The Frozen Pond Tavern

A young man looked up at the tavern. The brightly painted sign didn't match the older bar. It looked stable, but he could tell the bar needed some extra work. He pushed the urge to leave out of his head and walked into the bar.

At that moment, he understood why the bar called itself The Frozen Pond. The center of the bar was a small dance floor, looking like a sheet of ice over water. He wondered if the owners built the floor out of glass. The floor surrounding the center were shades of green and brown that made him feel like he stepped into the woods. The tables were the colors of autumn leaves, and the bar looked like a large tree stump. It made the young man think of the Great Deku Tree from The Legend of Zelda.

"You must be Edwin!" a girl approached him as he looked around. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw him. She had platinum hair tied back into a bun. She wore a little green dress. It reminded Edwin of Tinkerbell. She looked too pretty to be human.

"Are you my date?" Edwin asked.

"No, I'm just a server!" she answered, smiling brightly. "Rosaline's at the bar, waiting for you! Follow me!" The server took his hand and led him around the floor to the bar.

He didn't notice her when he walked in, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Rosaline now. Her long black hair went down to her waist. She'd tucked strands behind her ears. Her silver dress shimmered against her light skin. Edwin watched as she put her red lips against the wine glass and drank her wine like it was the best thing she'd ever drunk. When she finished, she looked at him, green eyes shining.

The server led Edwin to the barstool next to Rosaline. Up close, she had the same other-worldly look as the server. Her eyes looked greener up close than in the distance. He couldn't stop staring into them.

"You must be Edwin," Rosaline said, her voice low and sultry. "I'm Rosaline."

"Charmed," Edwin said, swearing to himself. He couldn't believe he said that. Next to her, he looked homeless in his sweater and jeans. He ran a hand through his copper hair, nervous.

"Relax, you look great," Rosaline said. "Here, I'll order you a drink." She waved her hand, and the Tinkerbell-like server came back with a glass of wine. Edwin and Rosaline clinked glasses and drank, gazing in one another's eyes.

"You're more beautiful than I imagined," Edwin said. The wine tasted sweet, and he felt his head lighten.

"Well, thank you," Rosaline smiled. "It might be the wine talking. It has that effect on men."

"What else does this wine do?" Edwin asked.

"It's how I get my dates to relax," she said. "And then I can ask as many interesting questions as I want. It makes these dates more interesting."

"Is it like Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth?" Edwin asked.

"Let's find out," Rosaline smiled. Edwin thought he saw a flicker of something with her smile. Was it malicious? Was it mischevious?

"Tell me, Edwin," Rosaline said, "What are you afraid of?"

"That's easy," Edwin said, "Heights. They terrify the hell out of me. I can't even climb a ladder without freezing!"

"It takes practice," Rosaline smiled, "Here is my next question. Have you ever been unfaithful?"

"No," Edwin answered, "But I have had girlfriends break up with me for staying in contact with exes. After the third one, I learned to never stay in contact with your ex if you don't need to be."

"A lesson everyone needs to learn," Rosaline replied. "Final question. What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Edwin blinked. This woman didn't flinch at anything he said. He didn't think anything he said sounded awful, but they're not the kinds of things people talk about on the first date. Maybe telling this story now won't scare her off.

"I nearly killed my last girlfriend," Edwin confessed. "She played a harmless prank on me. I don't remember what she did. And it pissed me off. So I made food and slipped a laxative in it. I didn't know she was allergic. She ended up in the ER, and I nearly killed her. So I went to Anger Management and started trying to work on my temper."

Rosaline took another sip of her wine. She closed her eyes for a beat and opened them again. The sight of her eyes made Edwin's heart skip a beat.

"Is that the only time you hurt that girl?" Rosaline asked. Edwin felt a chill up his spine and he looked around. The bar looked empty when he first walked inside. Now, it looked like many people watched Rosaline and Edwin as they talked.

"Edwin," Rosaline said, "Is that the only time you hurt that girl?"

"No," Edwin said. "I treated her terribly."

"I see," Rosaline said thoughtfully. She waved her hand in the bar, and the Tinkerbell server came back with another drink. Rosaline handed it to Edwin. He took the cup and sipped. The light-headed feeling was stronger.

"Edwin," Rosaline said, "look at the pond. What do you see?" Edwin felt his body stand and move to the center of the room. It looked more and more like a frozen pond the closer he walked. He looked inside and saw a woman looking back at him. Her red hair covered part of her face, but he could see the tears in her brown eyes.

"It's her," Edwin said.

"Are you aware of the damage you caused her?" Rosaline asked. Edwin couldn't answer her.

"This girl may never trust anyone again," Rosaline explained. "Your anger destroyed her future. And she will never be the same again. You deserve to be punished."

Edwin wasn't aware of Rosaline's presence until he felt her hand on his back. She pushed him, hard, Edwin felt himself falling forward, the floor disappearing as he fell through the pond-like floor. The moment he fell through, he felt his heart break. An heaviness went through his body, and Rosaline watched as his body disappeared beneath the pond.

"Now, you will feel her pain," Rosaline said. She turned around and walked back to the bar, ordering another drink.

Three days later

A young woman walked into the Frozen Pond Tavern. Her brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Her green eyes scanned the bar for her sister.

Rosaline stood behind the bar, wiping the top and organizing the drinks on the shelf. She didn't notice the woman until she sat down in front of Rosaline. Rosaline smiled at the sight of her.

"Ursula!" Rosaline greeted. "How is my baby sister?"

"I've been busy these days," Ursula says, "Have you had another client recently?"

"A few days ago, yeah," Rosaline said.

"Crap," Ursula said. "A man was reported missing yesterday, and he sounds like the type of men you get paid to take care of."

"Poor man," Rosaline shrugged.

"It's getting harder to cover for you, you know," Ursula told her. "There's a new police chief at the station, and this one's got way more questions than the last guy."

"Then bring him my way," Rosaline suggested. "Then, once I've taken care of him, you can be the new police chief."

"I'm still working on it," Ursula said. "How long is this one going to be gone for this time?"

"He hasn't started begging yet," Rosaline said, "so I'll give it about a week or two. Then he'll be back and changed. And that girl's sister will be another satisfied customer."

"All right," Ursula said. "Hopefully, the chief won't figure out we're related."

"I'll take care of him if he does," Rosaline smiled. She gave her sister a can of Diet Coke.

"Thanks, Rosaline," Ursula embraced her sister, then walked out of the bar.