One Week in June | ONC2020

June 7th 12:40 PM

The water has dropped another ten degrees and it's making it harder for me to stay afloat. The ice from the shore is slowly encroaching towards the floating docks and to keep from being trapped under the frozen water, I'm forced to climb on top of one of the extremely unstable docks a good fifteen yards from the nearest piece of land.

There is a strong wind blowing the falling snow around the lake and I can feel my extremities start to freeze up from the icy gusts. I curl up into a ball on the surface of the dock, trying desperately to retain the remaining heat I have left in my body. The ice overtakes my floating friends and they're frozen in place as they half bob out of the water for the last time. Ice plows into the dock I'm on, nearly knocking me off the wooden platform and back into the semi frozen water.

I can feel my body start to shut down from the icy cold air as it freezes the water still clinging to me and my skimpy swimsuit. I never thought I'd be craving the feeling of those tight rash-guards that Mom always forced me to wear. At least they kept me warm. I think to myself as I shutter under another gust of wind.

I open my eyes, desperation clawing at my mind as I look to see how far the shore really is. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach when I realize that the lake house is nowhere to be seen. The lake house and the shore have both completely disappeared behind a thick layer of snowy haze and as I look around at my surroundings on this tiny frozen dock, I'm overwhelmed with fear. I look in every direction and all I can see is the same snowy haze. I'm isolated from the shore and any form of help while I slowly freeze to death on this semi frozen lake of ice.

"Ice." I breath out as I uncurl my body from within itself. My joints are stiff from the cold and my skin is covered with blisters from the wind. I crawl to the edge of the floating, now frozen in place, dock and reach my hand out to touch the ice. I shiver at the feeling of the cold against my skin, but continue to push on the solid ice until I'm satisfied that it'll be able to hold my weight. On shaky feet, I step off my safe platform onto the icy surface . Once my barefoot touches the frozen surface I take off in the general direction of my family's lake house, my feet slipping and sliding on the slick ice, but my will to stay upright keeps my feet firmly under me.

I look over towards the main dock where we'd had lunch just an hour before and floating above the deck is a dark, shadowy figure. It's black silhouette contrasting with the white falling snow. I can feel it's gaze on me as I waddle my way along the ice and I know if I falter, my chances of making it to safety lessens significantly. I pick up my pace as the lake house starts to appear within the snowy haze.

My feet glide naturally over the frozen water, as if some force underneath is propelling me to the safety of shore. I tumble to a stop at the edge of the shore, my foot catching on the mound of snow and I fall into the powder. I quickly stand up, my body shaking in fits of cold as I rush to the back door of my family's lake house. I burst through the door and fall onto the hardwood flooring that lines the entire first floor of the house. Just as the door swings shut I look back to see the same shadowy figure from the dock is now floating above the frozen lake, its silent omniscience sending a final shiver down my spine before the warmth of the summer house envelops me.

There's a knock from the front door twenty minutes into soaking my body in the warm bath I drew just after calling the police then my Mom. I finally have feeling back in my hands and feet, but my skin is still frostbitten and it will take a few days to heal. I race down the stairs, my sore, burnt feet aching with every step I take. Up until now, I hadn't dared to look out the window for fear that I would see the dark figure again. I open the door, anticipating a cold winter wind, but instead am met with bright sunlight and the scent of summer. I stare out into the sunshine that is pouring down onto the green, clearly not frozen, grass outside the front of my family's lake house. I step outside, oblivious to the police office that's stepped aside to let me though.

"Uh, ma'am," She clears her throat trying to get my attention as I wonder closer to the railing that lines our front porch.

"It's not snowing." I whisper, dumbfounded.

"No ma'am, it's June." I turn around and realize the confusion on her face must match my own. Of course it wouldn't be snowing, it's the middle of summer after all. But how does that explain what happened at the lake and the fact that no one else witnessed the mini snowstorm seems more improbable than the fact that it actually happened.

"No one else reported snow on the lake?" I ask, my heart dropping further into the pit of my stomach as the seconds tick by.

"No, ma'am." She crosses her arms and I can start to see her suspicion that this was a fake 9-1-1 call. "Ma'am, I received a report that the Marlow residence called for help. Were you the one that called?" I nod my head as she pulls out her notepad from a pouch on her belt. "What seems to be the problem ma'am?"

"Please, call me Reia." I start and she nods as she scribbles my name down.  I don't know how else to say it, so bluntness will just have to do, "My friends are dead." If I try to describe what happened I know I'll end up in a teary mess making no sense to the officer.

The officer's eyes widen with concern and she instructs me to show her where their bodies are. I bring her around back to the lake and I am once again shocked at how summery it actually is in comparison to the crazy snowstorm that I endured earlier. The sand and forest that borders the lake shows zero indication that snow has touched the land since the end of winter. The sky is clear and blue without a single cloud in the sky on this sunny afternoon.

"Where are your friends, Reia?" The officer prods and I force my eyes to finally look at the water. The lake is full of summer-warm, non-frozen water and is completely void of anything else; my dead friends aren't floating in the water and the shadowy figure I'd seen earlier is gone as well.

"They were in the water with me!" I exclaim and rush to the edge of the water. Every step I take on the hot sand burns my frostbitten feet until I collapse onto my knees in pain. Tears pour down my face as visions of their frozen, dead bodies float in my mind. Not only are my closest friends dead, but their bodies have completely disappeared with the snow.

"Ma'am, how did you injure yourself?" The police lady asks and I look down at my body. I'm covered in cuts and scrapes from the ice and my feet are starting to blister up from the mix of hot sand and frostbite. She leans down and examines my wounds before helping me up and bringing towards the back porch of the lake house. "Do you have a first aid kit?" She asks and I direct her to where it's located in the house. Moments later she returns with bandages, medical alcohol, and damp, warm towels to wrap around my feet and arms.

"It looks like you have enough luggage in there to move in." She jokes and tears begin to well up in my eyes again. I'd completely forgotten about their luggage scattered around the living room and bedrooms. Everyone was in such a hurry to get to the lake that the place probably looks like a mess. Now my friends' clothes are all I have left of them.

"Those are my friends' belongings." I whisper and wince as she applies the alcohol to my cuts.

"These friends left you here alone?" She asks but I shake my head no. "Then where did they go?"

"They're dead, I told you. They must have frozen to death out in the middle of the lake." I don't know if they died from the freezing water, but that's my best guess as to how they died right now. The officer eyes me, taking in the information I'm telling her a bit more seriously this time. She pulls out her flashlight and shines it in my eyes to see if I might have some sort of head injury, but we both know this isn't some sort of delusion I made up.

"Ma'am-"

"Reia."

"Reia, there hasn't been a death on Lake Kepnick in over two hundred years." We make eye contact for another minute before she sighs and pulls the notepad out of her side pouch again. "Okay, start from the beginning."