A Story That Won't End

Ayla

"Help... me..."

I froze mid-step at the sound of that voice. It was coming from the river beneath the bridge I was crossing. My heart shot straight into my throat.

Leaning over the wooden railing just past the concrete guardrail, I squinted at the water. At first, all I saw were ripples and sunlight flashing on the surface.

Then-an arm. A small hand reaching out desperately, followed by the head of a boy breaking the surface before vanishing again.

Without thinking, I bolted down the rocky path to the riverbank. My shoes slipped off, my backpack hit the ground, and I dove straight into the freezing water.

It was autumn, and the cold cut through me like shattered glass-but I didn't care.

The boy kept gasping every time he surfaced. I had to get to him.

"Grab my hand!" I yelled, stretching my arm toward him. He looked younger and smaller than me.

The second his fingers latched onto mine, I kicked hard, dragging with everything I had until I hauled him to the muddy bank.

We collapsed there, breathless and shaking. He curled up, knees to his chest, coughing up water.

I sat next to him, squeezing water from my hair, my eyes glued to his face.

He was a chubby kid with a round, freckled face. His skin was ghostly pale, his lips tinted blue.

"How'd you almost drown out here?" I asked, still catching my breath.

He wouldn't meet my eyes. "I was, uh... looking for a goldfish," he muttered, his voice trembling.

I blinked. "A goldfish? Seriously? In this river? Let me guess-some older kids set you up, didn't they?"

His silence was enough of an answer.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I sighed, grabbed my backpack, and pulled out a jacket. "Here, wear this. It's my brother's, so it's huge, but you'll freeze if you don't."

He hesitated. "Thanks, but... what about you?"

"I'll be fine," I said with a shrug, trying to sound tough even though I was shivering like crazy.

He studied me-really studied me-and I could tell he knew I was lying.

But I smiled anyway.

For some reason, watching him breathe evenly again made me feel bad for him, especially after he admitted he'd been tricked.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I thought I was gonna die."

"God's kind... at least until we grow up and figure out how to get revenge on people who mess with us. Honestly, I'd just buy a goldfish."

He gave a tiny laugh, even though I wasn't joking. I meant it-it made way more sense to just buy one.

"Uh... can I know your name?" he asked softly.

"Hope," I said. "And you?"

"River."

**

"River, hey! Zoning out again?"

My voice broke the silence as we drove across the same bridge, six months later.

River stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.

He blinked and turned to me. "Huh? Oh... sorry," he muttered with that shy smile I'd gotten used to.

I sighed.