“Daisy?” Allen frowns, “Where is Anika?”
“I want to go to bed now, Allen,” Daisy says smiling up at her husband.
“Me too,” Clara says.
“You didn't answer the question, Mother,” Glenn yells.
Daisy leaps to her feet and shouts back, “Don’t raise your voice at me!”
Glenn stares at her in shock.
“Anika could be in danger, where is she?” Allen asks sweetly.
“We promised we wouldn’t tell Glenn she went swimming in the pond.” Clara smooths her skirt and pulls at Josiah’s hand. “Now, can we go home,” she whispers.
“Swimming in the dark!” Glenn shouts.
“Don't be such a prude son, your Dad and I swim naked all,” Allen smacks a hand over her mouth with a shout of laughter.
“This isn’t funny,” Glenn hisses.
“She couldn’t have gotten far on foot, son,” Allen says. “Take blankets.”
Clara pushes a hand to her head, “Josiah, my head hurts,” she whispers.
“Time to go home,” Dr. Parker says firmly.
Glenn runs from the house to hear, “Where’s my dang horse?”
His stomach drops when he sees a lady's shoe. “Problem, Fred?”
“My horse is gone. She must have loosened the reins.” He scratches his head while Glenn runs into the barn. He returns leading an old mare.
“Here Fred, use this one. I’ll bring your horse back when we find her.”
The seconds tick by like minutes, while he waits for Fred to leave. The moment he mounts, Glenn runs into the barn and mounts his stallion.
Panic is beginning to set in as the sun starts to set deeper in the sky. He quickly rolls up a blanket and ties it to his saddle before leaping on his horse. He thunders towards the fields stopping when he comes across the first piece of clothing and a second shoe.
His mouth goes dry when he finds her waist jacket. A few feet later he sees a large purple skirt. Jumping from the horse, he picks it up and looks around. “Anika!” he shouts, no answer.
“Damn,” he climbs back on his horse and rides fast.
Anika urges the small mare on, stopping to remove her clothes as her body seems to be burning up. Wearing only a camisole, she hums softly and struggles back onto the mare, before giving a swift kick of her heels. “Swimming, swimming, I love to swimmmm,” she sings loudly and giggles.
“Over the hill and through the trees,” she reminds herself and claps her hands with glee when she sees the trees. “It’s so dark, Ms. Jerry, how will we find the pond?”
The mare snorts, and keeps walking, “Of course, my apologies, you know where we're going.” When the pony stops a few minutes later, Anika gasps and slides from her back and pats her, “You are the best Ms. Jerry I've ever known. Thank you.”
The pond glistens, reflecting the sinking sun in the sky above. It's a clear evening, and Anika stares at the pond and sighs. “So beautiful,” her breath puffs out a misty warning of the temperature dropping, but she is oblivious.
Anika dips a toe in the pond and grins before walking straight into the water. She swims, rolling over and floats.
Glenn thunders through the trees, startling Ms. Jerry and causing her to stomp her feet and run away. His breath rushes out when he sees Anika floating in the pond. “Thank God,” he mumbles and leaps down. Glenn ties his reins to a tree branch and jerks a blanket from the back of the panting horse.
Anika ducks her head in the water and pushes her hair back on her head.
“Anika, come out of the water,” Glenn calls.
Anika frowns at him and shakes her head no, “No thank you,” she says and swims away from him to the center of the pond.
“Damnit, you’ll catch a cold. Its’ freezing now, stop playing and swim to me.”
“I don't think so, Mr. Ward,” and she rolls over on her back to stare up at the stars. “It's beautiful,” she murmurs.
Glenn’s mouth falls open as he realizes all she is wearing is a thin camisole. He whirls around and wipes a hand over his eyes and starts praying. “Lord, I’m gonna need your help with this one.”
“Come swim with me, Glenn,” she calls softly, teasing him and his heartbeat pounds in his ears.
“Anika, stop playing and let’s go home,” he calls to her again.
“It's like I'm floating in the stars, Glenn.”
“The stars aren’t out yet,” he informs her.
“Killjoy,” she snaps and giggles.
It takes all his strength to not turn and watch her in all her glory. Desperation has him throwing out the first thing that comes to mind.
“Delaney is waiting for you; don't you want to say goodnight to her.”
“Delaney?” Splashing as she rolls over the water spins around her and she frantically turns looking for her daughter.
“Oh, no! I’ve lost her! Delaney!” She screams and dives under to look for her. Quickly realizing his mistake, Glenn whirls around and finds to his horror that she is gone.
“Anika!” he runs straight at the water, diving in to find her.
The water is deep, black and impossible to see in. Which way is up? Delaney! She screams in her mind. Something grabs her arm and jerks her. Anika starts fighting as she comes face to face with her dead husband.
Saul grins, with skin hanging from his face, rotting teeth, a missing eye and he laughs at her, pinning both arms to her side he drags her body against his. Anika fights, choking on pond water and struggles to break free.
Glenn drags her from the water, screaming, and coughing. He’s forced to pin her arms down to stop her from hurting him. “Anika,” he shouts, “look at me.”
“Delaney!” she coughs out, “Please let me get Delaney.”
“She’s at home, Delaney’s at home.”
Anika stops struggling and stares up at
