stone lake
Stone Lake
She felt the piece of glass slice at her flesh as she ground the rope that was tied around her wrists against it. It didn’t phase her now. It was nothing to the pain she had felt over the past week. She had to get away. Get away before he comes back. She looked down at her leg, wishing she could scrape away the ticks and the mosquitoes that ate away at her. Her long blonde hair was caked with a mixture of mud, sweat, and blood. She could taste the dirt on her lips along with the iron flavor of blood that had dripped down from the many blows she had taken. She only had vision in one eye. Couldn’t even open the other one. The rope was almost completely torn. She fought to concentrate on the task of cutting it instead of the growing pain that coursed through her body with each passing hour. She was weak. The smell of death was all around her, just waiting to consume her soul. Death was the only other option at this point and compared to the torture she had endured the past week, It sounded like the better option. She wasn’t going to last another day if she stayed. She couldn’t. Her breathing sped up as she felt freedom at the tip of her fingers. Just a little bit more. But the all too familiar sound of footsteps on the stairs froze her in place and she prepared for another night of agony.
* * * * * * *
Jamie stared in the mirror as the past she tried so hard to forget played in front of her. She imagined that one day she would wake up and the memory wouldn’t be there. That it would just vanish and she could be herself again. The way she was. The way she wanted to be. But every morning, her nightmare replays in her head so she doesn’t forget any detail. Opening the mirror cabinet, she reached for her prescription pills her psychiatrist recommended. This would at least suppress the all too real pain she remembered. Looking down at the two pink pills in her hand, she tried to think of how many times these actually worked for her. But she was too afraid of what she would remember if she stopped. So she gulped them down with help from a glass of water and looked at her refection in the mirror once more. Time had taken its toll on her. She had dark circles under her eyes that not even makeup could hide. Wrinkles started to form in the corners of her eyes and in between. She was 26 but looked over 30. Her dull hair hung lifelessly past her shoulders, making her pale face long and tired. Her weight never got above 100 pounds ever since…
She shook her head to free her mind of the thoughts that swarmed her brain. It clouded her mind everyday. It took over her like a disease, eating away at everything she had. She contemplated suicide many times but if she gave up now, her fight to stay alive so long ago wouldn’t be worth it. She could’ve never guess how hard it would be to even get out of bed in the morning living with what happened. It took her forever to go back into the public again but she had to leave home. The small town was too small for her ordeal. She felt eyes of her neighbor’s pierce into her, burning her skin as they tried to search for information. They wanted to ask questions but knew better not too. Not the media though. They didn’t hesitate to knock on our door weeks after to get the inside scoop of the ‘broken’ girl. That was the name they gave her in the newspapers and on the television. Her parents tried to hide it from her but she would find it. Catch it on the local news. Her high school picture flashed across the screen every night. The last picture that was taken before she was. After a while when the stares didn’t stop, she knew she had to leave. Get away from the town. The people. The memory. Stone Lake didn’t keep any secrets and the ‘broken’ girl shook the entire community into complete chaos. There were rumors flying around by people who thought they knew the story. No one knew. She didn’t speak until a year later. Not a single word. And even when she started talking again, it was never brought up. She wanted it that way. No one needed to know. No one would understand.
She felt the piece of glass slice at her flesh as she ground the rope that was tied around her wrists against it. It didn’t phase her now. It was nothing to the pain she had felt over the past week. She had to get away. Get away before he comes back. She looked down at her leg, wishing she could scrape away the ticks and the mosquitoes that ate away at her. Her long blonde hair was caked with a mixture of mud, sweat, and blood. She could taste the dirt on her lips along with the iron flavor of blood that had dripped down from the many blows she had taken. She only had vision in one eye. Couldn’t even open the other one. The rope was almost completely torn. She fought to concentrate on the task of cutting it instead of the growing pain that coursed through her body with each passing hour. She was weak. The smell of death was all around her, just waiting to consume her soul. Death was the only other option at this point and compared to the torture she had endured the past week, It sounded like the better option. She wasn’t going to last another day if she stayed. She couldn’t. Her breathing sped up as she felt freedom at the tip of her fingers. Just a little bit more. But the all too familiar sound of footsteps on the stairs froze her in place and she prepared for another night of agony.
* * * * * * *
Jamie stared in the mirror as the past she tried so hard to forget played in front of her. She imagined that one day she would wake up and the memory wouldn’t be there. That it would just vanish and she could be herself again. The way she was. The way she wanted to be. But every morning, her nightmare replays in her head so she doesn’t forget any detail. Opening the mirror cabinet, she reached for her prescription pills her psychiatrist recommended. This would at least suppress the all too real pain she remembered. Looking down at the two pink pills in her hand, she tried to think of how many times these actually worked for her. But she was too afraid of what she would remember if she stopped. So she gulped them down with help from a glass of water and looked at her refection in the mirror once more. Time had taken its toll on her. She had dark circles under her eyes that not even makeup could hide. Wrinkles started to form in the corners of her eyes and in between. She was 26 but looked over 30. Her dull hair hung lifelessly past her shoulders, making her pale face long and tired. Her weight never got above 100 pounds ever since…
She shook her head to free her mind of the thoughts that swarmed her brain. It clouded her mind everyday. It took over her like a disease, eating away at everything she had. She contemplated suicide many times but if she gave up now, her fight to stay alive so long ago wouldn’t be worth it. She could’ve never guess how hard it would be to even get out of bed in the morning living with what happened. It took her forever to go back into the public again but she had to leave home. The small town was too small for her ordeal. She felt eyes of her neighbor’s pierce into her, burning her skin as they tried to search for information. They wanted to ask questions but knew better not too. Not the media though. They didn’t hesitate to knock on our door weeks after to get the inside scoop of the ‘broken’ girl. That was the name they gave her in the newspapers and on the television. Her parents tried to hide it from her but she would find it. Catch it on the local news. Her high school picture flashed across the screen every night. The last picture that was taken before she was. After a while when the stares didn’t stop, she knew she had to leave. Get away from the town. The people. The memory. Stone Lake didn’t keep any secrets and the ‘broken’ girl shook the entire community into complete chaos. There were rumors flying around by people who thought they knew the story. No one knew. She didn’t speak until a year later. Not a single word. And even when she started talking again, it was never brought up. She wanted it that way. No one needed to know. No one would understand.