I step lightly into the freezing water

Moving softly as to not cause the ripples

Swaying as gently as a graceful waltz

I raise my skirt so it soaks in no water

With one last step I reach my desired destination

Just a slight dip of the hip and a stretched out arm and I reach it

Sliding my hand under the calm surface of the river

I pluck up the smooth silvered shell

And watch as the river sediments wash away in the lazy current

As I skim the surface of the water with the once strong armor I think back

To a more innocent time,

Of my childhood,

As I remember a silent tear slips from my eye

Quietly gliding down my ivory cheek to splash into the water below

Slowly I step out of the river

My body numb from the freezing water

My heart numb from the memory of his cold stare

From the innocent life he has stolen from me.