February had been uncommonly warm. For the first time that Helen could remember, the nights weren't too cool to sit outside after dark. One night, in celebration of the long summer they were enjoying, Helen decided to join the neighbourhood kids at the lake.
Everyone knew about the lake. The town was built nearby because it was a sign of a source of water, sorely needed in the arid landscape. Some decades later they started mining a ways out of town and the population started to grow. Now there were a few thousand permanent residents, but the population of the town had more doubled during the height of the mining boom with fly-in-fly-out workers. But the boom was fading, leaving more than a few abandoned houses.
Helen made her way through the small wood surrounding the lake, following a game track. Sunset was a couple of hours away, but she had a torch bundled up in her towel for the way back. Her parents had done the same when they were young, so they had no qualms about letting her go.
A breeze stirred up dry leaves and dirt, filling the young girl's nose with the scent of copper. She sneezed and stumbled over a large stick, dropping her belongings as she tumbled to the ground. Her hands broke her fall, leaving her palms and knees scraped by the rough ground.
"Whoa, there. You all right Helen?"
It was Jimmy Rook, a boy from her class at school. She pushed herself up and grabbed for her towel, too ashamed to look at him. "Yep! Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
"Okay," the boy shrugged, a charming grin on his golden face. "It's not far. Let's walk together."
It was true, Helen could hear the joyous shrieks and splashing in the distance. Helen the shy, bookish girl, was somewhat of an outcast. She couldn't believe Jimmy Rook was talking to her and even wanted to walk to the lake with her!
"Okay," she said and sneaked glances at him out of the corner of her eyes the whole way there.
When they arrived Jimmy's friends hailed him and he ran to greet him. Helen watched him, a wistful look on her face, brushing away the frizzy curls the hot breeze blew into her eyes. She put her towel and other belongings on a flat rock near the tree-line and peeled off the cotton dress she'd thrown over her simple one-piece swimsuit.
With a subtle glance in the direction of Jimmy, who was already in the water, splashing his friends, Helen waded out. When she got to somewhere in the middle, she floated on her back, enjoying the singing of the cicadas, the rustling of the trees and the cawing of the crows fade in and out as he ears dipped in and out of the water. Then she heard her name.
"Helen!" Jimmy was calling out to her. She pulled her head out of the water and looked at him, not replying. "Come over, we need another player for 'Fish Out of the Water'!"
Helen grinned and paddled over. Sure, she was the weakest of them all, as the others were mostly miners' kids, strong and athletic. And sure, she was mostly picked to be the odd one out in their games, while they laughed around her. But Helen was happy to be included. They played for hours, until well after the sun had slipped below the horizon. It didn't matter. The water was warm and a full moon lit up the night sky. The stars reflected on the surface of the dark lake, mirroring the sky above.
Kelly, breathless from their games, suggested something new. "How about we see who can hold their breath the longest?"
Everyone was in agreement and they swam out to the centre of the lake, the deepest point. Helen loved this game. She could hold her breath for a long time and often practiced in her bath at home.
"You in, Helen?" Jimmy was talking to her again!
"Sure," she shrugged, "Too easy."
On the count of three, they all took in a deep breath and plunged under the water. Helen shut her eyes and focused on relaxing. She loved the peace under the water. All she could hear was the rushing of her own blood in her ears and the distant sound of splashing. Every now and then there was a sound, like one of the girls shrieking above water. They were prone to shrieking. She waved her arms and legs gently, keeping herself level. Patience, she reminded herself. Every now and then, a cold patch of water would flow past her, shocking her with its icy chill.
After a minute, or perhaps more, the tightness in her chest was too much to bear. Kicking with her feet she rose to the surface and gulped in mouthfuls of fresh air. Opening her eyes, she wiped away the water trickling down her face and looked around. No doubt she had won.
The lake was empty. Her grin faded and a pit opened up in her stomach.
"Guys?" she swirled in the water, looking everywhere. "Guys! Jimmy? This isn't funny!"
She squinted at the trees on the edge of the lake. They had probably gotten out while she was still underwater and then hidden to try and scare her. Their towels and shoes were still there so they couldn't be far.
"Well, ha ha," Helen grumbled. "Fine. I guess you realised you couldn't beat me."
There was no answer. The lake was quiet, except for the sound of the water lapping against her skin. The cicadas and crows were silent. Helen's heart began to thump hard in her chest. Where the hell was everybody?
There was a chill around her feet. She must have drifted into a cold patch again. Then something gripped her leg. Helen jerked and looked down, a scream bubbling in her throat. Inky eyes started at her beneath the placid waters, long pale fingers wrapped around her ankle, the other hand reaching hungrily upwards.
The scream had barely made it out of her mouth before she was dragged under, the sound cut off.
The cicadas started to sing again, filling the warm night air with their rhythmic thrumming.
...
Aaaand, I'm back. February was essentially a right off for me. My job was so intense and I was working so much overtime that I just couldn't do anything else. I will try to have another update this month to make up for it! Thanks for reading.