The grandson pushed his grandmother into the lake, knowing perfectly well that she couldn’t swim and was afraid of water, just for a joke: the relatives stood nearby, laughing, but none of them could even imagine what this woman would do once she got out of the water The grandson stood at the edge of the pier, smiling as if he were about to do something harmless.
— Grandma, remember you said you can’t swim and always dreamed of learning?
She nervously adjusted her headscarf and looked at the water. The lake seemed dark and cold.
— Yes, I said that. But I’m afraid of water. Very afraid. Don’t joke like that.
— Stop being dramatic, — the nineteen-year-old grandson laughed. — You’re just working yourself up.
She took a step back, but he was faster. A light shove to her back — and her body lost balance. She fell into the water, hit the surface, and for a moment disappeared beneath it.
When she resurfaced, there was real fear in her eyes.
— Help… I can’t… — her voice broke.
She tried to grab onto the boards of the pier, but her hands slipped on the wet wood. Her clothes pulled her down, her breathing became uneven. She thrashed, swallowed water, and went under again.
On the pier, they laughed.
— Film it, film it, this is epic, — the daughter-in-law said, holding her phone in front of her.
— Grandma, you’re actress of the year, — the second grandson shouted.
Her own son stood aside with a crooked smile.
— She’s just trying to scare us, she wants attention, — he said calmly, as if talking about the weather.
She went under again, and for a second it was quiet. But when she came up coughing, the laughter continued.
— Okay, enough of the circus, get out already, — the daughter-in-law said irritably.
No one reached out a hand.
At some point, she managed to reach the edge of the pier, braced herself on her elbows, and with difficulty pulled herself out. She lay on the boards, breathing heavily, water dripping from her hair, her lips trembling.
The laughter gradually faded.
She slowly stood up. She looked at them for a long time, without shouting, without hysteria. Just a gaze with no tears and no pleading.
Water streamed off her, her dress clung to her body, her hands trembled not from the cold but from humiliation.
The grandson was still smiling, though not as confidently.
— Grandma, come on, it was just a joke…
She didn’t answer. Slowly, she took her phone out of her bag. Her fingers were wet, but she held it firmly.
— Hello. Police? I want to report an attempted murder. I have evidence. The video will do.
Their faces changed instantly.
— What are you doing? — the daughter-in-law whispered, turning pale.
— What I should have done a long time ago, — the woman said calmly.
The daughter-in-law jerked forward and tried to delete the recording from her phone.
— We’ll delete everything and move on, Mom, don’t make a scene, — the son intervened.
But the elderly woman was faster. She snatched the phone from the daughter-in-law’s hands so quickly that she didn’t even have time to react.
— Don’t even try, — she said quietly.
For the first time, the grandson stopped smirking.
— Grandma, you’re not serious…
— Your ill-mannered son will receive his punishment, — she interrupted, looking at the daughter-in-law. — And you’ll regret raising such a person. Though really, he just grew up to be like you.
The son stepped forward.
— Mom, you’re going too far. We’re family.
— Family doesn’t push into the water someone who is afraid and can’t swim, — she replied.
She straightened up, as if the water had washed away not only the dirt but also the fear.
— Tomorrow, you will vacate my apartment. I will no longer support you. I don’t care that you have no money. You are adults. Learn to be responsible for your actions.
No one was laughing anymore.
— You will deeply regret the way you treated me, — she said calmly.
In the distance, sirens could already be heard.