Hari could not understand why she took that next step onto the ice. The instant she heard the sound of something breaking, she should have turned back to the solidarity of the snow bank. But Kallik beckoned to her from the center of the pond, hand held out as though he already had her there. His gentle, hypnotic voice tethered her to him while Hari’s throat ached. Her cotton scarf held no warmth against the cold. Why didn’t she plant her feet this instant and refuse to suppress her instincts? She screamed when the ground gave way. If she had only gasped instead, she might have gathered some strength. Strangled between the agony freezing her blood and the searing in her lungs, she suffocated. That same hand luring her onto the lake strained to reach her now, but Hari’s limbs were paralyzed, and she could not reach back.
Image by wal_172619 from Pixbay
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