The ground suddenly dropped away from her.


Well, there was the answer to her question.

It sure was.

She screamed as the ground gave way, her life flashed before her eyes

She landed with a splash in icy water that closed over her head.

She tried swimming up to the surface as quickly as she could.

Above her, a giggle rang out, and a glowing ball of light hovered overhead. It dangled there a moment, as if enjoying her humiliation, then sped away into the trees, high-pitched laughter echoing behind it.

A muddy bank rose above her, slick and treacherous. There were several old trees growing out over the water, but their branches were too high for her to reach.

'What did I do...' She shook her head, looking up at the trees above her.
She tried getting onto the bank.

Her hands and feet slipped in the mud, and the plants she grabbed came loose from the soil, dumping her into the lake with a noisy splash.

And then there was another splash, farther out, and it became clear she wasn't alone.

'Oh no...' She said looking behind herself.
She looked for any movement in the water.

Moonlight shone upon the water, painting everything in a relief of silver and black. Except for the buzzing of insects, the night was very still. On the far side of the lake, fireflies danced and whirled above the surface, some glowing pink and blue instead of yellow. Nothing seemed to be moving except for an old log drifting toward her.

'If I get on the log I can reach the tree branch...' She figured.
She started swimming to the log, getting on top of it as soon as she reached it.