The Film

1/1/18

I was standing in the movie theatre, shivering in my leopard print coat. It should have been warmer in here. I’d just walked away from the lobby arcade, passing the time with a few games as I waited. Then my friends walked in, Margot with the tickets in hand. I kept asking, but no one would tell me what movie we were seeing. I didn’t find out until I saw the title on the marquee— it was a horror film I did not want to see. I let my friends go past me as I lagged behind in the dark hallway. I could only see a sliver of the screen, but I heard everything clearly.

There was a girl in a bathtub full of black water. I could see her back and shoulders. She was bathing, scrubbing at her face. She lowered her hands into the water, but it started to quiver. Little waves lapped at the sides of the porcelain tub. The water became more feral, shifting and crawling over her. She was terrified. Couldn’t move. She screamed as it spread over her, inside her, surrounded her with soft susurrations like silk falling on skin.