Her steps slowed as she reached a small stone bridge over a little stream. The stream opened into a duck pond, and there were a few families at its far edge, tossing bread to the ducks. She was pretty sure bread was bad for ducks, but she didn’t say anything. She did pause for a minute and lean her elbows against the rough stone of the bridge. There were a few bright koi fish swimming in the water. They looked like gigantic goldfish, in bright shades of orange and white. Her steps slowed as she reached a small stone bridge over a little stream. The stream opened into a duck pond, and there were a few families at its far edge, tossing bread to the ducks. She was pretty sure bread was bad for ducks, but she didn’t say anything. She did pause for a minute and lean her elbows against the rough stone of the bridge. There were a few bright koi fish swimming in the water. They looked like gigantic goldfish, in bright shades of orange and white.She saw something gleam from the water, and leaned over to get a closer look. It was gold, and shimmering under the gentle movement of the water. The waves the ducks were making made it hard to see what it was. It could be a gold coin, except it looked like it was actually glowing. Staring at it made her eyes blur. She felt dizzy, and she wanted to look away but it was all she could see...
Elle vit quelque chose briller dans l'eau et se pencha pour regarder de plus près. C'était de l'or et ça scintillait sous le doux mouvement de l'eau. Avec les vagues que faisaient les canards, c'était difficile de voir ce que c'était. Peut-être une pièce d'or, on aurait dit que ça brillait vraiment. La fixer lui brouilla la vue. Elle eut le vertige et elle voulut détourner le regard mais ce fut tout ce qu'elle put voir ...
Suddenly, she was falling. She hadn’t felt herself slip. Had she leaned over too far? She screamed, moved her arms wildly, but it was too late. She dropped four feet into the water below. It covered her head, and she twisted and turned under the water, losing all sense of direction. The gold glow seemed to be all around her, and it was warm and so bright and she pushed desperately, kicked her legs—and her head broke the surface of the water.
Soudain, elle tomba. Elle ne s'était pas sentie glisser. S'était-elle penchée trop loin? Elle hurla, bougea ses bras frénétiquement, mais il était trop tard. Elle avait fait une chute d’environ 1m20 dans l’eau au-dessous. L’eau recouvrait sa tête, et elle se tordit et se retourna sous l'eau, perdant tout sens de l'orientation. La lueur dorée semblait être tout autour d'elle, il faisait chaud et la lumière était si brillante qu'elle poussa désespérément sur ses jambes pour plonger plus profond, donna des coups de pieds, puis sa tête fendit la surface de l'eau.
She gasped for air, blinking to try and get the water out of her eyes. She didn’t hear anyone yelling, or calling to see if she was okay, which seemed weird. She looked over at the far bank of the duck pond, but there was no one there. The families were gone. She stood up, getting the rest of the water out of her face, and looked around. The entire pond was abandoned. Where could everyone have gone so quickly? And why would they run away after she had fallen into the water? It didn’t make any sense.
She took her mom’s phone out of her pocket, but it wouldn’t turn on. Great. Her mom would be so mad at her! The air had felt warm before, but now it felt even hotter. When she looked in the water, she didn't see any of the pretty koi fish. Her fall must have scared them all away.
She was lucky, though. She hadn’t hurt herself. Even though the bridge wasn’t very tall, she thought she would at least have banged her wrists on the ground when she landed in the water, or hit hard enough to knock the wind out of her. But she felt fine.
Cependant, elle avait de la chance. Elle ne s'était pas blessée. Même si le pont n'était pas très haut, elle pensait que ses poignets auraient au moins heurté le fond lorsqu’elle avait atterri dans l'eau, ou qu'elle avait heurté le fond assez fort pour que cela lui coupe la respiration. Mais elle se sentait bien.
