Ferry

I check my pockets, frantically looking everywhere but at the figure in front of me. A bleached hand outstretched. All around, there is the sound of rushing water, but I can see none. "Your coin, ma'am?" The hand reached further, growing impatient. "He took it; he took everything. What do I do?"

"You can do nothing. The ferry will not come without the call of the coin." Defeated, I look into the hollow sockets of the figure before me. "I must go; I cannot stay here, please." I know he's following close behind the heavy coins in his pocket. "Tell me what has happened to you." This is not a request. I'm not sure if I should; no one has heard of me before. Why would it be any different here? "Will I be punished for my actions?"

"I am here to get you from one shore to another. I am not here to punish or praise." The hand disappears, and a heavy silence falls over us. I see the waters now, calm and reflecting a face that cannot be mine. I look at the figure, taking a ragged breath, and I begin.

"He loved me. He loved me, body and soul. He loved me wrong. He took my happiness and replaced it with his. Slowly, over time, I was no longer there; I couldn't recognize myself anymore. A shell of my former self is all that I was. I was who I was supposed to be, or I thought I was. When I said no, he heard yes. When I spoke up, no one listened; I had no choice. I wanted it to end. I couldn't keep living for him. I didn't mean for all of this to happen. He heard yes one more time and took all of me. He emptied everything I had, replacing it with himself. My coin was his crowning jewel, the last piece of his wicked puzzle. I hurt him; it was accidental. He stepped in my line of fire. He followed my scent, coppery and thick. I can hear him now, the thrill of the chase."

The figure took a moment, contemplating me and all that I had confessed. The echoes of him closer now as I shrank into the folds of the figures bellowing cloak. I could not face him again; I wouldn't. The figure stepped to the side, revealing me to him. His face burned red, contorting into a sinister smile when our eyes finally met. He started to run, screaming that it was all my fault; everything is always my fault. Foaming at the mouth, he screamed my name. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to slam into me. Nothing. I opened my eyes, expecting him to be in front of me. I saw him levitating over the now-rushing waters below. He thrashed against his invisible bonds, calling to me sweetly. Begging me for forgiveness.

The figure turned to me then. I force my eyes away from the levitating man as the figure begins to speak. "What would you like to do?" I looked at him, confused. "He has stolen your coin; would you like it back?" I looked back at the man above the water and answered with a strong and steady yes. The figure looked to the water, and in a sudden flash of light, the man above was gone into the depths. His screams were drowned out by the sound of crushing waves. A coin floated to the water's edge.

"Your coin, ma'am?" Broken out of a trance, I looked back at the figure. The bleached hand outstretched once again, waiting as I checked my pockets. "Yes, yes, of course I have a coin for you." I feel the cold metal and wrap my fingers tight around it. As I remove my hand, I produce a small silver coin and place it carefully into the figure's hand. The bones close around it, and a low hum echos from the center of the cavern. A small boat begins to emerge. A small lantern lights the way as I step onto the slippery vessel. The figure follows me onto the boat, and I settle into the only small wooden seat. "We will arrive shortly." The figure makes a wave of his hand over the water below, and the vessel begins moving effortlessly against the dark water. Ahead, I can see light. I close my eyes. We continue towards this bright vocal point until my eyelids can no longer compete with the light. "We have arrived." I open my eyes, studying my surroundings. I know this place. This lake is close to my heart; I'd know it anywhere. Confused, I look back at the figure to see his form dissolve into a morning mist.

I am completely alone. I am home.