The Lagoon

She was so relieved when the bell signaled the start of gym class. She did not know how many more well wishers and concerned looks she could handle. Even the coach did not try to hide, the alarmed look on his face when she showed up in her swimwear, instead just benched her. After all with everything that had happened the last week, she did not really want to swim, she just wanted some peace and quiet from everyone else around her.  They meant well, honestly they did, when they kept telling her it was not her fault and that there was nothing she could do and that she shouldn’t be so hard on herself. The reality of it though, none of them were there. None of them saw what happened or what did not happen.  She barely noticed the algae slime that slowly covered the face of the school swimming pool. She did not notice the absence of noise from her coaches shrill whistle or the other girls in her gym class. What she did hear was… “Ashlie!!!” the phantasmic groaning of her name as it vibrated around her… She shook her head, it had to be the over impulsive reaction of grief and guilt weighed mind. She tried to reason with herself as she looked around in panic. When did the class depart? Had she fallen asleep? She stood and began to race down the bleachers and towards the locker room. “Ashlie… how could you??” the voice reverberated around her again. She felt something wet and slimy reach out for her as it barely missed her shoulder, leaving a thick wet trail down the back of her neck instead. She suppressed a shriek, it came out as a mewling half scream, she turned around expecting to find one of her few friends playing a joke on her. Nothing was there. Well almost nothing, floating on the surface of the pool was a small plastic doll with its head missing. “Alexi!” she cried out calling the dolls name as she fell to her knees and reached out over the pool in an attempt to rescue it, “how did this get here?” She looked back over her shoulder as she overstretched and fell into the pool. 

The filmy tendrils of algae and other underwater plants pulled at her as she struggled to break through the surface of the waters. The waters were muddy and dark, she could barely see her hand in front of her face. “The lagoon?” she thought startled when she finally broke through to the surface. The water logged trees that lined the banks of the lagoon stretched over her, the scent of pine and wild flowers filled her nostrils. The orange glow of the sun shot snatches of light through the dense canopy of leaves and branches above her head. The sound of laughter brought her head around. “Come get me, Sissy!!” she cried out. She couldn’t believe her eyes, behind her splashing around in her cherry blossom bikini was Erica. “But….but…” she stammered, she couldn’t breath. She clutched her fist and something squirmed against her crushing grip.  Looking down she saw the headless doll, squirming in her hands in an attempt to break free before she crushed the life out of it. With a screech she dropped the doll and swam as hard as she could towards the land. She kicked and flailed and fought, but instead of getting closer the bank seemed to be pulling away from her. 

“What's wrong, Ashlie, don't you want to play?” her sister's voice exclaimed from beside her… beneath her, the doll clinging to her protectively. Floating in the waters below her she saw the bloated and discolored face of her little sister looking up at her… accusing her… “you did this to me!!!” her sister's voice echoed within her. She shrieked and kicked harder in spite of her tiring muscles. Still the bank seemed to pull further away. The waters crashed and thrashed around her, spilling over her head, pushing her down. Pushing her deeper underwater. She fought hard as the weeds and algea reached out for her grabbing her, holding her, pulling her deeper. She tried to cry out, her mouth filled with the bitter muddy water causing her to take a deep breath in to cough, the deep breath pulled the waters into her lungs. Lungs that burned and screamed their own pain and displeasure in return. She turned in the water grabbing at the vegetation trying to pull free of it. It gripped tighter and pulled her deeper. 

“How could you?!” her sister's voice hit her like a sack of books, “how could you do it?” “I am sorry!!” she screamed, “I am sorry I killed you!!” Erica’s face, congealed in pondscum and slick with decay screwed up in confusion… “You did not cause my death,” she almost laughed, “but how could you do this?! And for everyone to see me like that?! Especially him… how could you let Tommy see me like that, I am hideous!!”  “I am so sorry, I couldn’t save you,” she reached out towards her sister's form. The arm felt squishy and water logged in her grip.

“Ashlie!” she felt like her world was shaking around her. She would have fallen from the quaking if she wasn’t trapped in the middle of the lagoon. “ASHLIE!” her head whipped back and forth violently… she slowly opened her eyes. She looked around groggily, nothing seemed to come into focus. Someone was close to her face… too close, she tried to push the intruder away, but she felt weak. Her arm felt like it weighed a ton. She opened her mouth to speak and the bitter muddy taste filled her mouth again. She was going to hurl, doubling over, she could taste the lagoon water as it spewed forth and covered the legs of her would be rescuer.  She expected the person to scream in disgust and anger, she tried to apologize instead a mewling whimper vibrated the base of her throat as hot tears stung her eyes. She felt the firm hand on her back. She looked up to see who had awoken or pulled her out of the lagoon. She wasn’t sure which, but felt if it was a dream then how did she vomit lagoon water. Finally the world seemed to come into focus. She was staring into the hard cold eyes of….. Erica. She shook her head frantically and tore down the bleachers. She had to get out of there. She had to escape this nightmare. She ran down the hall and burst through the front doors of the school, leaving a trail of excited and confused students and teachers in her wake. None tried to stop her. 

The sun's rays hit her hard, the light seemed much too bright. She raised her arms to block the light as she ran down the walkway to the side walk and kept going. She did not look back so she did not notice the wet foot prints she left behind her. She did not stop running until she hit her front porch. There she collapsed in a heap, the tears finally began. Wrapping her arms around her knobby knees she huddled deep in the shadow beneath the porch bench swing and cried. How could she let her sister just die like that? Her sister would never forgive her and now she is haunting her. After the tears stopped and she regained a semblance of control over the ragged dry heaving, she attempted to stand. She did not want her parents to find her like that. Closing the door behind her she started up the stairs towards her room. She hesitated, her hand on the knob to her door and looked across the hall. Her sister's door was still decorated in the lame unicorn and rainbow fashion of all girls her age.  She turned and walked towards her sister’s room. Turning the knob, she held her breath as she stepped over the threshold. She released her breath, relieved. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but she was glad to find the room empty. She walked around the room, her dolls had been left strewn over her floor mixed in with both her clean and dirty clothes that had never made it to their correct locations. Her desk was littered in half thought about homework and candy wrappers. Alexi sat at home in the center of the head of the bed on the mountain of pillows. She froze when she saw the headless doll. Wasn’t Erica buried with her? She couldn’t remember but that did not keep the icy fingers of fear from tightening around her throat. “Ashlie!!” she heard her name moaned through the room as the wind tossed the loose papers off of her desk.  Wind? Where did the wind come from, she looked over and confirmed the window to the room was sealed tight. “How could You?!?!?!” the wind shrieked as it swirled around her, catching her in a type of whirlwind. She backed towards the door scrambling for the knob. Finally catching it she forced the door open behind her and stumbled into the hallway.  “I will never forgive you!!” she heard her sister sob as the wind rushed out into the hallway. She turned and ran towards the stairs, she felt herself fall forward… she could hear each thud as she bounced down the stairwell head over heels. 

“I am so sorry…” she moaned as she lay at the foot of the stairs, “Please forgive me!!” She pushed herself to a sitting position. “How could you do it?” she felt her slimy wet fingers close around her throat, she felt her head snap back against the wall repeatedly. "Why wasn't it me?" She sobbed through grunts of pain. Erica stopped slamming her head against the wall, but she tightened her grip on her throat. 

"How could you have done it?" She sobbed, "my own sister and you let me be seen like that?!! My hair was so hideous… how could you!!" She slammed her fist against her sister's chest.