Returning Home
by Sonja Herbert
Gradually, she became aware of her surroundings. She pushed against the confining walls and somersaulted in the buoyant liquid. Wherever she turned, she was sheltered in warmth and softness. She moved dreamily, listening to the rhythm of the water, and to another, more regular beat that made her feel safe and happy, if one can feel happiness without having known sadness.
When the walls tightened and constricted, she still felt protected in the water, until that, too, disappeared and she was pushed into a bright and unbelievable strangeness.
Twenty years later, Kira lit the candle by the sink and listened to the splashing water. She stared at the tub with tear-puffy eyes.
Brent had left her for good, and her mother, too, was gone, waiting somewhere beyond death. No one cared.
She placed the knife onto the rim of the tub and stripped bare.
With the water shut off, she slid into the buoyant liquid. This one last luxury would help her pass over. For a while, though, she'd just lay here, enjoying the warmth. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind. As her ears slid under the water, she became aware of the rhythm of her heartbeat. When she moved her arms and legs against the smooth sides of the tub, a long lost sensation surfaced, a memory of something very simple and very precious.
Time stood still. She had found home again. And there was no need for the knife after all.
Sonja Herbert is the author of many award-winning stories. Her biographical novel, Tightrope!, about her mother hiding in a circus during the Holocaust, won the distinguished Eaton Literary Award for best book manuscript of 2006. Originally a native of Germany, she now lives in Hillsboro, Oregon. Check out her website at www.germanwriter.com.
