09 – THE WOMAN OF THE LAKE

POV: HENRY

A single second was enough for him to disappear. In the distance, I heard his screams. The sound of his panicked voice calling for me made my chest tighten and my breathing falter.

“Help, Uncle Henry, please!” Theodor screamed, his voice filled with desperation. “She’s going to die!”

“Theodor!” I shouted back, my heart racing. A chill ran down my spine, and sweat dripped from my forehead as I sprinted through the cemetery, ignoring everything around me. I followed his voice until I reached the lake.

There he was, standing at the edge of the water, pointing frantically at something I couldn’t yet see.

“You have to save her!” he cried, his voice trembling, his wide eyes brimming with tears.

I hurried over, frowning as I tried to process his words.

“What are you talking about, Theodor? Who?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all while gasping for air from the run.

“The fairy is drowning!” he shouted, his innocence evident in the urgency of his tone.

I stopped for a moment, confused.

“The fairy?” I repeated, looking at him in disbelief. “What kind of joke is this, Theo?”

My voice came out more irritated than I intended. I looked him up and down, trying to make sure he was okay. A part of me thought this was just another one of his attempts to get attention.

“There, look!” he yelled insistently, and my eyes followed where he was pointing. A woman was in the water, thrashing desperately, clearly drowning.

“Damn it!” I exclaimed, kicking off my shoes as I quickly glanced at Theo. “Don’t move from here, do you understand?”

Without waiting for a response, I dove into the icy water. The current was stronger than it appeared, and the woman was barely conscious. I swam hard, wrapping my arms around her. When I tried to pull her, I realized something was tangled around her foot.

I dove underwater, spotting a thick piece of algae tangled around her foot. Pulling with all my strength, I finally freed it and managed to drag her out of the water. My breathing was ragged as I placed her on the ground. She was unconscious.

“Hey!” I called, gently tapping her face in an attempt to wake her. “Come on, wake up. Are you okay?”

After a few seconds, she coughed violently, turning her head to expel water from her lungs before lightly pushing me away. I let out a long sigh and sat beside her, exhausted.

“See, Uncle Henry? I told you she needed help!” Theodor said, approaching with wide eyes. He carefully touched the woman’s wet hair, his concern evident. “Fairy, are you okay?”

“Fairy?” I questioned him aloud, frowning as I looked at him.

The woman slowly turned her face, her eyes meeting mine. For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

Before I could react, Theodor ran toward her, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck in a hug so heartfelt it nearly left me speechless. I was stunned. Ever since losing his parents, Theo hadn’t shown that kind of affection for anyone—not even me.

His loud, uncontrolled sobs echoed, breaking the silence that had settled over us. The woman, still wet and visibly exhausted, returned his embrace with a natural tenderness, as if she instinctively knew how to handle a grieving child.

“Hey, little one, it’s okay now,” she murmured, her voice soft and soothing as she gently stroked Theo’s hair.

After a few moments, she carefully pulled him back, holding his face in her hands and wiping away the tears streaming from his eyes. Her smile was calm, almost comforting, as if she hadn’t just survived a near-death experience.

“Look what I brought for you,” she said in that same gentle tone, lifting the chain with the compass.

Theo’s eyes widened, his expression completely changing. He took the chain as if it were a sacred object, holding it tightly with both hands. His eyes, which had been filled with pain for so long, now sparkled with a happiness I hadn’t seen in months.

“You kept the promise?” he asked, his voice still shaky but filled with hope.

“I always keep my promises,” she replied, smiling as she adjusted the chain around his neck.

I immediately recognized the necklace. My posture stiffened as I turned to Theo, frowning. Rising quickly to my feet, I cleared my throat loudly to grab their attention.

“Theodor, I can’t believe you put a stranger in danger for a necklace. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” My tone was sharp, cutting. Theo shrank back, avoiding my gaze. “She could’ve died because of this. It was irresponsible, reckless, and—”

Before I could finish, the mysterious woman from the lake stood up abruptly, her movements decisive. She placed her hands on her hips, her gaze firm and defiant, her expression clearly irritated.

“Hey, don’t scold him!” she retorted, pulling Theo into her arms protectively, catching me off guard. “I was the one who decided to look for the necklace in the lake. Besides, I’m an excellent swimmer.”

What kind of ridiculous idea is it to jump into a lake for a necklace? I thought, raising an eyebrow.

“And what kind of irresponsible father lets a child wander alone near a lake?” she snapped angrily, her accusation direct and sharp. “He could’ve drowned in my place!” She didn’t wait for my response, continuing with an authoritative tone I hadn’t expected. “Take better care of your child from now on.”

She turned her attention back to Theo, as if I weren’t even there.

“And you, don’t go running off alone again, okay? I have to go now, but take care of yourself, alright?”

She said goodbye to Theo with a gentle smile, still completely ignoring my presence. As she started to walk away, my nephew ran after her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She kneeled down, stroked his hair, and placed a kiss on the top of his head before finally leaving.

I watched the scene in silence, trying to process what had just happened. Theo, who could barely look at me without resentment, now wore a smile. The emotion he showed, the comfort he found in that woman, disarmed me. It was something I didn’t know how to offer him.

Though the moment had a sense of warmth, growing unease filled my chest. Who was she to scold me as if she had any authority? I opened my mouth to clarify that Theo wasn’t my son but my nephew and that he had run off while I was momentarily distracted. But before I could utter a word, she simply turned and walked away, as if I were irrelevant. As if she could just ignore a man like me.

Did she have no idea who I was? Or did she simply not care?

Theo remained standing, his eyes fixed on the direction where she had disappeared. The light in his eyes was different. Since Finn and Emma’s passing, he had shut himself off from the world. This was the first time I’d seen my nephew open up to someone.

“That woman…”