "Were you following me?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," she said, scratching her hair. "I was at the bridge when I saw you pass by, so I was trying to catch up with you."

"So you'd have been listening in if I hadn't made you give out your position?"

"It's not like that Harida," she said. "I definitely didn't plan to do that. I was just wondering where you were heading since no one really comes this far out of the estate by this time of the day."

"I see," I said, turning to Adele and then Chilli and wondering if the chef could pose a threat to her.

"Is she the one you're nannying?"

"Does the boss have any other child I don't know of?" I fired back.

"I see you've spoken about me to your friend," Adele said, cradling the diary to her stomach, in between a magazine as she approached us. "I'm Adele. Hope the topics are all good?"

"They are," Chilli said, looking at Adele in curiosity and confusion. "Sorry for intruding on your meeting. I didn't realize that this was one of those nanny and child bonding time."

"Thank you for realizing that your presence here changes alot of things," Adele said, staring at the stones underneath her feet as she spoke. Af if she could sense my shocked gaze, she raised her head so her eyes met mine.

"What?" She said, spreading her arms. "Am I not saying the truth. I'm still adjusting, trying to share this place with you and here she is, another person, another responsibility who knows my hiding spot."

Adele turned her back on us and started walking on the river bank till she was by the tree which had sprouted from the river bed. The she dug her feet in the water as if seeking transparent pebbles, not bothering to spare us another glance.

"You've got your handful," Chilli said, trying to smile. Her smile wasn't as beautiful as it used to be. The stretch of her lips looked stressed and her eyes that used to be doll like were now red rimmed and puffy. It was a look I could recognize in any place and time; I was well familiar with it.

"Have you been crying?" I asked, staring at her warily.

"No," she said, rubbing her eyes. "It is just that a bug got into my eye while I was on an errand."

"You can't lie to me Chilli. Any other lie but this I may believe. I'm sorry about bringing up Kandle. It wouldn't be upsetting you this way if I hadn't brought it up."

"It's no big deal," she said. "I'll have to face it now or later."

I caught Chilli's eyes staring at something behind me so I turned to catch a sight of what had her so engrossed. It turned out to be Adele taking of her shoes and walking deeper into the water.

"I'll speak with you later. Duty calls," I said. "And she hates company."

"She clearly does," Chilli said with a nod. "See you back home."

"You too."

I watched Chilli leave before approaching Adele.

She was in a singlet and shorts and was already sinking into the water slowly so only her head was visible before I could get to her. I really did not fancy the idea of her swimming out here in the wild. If she were to drown, I wouldn't really know how to save her. Back home I only swarm for survival and that was during the rainy season when the roads were too flooded that I had to roll up my trousers or risk them getting soaked in muddy water. It should also be important to note that the water never actually got to my waist. I don't recall being waist deep in any water, ever.

"You should really consider using the pool in the house," I said, standing at a distance from the river but still staring at her. She turned to me, and sunk in fully before withdrawing her head again.

"I prefer here for the same reason that you do."

"You were rude to Chilli," I said, still not moving from that spot.

"And you're being rude to me. You can't even thank me for withholding my own end of the deal."

"What deal?"

"You've even forgotten, that's nice," she said, turning her back to me and swimming deeper and farther away.

"I don't know how to swim Adele!" I shouted amidst the rippling sound of water in the air. She apparently heard me because she burst out laughing seconds later.

"What!" she shouted. "Are you serious?" She asked in a girly pitch. "I'm sorry but even though you forgetting our deal isn't humorous this is. I can't not laugh."

"I'm not telling you to laugh," I said, hating the fact that she was mocking me. "I'm just informing you that incase you happen to be drowning, there's no one here to save you."

"Na," she said. "I've been swimming long before you were born."

"Adele!" I shouted once I noticed that she was going deeper. There was no reply and I suddenly couldn't catch sight of her even after running forward.

"Adele?"

Still nothing.

Without wasting a second, I dived into the water, eyes set on the last spot I'd seen her. When I got to the deeper part, I tried kicking my legs to swim forward but the tide was just so strong, swirling and pushing me in the opposite direction and against my whishes. Then I saw it, in a clear font; the middle of the ruckus enveloped me despite all struggles and it was then, when I had no more breath left in me, that I realized that I was being pulled down by a force stronger than that of one man and completely capable of ending my misery.

I sank to the bottom, feeling my body lose control of itself, but not before the touch of something warm and hairy enveloped me and the light sense of flight resurfaced...

Chellu always said that the difference between a nightmare and a dream is that what you wished for in one happens alternately in the other. For instance, you wish to wake up from a nightmare not a dream. Again, everything good happens in a dream and not a nightmare.

It was no wonder that despite all the dissimilarities between a dream and a nightmare, I still managed to have them combined. A surprise right? Something good happening to me even though it was in a nightmare.

I could feel the sting of a million needles against my back. It was the only reality along with an internalized fear that showed in vivid flashes of rippling water, the feeling of spiralling and a vortex— a complex mesh of mind numbing sensations.

The dream, however, was the strong hands pushing on my chest and the soft lips attached with mine. Instinctively, I returned the kiss, the happier thought of making out with a lover drowning any other and it didn't take long for the lips to pull away, but the hands on my chest continued pushing.

As if to reattach our lips together, my fingers moved, making him pull away. Him?

My eyes pushed open.

Then I heard a familiar voice murmur. "Is she awake?"

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and a towering figure leaning beside me. Instinctively, I tried cowering away only to hear his displeased growl.

I tried sitting up, and he helped me with a hand on my back. I coughed out water from every opening in my body.

"Who're you?"

"He's your saviour," Adele said, shaking her head at me as if in grief. "Your bandage was lost in the water, we couldn't save it."

"We?"

"Haven't you heard not to rush into a whirlpool when you can't swim? This little girl apparently has more experience than you on how to stay away from danger," my saviour said, voice deep and velvety.

From his narrowed gaze he was angry.

"Look," I said, raising my hand— it felt lighter. "Thank you for saving me but you can't just go on insulting me while I was trying to save her."

"You can't swim, she can. You can't avoid a whirlpool, she can. She's obviously smarter," He said without a smile.

"I doubt that," I said.

He was one big block of muscle and the little moonlight that fell on him made him a mystique with the jagged scar across an eyebrow.

I recognized him. He was the guard I had foolishly waved at who had only nodded at me in return. They both looked at me weirdly and I realized I'd said that out loud. My brown skin reddened in embarrassment if only that was possible.

Then I remembered something.

"I called for you but you didn't answer. Where were you Adele? How am I supposed to nanny you if you keep moving off my sight?"

"I was just avoiding the whirlpool."

I sent her a disbelieved scowl.

"Hey, please tell her how you had to jump in to save her after I called for help."

"You were lucky that someone was here on time," the burly guard said. "Your story might've been different."

"Thank you for saving me," I said, searching for a reason why I meant it and finding none, not until my eyes searched for Adele's. Was she a good enough reason to live? Somehow.

"I'm done here. Goodbye," my saviour said, standing to his full height and walking away.

"Thank you once again," I said and he left, his huge form becoming one of the shadows among the trees.

My gaze returned to Adele. Her braids were wet as she was in a body hug shirt and shorts that showcase the patches of white colour on her skin.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing to the one on her neck which illuminated light. "Did you injure?"

"That's my real skin, nanny. I've got vitiligo," she said, pointing at her inner arms and half her neck. "I'm born with a mixture of different skin colour. Grandma says God couldn't decide if he wanted me in black or white."

"Oh," I said, standing up to realize that my boots were beside me. I started wearing it before assessing Adele's clothes.

"Get ready, we're leaving."

"You still haven't thanked me for landing you the nanny job," she said gathering her diary and her magazine. "Remember the former nanny I was talking about? Dad asked me for my opinion on her and days ago he asked on you too. Would have also dropped a nasty one for you if you hadn't agreed on taking me to May Psych."

"How about I don't agree on taking you there?"

"A deal is a deal."

"There's a reason you're homeschooled Adele. Out there is not safe."

"It doesn't matter to me when I've got my eyes on something more important."

"What's it?"

"I'm not telling."

I was done with my lace and she was done dressing up and gathering her wet clothes along with her magazine on one hand.

"Let's go. You've got a torch?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p'

"What's up with your diary?"

"Still not telling you."

"Maybe when I drop you with the commander, I'll be off duty."

"I'm so going to give you a bad review the next time I'm asked," she murmured in regret and I laughed, free for the first time in years. It almost felt like I was floating on cloud nine despite the fact that I'd almost drowned. I was kidding but giving her to her grand mum seemed kind of fun.

"You guys need to bond."

"Now that I think about it, maybe you'd have been better with he fishes."

"I'll learn how to swim soon." I winked.

"Na, You can't swim to save a life."

"Watch and see," I said. Swimming lessons in a bit!