His face fell. ‘But we always go for walks together. We hold hands and laugh, like everyone else here.’
Greta glanced around the park. Now Jim had mentioned it, she noticed that everyone was part of a couple, or a family. No one was ever alone in a Maple Gold commercial. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said firmly.
She caught Millie’s eyes shining with admiration, and Greta turned to her. ‘Want to join me?’
Millie swept a hand over her dress, flicking a look at Jefferson. She offered a small smile. ‘Maybe next time.’
Greta nodded.
Wandering through the park, she noticed how everyone looked like they were on holiday, smiling and poised like figures from a Renoir painting she’d once seen. There was no one licking a tissue to wipe ice-cream smears from their kid’s face. Children’s clothes were pristine, with no muddy knees from sliding on the grass. There weren’t any sunburned shoulders, or dads yelling at their kids not to dip their biscuits in the lake. Everything was bright and serene. Possibly too delightful.
Greta watched a mother tossing a ball to her child. She could swear the exact same motion happened three times, identically, right down to the child’s laugh and the tilt of the mother’s head.
She rubbed her eyes and kept walking.
When she reached the edge of the park, a cluster of trees swayed gently in the breeze. Sunlight twinkled through the canopy overhead, dappling Greta’s face. She hummed softly, and her voice blended with the sounds of the forest, the whisper of leaves and the crunch of bracken underfoot. It felt good to be alone for a while, savouring the peace and quiet.
She walked for several minutes until she spotted a gap in the trees ahead. A shimmer of blue and white twinkled through the branches, and a light spray of water kissed her face.
Greta slowed her pace, her eyes widening as she stepped toward the clearing.
When she emerged through the trees, she gasped.
A waterfall cascaded from a rocky ledge, tumbling twenty feet down into a turquoise pool below.
Mesmerised by the sight, Greta moved closer.
She crouched by the water’s edge, scooping up a handful and splashing her face. The coolness was refreshing, especially after the stilted chatter at the picnic.
Out of the corner of her eye, something shifted, and she turned her head to look. The waterfall seemed to flow briefly upwards. Or was she just imagining things?
She slipped off her shoes and dipped her feet into the pool, wincing at its chill. As she waded in further, the coldness bit her ankles, sending shockwaves through her body. The water lapped around her calves, then her knees as she went deeper.
Now, Greta stood thigh-deep, and her dress floated around her, looking like the petals of a flower. The water seemed to pull at her, inviting her in, its cool embrace growing stronger with each step.
She pointed her arms together and dived beneath the surface.
Greta’s dress billowed as she glided through the pool. Her hair drifted behind her, weightless as she swam toward the waterfall. The sheer height and power of the water gushing down made her feel tiny and inconsequential. Its bellow was like thunder, vibrating through her bones.
She paused to tread water, her limbs moving effortlessly, keeping her afloat. She wriggled and stretched, to peel off her clothes and fling them onto the rocks, until she wore only the pearl necklace. Being naked felt liberating, like she’d shed a heavy rucksack.
For a few precious minutes, Greta simply swam. All thoughts of Iris, Jim, Lottie, Millie, Jefferson, and Nora slipped away. She felt connected back to nature—not like an actress, or the perfect wife or mother. Just Greta.
Flipping onto her back, she floated, gazing up at the powder- blue sky.
Everything was still and peaceful. The water lapped gently around her.
Until the quiet began to feel unsettling.
Greta rolled onto her belly, a strange unease making her skin crawl. She had a sudden sensation of being watched.
Then, something grazed against her toe.
Her heart pounded, and she flinched and jerked her foot away.
What the hell was that?
Peering down into the water, she saw a dark shape gliding beneath her.
