I awoke to a knock on my door. I opened it to see a sopping wet girl, her lips blue from the cold of winter.
"You poor girl, come in." I motioned for the small child to come inside, but she refused to move.
"Papa, I can't." She said to me. I wasn't her father. Who was this mysterious child?
"Do you remember me, Papa?" She asked me, reaching a pale and wet hand out to my gloved one.
"Charolette?" I asked, scared by how frail and sickly she had become. The girl nodded, shivering fiercely.
"The big ship sank, Papa." She said, some of her dark, wet hair falling in-front of her eyes.
"I'm sorry." I said, tears brimming in my eyes.
"Why did you push us out of the small boat, the one that would take us home?" Charolette asked, her voice quivering.
"I was a coward- I was a murderer- I didn't want to die," I murmured as I fell to my knees, into the snow.
"It's okay, Papa. Mama and I are happy now." Charolette said, her blue lips cracking into a smile.
"No- you would still be here with me if it were okay." I said, trying to take her outstretched hand in mine. My hand went right through hers.
"I'm not really here, Papa. You know that," Charolette said, water dripping from her faded and torn dress.
"Charolette, tell Mama I still love her- tell Mama I miss her." I said, warm tears rolling down my face.
"Mama still loves you, Papa." Charolette said, her eyes not truly focused on anything, forever staring up into the waters of the ocean.
"We're not truly dead- we live on in there." Charolette said, putting a weightless hand on my chest- where my heart was.
"Don't leave me, Charolette- please, don't go." I begged as tears streaked my face.
"Papa, I have to go- Mama wants me home now." Charolette said, slowly starting to disappear.
"But you are home," I said, my voice quaking.
Charolette shook her head vigorously, and lay down on top of the snow- not even making a dent in the cold flakes. She sat beside me and smiled. "No, Papa. The water is my home. Goodbye, Papa." She said, disappearing before I could call her name.
I slowly dug my shaking hand into my Blazer pocket. Slowly, I pulled out a golden locket. I popped open the locket, and inside was a picture of my dear daughter.
"We're not truly dead- we live on in your heart." I heard Charolette say to me- the last thing she would ever say. I held the locket close to my heart, and collapsed into the cold snow. "You'll never truly be dead Charolette, because I will keep you safe in heaven." I murmured softly as my vision became blurry.
"I'll love you forever Charolette. Together once again, never shall we be separated." I whispered as I let my heavy, sorrowful heart, be whisked away into the clutches of death.
Deep, under the blackest of waters, my dear Charolette lay. Her ice blue lips, though frozen and dead, lifted into a small, peaceful smile.