The pool Подписаться

When I go out to the backyard to smoke, Nina is at the bottom of the pool. Her face is tense, as if she was holding a scream in her throat. The neighbors would be alarmed to see her sitting there, under the water, on the large tiles of the pool floor, but I know how long she can hold her breath. Water is her favorite atmosphere. "Come on, Nina, that was it. Go back to bed" I say, and walk back into the house, putting my cigarette in my pocket. I stop in front of the sliding door when I realise that she didn’t hear me. I return to the edge of the pool and I stare into her wide open eyes, despite of the chlorine. "Stop playing! You'll drown!" I warn. "Get out!" I shout again, but she won’t hear me. And then she draws a smile in her mouth that I don’t recognize and feel cold in the back of my neck. "Who are you talking to, daddy?" asks a voice coming from the house. When I turn around, Nina is in the frame of the sliding door, with her pajamas on, holding a doll in her arms. I can see the fear in my face reflected in her pupils. I don’t dare to look back at the bottom of the pool.