We ran down to the water’s edge, laughing, hand in hand. Night swimming. It was your idea; I took some persuading.
“Why not?” you said. “Nobody’s looking.”
So I followed you. Trusted you. But the water was cold as ice. When I tried to turn back, you gripped my arm tighter, pulling me in until the ocean was up to my knees. My thighs. My waist. You wrapped your arms around me like a lover, dragging me under. A watery kiss filled my mouth, forcing itself into my lungs. The last thing I saw was the darkness in your eyes.
By Antonia Rachel Ward
First published in Oceans: A Dark Microfiction Anthology by Black Hare Press, April 2020.