Swan Lake

By Sita Arya

Daniel falls in love with a beautiful ballerina called Sarah. She is mysterious and clever and everything he wants in a woman. Unbenkwnst to him, Sarah is cursed to turn into a swan at sunset.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L Books
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223564065

Book preview

SWAN LAKE

Sita Arya

CHAPTER 1

Big Ben chimed 6 o’clock as the city of London basked in the summer sun. All around, hardworking Londoners made their way home from work. They crammed into buses, trains and cars and squeezed into the last available spaces. It was the height of summer, and a very hot day and this made the journey home all the more demanding. A few of the travellers stripped themselves of their jackets while others fanned themselves with magazines. 

In an affluent part of the city, and a world away from the hustle and bustle of central London, a beautiful townhouse stood on an elegant street. It was one of those old Edwardian houses that looked deceptively small from the outside but had at least three floors on the inside. Like all houses of that era it possessed an old English charm. 

A few of the garden lights turned on automatically, and at this time a riotous party ensued from within. The music and laughter ringing out from within was at odds with the quiet neighbourhood, and one or two residents shook their heads in disapproval. 

The owner of the house was Daniel Culpepper, a tall, fair, and handsome man with perfect teeth that he spent five minutes cleaning every day. Daniel’s eyes were a radiant blue, and his tousled hair had an auburn hue to it. He towered over everyone and more than a few ladies had taken to watching his every move. Dotted around his pad were expensive works of art and elegant bespoke furniture. There was even a grand piano parked in the corner. 

Daniel stood in front of a hundred adoring guests in his favourite jeans and white shirt, and drank beer from a tall glass, spilling droplets on his shirt. Having finished his beer, he steadied himself and addressed the crowd in slurred speech. 

Thank you for coming to my birthday party. I hope you appreciate the amount of planning and effort that went into organising this magnificent event.

A few of the guests shook their heads and shouted, You didn’t do a thing. 

You’re right, I just winged it. He tipped forward when someone caught him and propped him back up. Thank you, kindly. Where was I? Ah yes, merriment. Grabbing another mug of beer, he downed the entire contents in one go and a couple of drops stained his white shirt.  

A whole hour passed since Daniel’s speech and he now took to lying on some cushions, wooing a girl in her twenties.  Do you know I designed this house myself, he boasted. 

Really? she asked, looking around. "It’s very beautiful, Mr Culpepper.

You’re so talented." 

Yes I am. He caressed her arm. Perhaps I could design something for you, Stephanie. 

The girl lurched back. It’s Jennifer.

Before Daniel could react, the music stopped, making him scramble to his feet with flared eyes. 

Who turned off the music? he yelled. No one came forward. Well, who was it? 

The crowd parted and Daniel calmed in an instant, his face drenched in profound shock. Standing before him was Daniel’s Father, John, a dignified man in his late 50s, and dressed in a smart three piece suit. His thick grey hair was swept back, and he was the same height as his son. John scanned the mess of leftover food, empty beer bottles, vomit-sodden carpets, and glared at his offspring. Daniel turned to Jennifer and mumbled something in her ear.

Don’t expect a call anytime soon, snapped Jennifer, striding out of the room. 

Little by little the rest followed until Daniel and John were alone. 

Well, she’s in a bad mood, Daniel quipped. 

Have you forgotten the party? John asked. 

Party? Daniel enquired. 

Your birthday party with 50 guests and your fiancée?

Oh, that party. No, of course not. How could I forget? 

Then get dressed. There’s a car waiting for you outside. 

John abandoned the room and the chaos of the crudely organised get-together as Daniel stared ahead in apathy. It became clear it was impossible to escape his fate, so he made his way to his room, threw on some appropriate clothes, and searched high and low for his mobile phone, but couldn’t find it. The thought of attending his birthday party made him sit on the bed and look solemnly out the window. The longer he took to leave the house, the less time he’d spend at the party. Therefore, he stayed in his room for another hour. A car’s horn sounded and he knew it was the car that’d arrived to pick him up for the party. His father was very thorough about these thing and wasn’t a patient man, which left Daniel no choice but to succumb to his father’s wishes and go downstairs.

As he opened the front door, he found a silver Rolls Royce parked in front of the house with a uniformed chauffeur standing beside it.

Daniel walked slovenly to the chauffeur and said, I’ll take mine. 

I was told to drive you to the manor. I can’t allow you to take your own car, the chauffeur replied. 

Yes you can because my Father doesn’t care how I get there. Only that I get there. He placed four £20 notes in the chauffeur’s palm. 

Do as you wish, sir, the chauffeur replied. 

Walking back to his drive, Daniel opened a garage strewn with half a dozen expensive cars. He eased into the driver’s seat of a brand new Porsche, turned on the ignition, thrust his foot on the accelerator, and screeched the scarlet automobile out of the garage and down the street.

CHAPTER 2

The sleek car whizzed through rush hour traffic and took turn after turn until it was no longer in the London suburbs. What surrounded the vehicle now was lush countryside, and the beginnings of a lake. 

It was a stiflingly hot evening and Daniel opened the window to let in some fresh air, and turned on the radio. As his eyes left the road, the car swerved to the wrong side and clipped a grass verge. He paid no attention to the mistake and rallied his car through narrow roads, zipping past miles of barren land with no building or person in sight. 

Minutes before sunset, the car headlights lit up a sign for ‘Hope Lake’ and he passed a huge expanse of water inhabited with local wildlife. The sunlight shimmered on the water’s surface giving it an ethereal look. He remained aloof to the beauty of his surroundings, and glanced to the passenger seat where a bottle of water rolled back and forth. He leaned sideways and could barely touched the bottle with his fingers. 

Almost got you, he muttered, edging his fingers closer to the bottle.  

Glancing up, he saw a young woman standing in the middle of the road and swerved to avoid her. The car careened down a small hill, snapping tree branches along the way, and he grasped the steering wheel and noticed the lake drawing closer.

I don’t want to die, he cried. 

Seconds later, the car flew through the air and plunged into Hope Lake with a mighty splash. The Porsche now sat in a metre of water, resembling a metal ship that ran aground. The car door swung open and Daniel climbed out of the car and jumped onto the lake. Looking down, he found he was hip deep in water. Daniel waded through the lake and scrambled up the muddy hill, slipping back a few times before finally reaching the top. The young woman he almost killed watched from behind a tree, cowering like a deer about to bolt. Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he struggled to see her properly.

Are you going to show yourself? he asked. 

The woman stepped out from behind the tree and his eyes widened. Before him was a lady who was no more than twenty years of age, tall, with a slender physique, and with dark, waist length hair and dark eyes. 

Are you lost? Daniel asked. The woman remained silent. Do you speak English? She didn’t utter a word. "Of course