Blue, Black, Red: Thirteen Macabre Tales [Completed]

Puddles

Madison's hair was frizzy, her skin looked dotted with pores, and there was dirt packed underneath her fingernails. She felt disgusting, looked worse, and there was a test first period that she hadn't studied for.

It wasn't until she had run into the street, hands gripping backpack straps and eyes glued to the watch that said that she was already late, that she noticed what was in front of her. And then she stopped, and stared.

It was a single, lone puddle in the middle of her street.

"If you see a single puddle," her mother had told her, "it's a magic puddle. Be careful."

She'd never seen one, had always missed the magic moment when the rest of the water had drained and there was only one pool left. So now she dropped onto her knees in front of it, brushing the hair out of her eyes to see her reflection.

At first she was disappointed. Then she felt a little edge of bitterness in her heart. Typical mom, head in the clouds.

Then it happened. A little crease rippled through the water, and when it cleared her reflection had been replaced by a boy about her age.

He was handsome. Dark hair, combed to the side. Sad, blue eyes and a thick pout. A thin nose, and a smattering of freckles. He looked like the "I'm a weirdo" type of guy. Soft, understanding, mysterious, poetry-worthy, tumblr-using.

In summary, she was head over heels in an instant.

Their eyes met, and she felt a shock that ran straight to her heart. His frown morphed into a smirk, and he reached out his hand towards her, as if trying to escape the puddle to be with her.

Madison reached down into the puddle, and to her surprise she could feel his fingers curl around her wrist.

She let him pull her in.

Her mother stuck her head out the door to tell her that she'd left her lunch behind about five minutes later, and found her. Drowned.

And not a speck of water to be seen.