@fourmarksmageâ cont from here
   It wasnât a contest, was it? Itâd be a morbid one if it was, and Chrissy would rather not have that sort of pissing contest. But fair was fair. She blew out a breath, cheeks puffed out momentarily. âWell, I have sad stories aplenty, but nothing to top that.â Not that she wanted to.
   She leaned forward across the bar, towel slung across her shoulder, almost hidden by the mass of red curls that spilled down her arm. âI had a lot of cousins growing up. Lot of siblings too. Just, a lot of kids around in general. Weâd go down to the river to swim. Some of the bigger kids--boys, mostly--wanted to swing from this old rope tied to one of the overhanging branches. That damn rope mustâve been there for a couple generations at least. The thing wasnât too sturdy after all the years.â
    She grabbed a nearby rag to wipe up a circle of condensation. âBut none of that stopped my little cousin, Garrett. He was eight, I think? Too little to even reach the rope, really, but he wanted to be like the big boys. Carson helped him up and he was just... swinging away. Laughing, happy as can be, holding on for dear life.He got braver and braver with each swing.â Chrissy paused, meeting the womanâs eyes. âAnd then he let go. Hit the water with a splash, started swimming.â She smiled wistfully at the memory. âNatural swimmer.â
   The smile faded. âIt was the cottonmouth that got him. He mustâve hit it when he landed. None of us had seen it or sensed it until he was treading water and screaming.â
   She said nothing after that, but picked up the bottle and poured them each another drink.