The Midnight Swim

You don't think it was an accident?

It just doesn't...

something about it doesn't sit right, you know?

I mean, she knew diving.

She knew that lake so well.

And she knew no one would be able to find her in it.

She was dumb to go diving by herself.

Do you guys think Mom was reincarnated?

I don't know. Maybe.

She told me this story

of, um, the river of forgetting.

Do you guys... Have you heard that?

No.

She said before you're born,

your soul travels across the river of forgetting,

and it just wipes your memory clean,

so that you can go be born again, into a new life.

You just keep doing this over and over again,

lifetime over lifetime, you know,

just the... the cycle of reincarnation.

And finally once you... Your soul has learned

everything that it's supposed to learn,

then you get to travel back over the river of remembering.

And all your previous selves

come together, being one with everything

that has come before, and is, and will come.

It's weird to think that Mom's still down there.

I think it's fitting.

She loved the lake so much.

It's where she'd want to be.

When was the last time you were home?

Not since before I got married.

Didn't you miss the lake?

Nope.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Should we go down?

You go ahead.

Seriously, go ahead.

It's cold.

Are you still afraid of swimming?

Mmm...

I think I probably am.

Is that Josh?

Do you remember Josh Jasper?

No. No?

Annie was, like, obsessed with him.

Like, sick obsessed.

Hey, Josh?

Are you Josh Jasper?

Yeah, who's that?

Uh, we're Annie's sisters, Isa and June.

Annie here?

Yeah, she is.

You should come over for dinner tonight.

Uh, thanks, I got...

I got stuff I gotta do, but thanks.

No, you have to, she's gonna be so excited.

Yes.

So, the home ec teachers...

We were making chocolate freshman year.

Yeah. For a parfait...

We had to make parfaits, right?

And Annie, she had to make chocolate mousse,

and she messed up 'cause she got the yogurt.

And she poured, like, cinnamon on top,

but the top fell off and all the cinnamon was like...

And she got so upset.

(muffled conversation continues)

Dinner's ready!

Okay, here we go.

Sorry it's just pasta.

I didn't realize we would be entertaining tonight.

It looks beautiful.

Big camera.

Is it digital, is it...?

Mm-hmm.

So, we're in your documentary?

Right now you are.

Aren't you gonna eat?

No.

June only eats alone.

Mmm, I mean, you gotta be hungry.

I said no.

She has since she was little.

It's not really like a big deal.

Do you want some more pasta?

I eat alone a lot too, so...

Parmesan? Yeah, please.

Yeah.

Okay.

So, you see how the lines of your palm are shallow?

Mmm.

Um, it just means that you're a young soul.

Is that good?

Um, well, it's neither good or bad.

It's just... It just means that

you have to come back for more lifetimes... Oh.

To continue learning.

Two kids.

That's true too.

Who'd you have two kids with?

Remember Molly from high school?

Yeah.

Well done, she was a babe.

Yeah, she was.

We're not together anymore.

Um, sorry to hear that.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's been a rough summer.

That it has.

For all of us. Mm-hmm.

I wanted to tell you guys

how sorry I am about your mom.

Thanks.

Yeah, there's a bunch of us who tried to help,

and, um...

you know, by the time they got some divers,

I think it's... you know, it was just too deep.

How'd you hear about it?

Through the Sheriff's Department.

Like... five days after the fact.

Guess they had a hard time finding us.

So, are you... you guys here for a memorial, or what?

No. No, no.

She was clear she didn't want that kind of thing.

We're just here to, you know, figure out the next step

and take care of some affairs.

Mmm.

The, like, coming back home

is... is the part

that makes you feel, like, so strange.

It's... it's like this lake has a power.

I can't explain it, it's like a draw.

You know, no one's ever found the bottom.

It's pretty strange.

Remember that story that Mom used to tell us?

The one about the seven sisters?

Yeah.

Do you remember? I do, I do, I do.

So, like, what...

So, the first sister jumps in, and...

Mm-hmm? She never resurfaces.

So, then the second sister jumps in

to try and save her, but she gets pulled down.

Then the third sister jumps in,

tries to save that sister, same thing happens.

And one by one, they all jump in

trying to save each other, and drown.

The legend of the story is that you can...

go out at midnight

and summon up the spirit of the seventh sister.

There have been people who have seen her

but, if you go swimming...

there has been talk that it may be the last time you swim.

Oh, God, it's so crazy.

Ooh.

What time is it?

Okay, so what do we have to do

to conjure the seventh sister?

First of all you have... You have to be very quiet.

No, no, you have to speak from the heart.

Speak from the heart.

From the heart. And be sincere.

In order for the seventh sister to arise

and show herself, you have to say

"seventh sister" seven... seven times.

Seventh sister, seventh Sister...

No, no, no. Not now!

Shh, shh.

You can't do it now. Sorry.

Because she's going to hear it and nothing is going to happen.

Guys, guys, wait, wait.

What? What? Wait. Wait.

I think we need candles.

Yes.

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

I think Mom would have some.

She has a whole bunch of them in the basement.

Okay, okay, I'll be right back.

Okay. Do you want me to come with you?

Hurry.

Is everybody ready?

Yes.

Okay, Is, tell it to the camera.

With the permission of fire

and the permission of matter,

we now begin.

Seventh sister,

seventh sister,

seventh sister,

seventh sister,

seventh sister,

seventh sister,

seventh sister.

Did you hear that?

What? I heard something.

Why'd you do that?

It's not... It was him!