I've been working on this one for some time now, and this is the version that has been submitted to two literary magazines recently. [I'll probably let you guys know if it gets in.]
Please let me know what you think. I've put a lot of effort into this one.
Please let me know what you think. I've put a lot of effort into this one.
Spoiler Show
Her old, worn boots crunched the leaves beneath her small feet, sinking in the mud as she neared the stream. Bushes tugged at her star patterned white dress to keep her away from the rushing waters, just like her sister. Natalie brushed them away and moved on.
The water rushed and glided past, knowing its path. Smooth stones below its surface invited her to touch them. She breathed deeply through her nose and could feel the moisture in her lungs mixing with the humid air. She closed her eyes and heard the rapid waters speed by, feeling the crashing noises deep within. A log sat by the water’s edge to her right. Natalie tested it with a solid push to make sure it wouldn’t roll away and pulled herself onto it when she was satisfied. The dampness of the log seeped into her dress, but she shrugged to no one, and pulled at her boots, slipping them off. She slid off the log, and patted the dirt off her dress as her bare feet sank into the mud. The high sun beat down on her on the hot summer’s day. She lifted her head and basked in the light and let the cold mud soothe her bare feet.
She crouched down on her knees and pushed her hand into the cold water, the mud seeping into her dress at the knees, but still she continued to pluck the smooth stones from the edge and store them in the makeshift pouch of her dress. One stone at a time, she turned and placed the drying stones firmly into the mud of the shoreline, using twigs and leaves, aligning them into the shape of a square. Using more of her materials it expanded into an aerial view of a house, with chairs made of torn leaves, walls divided by smaller stones. She placed her long, smooth stones, sliding her fingers along their rounded edges. Designated by size, she arranged Mama, the father, and two daughters; first the older sister, then the younger.
She shifted her weight and let her feet hang into the water, letting the rapid water soothe her as she played, squealing as the cold water tickled at her feet. Turning her attention back to the house, she picked up the family and set them upright in the earth. Natalie brushed her long messy hair out of her face, wiping her brow with a swift motion, the mud on her fingers leaving dark traces on her skin. With a slow but deliberate motion, she knocked the parents down with one finger, Mother, and then father. She brought the bigger of the sisters closer to the smaller.
Her hair fell in front of her face again, and she paused for a moment, studying the house as it lay.
With her finger and thumb she picked up Mama again, staring at her. She placed it close behind the sisters, touching their backs in an embrace. With slight hesitation, she picked the father up from the floor of the house and scrunched her face to a sour expression. She pulled her arm back and threw him as hard as she could into the water, but not far.
Natalie froze in her place and looked around to see if anyone was around the river to see what she had done, throwing the father in such a way. She pulled her feet from the water and stood up, trying to wipe the caked on mud off of her dress to no avail, the stars now hidden beneath. She rubbed her arm and looked around again, seeing no one. She took a deep breath and walked towards the edge of the water. Natalie peered towards the spot where the father now lay under the water and stepped into the river, keeping her eyes on the spot where it sank.
The water seemed harsher the further she went into the water, her legs feeling the force of the waters. Careful to avoid anything sharp or slippery, Natalie continued forward to the spot where the father had sank. Sinking lower into the river, she was completely soaked from the waist down by the time she found him, but the water felt more frigid, more dangerous. Her sister told her never to go beneath the water, and never try and fight the river, despite how slow it may seem above the surface. Natalie gulped, hesitating for what seemed like forever.
She inhaled and sank down into the depths of the river, straining to keep her head above the surface, reaching with all her might to find the smooth stone among the sharper, jagged rocks. The tip of her fingers ran along the bottom, just barely in her reach. She couldn’t find him, but she knew this is where he fell. She became frantic, scrambling for the stone wildly until she heard her sister’s words. Breathe, Natalie. It’s going to be okay.
Natalie stood and closed her eyes. She took three deep breaths, in and out, counting to ten like her sister advised, and inhaled a long, deep breath in before sinking below the water completely. The river’s force pushed against her, trying to slip her from the rocks and she pushed her feet into the muddy earth, feeling a sharp pain slide into her right foot and she muffled a cry of pain, trying her best to hold her breath.
She opened her eyes, feeling safer, but rubbed at them as they adjusted to the water. Natalie scanned the riverbed for him, finding him near her feet, settled next to the rock that cut her foot. Clasping the stone in her fingers, she felt a small amount of weight lift off her shoulders. The water pushed her harder, and she felt her feet slide out of the mud.
She thrust her feet back into the mud to spring herself out of the water and gasped for air. Her legs still felt the pressure of the currents, but she pushed through back to the bank, gaining more strength as the water became shallower. Natalie clutched the stone in her hand as she neared the stone house, her dress clung to her as she stepped out of the water.
Natalie studied the mother intensely and plucked her away gently to replace the father where she sat behind the daughters, doing what he can to make them happy, doing his best. Natalie used three fingers to dig into the wet earth, just deep enough to hold Mama. She placed Mama in her grave and buried the stone just outside of the stone house.