New cover!!

Here's the cover for my Halloween story!  Another Laura Morrigan masterpiece!

No, I'm not depressed--the opposite in fact.  This is the title of the story I wrote for Writer's Digest's January contest.  Out of a thousand entries, they chose five finalists.  And no, I wasn't one of the five.  The picture is the prompt, with a maximum of 750 words.  *adult language has been edited out* Tell me what you think (it's NOT my normal style).

Down in the Dregs

Fog rolled in, blotting out the watery sun.  Wispy tendrils of vapor reached out, entwining trees within its grasp before obliterating them from sight as they became mere shadows of their former selves.  A sudden chill of foreboding ripped through me.  For a second, I paused my rhythmic movements.  But with a shiver, I shook off the damp coldness as I continued rowing the small boat to the center of the lake.  I wouldn’t care about the temperature for much longer.

Death was the ultimate cold.    

Suicide wasn’t something to take lightly.  In fact, I wouldn’t have thought of it at all if only one or two bad things happened.  Heck, I bet I could have handled three disasters at one time.  But six?  It was too much. 

I couldn’t fake it any longer.

Last night had been my final hurrah.  None of my buddies suspected a thing.  They were all about getting high, drunk or a piece of xxx.  I played them like I’ve been playing everyone for the last month.   After I dropped them off, I drove my car as far as I could until I was running on fumes, ending up on the far end of a small lake.  A boat was all I needed, and it appeared that providence was on my side.

When I reached the middle of the lake, I tossed the oars inside the boat.  My fingers were numb as I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills.  Guys weren’t supposed to take the easy way out, but I’d rather my mom didn’t see my brains splatted on the interior of the car.  Pills won out over carbon monoxide, since there wasn’t any gas left in the tank.

I stared at the bottle for a second before I opened the lid and poured the pill cocktail into my hand.  As I stared at my palm full of drugs, I realized that I had forgotten one small thing. 

Water.

True, I was surrounded by the stuff, but it was lake water full of fish shit, dead creatures and pollution.  With the way my luck was running, I’d probably catch some weird xxx disease like hepatitis, AIDS or leprosy. 

Then I remembered I was trying to kill myself.  What the xxxx did I care?

The boat rode low as I cupped my hand and leaned over the side.   I filled it and tossed down four pills at a time.  At this rate, I wouldn’t be dead until next Christmas.  I tossed the last six pills into my mouth and leaned over the edge, shoving my face in the cold lake to swallow them. 

Something bumped the boat.  My eyes popped open as the theme from JAWS echoed in my mind.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw a woman’s face with hair the color of moonlight.  I jerked my head out of the water.  The xxxx pills must be starting to take effect.  Hell if I knew what xxxx pills I swallowed.  All I asked for was something to kill the pain.  All the dealer wanted was crisp hundreds.  We both got what we needed.

The boat rocked again.  My xxx slipped off the bench seat and onto the bottom of the boat.  I giggled like a chick.  Focusing on anything was taking too much effort, so I closed my eyes.  The boat tilted wildly to the side.  I grabbed onto the bench seat afraid that it was going to capsize.

A pair of hands clenched the boat.  Focusing was difficult, even blinking hard to clear my eyes didn’t help.  A head rose over the boat’s side as the creature flung its head back.  Water and hair arced over her head as I was caught in the spray. 

I was losing it now.  Hallucinations were coming hard and fast.  A chick, mermaid, mer-chick . . . whatever . . . pulled herself into the boat.  I lay there, unable to move.  My chest heaved.  All I could do was watch.  She tried talking to me, but I couldn’t hear any longer. 

Darkness descended.

The sun warmed my face.  I felt like xxxx. Hurt like a couple of thugs had beaten me with a two-by-four.  Something wiggled by my side.

She was there.