Water Tempted 

by Louella Lester


She knew the lake had much deeper feelings, so she tried her best not to take advantage. But when summer heat sweat-bubbled her skin she just couldn’t help herself. She’d slow-slip into the lake. Hold her breath. Dive deep. Wait until it whispered a sigh and settled like glass above her. Wait until the need for air sent her up to shatter its surface, sent her swimming to shore, leaving the now broken water behind. She’d collapse on the dry sand while the lake tried to reach her. Sent waves rolling in. Over and over and over again.


* * * * *

Louella Lester is a writer/photographer in Winnipeg, Canada, author of Glass Bricks (At Bay Press), a contributing editor at New Flash Fiction Review, and has a story included in Best Microfiction 2024. Her writing appears in a variety of journals/anthologies, including most recently: Roi Faineant, 50-Word Story, the Dribble Drabble Review, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Gooseberry Pie, Paragraph Planet, Hooghly Review, Bright Flash, Cult. Magazine, and SoFloPoJo.