Merged By Murders

Chapter One

Chapter One

"No way! That's too funny man!" an unfamiliar voice cried out between fits of laughter. Glancing up at the person who spoke, I tried to not let it annoy me. The unknown boy sat casually on a tartan blanket, one arm slung carelessly around a blond girl who was also giggling away, and the other arm was clutching a bottle of what I guessed to be cheap alcohol. The park, at where they sat, was at the other end of the street to me. Obviously, he was not even trying to keep his voice quiet.

I turned back to face the lake in front of me. In spring, it was littered with startlingly yellow ducklings; in summer, it teemed with dragonflies and bees; in autumn, it was home to fallen leaves, abandoned kites and the lone moor hen that swam around aimlessly, right now, however, it was a frozen, black pool. No sign of life could ever be seen scuttling across it's icy top. It was abandoned, disliked, ugly: the way I liked it best.

I took a step towards it and the snow crunched underneath my boots, stained with mud and dried leaves. If only I could stay out here, forever alone but forever happy. Gingerly, I tested the ice with my foot and when I deemed it strong enough to hold my weight, I set off across it's slippery surface. My goal was to reach the lake's centre - as it always was every winter - but as I advanced forwards another step, my back leg buckled and I collapsed onto the ice. Then I heard it.

Crack!

My heart stopped as my eyes snapped down to the gash in the ice that was rapidly expanding, more smaller cracks severed the glazed water and I swore. In less than a second, I swivelled round onto my hands and knees, prepared to crawl away. No way was I risking standing. No, it was better if proportioned my weight into four body parts rather than two. More splits occurred in the ice and each pierced through my flesh with a knife that was varnished with fear and despair. I started to crawl, urging myself forward, desperate to escape my watery doom. The cracks were catching up, faster and faster until they were past me. With a shriek of terror, I stopped, looking for ways to get past, but to my horror, I saw that behind me the murky water had swallowed away the ice and was slowly lapping up onto the remaining solid structure. I froze, too scared to even move a muscle.

And it got closer.

And closer.

Suddenly, the ice underneath me gave way and I became a victim to the freezing water below. It flooded my nose, my ears. It clawed its way into my mouth, despite my sealed lips, and dived down my throat, suffocating me. With my eyes scrunched shut, I flapped my arms and kicked my legs furiously, determined to break to the surface again and not be condemned to the demonic water that laughed cruelly at my frantic attempts for freedom.

I hit my head on a layer of ice above me, so raising my fists, I banged upon it, I smacked, slapped, slashed but it remained a solid layer. Gradually, I became weary. I stopped fighting for my life, what was the point? I was unconditionally trapped and a peaceful cloud of haze was claiming me. I began to relax, adjusting my body for eternal rest; my arms billowed out, my head drifted backwards...

In an instant, my amicable demise was gone.

Laughter, smiles, squeals of delight; all these things burst from my lips like a horde of fluttering butterflies escaping into the sky.

"Higher Daddy! Higher!" I yelled, kicking my legs back and forth. My yellow dress floated out around me. Daddy and I, we looked picture perfect.

I spasmed as the scene in my mind switched.

"If you don't stop now, Princess, it'll be smothered!" Dad proclaimed, a grin etching his lips.

"No, no! I want it completely covered! Everyone loves pink icing, Dad." I explained, grinning back at him. In the spur of the funny moment, I flicked my knife at him, splattering the sticky goo across his nose. My smile slid off my face as my father's smile broadened. Grabbing my waist, he hauled me over his shoulder and tickled my toes.