Very Short Stories- A Collection

Murder in the Murky Depths- Part [1]

I never knew trouble could be concentrated into one human being. That is, until I met Mindy.

It didn't appear to be her fault; trouble just seemed to find her.

And then, it found me.

The night was humid and cloudy, with a deep fog resting on the top of a nearby river. My friend, Ramona and I had ventured far away from our tents and in turn, far away from our families. A full moon shone overhead, illuminating our midnight path as we moved in direction of the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ramona remarked, crouching down on the edge of the bank and dipping her fingers in the pool.

A breeze blew through, rippling the water around my friend's fingers.

"We're in the peak of the summer season." I agreed with a smile, sitting down next to her on the dirt.

My body faced the river, and I dangled my legs over the edge. The water was just high enough to soak my toes. I inhaled the air with a deep breath, closing my eyes and taking in the atmosphere.

"Do you ever wonder how different things would be?" I asked, turning to face her. "You know, if we had never met?"

Ramona shrugged, combing through her hair with her fingers and kicking at the water lightly .

"Sure would be boring. Also, I'd have no one to spend this beautiful summer night with. Look up."

I did as she instructed, and saw an area in the sky where the clouds had parted. The moon and a couple stars beamed down on us.

"The countryside is so much better than the city was."

"Is." she corrected, picking up a chunk of dirt and tossing it.

"The city," she went on, "primarily ours, is just horrible. Trash and no natural beauty as far as the eye can see."

While I didn't entirely agree with her on this, one thing was for sure- where we were staying was absolutely beautiful in its own respect.

I proved this to myself with a glance at the water, the moon above reflecting on it and folding in distortions of the current.

A hand from the depths of the river shot up, cutting through the surface and grabbing my ankle.

Ramona shrieked, kicking at water in an effort to wound the person in question. Her efforts were futile, as she was too far away from the source.

Our attempts at communication were lost amongst the thrashing of water, jumbled screaming and grunting of the entity as it pulled me under water. Ramona followed, worried for me.

It came up for breath and I realized it was a girl, not much older than us. Seventeen or so was my guess, but then again, her exact age was not top priority at that moment.

Short, slick black hair was plastered to her face and neck as her head emerged from the bottom, gasping for air.

"You are easily the most stubborn individual I've ever encountered. Couldn't you tell I needed your attention?"

I choked on river water, and spat it back where it came from, stunned.

"Excuse me? You grabbed my foot." In addition, I raised my eyebrows to emphasize my puzzlement.

"Yeah, whatever. 'Names Mindy." she responded in a surprisingly casual tone.

"What, you want to shake hands or something?" Ramona quipped. "I don't appreciate you attacking my friend, and I don't see why it was necessary."