Oddities on the Lake

Ashnard dragged Nina away from the lake, then laid her on his lap. Nina's right leg hardened into ice up to her ankle. Painful and hard to move, but more fragile than stone.

"Calm down, Nina. You're fine. Only your feet are frozen. You better not move much," Ashnard said, trying to calm the panicked Nina.

Nina caught her breath according to Ashnard's direction. She also tightly gripped Ashnard's hand as if to squeeze it to pieces.

"I'm fine," Nina whispered.

"I told you, we shouldn't go there."

"Well, you have a point," sighed Nina with a slight chuckle. "What is happened? How did that lake freeze my feet so fast? But, it doesn't look like a cold lake," Nina wondered, looking back at her feet. Tried to move her legs but it didn't work. She then looked at the lake questioningly.

"I was just as surprised. Mrs. Terenna did say the lake would freeze you to death, but I thought it was just to scare us," Ashnard said, not expecting what he didn't believe was real.