Stories from Carl's mind

Lake

Tw: Drowning, death.

As the icy cold water touched her skin, she hissed as the ice flooded through her skin and touched her bones. Taking a deep breath, she ventured further in, the freezing feel of the water getting stronger. She stopped until her feet no longer felt the rocky beach under her, she dipped her head in the water.

Closing her eyes, she felt the familiar coolness of the lake surrounding her. She swam into the water until she was forced to point her head out, feeling the refreshing feeling of air flow back into her lungs. She would normally swim in the lake, it was normal for her to do so, today was no different. Rubbing her eyes she took a look at her surroundings.

The usual look of the moon shining onto her, the same trees hanging over the water, it was comforting. Smiling to herself, she went back in, she floated in the water, getting used to the assuring frosty water. She dipped her head back up, and looked around again. The usual look of the moon shining onto her, the same trees hanging over the water. However, something was wrong.

As she looked further into the lake, she saw something floating, just like she did a few seconds ago. But instead, it was floating on the water, not in it. She squinted, trying to get a better look at it, it was something that spread out, multiple things. Long black strands that looked as freezing as the water. Determined to find out what it was, she dove back inside and started to swim, she couldn't see anything in the water.

But, when she pulled her head back up, it was still there, the same tangly branches of whatever was there. However, squinting again. She realised it looked like something familiar, something she'd see everyday. It was long, black, flowy and looked like it came from a bump. She couldn't place her finger on it. Swimming closer, she started to make out more.

That bump she saw was as white as the snow on the coldest night, those unrecognisable strands flowing from it. The bump was looking right at her, like it had eyes, like she knew it was there. She paid no mind, and swimmend even closer before poking her head out again, she was right in the middle of the lake, farthest away from any shore. And only then did she realise what she saw. It was human, it was a head, it was a hair, something was in the water and she had been following it like a moth to a flame. Its eyes pierced into her soul, small blank eyes with icy cold pupils. It was not normal, it wasn't real, it shouldn't have been real because it wasn't alive.

She turned around and swam as fast as she could away because she knew it had seen her and she knew it was following her and she knew it was dead and was not human. The ice feeling of the water used to be comforting now it was unwelcoming, trying to bring her down as she could feel a presence at her feet. She tried to swim faster but something stabbed itself into her ankle, a scream erupted from her throat.

She struggled against the force pulling her down, she could feel the skin at her ankles breaking and blood being drawn from the sharp nails tearing into her. She screamed as she could no longer fight against it, she begged the usual look of the moon to pull her out, she cried to the same trees hanging over the water to grow and give her strength. But it was all in vain, she used the last of her strength to try keeping her head in the water.

Once her body was pulled in, and she knew it was over. She turned down to look at the monster pulling her down, but like all the other times she looked. There was nothing in the water.