Sunday Drowning

In a shocking turn of events last Sunday, a beloved writer drowned in part of the Mississippi that flowed past her country home. Wisteria Halloway, age 25, apparently threw herself off of a bridge into the vicious current of the Mississippi, during the early, humid evening of last Sunday. Police concluded Halloway’s death was a suicide, after interviewing a few campers in a nearby campsite, who stated that they had seen no one else near the area. A thorough investigation was conducted of the crime scene, no evidence of foul play was revealed. 1

Her body was washed up unto to shore half a mile away, where a local fisherman and his son had been camping for the weekend.2

“My wife has all her books,” Fred Stagman, the fisherman, stated. “I’ve seen her face on the back cover. I recognized her immediately. Hard to forget a face like that.”3

Halloway, who apparently had been having problems recovering from a recent friend’s suicide, was not meeting the deadlines of her publisher, Joanne Hassler. After having several times threatened to turn Halloway out of the agency, Hassler finally did so when Halloway stopped answering her phones calls and messages. 4

“I tried to help her. To get her out of the house,” Hassler said sadly. “She just didn’t want to be helped.”5

Police searched her home for a suicide note, but found no actual letter. However, they did find several recent poems in her study. Titles included are: “Forever Drowning,” and “Drowning Thoughts.“ One of the more disturbing and, perhaps, ironic poems was titled, “Sunday Drowning.” An excerpt:6

“Without second thoughts,7

she plunges8

into the9

icy blue10

depths….11

Her face 12

hovering13

in sight14

then falling,15

fading.16

into her17

murky 18

blue 19

grave, 20

now only21

a memory.”22

Whether or not the poem was related to Halloway’s suicide, is yet to be officially established. Although, it hardly seems coincidental. 23

Halloway’s funeral will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2007 at the Serenity Funeral Home, located on Virginia Avenue. Time is yet to be established.24

Said Hassler: “Wisteria was one of the best talents I’ve ever had the opportunity to publish. One of the youngest, most likeable authors of her time. She will be missed.”25