Coral Lake

Chapter One Part Two

It was a few hours until Stacy finally stopped the car "We're here" Stacy called out breaking the lovely trip to memory lane, Stephanie was still smiling now jumping out the car that was parked only three minutes away from her mother's new home. She stood in place and stretched her arms above her head with a stretch "I can't wait to see mum I missed her so much" Stephanie was saying as they started to walk up the dirt path that was still a lot cleaner then where she lived, she was so used to seeing cigarette butts or cans of beer in the middle of the street that it was so nice to see such clean, quiet area ''I know me too, wait can you hear that'' Stacy responded as they walked near the cabin that their mother gave them the directions to. "Where is mum?" she said "She said she would wait for us here" Stacy's asked looking confused and slightly concerned "Don't worry she's probably inside you know what mums like she'd be cleaning or cooking or even wearing a green face mask" Stephanie was controlling her voice making it sound like she wasn't worried like her sister but for some reason she felt a sinking feeling in the put of her stomach, something was not right, she knew that mother never let them down if she said she would be there usually she would but that wasn't going to play on Stephanie's mind there had to be an explanation she obviously just got side tracked. They walked towards the cabin that was already open which meant there mother already went outside which in Stephanie's mind seemed unusual as there mother knew they was coming so why would she go round the back instead of her usual ritual when her girls was coming to visit. "Mother" Stacy called out; her voice started to become shaky she was thinking the same as Stephanie mother would never go outside if she was expecting them, it was beyond worrying. Stephanie hands began to shake until the smell of stewing beef  and vegetables hit her nostrils with the scent of something that made her mouth water. Stephanie gripped her sisters hand and smiled "Can you smell that? sees that's stew, she's here somewhere" Stephanie reassured her sister as she pulled her towards the kitchen really hoping her mother was inside stirring the stew.

Thirty minutes later and Stephanie or Stacy still couldn't find their mother, they looked upstairs in every room and downstairs,  they screamed all that time for there mother both of them panicking after they could not see her anywhere. Stephanie and Stacy even looked all around coral lake but couldn't find her anywhere, this now made Stephanie panic. "She's gone to the shop that's where she's gone she probably didn't have all the ingredients for the stew you know" Stacy was now reassuring Stephanie as they sat with a hot cup of tea in their hand waiting for their mother. "Maybe, it's just strange for mum to leave it to the last minute she always check the day before to make sure she's got everything" Stephanie sat back and laid her head on the soft leather chair, a tear rolled down her cheek, she was thinking the worst, what if mother hurt herself and she was all alone Stephanie was thinking and it wasn't long till Stacy knew what she was thinking. "Stephanie mother isn't stupid she'll be here, like I said she's gone to the shops and they are like twenty minutes away from here so you know she could be just looking around" Stacy's voice was still quiet her short dark hair covering her one eye, but this didn't convince Stephanie, something was not right and she knew it, "I'm going to get some air" Stephanie said as she stood up with the warm cup in her hand. Stephanie was now standing there on the dock looking out to the beautiful water in the lake, it was peaceful so quiet and relaxing, standing there would melt your mind in staying calm, it bought back memories on where her and Stacy was children playing in the cold water, splashing her father with the water, she smiled to herself remembering her father, Stephanie was only five when he died and poor Stacy couldn't even remember him. She hated that a great father like he was died so young, poor Stacy couldn't even remember him which was another reason why they were so close with each. They had each other to keep the other sane, there mother was the perfect woman, she never argued with her father, They had nothing but beautiful memories. They hardly argued and never said anything cruel to one another which made Stephanie proud to be a Roland, she may not have the best job but she has the best family. Stephanie's smile grew bigger and her worries were getting less and less until she saw the figure in the water, Stephanie didn't know what it was but it definitely looked human which made her get on her knees and put her tea down staring into the depths of the water. Stephanie screamed out "Stacy get here quickly" she screamed even louder turning her head to see Stacy run towards her in panted breaths.  "What is it?" she asked putting her hands on her knees as she took in a lungful of air,  she looked up at her with those emerald eyes confused "There's something in the water" Stephanie answered as she pointed to the figure, it was defiantly human just from the shape that hovered on the surface, "Don't be silly it might just be a log or something" Stacy was saying as she grabbed her phone and switched on the flashlight which was when Stephanie screamed. "Mum" she shouted as she grabbed the arm of her cold grey mother and pulled her to the dock her eyes swimming with tears that streamed down her cheeks. Stacy stood there completely in shock, her eyes became like glass as tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Stephanie pull there mother onto the dock. Her mother was still wearing her yellow striped pyjamas but this time they was soaked from the lake, her silky dark hair was stuck to her face which made Stephanie move it out of the way, she had a massive cut across her mother's head dried blood was stuck to her face, her eyes wide open showing them white and lifeless. Stephanie cried even harder as she pulled her mother into her lap "phone an ambulance" Stephanie croaked to her sister who was crying just as hard as Stephanie, "okay" Stacy whispered as she wiped her cheeks and started dialling walking back towards the cabin, "Hello.. yes ambulance please" Stacy voice was disappeared the only thing that could be heard was Stephanie crying and begging her mother not to leave her. 

Twenty minutes later an ambulance came and took their mother away, Stephanie and Stacy were crying in each other's arms, both of them holding each other for comfort. They now only had each other and right now they needed one another to remove the ache in there hearts. "Sorry for your loss, but I need to know what happened" A young police officer was standing there facing Stephanie and Stacy, he was wearing a full uniform but Stephanie couldn't take him serious, he only looked the same age as her twenty seven. I suppose she was used to the police officers near her the ones that looked in their forty's and older. Stephanie told Officer Jones everything that happened. When they came to the cabin, how they looked for their mother because they were worried and about the body of their mother in the water but this didn't stop Stacy asking "Is it murder?" the young officer didn't answer straight away instead he looked at her with concern "Stacy" Stephanie whispered to her in a serious tone, she knew what her sister was like, just says what she thinks and Stephanie admired that of her sister but this wasn't the time for it Stephanie thought "At the moment we don't know but it does just look like an accident" Officer Jones responded in his most professional voice and sympathetic one he could muster "Then what about the cut on her head?" Stacy asked again as she wiped tears from her cheek "That could have been when she hit her head going down. Look don't worry we will know soon and I personally will let you know" He smiled and rubbed a hand on Stacy's arm, then walked away. It was now eleven o'clock at night and Stephanie was sitting in her mother's cabin in coral lake, they couldn't go home none of them was fit enough to drive so they decided to stay there. Stephanie really didn't want to but she had to think about her sister and Stacy wanted to, I suppose it reminded her of her mother. Stephanie walked to the window watching the moon and the stars in the sky "I love you mum" Stephanie whispered to herself as a tear trickled down her cheek, she went to turn and go to bed and was about to turn towards the stairs until she saw something run past, she turned and looked again but nothing was there. She wiped her eyes and looked again and this time she saw a small boy, he had dirty blonde hair and a ripped shirt, he was only about six or seven, she couldn't see anything else because he was on the deck where she found her mother, she carried on looking and noticed he was crying. "What's a young lad sitting on his own for?" She told herself as she went towards the front the door. "Are you okay?" She called out to the night not seeing anything but the black waves hit the blood stained wood. It seemed the lad had run off, how can he disappear so quick?. It didn't take her ten seconds to get to the door, but she just shrugged and headed to bed but not before she stood for a while in confusion.