Writetober 2023, Day 7: 'The Calm of a Lake'

 Every summer, Phoebe and her family visited her grandmother's lakeside house in Georgia. Phoebe used the lake as a form of escapism. She typically read by the lake, letting her worries float away with the current. She spent almost her entire summer life watching the sunset. One night, she decided to camp out near the lake's pier. As the night escaped her, she started to become uneasy. Sounds of screams from the surrounding forest. Her mind raced. Was she alone? She started to see shadows from the forest. The shadow approached closer to her. She shivered, knowing these were likely her last moments. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her death. The monster began to drag her into the lake. Phoebe felt she was being pushed down deeper and deeper into the water. Ironic how the calm of the lake had disappeared within a matter of minutes, as if the serenity was a well-disguised illusion. Suddenly, Phoebe's eyes opened to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing on her bedside table. She gasped for air, realizing it was a dream. It had felt so real, too real. It was days before she could face the lake again. Phoebe's mind wandered back to the terrifying dream, and she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. 

written by Zoe