The lake appeared before her eyes. It was black just like the rest of the world. Her young and tiny feet still bled from the black rocks that covered the ground. She walked slowly and carefully down the slope, wincing as the sharp pebbles refused to give way to her soft feet. Then she suddenly slipped and fell on her back and let out a soft cry.  But her voice was lost in the empty air, echoing on nothing. She stood back up slowly and continued down towards the water.
It was hard to see from the black sky, covered in miles of cloud. There was no light, only an eerie red glow that had no source. The low, rolling hills of rock were her only companions.

She reached the water’s edge. She could feel the dampness under her feet on the shore. The water rippled slowly, almost like it was made of something more than just water.
She slowly lifted her dirty foot and gently placed it on the surface of the water. She drew back quickly and gasped. It was ice cold unlike the steamy air. She let her foot sink through the liquid until it hit the rocks on the bottom. The cold was shocking. She had never felt anything so cold and so dark. But it was a relief to her torn and shredded feet.
She slowly placed her other foot in and let out her breath with the feeling. She hunched over and set her hand on the surface, feeling the cold on her palm. She pushed her hand through and watched it disappear. She stood again and felt the now cold edges of her skirt flap against her skin. She swished her feet around feeling the cold wash over her. She smiled and placed both her hands in the water wiggling her fingers.
“What are you doing child?” A male voice whispered from the depths of the pool.  She gasped and quickly ran out of the water. She clutched her rags at her throat. “There is no need to fear child,” a soft voice rumbled. Her eyes darted across the lake trying to find a figure or a shape but there was nothing.
But out in the middle of the lake the surface began to bubble and the water started to cascade up around a figure, billowing softly. The figure turned into a man. His form was simply water and he rippled showing different faces and different forms, but it was always a man, a huge man.
The girl backed up towards the slope, but the man reached out his hand and glided over the surface to the water’s edge, silent as a ghost. He cascaded down to her height and he looked into her eyes. “You are safe here child.” She inspected him, not wanting to trust him. Then she very slowly reached out her hand and touched his outstretched fingers. Hers went right through his.
“I can’t touch you child. I cannot hurt you if I cannot touch.” Her brow wrinkled thinking. She reached out again and pushed her fingers through his hand. She smiled, breaking up the water that held his hand together. She giggled as she distorted his hand.  He chuckled and reached down into the water. He brought back up several orbs of floating liquid.  She pushed one with her hand and it glided slowly away and stopped in a few feet. She batted them around like balloons and giggled and shrieked with excitement.
She continued to play as he spoke to her, “You can stay here child. No one can harm you here. I shall protect you.” She smiled and grabbed at the silver orbs as they sparkled. Her soft feet pranced across the pebbles with her excitement.