The Lady of Shalott
Dark clouds bringing a biting cold breeze, not quite a wind… yet. It was enough to tangle her hair and make her feel untidy. She walked along the edge of the stream and watched the ripples created by the breeze and the branches overhanging, allowing their shadows to bleed into the gentle flow and sway of the water.
Regardless of the weather, she was just happy for the reprieve from her working life. A well-earned rest amidst her hectic days. It really was a boon to be out in nature.
She looked down at the swell of water, now it was beginning to rush faster. There was a dead tree stump she had to climb around. Further down the stream she could see what looked like a small boat bobbing around and knocking against something hard, the sound reminded her of chattering teeth.
The wind was beginning to pick up and the temperature was dropping, the seeds of winter were finding their footing, fast now and it wouldn’t be long before this stream would be chattering with ice.
She approached the boat, it appeared to have slipped it’s mooring and was slowly drifting down stream. Something glistened with the boat’s movement. Suddenly she dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. She managed to look up to the boat again, to be sure of what she had seen, there it was, a body.
The body was sitting upright in the same manner as the lady of Shalott. The glimmer had been a bracelet on her arm that was trailing in the water. She called out to the lady, but got no response, the lady couldn’t see her.
The curse was still upon her.
______________________________________________________________
Thank you to sundaywhirl.wordpress.com for the prompts that inspired this short story.
S C Richmond 