“Rainsford hesitated. He heard the hounds. Then he leaped far out into the sea...”
Wind whipping his hair, eyes streaming, Rainsford plummeted towards the angry ocean. The fall was abruptly ended with the sudden impact of the raging water. Rainsford floated in a swirling sea of green and blue, sinking slowly towards the bottom. Sunlight dappled the water and Rainsford stopped struggling. His mind went light and breezy, forgetting about everything, the chase, the hunt and General Zaroff. Everything went peaceful and Rainsford slowly drifted away. Suddenly, the peace snapped and the violent currents pushed Rainsford to the surface. Gasping in air, Rainsford struggled to stay calm as he was swept out to sea.
Pushing against the current, Rainsford’s strong arms paddled desperately in one last attempt to get back to the shore of the tiny island. Rainsford wanted nothing more than solid ground underneath his feet and decided that if he survived this experience he would never have to swim again. Fighting the current was like running uphill and it soon began to take a toll on Rainsford. He thought of himself as a strong swimmer but had never been pushed for so long against such a strong current. Stay calm, always calm, he told himself. You won’t die yet, you’re too strong. Remember all those hunts? You were always the last one to come back. You endured the toughest conditions. You can survive this! His mind furiously told him. But whatever encouraging thoughts that came into Rainsford’s head, it wasn’t enough to fight the current. His body just stopped and Rainsford drifted silently away in the roaring waters.
When Rainsford awoke, he was on the exact shore that he had first washed up upon. Feeling well rested, Rainsford slowly made his way to the Chateau. With Ivan gone and General Zaroff having dinner, it would have been an easy matter for Rainsford to slip quietly in the front door and silently up the grand staircase to General’s bedroom had it not been for the dogs standing guard. Thinking quickly, Rainsford picked up a rotting stick and threw it as far as he could. The plan worked! The dogs bolted off to the spot the stick had landed, leaving the door unguarded. Rainsford slipped past the dogs and into the great mansion. Afraid that General Zaroff might have heard the frenzy the dogs were making, Rainsford stole behind an antique vase. Sure enough, General Zaroff made his way to the door turning his back to Rainsford’s hiding place. As soon as General was out of the door, Rainsford quietly ran up into a bedroom and looked around. He had done it! Now all he had to do was find himself a hiding place...
