The kindness of the water draws me in.  The blood stains and mud imbedded into my once bright coat are just screaming to be let free.  And who am I to keep them captive?  They yearn to be free of my slender frame and bestowed back upon the soil from where it came.  Except for the dried crimson of my blood, I suppose, since that came from me.  But nonetheless, it’s time that my tawny coat returned back to its previous golden glory.

My movements are still far from their usually grace, but at least I can walk further than two horse lengths without passing out.  There is still pain within my body, but I do not mind.  In fact I would be just a mess if something didn’t hurt somewhere.  It helps to keep me sane, you know, the pain and whatnot.  Pain demands the audience of focus, and focus is something that I normally desperately lack (or so I’m told), so that focus helps give me clarity and yadda yadda yadda.  Anyways, I love the pain of it all.  It’s simply addicting and I cannot resist its beckoning call.  My red lady, if you will.  And my red lady was there in all her crimson glory when I watched my demon rip my heart from my unwilling chest.

The memory sends shivers down my spinal cord and I giggle gleefully as I kick my walk into a ragged trot.  Speaking of my heart, it would seem as though I just passed it by, but I don’t pay it much attention right now—I have a new one ripe for the taking and other audiences within the fire forest to entertain.

I slow just before the stagnant water’s edge; the placidity is misguiding I know.  The kind water always hides secrets somewhere within.  There are dangers all over Sylva now.  My king has brought the dangers with his wake. I’m practically oozing with excitement to be able to meet all the pretty dangers!  And now I stare at my own face, my head twisting sideways to better stare at my own reflection, “Hello Jack,” I coo softly to myself and the dangers within as my impish grin grows brighter on my face.

Kindness is merely a facade.

I stare at the water Jack longer than necessary, but really I have nothing better to do just now, and I'm truly a patient person if I will myself to be.  So after I'm done blinking at myself and waiting a whole minute, I begin to move my dial back towards the blue dome above me.  But a subtle growth of twisting movement draws my gaze back down to the water; the pattern of its swirls almost hypnotizing.  I giggle softly in child-like delight as my reflection distorts to odd proportions--the solid lines of my face becoming wavy and blurred is all too wonderful to not appreciate.  And my fore limb draws upward then downward, wanting to make my own masterpiece on the liquid surface, but before my pretty little hoof manages to break the plane between air and water I pause mid-descent.  My body freezes while my downcast head tilts unnaturally sideways.  Water Jack stares back at me brightly, the white of her eyes showing dazzlingly wild and a cheshire grin draws the corners of her lips drastically higher.  I like this Water Jack--she seems like a devilishly good time.  The eyes in her skull roll upward and my gaze follows hers to a darkness beyond the pond; darkness is always watching.  I can feel my twisted lips mimic Water Jack's seductive smile as I finally move my previously frozen bodice a step back from the water's edge.

Quickly, I turn completely away from the pond, continuing away from the body with a langorous trot, hummimg a tune I had picked up from another child somewhere along the way.  The fall of a golden tear drops downward to meet its fallen comrades and upon impact I take it as my cue.  Skidding to a halt, my hindquardters find purchase under me as my body simultaneously twists back in the direction of the pond.  Pushing my limbs into a gallop I rapidly close the distance I had drawn from the pond.  At the waters edge where I stood moments before, I collect myself before vaulting my dirt and blood stained tawny hide into the air.   It feels like ages pass before the climax of my leap is finally reached and I am finally able to angle myself into an equine dive before my body impales the stagnant plane of fluid.  The sharp chill sends my nerve endings on edge as I become submerged.  

I don't know what type of darkness lurks in and around the water yet, but I am well acquainted with some of her mysterious children.  What offspring does she harbor amongst water?  I'll be damned if I don't find out.

Hello darkness, my old friend.

Water Jack has become quite the nuisance.  We've become one now that I'm in the water and at first it was fun but not so much anymore.  Not if I can't move.  All I can do is watch him.  And he's watching me.  And I'm watching him watch me.  While he's watching me watching him watching me.  The pattern could continue but I'll leave it at that.

The cool snake holding my chin upwards shifts to follow the path of my jaw towards my cheek.  I take the small opportunity to allow my head to drop a degree, but no sooner does the snake shifts then the boa's around my neck, slowly constricting my airway.  Ah.  He's one of those.  There's a pain growing around my jaw bone and the crimson lady begins to work her way into my side vision.  Haide is there waiting.  She's always seeking never hiding.  Seeking to come out and revel in the pain and misery of it all.  And there she sits grinning at me, goading me into working the influences out.  

I've been strangled before.  Not quite the way you might expect a horse to be strangled exactly.  Nonetheless it's not in my top five favorite ways to die.  There's no thrill to it.  But that's not my point.  My point is that I know I've got limited time before my airway closes completely and I won't be able to talk at all.  And we can't have that.  So instead of nature taking its course, I manage to resist the urge to allow my eyes to begin bulging out of their sockets and instead narrow them inquisitively.  Of course I'm smiling.  Surely you've caught onto that by now.

"Well, let me tell you, Swampy, I'm told I'm quite delicious."

Haide shifts as his boa coils tighter, "What shall it be then?  Continue drawn out and quiet-like, or does the blood upon your lips taste sweeter if there's resistance.  I can be whatever victim you want me to be.  Just know that I'm not so eternally disposed of," I manage to whisper as the noose tightens further. My head would casually tilt to the side now of course, but you know. Circumstances.

I’m pretty sure I’m only seconds away from passing out; the red flickering in the corners of my eyes is quickly being consumed by black, nearly overtaking my vision once and for all.  The consumption snaps backwards simultaneously with the pressure being released from my neck and body.  Immortality doesn’t mean I’m impervious, so naturally as my windpipe widens I am quick to inhale a large gasping breath.  My breathing remains ragged momentarily, turning into panting before moving into a wild laugh.  Oh, these games these Sylvans played!  How wonderfully exhilarating!

“Of course it’s not your cup of tea, sweetling.”

I drag myself onto the bank near where he stands finally, making a great show of shaking out my golden frame, not caring whether the droplets splatter against him or not.  (I’m sure the water master can handle some stray water drops.)  Peering back at my barrel, I make a pleased sound at the back of my throat, having verified that I am no longer marred with blood and grit.  Perhaps it was a rather dramatic back after all.

I offer a gentle shrug of my shoulder at his last response, ”I can be, if it means I get what I want.”

Wild eyes roll back to meet his before shifting towards the cavern from which I assume he crawled out of.  I grin wickedly as I brush past him, only to stop within the mouth of the cave, gazing into the void.  ”Hello!” I shout into its depth, immediately pleased at the echoing sentiment mirrored back to my own ears.  Laughing girlishly, maybe even immaturely, I yell again, ”Fuck you!” My laugh grows in grandeur as the voice curses back at me.  I nearly crumple from the fresh strain on my lungs and windpipe, it hurts, but I absolutely don’t care.  This was way too much fun!

I turn to face him, as my echoing laugh dies off, seemingly contented  and at home in the hellish pit that he presided over, ”Well this is cozy. So, Swampy, have you ever shoved enough water down someone’s throat and into their stomach that their whole insides exploded?”