Monthly Microfiction: Under the Ice

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 Under the Ice


 I came to the lake to rescue my sister. Ice covers its surface and I drop to my knees. Together, we bang against the icy barrier between us as I spout useless apologies. Her angry eyes gut me. I didn’t mean to condemn her to this when I brought her body here. Local legend claimed she would come back on the thirteenth day of winter. It did not mention the ice.

With a loud crack, her hands break through.

Joy fills me but quickly turns to terror when instead of escaping, she pulls me down under the ice with her.

 

Photo by erin mckenna on Unsplash

Originally published in Beneath from Ghost Orchid Press on May 5, 2021




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