Before moving away from the small coastal village where I spent my childhood and former years I knew a mysterious girl named Dover Anthem
She was considered odd by many as she could often be found combing the beach for the lost treasure of pirates or swimming alone in the sea
For some reason she and I grew close and we spent a great of time together exploring the white cliffs and searching for spent ordnance at the abandoned rifle range
When the months were hot we would spent hours swimming in the sea
Our close friendship (we were never lovers) ended when I moved to London to seek my fortune
I asked her to come with me but she could not be persuaded to leave the village
When I visited my parents I always found time to swim with Dover Anthem but our relationship had changed
It was more distant
As I became more successful my visits became less frequent and soon our sparse correspondence faded altogether
My parents aged and became frail so they moved inland and I did not visit my village for over twenty years and when I did so it was to purchase a grand house with extensive views of the sea
But things had changed
The village had grown bigger and was busier
I tried to capture my former years
But Dover Anthem was nowhere to be found
I made extensive enquiries but each answer was vacant
Nobody had any memories of my dear friend
Only a fisherman out of Deal vaguely remembered her swimming in the sea and collecting stones from the beach
But his memory was fading
He supposed that she might have drowned (for she swam each day) or had fallen from the white cliffs
But I found no trace of any tragic events in the parish records
There was an entry about a channel swimmer fair of complexion who was found on the beach one morning greased up and preparing to swim to France
But the church papers did not record whether she reached her destination or not
On even if she ever returned
As the years passed I could be quite often be found fishing from the crumbling sea wall
I would search the waves for my former friend and would occasionally see her swimming near the great white cliffs
But she would not come close to my station
We would wave but never speak
For our friendship was by now quite silent