This Isn’t In Your Head

The moisture of the mist enveloping her swimsuit-clad body was so cold, yet so inviting. She let it grasp her, engulfing her with it's strange brightness that felt so dark. 

The deck was numbing and wet, but she didn't mind it. So young, so naive, she didn't know that you could catch a cold. 

She looked out at the water but she couldn't see more than five feet in front of the dock. She desperately tried to feel the fog, as she did the clouds on a sunny day, trying to run her fingers through it but no matter how high on her tippy-toes, she could never reach. How sad it was, she could not reach, so she gave up. 

She sat back down, this time with her toes in the chilling water. It was so still, which felt wrong to her, so she swung her legs back and forth, making rings in the undisturbed water and splashing all about.

Touch it with your hand

She did.

Child, aren't you thirsty?

Now that she thought about it, she was a little parched. She scooped a handful of water from the somewhat clear water and drank it before it could drip through her fingers. 

It doesn't taste very good, does it?

No, it tasted a little froggy.

You should not have done that. 

But the girl didn't understand. "Didn't you just tell me to?"

Yes, the raspy voice responded. But it was not wise.

"Why would you tell me to do something that wasn't wise?"

How wise are most the decisions you make? She wasn't very old, barely seven, but she had quite a complex mind for her age. She tried to understand what the voice was saying, but she felt like she was missing the concept. "I dunno. I'm only seven."

Seven. That's old enough to wish for something more than what you have in life.

"I guess." She was never a very talkative girl, always alone and staring into space. "I like to daydream. Do you?" She looked out into the seemingly empty fog with curiosity.

Yes, I dream quite a lot. What do you think of the water? Is it inviting?

"It looks cold. I don't want to be cold. It's already pretty cold up here," she said, furrowing her brow. "Are you in the water?" She stared into the dreamy Lethe, awaiting an answer. 

Yes, answered a different voice, this one male. We are here. 

"I'm here too, see?" The girl flailed about her arms, making a funny face and sticking out her tongue. She giggled into the silence.

Why don't you come in the water with us? It's a lonely down here. We want to play. It's not cold. This time it's a boy's voice, a few years older than the girl.

"Okay." She began to dip her legs into the water, but suddenly pulled out. "It is cold! Liars." 

No, trust us, it's not cold once you get in, said the male voice again. She felt unbelieving, but slid into the water anyway, shuddering. 

Now put your head under the water where it's warm. She shut her eyes so tightly it hurt and took an enormous gulp of air before forcing herself under the water. 

Open your eyes. She didn't want to. She had always been afraid of opening her eyes under water.

Open them, said the female voice, the one she heard before, the raspy one who's pitch went up at the end of each sentence. She thought that was strange, because just the other day her teacher was telling the class that when you asked a question, your voice went up. She still didn't understand why, though.

Open your eyes! yelled the male. Then you can see us. We want to play with you.

Putting all her trust in her new acquaintances, she loosened her closed eyes slowly, then opened them completely. Somehow, even though the dock wasn't too far out into the water where it shouldn't have been too deep, she looked up and could not see the surface of the water. She was suspended in the water, long bronze hair flowing every which way as she looked around. 

A shudder went through her spine, her instincts telling her to be afraid.

Don't be afraid. 

It's okay.

"Where are you?"

We are here.

Suddenly, she felt something grasp her ankles, chilling her to the bone. She shut her eyes again, wishing to be back at home with her dolls by the fire. The things wrapped around her legs slowly, slithering around her torso and soon her neck and spiraling around her face. Her eyes snapped open in fear, anticipating complete darkness but only faced with the same grey, bottomless view as before. She tried to move her arms around but still felt the things wrapped around her body. She was paralyzed with fear as she was pulled downward.

As she moved slowly through the cold, water rushed over her and she could feel it on her fingers and toes and every body part she could name. The feeling was unbearable but exhilarating at the same time, and she was unable to find a word to describe it. 

"You lied to me!" she screamed as she neared the sand at the bottom of everything she knew, everything she could imagine. 

Yes, the voices said as she was pulled beneath the sinking universe. 

Join us.

"Join us."

SRC