Meet me by the lake

Follow the pair of footsteps back through the forest. Look back and try to remember that moment. You need to remember that moment.

She was stunning, dressed in her red skirt. The forest was alive around her. The vibrant greens seemed to add to the overall sense of tranquility that she exuded. She wandered to the lake and you followed. She walked along the sandy shore until something caught her attention. She bent over the water to see the fish. You loved that about her. She had always been inquisitive.

You joked about going skinny dipping. She challenged you to do it. Both of you spent the day swimming and sunning yourselves on the bank. The afternoon rolled in as you lay on the shore with her and playfully debated whether to go home or not. She convinced you to stay. You couldn't say no to her.

***

Gaze around at the forest that frames the lake. It seems foreign and alien. Shadows whisper about you. The leaves former vibrancy replaced with horror. Go to the edge of the lake. Ripples disturb the surface. A fish gulping at the mozzies hovering above. Bubbles rise from the deep. You lay on the bank but it doesn't offer the solace it once did.

Get up to leave. Glance over at the shore again. Notice the swatch of red fabric on the rock. A pair of footprints and lines in the sand. You begin to cry. You have to leave. You head away from the lake towards the road. You get in the car never to return again.