Roots

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“CHAPTER 1 — ROOTS The silence by the lake was broken only by the rustle of wet yellow leaves and the gentle lapping of water against the shore. The ground still smelled of dampness after the rain, and a thin, chilly mist drifted over the lake’s dark surface. The young woman stopped to catch her breath after her run, bracing her hands against her knees and greedily drawing in air. At this time of year, almost no one came to Three Maples Lake. The locals avoided it whenever they could, and tourists wandered here even less often. That was probably why she liked it so much. She straightened up, adjusted the hair tie that had slipped loose, and pulled out her phone. For a few seconds, she simply looked at the lake through the camera, wondering whether it was even worth taking a picture. Then she smirked to herself and turned the phone around. Why not. New workout clothes, a morning run, a beautiful backdrop — why not? She raised the phone a little higher, searching for a better angle, snapped several photos in a row, and was about to slip it back into her pocket when something in one of the pictures made her freeze. The smile slowly faded from her face. Frowning, she zoomed in on the image with her fingers. Right by the shore, in the murky water, something unusual caught her attention. At first, she couldn’t understand what she was looking at. She stared at the image for several seconds, trying to make sense of the dark shapes near the shoreline. She zoomed in further. Then the realization hit her. There were two motionless figures near the shore. Something tightened in her chest. For several seconds, she simply stared at the screen, as though her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. No. That can’t be. Her fingers trembled, and the phone nearly slipped from her hands. The wind still lazily swayed the half-bare branches of the trees, but now every sound echoed in her head as if in slow motion. Very slowly, she lifted her gaze from the phone and turned toward the lake. The dark water along the shore rippled faintly, rocking withered leaves and thin branches. What she saw confirmed her worst fear. Only then did her scream cut through the forest.”