On Thin Ice

Chapter 2

Jacob had decided to take a seat on a bench close by, leaving Connie with no choice but to sit with him.

Wiping the thin layer of snow away with her glove, she sat down next to him, keeping her eyes fixed on the trees in the distance. It wasn't often that she was lost for words but just being with him again since their break up felt awkward.

"I- Er," she coughed, clearing her throat. "I have a lot of paperwork to get through before the board meeting next week-" she said, trying to come up with some sort of excuse to leave. Despite her best effort, it was obvious to Jacob that being there with him was the last place she wanted to be.

Jacob sighed and turned to her, a sad smile on his face. He had hoped to try and win her over again but it was quite clear that that wasn't going to happen. As much as he was enjoying spending time with her again, he didn't want to force her to stay.

He still loved her, he wouldn't deny it. But if moving on without him would make her happy then who was he to stand in her way? She had clearly made up her mind and he knew that nothing he could do would ever change it.

"Shall we go find the kids?" he asked, pushing himself up off the bench. Connie looked up at him and smiled appreciatively. She was thankful that he hadn't tried to stop her from leaving.

Hugo looked around him, frantically searching for anything that could help Grace. A rope, a boat, anything. "I don't know what to do!" he shouted out. He looked over at her and could see the fear in her watery eyes. Looking down at the frozen lake, he considered stepping down onto it himself but the crunching sound the ice made as he put a foot onto it changed his mind.

"You're going to have to try and make your way over to me," Hugo said, fear clearly audible in his voice. He knew any movement she made could possibly lead to her going under but surely the ice would give way sooner or later if she just stayed in that same spot anyway.

"I- I can't move," she said between breaths. Looking down, she noticed that the small crack in the ice was turning into hundreds of tiny cracks under her feet.

Having decided that they needed an adult's help, Hugo called out to Grace.

"Try to stay as still as you can," he paused. "I'm going to find someone-"

"No!" Grace shouted, taking a step forward as she did. Suddenly, everything went quiet and the only noise that could be heard was the frightful sound of millions of pieces of ice shattering. Grace's eyes widened a split second before her scream could be heard for miles.

"Grace!" Hugo shouted, his voice resonating around the park as he watched her fall through the ice. To him it seemed like everything from that point was happening in slow motion. Her scream echoed in his ears and the terrified expression on her face as she went under stuck in his mind.

Simba - who had managed to stay affloat on a large block of ice - barked continously as he watched his owner disappear.

A few seconds later, Grace reapeared at the surface, breathing uncontrollably, unable to move. Small clouds of steam visibly escaped her blue lips as she began to hyperventilate. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, she couldn't even see clearly. Her mind had gone completely blank. She had never been so cold in all her life.

"Help! Please someone help!" Hugo called out as loud as he could. "Help!"

Jacob stopped in his tracks as he thought he heard something. He quickly grabbed hold of Connie's arm and stopped her too.

"What? What is it?" she asked, confused, looking down at his hand on her arm before looking up at him.

"Shh-" Was all he said as he listened attentively. Connie looked over in the direction he was staring in, wondering what on earth he was doing.

Just as she was about to question his strange behaviour, she heard it herself. Cries for help. Grace. Where was Grace?

Before she even had time to think, she found herself running as fast as her legs would take her towards the lake. She didn't know what, but she knew something had happened to her daughter. She could just feel it.

Only seconds after he had called for help, Hugo heard people running up behind him. "It's Grace," he shouted as Jacob ran over to him, out of breath. "She fell in!"

"Gracie!" Connie screamed as she rushed down the hill towards the lake. The moment she saw her daughter disappearing under the ice cold water, it felt as though she had been hit by a truck. She couldn't breath, she felt numb.

Without thinking, Jacob wripped his coat off of his back and ran straight into the water, breaking the ice as he charged in Grace's direction.

"Jacob!" Connie cried helplessly. She ran down to the end of the pier and watched as Jacob fearlessly dived under for her daughter.

Connie stood next to Hugo and stared wide-eyed at the bubbling surface of the water where Grace and Jacob were, praying that they would come back up.

What had happened? Why was she out on the lake?  "What were you doing?!" She shouted at the young boy, her harsh tone causing tears to run down his face. "What was she doing out there-"

Just then Jacob reappeared, his breathing just as hectic as Grace's had been just moments before she had gone under. He was hardly able to move his lips, never mind speak but he managed a few words.

"Call- call ambulance" he shivered.

"Jacob- please," she sobbed, begging him to go back under for her little girl. There was never any doubt in Jacob's mind. From the moment he had decided to jump in the lake, there was no way he was getting out without Grace. Taking another deep breath, he ducked his head back under the water.

After a couple more seconds had gone by and no sign of Jacob or Grace, Connie decided she couldn't wait any longer. Tears streaming down her face, she reached into her pocket and threw her phone to Hugo, telling him to call for an ambulance. Without thinking too much of it, she kicked off her heels and stepped into the water. The freezing temperature making her gasp as a sharp pain ran through her body.

When she was about knee deep in the lake, Jacob shot up above the surface, growling in pain and gasping for air. Connie looked over to him in shock, noticing he had Grace under his arm.

"Take her - take her," Jacob said repeatedly as he tried to catch his breath. His whole body was numb and he was afraid he wouldn't be strong enough to keep Grace above the surface.

Connie lowered herself into the water, crying out in pain as she did. Despite the temperature of the water being below freezing, she couldn't have cared less about her own safety at that very moment. The only thing she cared about was getting her daughter out of the water.