Creative Corner: Fiction
“The Lake”
The little girl walked out of the house and crossed the street. She walked to the lake in front of the house, sat down and put her feet in the water. The water was warm and the only thing she could hear was the sound of peacocks crying in the distance. Not a single wave could be seen on the large body of water. The sun was setting, making the water dark shades of pink and purple. After a few moments of silence, the girl’s tears started to fall from her face. She did not want to go back into the house. She was too caught in her own emotions to think about how to wash away all of the pain that comes with life. She was scared of how she was feeling.
“Close your eyes and breathe,” she heard a woman say, so she did. She listened to the woman speak. This woman had the little girl’s hair, eyes, heart, and soul.
“Years from now, the house will be a memory to you, but the scars it made will still be there in your in your heart,” she said. The little girl did not understand. Scars were supposed to fade, so why would these scars stay?
The woman continued, “I remember what they did to you. I remember how much it hurts. I am so, so sorry. I want you to know that it’s not your fault, and that you are more beautiful than you could ever know.”
The little girl felt something change inside of her. Everyone always tells her that it’s her fault and that she deserved everything that had happened to her, so it must be true, right? And now, suddenly, the truth was that it was never her fault. For the first time ever, the little girl felt what she supposed must have been love. It was as if some unseen force wrapped their arms around her and was gently rocking her back and forth; holding her like her mother never did, protecting her like her brother never did, understanding her like her sister never did.
She took another deep breath as she realized that something bigger than she could understand loved her unconditionally. The little girl opened her eyes and stood up to meet the woman who was here with her.
“That house needs to go. How do you want to do it?” the woman asked.
“I want the house to vanish, so it can never hurt anyone ever again,” the girl replied, and when she looked back across the street, the house was gone. The woman put her hand on the little girl’s shoulder and whispered, “Please forgive me for leaving you alone here all these years. Come with me and let’s leave this house behind.”
The little girl nodded her head, and the woman embraced her in her arms. As they embraced, the little girl faded into the woman, and they became one. The woman turned to put her feet back into the still unmoving water and gathered her courage to face the unknown. Instead of sinking, the woman’s feet floated. With her head held high, she stood above the water and walked across the lake to a better place.