The night sky is dimly lit by the stars.
I stare up at the moon, the dim stars, the black sky.
The small boat swirls,
And my dress falls around me.
I hum to myself and think about the day,
What I've done,
And how things would be once they found out.

He was dead.
Burned to ashes and never to bother me again.
But what if no one believed me?
What if they think that he was good and I was the bad one?
I sit up in a panic.
What have I done?

Suddenly my stomach feels sick.
My humming stops.
My hands freeze in fear.
I peer over the edge of the boat,
Into the black water.
I shouldn't be here and I know it.
I should be inside,
Pretending nothing happened.
Pretending I haven’t done anything.

I look at my reflection in the lake,
And exhale, relieved when I see only my face.
The water ripples as my breath hits it.
My face becomes a deformed figure.

Out of nowhere, it lurches at me.
My reflection, attacking me,
Clawing and scraping at my forearm.
It’s the monster that’s been in my nightmares,
The nights I've actually been able to sleep.
It grabs me.

I scream but the sound is cut off by the sudden water filling my lungs.
Slowly the monster drags me down.
Further and further down,
The monster drags.

I flail my arms,
Through the thick, murky water.
The further I go, the calmer I get.
I breathe the water,
I taste the water.
The water is keeping me alive.
Am I dreaming?
Or am I fully awake?
Is this monster here?
Or am I doing this to myself?