“Cross over, please.”
Angela heard the words, muffled, as if spoken through liquid. She tried to focus on where she was, but everything was muddled, like watercolors pooling into a mess of muddy hues.
Panic seized her. She remembered frantically reaching up as she sank, water filling her lungs. Her silent scream was lost in the abyss.
“Rest in peace, Angela,” Vivian said quietly, dropping a rose into the empty pool. After twenty years, she could still feel her friend there, trapped, stuck in that horrible moment.
Vivian thought she heard Angela’s voice. She mouthed a silent goodbye as the pain washed over her anew, overpowering, dominant.
My entry for the Micro Bookends 1.05 challenge. It took me a while to come up with my story this week. The image of the abandoned pool instantly made me think of the days when I used to go exploring abandoned places with my friends, sometimes going ghost hunting, but trying to use the bookends (“cross” and “dominant”) was a challenge.
Update: This story took third place in the weekly Micro Bookends challenge! Take a look at Micro Bookends 1.05 – Results to see what the judge had to say!
A Bookworm With A Secret 