Living Life, Frame by Frame

Frightful Silence

TW: Death, stabbing, slight depressive themes (thoughts of suicide)

The park was almost dead silent, with the occasional sound of a wave from the lake that was situated perfectly in the middle, looking almost picturesque. The trees rustled softly, almost like they were whispering to each other, being the only shelter the birds could have against the soft breeze that flowed through, almost as if sneaking around.

Walking around, I couldn't help but feel a sense of calmness, but with the calm came a sense of worry. People were usually out at this time, but there was no one, just myself.

What happened?

I should have turned back, I knew I should have, for the fact this park was dead silent was the first red flag, as it was usually full of people, going for a walk despite the winter wind. Despite it being cold, the sun rays dancing on my face gave me at least a little warmth.

I clutched my camera even tighter in my gloved hands; I had only wanted to take a few photos of the park during the winter, but now I wished I hadn't come out.

I walked a little further, crossing the bridge that was a shortcut towards both sides of the park, the water below almost calling me to it as I looked over the edge. It was calling me towards it, to disregard everything and to jump in, to leave my camera on the ground of the bridge and let someone else take it.

It was so... tempting.

However, I was snapped out my trance when I saw a figure out the corner of my eye, standing under the canopy that was meant for bands to perform at, although I didn't think I had ever seen any use it. 

Turning my head towards the figure, our eyes met, and similar to how the water had done, it was almost like they were calling me to them. I picked up my camera from the ground without breaking eye contact with them, and slowly my feet started to move on their own.

Once I had gotten close enough, I had realized now that the figure was a woman, wearing a navy-blue coat, and holding a matching fan across her face, the fan having light pink and dark pink flowers on it. She was leaning against the railing of the canopy, one of her arms outstretched on the railing.

I stopped in front of her, and both of us said nothing as she held my gaze, the fan never once leaving her face. She offered her free hand to me, and once again my body seemed to move it on its own as I took it, and she started leading me to the railing by the river, and once we had gotten there, she elegantly managed to step over the railing, helping me to do the same.

Wait... we're not allowed to do this... I thought, but my body seemed to be betraying my mind.

We stopped by the water's edge, the same water that seemed to be calling me to it earlier, and she just stared at the water, and I stared at it with her.

What I didn't see was the knife that she was starting to take out of her pocket, stained with crimson liquid I only identified as blood too late.

It all happened so fast, her standing there quietly, a pain radiating from my stomach, then quick stabs of pain after that. She took my camera out of my hands just as fast, and I wondered what had happened to the other people, had they suffered the same fate I was suffering right now? 

I fell to the floor, and she finally removed the fan from her face, revealing a sinister smile underneath as she kicked me into the water. The last thing I heard before I fell in was, "We are born from the water and in death we shall return to it."

I fell deeper and deeper into the murky water, my consciousness slowly fading away. By the time I hit the bottom, and with the little consciousness I had left, I realized that my earlier thought was correct.

The others had suffered the same fate I had.

The fate of being lured by this woman, then falling deeper, and deeper, into the water, all evidence of her crimes being hidden.

But once the pain was gone...

It was...

Peaceful