“…and she still roams near this lake…crying…but if you hear her, it’s too late. She’ll drag you down into the water, never to be seen again.”

Charles, visibly shaken and clenching the blanket in his lap, did his best to act tough but knew he wasn’t fooling anyone. The crackling of the fire being the only sound that the group of friends heard after the story was finished. The silence lasted for merely seconds, being broken when the group noticed Charles frozen in fear.

“Ha, look at Charles!”

“C’mon Chuckie, don’t be such a wimp.”

“Miss your mommy?!”

The boys all sprang into laughter, endulging in the fear Charles felt.

“Shut up, I wasn’t even scared! I was-”, Charles tried to defend himself, but he knew more than anyone else, he was terrified.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s pack it up for the night.”

The boys laughed and all started to retreat to their tents, but something came over Charles. Courage struck him deep and he suddenly had something to prove. He was tired of being picked on.

Charles stood up from his camp chair, threw his blanket on the ground, and marched directly past the campfire, and towards the pier.

Slowly, the boys took notice and watched as Charles walked past each of them without saying a word.

“Be careful Chuckie, you aren’t wearing your life vest!”

The boys laughed again.

Charles marched on. Determined.

He reached the pier.

He couldn’t hear the crackling anymore.

Only the cold, solemn crashing of the lake’s water, rocking back and forth.

He stood bravely facing the lake with everyone to his back. The edge of the pier at his toes, the vast blackness of the lake in front of him.

He was proud. He was showing them he was not fearful.

He was waiting for the boys to call him back, to cheer him on and finally accept him into the group.

“…Charles…”

He heard his name, this time timid, shaky, as one of the boys called out for him but this time they were not laughing.

Almost immediately after, he could hear her cries gurgling from the water below. Her calling for him.

Her despair, her wailing loudly in agony.

Before he could look back, he felt the cold, wet fingers slowly wrap around his ankles.

Before he could look down, Charles was being dragged.

Before he could scream, the cold water engulfed him.

Her hands pulled him deeper and deeper.

The boys never laughed at Charles again.