17 - Mavka 03 - Shores and Secrets

Shores and Secrets

She found herself swimming through the reeds. This was the furthest she had been up river thus far, and most of the city had given way to suburbs. She still felt comfortable here, so far she had found that it was certainly *the river* that was her boundary. As long as she stayed in its waters, she felt comfortable. Leaving the water was possible, if slowly eventually painful, and venturing out of sight of the river - as she had attempted the night before, simply could not be done - the fear and pain stopped her in her tracks.

There was the sound of splashing ahead… laughing…. She half surfaced, and looked to see a young couple, dancing and playing in the shallows. She slid slowly between the stalks, keeping her distance from them in the far shore, as she watched them play. Clearly, they were lovers of some level, for they embraced and kissed on occasion.

The more she watched, though, the more there was a tension in her heart. Certain moves, certain actions, pulled at her chest, and she crouched further down to watch, eyes barely at water level.

The play ended with more splashing, and the words “no, let me go.” The girl repeated it three times, before eventually, she managed to kick away and get to the shore, where she grabbed a bundle of clothes and disappeared into the darkness, all the while, the young man shouting his sorry and apologies from the water. His false apologies, based on his anger.

She moved. Through the water, close to the bottom. She slipped under him, looking up at his kicking legs. Slowly, she rose to the surface.

She crested the water barely a meter in front of him, a smile on her pale lips. He was clearly surprised, and almost yelled out. She darted forward then, planting a kiss on his lips as his eyes widened. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, despite her slender frame, his muscles arms and legs were held tight. He pulled his head back, breaking the kiss just as the two of them began to bob down into the water, neither of them kicking. She let them both go under for a second, then let him go. He spluttered back to the surface. He began swinging his arms, but with her strength, she grabbed and ankle and pulled. The move was effortless for her, and he almost flew backwards in the water. Eyes wide and mouth open, screaming bubbles as he plummeted... she let him kick his way back up again, he was spluttering and coughing as she grabbed his shoulders from behind. He lashed out, head butting and trying to kick at her while trying to stay afloat.

*”You should have let her go the first time she asked.”*

The words came melodically out of her mouth, a voice barely her own. Part of her acknowledged that this was the first time she had spoken, and it was words she did not completely understand how to say, but said them and understood them. A language not hers, but still…

He screamed and coughed again, as she dunked him.

*”You should have let her go.”* A splash.

*”You should have let her go.”* A muffled splutter.

*”You should have let her go.”* Silence.

He wasn’t moving now. His face was contorted in a visage of wide eyed panic, and she felt… curiously fulfilled. Stronger, warmer, not as cold … she wondered just what that meant, as she dragged his body down, and tied it amongst the bottom of the reeds…. She wondered that all the way back to the city. Through the industrial sections where the river gained its smell and sheen, to the dockyards where it opened to the sea.

There, once again, she felt that second pull. That little feeling off in the direction of the open water, that felt … important.

But tonight, tonight she felt curiously warm and fulfilled, it was almost tiring… so she returned to the river, near the rocky bank where no one tried to swim, and curled up concealed amongst the weeds and stone.