The Lone Girl
[ by Kamola Khaitova ]
She watched the water trickle down from between her fingers and she kept her head hung low. All around her were the sounds of the rustling of leaves as the wind started blowing with a new vigour. Her cropped, black hair hung over her face, darker than the night around her. The air was suffocating, thick with moisture and far off in the distance, a cry of a bird echoed, ricocheting off the rotting, gnarled trees.
She heard her heart in her ears and felt it reverberate through her fingertips as she wiped her hands on her filthy pants. She slowly raised her head and pursed her lips. Her breathing came out in shallow gasps and she forced it through her nostrils, willing herself to stay calm. The girl turned her hands over and over and watched as they multiplied and shook.
Raising her eyes, shelooked through her hair and scanned the vast expanse of the lake. It was wide and long, farther than she could hope to see and farther than she could possibly swim. Dark trees towered overhead, bowing over the lake; haunting moonlight reflected off the surface of the lake - it glimmered devilishly, glaring back into her eyes, almost through her. Threatening, skeletal shadows were cast across the surface of the lake slithering closer and closer.
*
She remembered the time when the sun shone golden, sending diamonds dancing on top of the lake. She remembered the children laughing with shrill, jocular voices as they sent the water flying like fairies in the spring. She remembered clouds – that looked softer than the softest bed of flowers in the summer – floating in the lake in the sky. The lake smiled at her bright blue sister, the sky, with waves and a joyous grin and the sky grinned back, content with watching the children play.
But now, all that remained was: a static, dark lake, dad leaves slinking along like whispers. Suddenly, a clap of thunder sent her reeling back to reality and a raindrop landed on her nose. Across the lake a grey, ominous fog glided across the water like a snake on the prowl. A foreboding sense of dread creeped it’s way along her skin in the form of a chilly breeze. The hair on the back of her neck stood to attention, alert like her ears and her stance. She slowly stood, never taking her eyes off the horizon. It was dark and cold and hard to see but she felt it.
Something. Hidden. Oncoming. Waiting.
The girl squinted into the fog and ran a finger through her grubby hair. She cautiously turned to look around herself and found fog lurking behind trees and bushes, edging closer towards her. Her vision was consumed by grey, surrounding her quickly. Far too quickly. Making its way rapidly across the lake. Another far-off cry of a bird jolted her. She looked towards the sky at more blackness. More nothingness. Where was it coming from?
Dark shapes shifted in the fog, jumping, falling, standing stock-still. Every breath created an icy cloud. Fear started creeping to the surface, but she pushed it down and braced herself as the fog started enveloping her from all sides. Fear was a choice. The fog came closer and closer. She stood alone.
And then the fog consumed her.
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