Trapped!

The woman stirred, and then her eyes fluttered open and she sat up. "Thank the Gods," she said on seeing Astra. "At last I've been rescued." Then her gaze went beyond Astra, and she said: "Oh no!"

Astra turned to see what had dismayed the woman. Her skiff, which she had thought securely aground, was rapidly moving away from the beach!

Astra sprinted down the beach, dived into the water and swam after it. But she soon realised that it was hopeless. Whatever magic was driving the boat was propelling it faster than she could swim. Defeated, she turned round and headed back to the beach.

The brunette was waiting for her by the water's edge. With total disregard for younger audiences, she had left her blanket behind.

"I was caught in exactly that way myself," she said. "I pulled in here over a week ago, to investigate the fire, and before I knew it my boat was heading off without me. Whoever was responsible apparently wanted me to be trapped here, I've no idea why. He - or she - didn't want me to starve, though. Every so often food and water containers are dropped from the top of the cliff, along with wood for the fire. Always when I've been asleep, though, so I've never seen who it is. But I should introduce myself. I'm Berenice."

"I'm Astra. Have you tried to escape by climbing the cliff?"

"Yes, but it's hopeless. It's vertical and there are almost no footholds."

"How about swimming to a part of the lake not rimmed by cliffs?"

"I've tried, but before I had made much progess a strong current set in and brought me back to the beach. I'm sure that it was magic rather than natural."

1. They find a way to escape.
2. Their captor appears and explains why he has trapped the two of them.
3. A third woman is trapped on the beach.
4. Days and then weeks pass...

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