Sarah dove beneath the surface, the coolness enveloping her completely. She let herself float there for a moment, suspended in the silence, before kicking upward and breaking through the water with a gasp. She could still feel the island in the distance, its trees and rocks a blur against the horizon. But she didn't look for them, didn't search for their figures watching her. Instead, she focused on the sensation of the water against her skin, the way it carried her effortlessly, as if it had been waiting for her all along.

She wasn't sure where she was going, or what she was leaving behind. All she knew was that the lake felt like home, and in that moment, it was the only thing that made sense. With a final glance at the island, she turned and swam farther into the deep, her body cutting through the water with ease, until she was nothing more than a ripple on the surface, a fleeting moment in time.

In front of her, the little cottage started to become bigger, and she welcomed the thought of sitting on the porch, drying off in the sun...maybe she would even put on some clothes...