Blue Waters

It was a hot summer day. The air was dry, and the grass had that peculiar smell like it was about to set ablaze. The local children were splashing and playing in the lake nearby, as my grandmother was hanging out the washing with her hard, slender hands. She had greying, shoulder-length hair and wore a faded floral dress. She loved summer. It held memories of happier times, and was when her husband was away hunting. She looked out over the golden field and breathed a deep sigh of relief,

'Oh, what a beautiful day.'

She picked up her straw washing basket and went into the humble house. The kettle was newly boiled, so she poured herself a cup of tea, and popped her feet up on the couch (something she would never do if her husband were home). She had just opened the morning newspaper when there was a thud at the door. And then again. She got up and cautiously went to the door,

'Whose there?'

A small voice came through the crack,

'Sorry miss, I'm scared and don't know where else to go, can I please come in?'

My grandmother opened the door to a young blonde woman who looked frightened and disheveled. She welcomed her inside,

'What's happened love, are you OK?'

'I'm really scared, someone is coming after me and I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do, please help me, please...'

The young woman burst into tears.

'There, there, it's OK, what's your name?'

'My name is Kat, I'm sorry I came here.'

'What happened to you?'

'OK, well, I was out walking this morning, when a car pulled up beside me. There were three young men inside who all got out and started talking. They were lost and weren’t sure where the nearest swimming hole was. I told them to head to Blue Waters, since it wasn’t too far, and it’s such a lovely spot for a morning swim. They didn’t know how to get there and asked if I’d be interested in going for a swim too. They said they were from the local university and were studying forestry. When I peered inside the van, I saw three really sweet looking young hippies, all long hair and board-shorts. I didn’t see any problem showing them where Blue Waters was, and besides, it was starting to get blisteringly hot and I wanted to go for a swim. I jumped in the car and led them to the spot. We were laughing and they offered me a beer and some pot. I took a drag and my head started to spin. I remember the clear blue waters glistening like a carpet of diamonds under the high yellow sun. I got out of the car, when I was grabbed by the shoulder and forced onto the dusty mud of the shoreline. The other two jumped into the water and pulled me by my arms until my head was half submerged. And then it happened… It felt like a dream, a painful waking nightmare, as they took turns, while my head bobbed over and under the blue water… I can hear the laughter, I can feel them hurting me, I can feel...'

The sun was falling crimson over the field and the children had stopped playing by the lake. Kat fell into a pool of tears as my grandmother’s arms came around her,

‘I’m so sorry this happened to you, they can’t get you now, we’ll go to the police and I’ll help you, I’m so sorry love, so sorry…’

A pounding came at the door. And again - pound, pound, pound. My grandmother wrapped Kat up in a blanket and told her to hide in the cupboard, as she went to answer the door. She opened it slightly, and said,

‘Who are you and what do you want?’

Two young men, one stocky, the other slender, looked up at her and one said,

‘We’re looking for our friend, she ran off on us, she’s a little bit crazy, we need to find her before she does something to herself. Have you seen her around?'

My grandmother looked them in the eye and said,

‘Never seen her, I would suggest going down to the lake over yonder where the children play.’

The stocky young man replied,

‘Are you sure you never seen her, cause we reckon she would’ve knocked on the first house she saw, she’s really like that, just thinks she can talk to anyone.'

‘Nope sorry, my husband will be back soon, so excuse me, I have dinner to cook.'

The slender young man, shoved the door slightly further ajar and looked inside.

‘Alright, let’s go, she must’ve run down to the lake, if we can’t find her we'll come back to check again, it’s very important that we find her.’

As my grandmother closed the door, she turned to see Kat sitting on the couch smoking with a long-haired man. Kat looked up at her with a wide grin and said;

‘Sorry mame.’

As the two young men came in through the backdoor. My grandmother, shocked, stood there like a stunned mallet.

Kat continued,

‘I’m sorry, don’t worry, we won’t hurt you much, since you’re so nice, we’ll lock you in the cupboard and just take every little thing we want.’

The two young men grabbed her hands and put her into the cupboard. Through the crack she could see them overturning tables, rummaging through the drawers, and trashing the house. The older man with long hair said;

‘Let’s get out of here, there’s nothing here, and remember, no winkers.'

As the shorter, stockier one came back inside with a petrol can from the garden shed. He started pouring liberally around the house as Kat cackled and jumped up and down. She lit a cigarette and took a deep breath, leant over and blew smoke through the slim crack in the cupboard door;

‘Soz grandma.'

Kat turned and giggled as she slammed the back door. Smoke started to climb the walls and ceiling. My grandmother struggled and banged at the hardwood cupboard door, screaming out;

‘Help! Help! Somebody help me! Please somebody! Anybody, help me!’

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To this day, it is said that you can hear my grandmother screaming over the Blue Waters, as the sun burns crimson upon a purple sky.