The Abyss in the Shallows

A warm summer breeze carried the sound of clinking glasses and laughter from the adults nearby. She sat perfectly still in the shimmering shallows, deaf to her mother’s repeated calls. Slowly, with a vacant expression, she stood up, only to collapse heavily onto the concrete. No one noticed that just moments before, the dark abyss beneath the water had finished its claiming, greedily sucking away yards of soft vitality from within her. Months later, she returned to her friends with a smile, bearing a new, transparent backpack—one that held her entire lifeline. Eventually, she closed her eyes forever. Yet, because of her departure, every lurking abyss in the world was forced to wear heavy shackles.