A Metamorphosis by Amanda Crum
The lake was dark and cold .
He stood ankle-deep , watching her swim out . She dove under once , her bare bottom shining in the moonlight like a beacon , and resurfaced with a splash and a laugh ; the cold didn ’ t bother her . It was the heat she couldn ’ t stand , said it made breathing hard .
When she got to where the water hit her waist , she stopped and stood up , leaving her back to him . Her shoulder blades arched and curved into ragged angel-wing shadows as she moved her hands lightly across the surface of the water . He imagined her digging her toes into the soft silt below . The lake was hers , same as her favorite coffee mug or the constellation of freckles on her right thigh . It didn ’ t matter that they ’ d been staying at the cabin for less than a week . She and it had found one another .
It wasn ’ t the place he would have chosen to get to know her . Black trees grew out of the water some fifty yards out , reaching withered fingers toward the moon . He counted five of them , standing silent sentry . Watching .
He waded in deeper , trying not to wince at the cold , and made his way to her . Weeping willows circled the lake , dipping their branches into the water here and there . The wind woke their leaves in a hushed flurry , sending a shiver through him . Halloween was a week away .
85