'River Finds' by Lisa Williams

We were on the banks of the Thames. We’d needed a license. It was our first attempt and I don’t think I’d do it again. My friend immediately found a Victorian ring and some pottery. I was jealous of her finds. I’d found a ring as well. It was glinting in the silt; that’s why I went over. It looked like a bundle of damp muddy clothes near them, there was a bag too. It all became quite surreal almost immediately so I don’t think I can even describe my finds. The police arrived quickly, they surrounded the whole area just as the reporters arrived. We were moved back to the road but had to wait to leave our details. They think she’d been in the water a while. There was quite a smell.