The Pond

It was early in the morning. The sun hadn’t risen yet and the sky was a deep medium blue. The moon was still out, bathing the town in a soft ambient light. A blanket of fog was on the ground, giving everything an ominous air. Last night’s rain dripped rhythmically from the eaves of the house. Lila made her way softly down the front steps, the only sound coming from the gentle swishing of her nightgown. Drip, drip, swish. Drip, drip, swish. She put her foot down slowly to avoid a squelching sound as her feet made contact with the mud. The moisture seeped through her socks, making her feet clammy. The thick fog made her hair frizz and her nightgown cling to her legs. She shivered from the cold. Squelch, squelch, squelch, went her feet. Swish, swish, swish, came her nightgown. She made her way to the cobblestone road. Where will I go today? she asked herself automatically. She paused, waiting for the mechanical answer of, back inside, but it didn’t come. Instead, she heard, to the pond. Without hesitation, she turned to the left and walked silently to the pond. Her footfalls came in soft thuds, rather than squelches. She walked about a mile out. Thud, thud, swish. Thud, thud, swish.

The sun had risen slightly, making everything just a bit lighter. The fog grew thicker as she grew closer. When she reached the edge of the pond, she stopped and stood completely still. Thump...thump...thump, thump, THUMP! came her heartbeat. It rang in her ears, but her trance-like state did not allow her to acknowledge the feeling of dread. The water looked black and the surface was covered in algae and scum. Quietly, she removed her muddy socks and stepped into the water.

The soft splash as the water received her broke the dead silence. Her nightgown billowed in the water around her. She walked along the bottom of the pond towards the center until it was too deep. The voice in her head compelled her to go on. The fog grew thicker until she couldn’t see anything immediately in front of her. Still she was drawn towards the middle. She reached the center and was surrounded by fog. Stop, the voice told her. She stayed in the middle, treading water, waiting for her next command.

Suddenly, the trance was broken. She looked around herself, confused. Where am I? How did I get here? she asked herself. Her heart began to pound in her ears, thump, thump, THUMP! She began to tread water faster, swish, swish, SWISH! She was overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom. Her breath came faster haaa...hooo, haa, hooo, haahoo, HAAHOO! Tears streamed down her face as she looked frantically for a way out of the fog. She became dizzy from hyperventilation and the world spun around her. Suddenly, CLAMP! Something grabbed her leg. She looked down, but the water was too dark to see through. She panicked and began to kick at the unseen force. The more she struggled, the tighter the thing gripped her leg. She felt something hard and sharp dig into her ankle. She cried out in pain. The thing began to drag her under, jerking her leg until it seemed it would be pulled out of its socket. She fought to stay above the water. The waves she had created with her struggling lapped up against her face, filling her mouth and nose. She coughed and did her best to spit it all out. It tasted metallic. She looked down for a brief moment and saw that the blackened water was tinted with red. Realizing it was her own blood, she screamed and thrashed harder. She managed to free herself for a split second -- just enough time to catch a breath -- before the thing grabbed on again. She felt the hard sharp objects tear through her leg as it dragged her beneath the waves that she had formed. She fought her way back to the surface just long enough to catch her breath, before she was yanked back under, her mouth filling with bloody water. She fought again, harder than she had before, kicking and thrashing, fighting to stay alive.

Suddenly, she was released. She swam back up to the surface and looked around. The fog had somewhat dissipated and she could see the bank. She was lightheaded from adrenaline and loss of blood, but managed to swim towards shore. She was about to reach out and pull herself up onto the ground when she felt a prickly sensation on the back of her neck. Her heart beat in her ears, thump, thump, thump, and her stomach dropped. The voice reentered her head. Come back, it whispered. She was overpowered and fell back into a trance. She turned around and began to swim back, but another voice -- her own -- broke through. No! Swim to shore! Now! she told herself. Come back, the voice came again, trying to regain control over her. “NO!” she screamed aloud. She turned again toward the shore and swam back. She dug her hands into the muddy bank and hauled herself up onto it. She successfully pulled the damaged leg out of the water. It felt numb and everything past her knee was entirely shredded. As she examined it, she felt the thing grab her other leg. She felt herself being pulled back in, so she dug her hands deep into the earth, clawing at it to anchor herself. She fought against the thing, pulling herself farther onto the land. As she did so, she saw what clamped on to her leg. It was a hand. A human hand, with greyish skin, and long, sharp nails. She watched it tear into her flesh and screamed. At the sound of her scream a head came rising out of the water. It’s hair was long and dark and its eyes, cold and piercing in their hollow sockets. Her own eyes widened as the head retreated back under the surface. It jerked her leg once more and with a final effort, she pulled against it with all her might. She heard her bones snap and gasped in pain. She pulled herself from the water, her leg hanging limp. She dragged herself through the mud, gasping and panting until she reached the cobblestone road.