LIKE WATER | A Collection Of Oneshots

The Field

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the wide, empty, field. The flowers swayed happily in the wind. The leaves of the trees rustled softly, and the birds chirped from all around us. The girl sat, enjoying the feeling of the sunlight on her face, while her girlfriend slept with her head in the girl's lap. Their friend was making flower crowns for the three, sitting a little distance away to give the happy couple space.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree..." The girl sung softly, the field and trees reminding her of the Meadow from her favorite series.

"Where they hung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met, at midnight, in the hanging tree." She stood up quickly, startling her girlfriend awake. She didn't recognize that voice, and she *definitely* didn't like it's tone.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Her girlfriend sat up, rubbing her eyes. The happy couple's friend walked over, a frown on her face. Both the teens looked at Lily, concerned.

"I-I thought I heard a voice. Sorry for waking you Amalie. The crowns look lovely Alex," she complimented her friend, the bright smile that crossed their face enough to comfort her.

"I'm sure it was nothing, we're the only ones who ever visit this field anymore. Nobody has any interest." Amalie placed a hand on her girlfriend's arm, hoping to calm the poor girl down.

Lily nodded, sighing. "I'm gonna go for a little walk. I'll remain where you can see me, don't worry." The two nodded, but as Lily left they decided to follow.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree... Where a dead man called out, for his love to flee..." She sang softly, hoping there would be no voice in return.

But alas, luck was not on her side, and all three heard the ominous voice sing back, "strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met, at midnight, in the hanging tree."

The trio of teens turned in circles, looking for the owner to this voice. That's when they heard it, the odd rustling of the trees. Not like the birds make.

A man jumped down, grinning at the trio. He stalked toward them, causing them to back up. "Nobody needs to know. You poor poor sinners, tempted by the devil and influenced by society." As he crept closer, they began to recognize him.

Their neighbor. They spent hours helping this man's wife with her garden, they trusted him. And here he was, threatening them for something they can't control. Terror coursed through their veins.

They tried to run. They tried to get away. But he had practice, a track runner throughout all his schooling and a track coach at their high school. He had the advantage of agility. The girls were in dresses, and the nonbinary was in platform boots. He had seen them come here, for he knew every place they tried to hide.

Nobody heard their screams. Nobody heard their cries for help. And most importantly, nobody ever saw them again. Their bodies were never found. Their murderer walked free.

The man buried their bodies in the dirt, walking away from the field. Hardly two hours had passed since the teens arrived. The afternoon was to last for hours. The afternoon sun shone brightly on the wide, empty, field.