Kari's Drabbles

Frozen Heart

Her lungs felt like they were on fire as they begged for air. She found another hole in the ice to stick her nose and mouth through to gain some air. Another person walked by where she was gasping for oxygen. She would have asked for help, but she knew it was hopeless at this point. She sank back into the water, watching feet pass. She pressed her hand against the ice and started to move to another spot where there might be a larger hole for her to get through. She watched fish swim by, unaffected by her presence. Her heart was pounding hard enough that she could hear it in her ears, but she'd been under long enough that she'd gotten used to the freezing water. In fact, she was practically numb to it.
She found another small crack in the ice, and stuck her face up through it. Her intervals of gasping for air were getting longer. She was building the power of her lungs, and she hadn't even realized it. Though they still burned, even when she did gain some air.
She stared up through the ice, a thought suddenly striking her. Why was she so desperately trying to stay afloat? What was the point of this kind of existence? She pressed her forehead against the ice. She was just holding off the inevitable. Maybe it would just be easier to let go. She closed her eyes, thinking for a few minutes about her options. She could give in and let the water claim her, or she could continue to struggle against it and gain nothing.
Opening her eyes, she made her choice. If she could have cried, she would have. She opened her mouth as if to breathe in some air, but instead, her lungs greeted the water. The burning started to ebb away, and turn lukewarm. She stopped kicking her feet, and let her hands fall to her sides.
She felt her heart slow, and she started to feel weightless. She watched the sun through the ice, as her body began to sink. Black appeared around the edge of her vision as the sun floated away. Her lungs felt cold now, almost as if the water had changed her internal temperature. She closed her eyes, and let nothingness overcome her.
She didn't even notice as someone grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the water. The person shouted at her, trying to get her to respond, but they sounded miles away. She felt cold. She never realized how much the water had become a comfort to her. Without its embrace, the world was cold. She ran to the nothingness, not wanting to go back. It wrapped around her like a blanket. She nuzzled into it, finally feeling like she was home.