Call Me Pretty

Chapter Four | Walking Thin Ice

WINTER

Chapter Four

Walking Thin Ice

            Winter was slipping into the days, wrapping everyone in a chilly cocoon of snow and spices, evergreen and mistletoe. By mid November the Black Lake was frozen over with frost, looking like lace over a dark dress; Dom toed the thin edges thoughtfully, her black boot tapping and tapping-she wasn’t sure if it would break or not.

Dom had always loved winter. Christmas had been her favourite holiday her whole life, with the snow and the cookies, how her family seemed to be in every corner; the Burrow nearly bursting. Happiness oozed, it was impossible to feel unhappy-yet Dom always felt a little hollow after Christmas and New Years ended, she returned to school and the Christmas tree came down.

Now the hollow feeling was always there, and Christmas had barely begun.

The wind picked up her hair, blowing it around her face as she continued to toe the ice; she wanted to walk on it, to edge slowly onto the surface and see ho long it took the ice to break. It only took a wriggle of curiosity in her gut; a sudden need for a taste of danger-she would come off after a few seconds.

Inching onto the ice, Dom caught her breathe as her boots slipped; she stretched her hands out, cloak shifting around her legs. Something about the thrill of being so close to a breaking point-not even an inch away from the cold waters- made Dom braver.

She took a step farther. And another, and another.

Holding her breathe, Dom stood straighter and looked across the expanse of ice; it was beautifully terrifying. Another tentative step closer and she would be at least a metre from the edge now; an accomplishment, something she’d done that was dangerous and perfect and thrillingly hazardous.

“Dominique!”

The sound of her name sent Dom to turn around, but just as she did a sharp crack echoed across the lake and the ice broke apart. Before Dom could even grab for her wand, or try to move, she fell through the crack with a strangled scream.

Dark water enveloped her, and suddenly the thrill evaporated and fear replaced it-downright heart numbing fear rocketed through her as fillets of light came through the ice, barely thwarting the darkness surrounding her. The crack she had fallen through had disappeared, all there was to be seen was ice and water in every direction; she could hear singing vibrating from the depths of the lake, and Dom screamed.

As her lungs began to burst, her mind fogged and the world seemed to grow fuzzy at the edges the watery world around her exploded. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open as her body begged for air, her limbs growing weaker as she struggled to keep consciousness.

Something slimy was tugging at her ankle, and Dom looked down, another scream scrambling up her throat; a Selkie (a Scottish mermaid) was singing a haunting tune as it tugged her deeper into the lake. Just as Dom began to accept she would never have the light of day touch her skin again, she felt a firm grip on her wrist.

Looking up, she just caught a flash of steely blue before she inhaled a gush of icy water, her vision going black.