Lady of the Lake

Lady of the Lake

          The wheezing sound of your breathing disturbed the peace around you, clouding the cold air in front of you and showing proof of your struggling existence. You tried to stop the sound by holding your breath, hating the way it contradicted the peaceful scene surrounding you, but choked before the cloud could even disappear. Your lungs burned from the exhausting run that had chased you here, and your heart pounded so loud you thought you could feel it resonating in your head.

Closing your eyes, you tried to calm down your mind and body, but the images flashing in the darkness of your thoughts just made things worse. Immediately throwing your eyes back open, you stared at the scene in front of you, thinking you might be able to pull some solace from the beauty nature had created. The lake stretching out in front of you, rippling from the whispers in the breeze that brought fall leaves from the forest behind.

Squinting now, the image of the lake started to change in a way you had never seen before. It seemed... alive somehow. Like the legends and myths you had read about as a child. The lady of the lake. The ripples, that before looked as if they were simply moving away from you with the wind as it blew from behind, now seemed like gestures beckoning you closer. Come this way. You started to think you might actually hear her voice in the whispers the wind brought to you.

Blinking slowly and deliberately, you thought maybe you could force the strange thoughts away. There was no logic to the whispers, no sense made from a lake beckoning you closer. However, nothing of tonight had brought you any logic or sense. There were no normal circumstances that brought you here, to a random lake in the middle of the woods so late at night. Or was it early in the morning now? Either way, it was dark. Though of course, not as dark as what you had just done.

Standing up slowly, weakly, you let yourself be mesmerized by the fantastical thoughts of a magical lake with a woman’s soul beckoning you to come touch her. Letting the dark thoughts of your night be pushed further back to the depths of your mind, eyes glazing over as you became overcome with the freedom of letting it all go. There was something else to focus on here, an underlying meaning for everything that had happened. It wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.

The answers were in the lake, and you had reached the edge of her shore. Closer. Come closer. Her whispers were overwhelming now, rustling your hair as they rushed past you to get to the lake. You needed to know why this all had to happen. Why you had to do what you did.

Small splashes as you began to step into the shallowest part of the lake. The water soaked into your shoes slowly but you barely noticed, too focused on the bright light glowing from the center of this mystical goddess you had found. Earlier it had looked like the moon’s reflection, but now you knew the truth, it was her. The lady of the lake. She was calling you to her, wanting to share with you her secrets and show that you were chosen for a larger quest in life than anyone had been able to understand thus far. Everything would make sense if you could just reach her.

The water was resisting you slightly now, as you waded deeper into your destiny. Another test. Another chance to show that you were worthy, you were good. Almost there. You’re close now. Come to me.

Choking as the water began to rise up your face, you kept your eyes open and focused on the light ahead. You were reaching out to touch her now and you knew that it was all going to be okay. She would make it all okay. You closed your eyes and let it happen. The water going above you and pulling you down. You let her take you... just as you had taken them.


The delusional death of murderer gone mad.