Room11b
Jora touches the surface of the white mirror and the surface rushes across the small band. The transition is cold, colder than the water in the river and they are left shivering upon the shore after the magic has completed its work.
The magic mirrors have disappeared and the black and white doors remain on opposite shores. The boatman sits, motionless, in the center of the river.
“Are we sure that it’s safe to swim?” Conrad doesn’t appear enthusiastic about their choice.
“Who cares,” Lamia says. “I just want to get off of this horrible beach.”
“Do we really have a choice?” Jora steps to the edge of the water and raises his hand to beckon the others.
Jora wades into the river; the shock of the water is as painful as a knife. The cold cuts through his boots and clothing as if it isn’t even there.
“How bad is it?” Lamia wavers at the edge of the water.
Jora’s teeth are chattering but he manages to speak clearly.
“Remember when we dared each other to jump into the creek on the first day of winter? It’s a lot like that.”
“Oh, that gives me such joy,” Lamia positively spits the words but still wades into the river.
Safir follows the older girl and lets out a squeal as the cold water hits her legs.
Conrad hesitates until all his friends are thigh deep and quickly moving away from shore before overcoming his hesitancy. He splashes into the water, groaning as the icy liquid chills him to the bone.
“I wonder how deep it gets,” Lamia calls to Jora.
Jora is several yards ahead of her and nearing the center of the river. He turns to say something when the bottom falls out beneath his feet and he drops fully beneath the surface. He barely hears the panicked cries of Lamia and Safir as the water closes over his head.
He pulls toward the surface in a panic and erupts into the air, gasping.
“Jora,” Lamia screams.
“I’m fine,” he chokes out the words. “It suddenly got deep.”
Jora treads water until he stops choking and then resumes swimming for the opposite shore.
The rest of the group take to swimming and follow their leader.
The shore is growing closer when Jora hears a scream behind him. He turns in time to see Lamia be sucked beneath the surface. Several seconds later the girl resurfaces, splashing frantically a dozen feet downstream. No sooner has she surfaced than she is yanked down again.
“Lamia!”
Jora strikes out toward his friend just as Safir is yanked beneath the surface followed by Conrad.
Jora swims for all he is worth. His friends bob to the surface once, twice and then are sucked below without reappearing.
Something grabs hold of Jora’s legs and pulls him beneath the surface. He glances below as he tumbles beneath the surface but nothing other than swirling water is visible.
Jora fights to the surface only to be sucked down again. Each time he battles back to the air, the rocky outcrop at the far end of the river is nearer by dozens of yards. His strength wanes as he fights the supernatural power of the current and he is pulled down once more as the river plunges beneath the wall.
Jora and the others are drawn underground by the water. With no air to swim toward they soon weaken and give in to the inevitable, breathing in the water.