A Cold, Cold Death For Thomas Baylor(2)
Every step brought the voice closer and clearer. He could make out afew of the words of the song. It was something about winter, ice, andcold. But still her voice was more of an angelic hum than a song. Hehad to hear more. He had to know what she was singing.
There was a blue light in the middle of Kepter Lake that came fromwhat looked like a small island. The source of the light was hiddenbehind a tree but Thomas would have sworn it pulsed along with thewords of the song. However, he was still hesitant to cross the thinice.
"Come to me," said the woman's voice in a line from thesong that he was able to hear. She was calling to him. She wanted himto go to her. The very song she sung was meant to call him to her.
He took a careful step forward and the ice groaned beneath him as ifwarning him to leave. He pressed down harder to test it and waterseeped up over the toe of his boot from a crack somewhere nearby.
" … step in," said the song. He did as he was told andmoved forward as the mysterious voice continued to sing to him.
He moved slowly at first, but the ice trembled and shifted beneathhim. He had to hurry to keep from falling in. Freezing water soakedthe cuffs of his jeans as he ran for the island oasis, but the bluelight grew brighter and blinded him. He reached out to over his eyesas the light approached and washed over him. Everything grew suddenlycold and he regretted taking off his gloves and unzipping his coat.The light seemed to strike him, as if made of something physical. Asif it were made of water.
In a moment of horror and panic he realized that a layer of iceshielded the light. It wasn't just his jeans that were wet now, buthis entire body. He had slipped into the water of Kepter Lake. Thelight had drawn him in.
He pounded on the ice above him as he held his breath, but the weightof his clothes dragged him down. It took every ounce of strength tokeep from sinking to the bottom of Kepter Lake, but he found the lastvestige of will left in him and sped back to the surface. His fistburst through a weak layer of ice and he gripped the slippery shelf.
Thomas was able to pull his face above the water and he gasped forair. To his shock, a girl's face was there to greet him. She wasyoung, no older than twenty, and her blue eyes sparkled in themoonlight. Her skin was luminous and as white as the snow thatblanketed Ainsley Woods. She dropped a flower that she had beenholding and reached out to take his hand as she started to sing.
"It's a cold, cold death for Thomas Baylor."
"It's a cold, cold death for him assured."
"He'll break within the grip of winter."
"He'll die beneath the ice for sure."
Thomas Baylor was calmed by her voice and he stopped struggling. Shedropped a lily from her left hand and reached out to him. They heldeach other's hands as she sang and he floated in the freezing water.Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulder and tickled his nose asshe gazed down lovingly while singing her beautiful hymn.
"His arms will reach out for salvation."
"His legs will thrash along the shore."
"Come to me, I called out to him."
"A siren's song heard before."
She let go of his right hand and he let it fall back beneath thewater. Then the angelic vision set her hand against the top of hishead and started to push him back down. He listened intently as hischin dipped beneath Lake Kepter.
"A thousand years that we have been here."
"Our songs a beckoning hymn."
"At home upon the frozen water."
"We'll call out for them to step in."
He lifted his lips back above the water to ask for what he reallywanted. "Give me back my family. Give me back my life."
She smiled and continued to sing as she forced him under.
"He tried to plead for our forgiveness."
"He wanted just to go home."
"A cold, cold end for Thomas Baylor."
"He drowned and died all alone."
She put her finger to her lip and shushed him. Her breath froze thehole above his head and Thomas Baylor sank into the deep, black waterof Kepter Lake.
THE END
"A thousand years that we have been here."
"Our songs a beckoning hymn."
"At home upon the frozen water."
"We'll call out for them to step in."
He lifted his lips back above the water to ask for what he reallywanted. "Give me back my family. Give me back my life."
She smiled and continued to sing as she forced him under.
"He tried to plead for our forgiveness."
"He wanted just to go home."
"A cold, cold end for Thomas Baylor."
"He drowned and died all alone."
She put her finger to her lip and shushed him. Her breath froze thehole above his head and Thomas Baylor sank into the deep, black waterof Kepter Lake.
THE END