Inkling 2025 - Flipbook - Page 22
about her, and now you’re doing the
same to me.”
He stepped forward, his face pale
with fury. “I am the only thing keeping
you from drowning in your mother’s
delusions.”
His hand trembled. “I see her in you,” he
said quietly. “And it terri昀椀es me.”
His words rang in my ears as I backed
away, the kitchen light 昀氀ickering behind
me. I had to get out. I had to breathe.
I ran. To the lake. To the only place that
still felt alive.
I pulled o昀昀 my shoes and walked into the
water. The moment my feet touched the
surface, it shimmered. My eyes lit up with
blue 昀椀re. My hair trailed glowing strands
22 | INKLING 2025
behind me. The necklace I always wore—my
mother’s shell—warmed against my chest.
The water pulled around me like a hug.
Gentle. Protective.
“I miss you so much Mom,” I said.
The lake spiralled around my 昀椀ngers, up my
arms, wrapping me in something safe. The
water didn’t just surround me; it felt like it
was calling me home. The same pull I had
always resisted now felt like something I
couldn’t escape.
Then I heard it. My dad.
Before I could speak, a huge wave rose
behind me, surging with power.
He didn’t hesitate. He ran straight into the
water. The wave crashed over both of us,
swallowing us whole. Cold. Terrifying.
