This is the 38th installment of a 100-day challenge to write a new vignette every morning.
Swim at your own risk was taken as a challenge for the group of Kansas City college students. Not one of them believed the legend. Half had grown up here in this little town off the freeway, so they recognized the lake for what it was: a tourist trap. The other half hailed from the East Coast and refused to hear a word from the locals—unless it brought a good laugh.
Erin led them through the steep hike, and she said nothing as they went. They’d all stayed at her mom’s house the night before, and Erin had greeted them in the morning with this singular mission. She didn’t explain why, but her friends would’ve guessed it had something to do with her midnight argument with her brother, an avowed sexist. Erin’s friends didn’t pry; they were just happy to find a little adventure in the sleepy town.
Their hike brought them to a precipice, and they peered down at the lake. Cliffsides surrounded the murky water entirely; the only way in was a 50-foot drop. Erin insisted it would be just like a high dive.
“How deep is it?”
Erin shrugged. “Nobody knows. Nobody’s come back to talk about it. Who wants to go first?”
Miles Away 