Customs By Clare Sabry

Most commonly, one would enter the Pond alone, or with a close friend, sibling, or lover. According to scripture, no more than two could enter the Pond at a time. It was a place to escape everyday pains and tribulations.

Parts of the Pond swarmed with fish, large ones with gray-blue scales and mustaches. Other areas were entirely silent.

The design of the Pond varied from family to family, region to region. Some of them were basked in sunlight, in backyards and in fields, others were hidden in caves or under large tree roots, and others overlooked the sea. None were uncomfortably cold or warm.

The Ponds were a popular place for suicide as well, as the center was more than fifteen feet deep. The water would never stain, even if the body, when found, was drained of blood.

© 2015 Clare Sabry

Clare Sabry studies creative writing at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Her story Desert Stones was the 2014 recipient of the SFUSD Arts Festival 1st Place award. She loves writing fiction, playing bass guitar, and trying to tame her cloud of hair.

Comments are closed.