The Lake

Deep in the mountains, there is a clearing with a vast and deep lake. Few have come across it, but for those who have had the unfortunate opportunity to stare deep into its waters, all have either gone mad, thrown themselves into the water, or survived their encounter but have passed away only weeks later. Tales and stories have speculated about the lake. Some say that it contains the entrance to Hell, others say that the lake used to be a source of water for the towns of old, but that a witch cursed the water when the town murdered her sister. All tall tales for certain, or so I thought.

  My brother, William, found himself in some trouble back in the city. He loved to gamble, and one night he was at The White Whale Inn and started to play with dice. My brother wasn’t a lucky person. 

Although we were poor, we still had a roof over our heads until my brother gambled it away. Even then, he continued to throw around those cube-shaped bones until one day we had become so much in debt that we were forced out of the city. William, my sister Lillian, and I moved into the forest and came across a clearing. We named it Smith’s Clearing after our namesake.

The lake in the middle of the clearing was familiar to my older brother, even though he had never seen it before. He became drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The lake was beautiful. It was still and dark. When you looked into its depths, every detail of your face was reflected back at you. It was like your twin lay submerged in the darkness of the lake. William spent hours staring at his reflection in the water. He started to miss dinners and sleep. He would just sit there for hours on end. At first, Lillian and I chalked it up to vanity. William was handsome, no doubt. 

We had built a small log cabin on the property, and we kept chickens and goats. Lillian and I tried to keep up with the daily chores neglected by our older brother. We tried to pull him away, but he wouldn’t move. Once, we got him inside and to bed, but deep into the night, I heard the door creak. 

The lake hadn’t tried to take on one of us yet, but William almost fell victim to its grasp. I awoke that night and went outside to find William, and I will never forget how the lake reflected the night sky. Something was off with the stars. The lake didn’t reflect them in the right spot. I walked over to the bank where William was curled up, just staring at it. His reflection was distorted. His eyes were dark in the lake, consumed by the black water, and his hair wasn’t right. The lake no longer reflected my brother, but my brother surely reflected that lake. He became cold and distant. Gone was my brother; I now shared my last name with a lake.

Another family, later I would learn that their surname was Miller, had come across Smith’s Clearing. They were kind and reserved. They said they were just passing through but needed a place to rest. We, of course, welcomed them into our home and tried to be benevolent hosts. I should have told them to keep walking, but I didn’t know what it was capable of yet. There were four Millers. Ruth was the mother of the family; there was their father, George; their firstborn, Mark; and then Mary. Mary was only about four. She was small and had golden curly hair. She wore a white dress and a simple-looking hat. Mary was the sweetest and always wanted to fetch water for dinner. She would jump with joy at a chore that no one else wanted to do. 

One night, she went out, and minutes had passed, and she hadn’t come back. I went out to find her, but all I could do was scream. I saw her walk from the shore into the lake, submerging herself completely. No struggle, just a hypnotic movement into the lake. I tried to run into the lake and pull her out, but I found myself frozen. All I could do was watch as this little girl drowned herself. 

I was hoping this would cause our brother to want to leave Smith’s Clearing. My sister and I pleaded with our brother, but he wouldn’t leave it. It belonged to him, and he belonged to it. How could he abandon it? By now, the Millers had left and gotten as far away from the clearing as possible. Do I blame them? I should have left with my sister while I still had the chance. The lake infected everyone like the plague. 

Most nights, I had nightmares of little Mary walking into that dark and deep lake. One night, my nightmares became real. I woke up to the sound of Mary’s screams. I ran outside. The moon was full, and the lake glowed a deep red color under its light. Across the lake, I saw a little girl in a white dress, with hair that was once curly, but now was dark and soaking wet. She stood there like a helpless deer. She held a glowing lantern above her head, and her innocent eyes drew me in. They told me to walk into the lake, they told me everything was going to be fine, and that I needed to just walk in and let it take me. She stared right out at me, and her eyes drew me in. Just as soon as she appeared, she was gone. The lantern blew out, and Mary was gone. 

After that night, I knew I had to take Lillian and leave Smith’s Clearing, even if William was going to join us or not. He didn’t, but I didn’t care. It was calling me, and I needed to get away from it before it consumed me like it did Mary. I took Lillian and started to journey back to town. I never looked back, and I am afraid of what has become of my older brother. Is he still alive? Did he drown in his reflection, or is he still there just staring at that lake? I still have nightmares of Mary staring at me from across the lake. The only thing that brings me comfort anymore is my little sister. Now that she is older, she is quieter and tends to enjoy the comfort of being alone. As I get older, she has started to take care of me. She helps me into bed every night and usually whispers something sweet to me before she blows out the candle. 

Last night she whispered,

“Samual, it wasn't Mary that drowned in that lake.”