The two girls walked along the dirt road, silently going along. They got to the end of the road and turned left, walking through a marshy area of tall grass. The marshy area went down a hill to a large, clear lake. The shorter girl ran to the tall fence surrounding the lake. There was a low gate near her and she jumped over it. The taller girl stopped at the gate and looked at the sign on the fence.

“Skarlet, did you see the sign? It says ‘Do not enter’ then has some scribbled out words.”
The shorter girl, Skarlet, turned around and looked at the taller girl. “Oh, come on Aboo, no one is here!” Skarlet turned around and walked up to the lake.

Aboo jumped over the gate and ran up next to Skarlet, who was standing by the edge of the lake. She dropped her large duffle bag next to Skarlet’s. The lake was still and clear. The reeds were unmoving and everything was eerily quiet. Skarlet knelt down and examined the small stones near her feet, picking one she stood and tossed it aimlessly across the surface of the water. Aboo sat down and watched Skarlet pick up another rock and skip it across the water. Skarlet picked up a stone; she threw it with all her strength out into the water.

She bent to pick up another tock, but stopped as the stone she just threw came skipping back to her. It landed next to her hand with a crunch. Skarlet picked it up and tossed it far into the lake again. She sat and watched the spot where it disappeared, and soon it came out of the water and flew back to her. She picked up the rock and dropped it only a few inches away from the edge of the water, and watched as it jumped straight out of the water and landed by her foot. She took the stone in her hand and turned to Aboo, who was now lying on her back.

“This stone, it keeps coming back.” She said furiously.

“Here, let me try.” Aboo sighed as she stood up, taking the rock in her hand. She pulled her arm behind her head and let the rock fly out of sight. She smiled and turned to Skarlet, “See, just needs a little --”

They both stared as the rock flew back and landed on the edge of the water. Aboo bent down and grabbed an armful of rocks, tossing them all into the lake. All of the rocks came skipping back after a minute or two. Skarlet took a small stone that could fit in her palm and threw it angrily at the lake. This time, it didn’t come back. She smiled and punched her fist into the air in victory.

Suddenly, a rain of stones and lake water came surging towards the two girls. They fell to the ground and waited for the attack to stop. After a minute or two, the stones and water stopped falling on them and they stood up. A fine mist covered the surface of the water and the ground around them. The sky was dark and the lake was a pale grayish color. A pale white, translucent figure hovered above the water a few meters away from the girls. She had a long, flowing blue and red dress that went down to her ankles. Her face was covered in blood red tattoos and her eyes were pitch black.

“Why do you attack my home and disturb my waters?” Her voice was musical, but demonic. Skarlet was the first to answer the woman.

“Who are you to say we cannot play at the lake?”
The woman glowed slightly as she answered, “I am the Painted Lady; the lake is my home, my domain! You shall not go against my word if you know what’s good for you. Leave my lake and do not return.”
Aboo laughed and picked up a stone, dropping it mockingly into the lake. Skarlet followed her example and kept dropping stones into the lake.

“You shall regret not taking my advice.” Her voice boomed like thunder, and the sky was now dark as night. The lake started to stir and spray up against the girls. The water swirled around the Painted Lady and she rose into the sky. Skarlet and Aboo smirked and pulled out of their duffle bag’s flame throwers. They pulled the triggers and flames poured out and engulfed the Painted Lady. She screamed and the water dropped back into the lake. The sky turned an ugly reddish grey color and the lake seemed to vibrate. The Painted Lady fell into the lake, still on fire. Steam rose up as she crashed beneath the surface. The screams stopped and the lake was calm again. When the steam and mist cleared, the Painted Lady was gone and the sky was a normal light blue color. The two girls smiled and put their flame throwers away. They picked up their duffle bags and walked away from the lake.

The ending credits scrolled quickly up the screen and the boy turned off the television. The look on his face was pure boredom and disgust.

“Man that was a stupid movie.” He got off the couch and walked out of his room.