She clung unto the piece of driftwood, praying for daylight. The water was freezing cold, and her breaths were coming out in puffs. It was devastating to see how crumbled the boat has become, and how no one else had survived except her.

Cindy was dead scared; the frozen faces that showed out of nowhere, staring continuously without blinking at her were disturbing. She would scream each time the full moon brings one to her view.

"At least, tomorrow promises a clear sky; but what lies beyond the cold, lonely night for me? A freezing death? Or just another day to hope and fight for my dear life?" She thought. "That's if I would live that long... A search party should have been sent by now...or could they have thought we would be having fun the whole night?"


Cindy kept shuffling thoughts in her head, until she cast her eyes, rather by accident than design, on another face staring back at her. A thought, like lightning, shot through her mind, and in an instant, she remembered, that this was the very face of Danny, the cause of all her misfortune.

She was with her the day he dropped by to ask Sarah if she'd like to overwinter with him and his friends in their winter-house across town.

"Can Cindy come with us?" Sarah had asked, without her consent.

"Of course, Thomas's and Donald's girlfriends will be there. Moreover, I asked Becky to invite some of her friends too." He replied, a smug look on his face.

Cindy particularly disliked Danny. She had always perceived him as a proud, spoilt brat who would never miss an opportunity to flaunt his parent's wealth; the same reason he had invited everyone to their winter house when his parents had traveled.

Cindy cursed herself for letting Sarah lure her into going with her in the first place. She also cursed herself for boarding the boat when she should be in the company of others, warming herself by the fire. On second thoughts, she knew no one could easily break free from Sarah's persuasion; if given the chance, she could persuade a dead man to wake up. But unfortunately, her frozen body would probably be staring from a distance.

The water was getting colder and Cindy shivered under the gruesome burden. The wail Sarah had given out upon their collision with whatever it was that stood solidly in the middle of the lake reverberated in her ears. She cried helplessly.

After about thirty minutes of drifting with the current, she heard the Whirrs of a boat engine in the distance. She couldn't scream for help as the cold had made her lost her voice. Even when she heard Becky screamed their names, she just shivered. Her face was becoming whiter and it was difficult for her to breathe...and move.

Fortunately, someone sent a beam of light in their direction; and the boat came at full speed. Her hope of survival was ignited.

Becky screamed when she saw the wreck. As the boat slowly drifted past, she whimpered, turning the bodies over in search of her brother, Danny.

Thomas suddenly stopped moving. He gripped the torch fixedly with both hands, shivering and whimpering too. He had seen Danny, but he was too shocked to speak.

"Beckkky-yyy," he stuttered, breathing out puffs.

Becky was stupefied. She let out a loud, doleful wail. She almost tripped, but Thomas held her tight. She hit him several times on the chest, trying to wriggle out of his grip, but she couldn't.

Cindy just kept staring...and shivering. If only they would shift their gazes from Danny for a while, perhaps they would notice that she's still alive...but dying.

The happy moments she's had with her mom flashed through her mind. She wondered what would happen to her radiant smile if she found out her only child is dead. The cold gripped her, but fear gripped her more.

Thomas was sure nobody had survived the crash. He browsed through the bodies with his flashlight one last time. This was when he noticed Cindy staring in their direction.

He steered the boat towards her to clarify his doubts. Becky's eyes widened in trepidation. Could she be alive?

"Cindy! Cindy!" She screamed.

But there was no reply, no movement whatsoever. They found her frozen... Hopelessly staring into the distance like the rest of the bodies.

The end.
Thank you for reading. My name is Akinyemi AbdulMalik Olumide, your favourite book boy. I am a passionate writer, reader and book reviewer. If you ever need something worthwhile to read, then you need to check out my blog:
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