The colors of the pond swirled in a deep complexity. A bleeding sun began to tumble down the darkening sky. Sounds crept by her ear as they vibrated her trembling fingertips. She didn’t want to be lost on the dusty trail in the blackening evening. Anyone who lived in her village in Romania knew that the forest was a dangerous place to be when the night comes. Those who were superstitious in her village, which means to say everyone, knew that there were spirits and demons lurking in the woods and waters. Adelaide played with her silver necklace.
The necklace wasn’t anything very elaborate. It was a frail, silver ornament hanging on a burlap string. Adelaide didn’t mind the simplicity the jewelry held. This necklace, meek in its appearance, was a testament of her fiancé's love. That was enough for her.
Adelaide stepped onto a worn, floating bridge after lighting her lantern in the dying light of the sunset. The soft wood fluctuated between her boot and the black waters of the lake beneath her. The night was noiseless aside from the gentle lapping of the water on the wood, the creaking of the bridge, and Adelaide’s calm breathing.
The quietness was broken by the voices of a couple somewhere by the lake. Adelaide stopped and her footfall was silent. The couple continued talking as the young woman tried to locate the source of their words. It sounded as if they were somewhere in the mist upon the glossy waters.

“I am very excited for tomorrow,” a young man said. “Are you, my dearest?”
“Yes, Viktor,” responded the girl. Her voice sounded almost resigned.
There was a pause echoing through the night. Adelaide turned towards the direction the couple sounded as if they were in. Sure enough, the figure of a rowboat crawled through the night. The outline was lit by the lantern in the boat. She could see the man she assumed was Viktor rowing the boat and the young woman sitting back leisurely. What were this young couple doing out so late at night?
“Hello?” Adelaide called through the silent eventide, trying to grab their attention. Her attempts were in vain as neither of the two showed any sign of acknowledgement.

“Is there something the matter, Matilda?” Viktor asked the woman. Matilda shook her head.
“No,” she told him.
“Alright,” he nodded. “I was worried because you do not seem happy.”
“I am not,” she confessed.
The young man stopped rowing and turned his attention to Matilda fully.
“What is it?” he inquired. “Is it the decorations? The dress?”
“All of those are beautiful,” Matilda said. “It’s the wedding itself.”
“What do you mean?”
Matilda leaned into Viktor, her round face inches from his.
“I am not ready to be married to you,” she answered coldly.
“We can postpone the wedding, if you need more time,” his voice sounded disappointed and concerned.
“I will never be ready,” she replied. “But I agree. We should postpone the wedding.”

Adelaide’s heart nearly crumbled at what she had witnessed next. Matilda struck something deep into Viktor’s upper stomach. The young man went rigid before falling backwards. His body spiraled slowly into the depths. Matilda stood in the boat holding the red stained knife, watching Viktor sink to the unseen bottom of the lake. Adelaide covered her mouth to muffle her horrified cry.

“YOU KILLED HIM!” she yelled to Matilda. “HOW COULD YOU? YOU WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!”

Matilda turned her head sharply to Adelaide. As Adelaide felt fear set into her bones, Matilda turned to a thick fog. The mist parted enough for Adelaide to see the skeletal remains of the formerly ornate rowboat. The scene grew noiseless. A heavy intensity fell upon Adelaide’s chest.
Adelaide took a step closer to the edge of the bridge, her brown eyes set on the rowboat. As her attention was stuck on the rowboat, she was stirred by a tugging on the hem of her dress. She glanced down and a scream tore through her throat at the blue, icy hand that gripped her.
Her heart danced in a panicked frenzy. Adelaide’s fingers clamped around the hand and tried to shove it away. Brown eyes, filled with terror, dropped down to Viktor’s cold, structured face. Viktor’s grasp pulled Adelaide down enough that he could grab her cloak. His aqua eyes were speckled with blood. Those chilling eyes glared at Adelaide murderously.
Viktor’s strength greatly overwhelmed her tiny frame. With one harsh tug, Adelaide fell to the splintered wood surface. Her torso hung over the water and blond hair dangled in the waves. The spirit’s dead hand shot up and clutched Adelaide’s necklace- her sign of engagement. Adelaide pushed back as Viktor pulled down. Suddenly, the burlap string snapped and she shot backwards. She climbed onto her feet and paced backwards, still staring wide eyed into the waters. Her silver necklace glimmered as it sank to the bottom of the lake.
Adelaide tore back to the village, still shaking from her shock. The necklace settled upon the sediment coating the skeleton’s hand at the bottom of the lake- a monument of how true love isn’t easily found.