“Remind me again, why are we here?” I moaned to my mother a few yards away. I was leaning over a railing, struck with seasickness as our boat trailed through the clear waters. The constant up and down motions were leaving me a little green.
“You know why we’re here. Stop complaining and try to enjoy this free vacation.” She huffed, stomping off to the boat’s stern. I know I complain a lot, and more than twenty years of it hasn’t been good on my mother’s patience. I closed my eyes for a moment to regain some of my composure, temporarily shutting out the seasickness.
“Hey, Victoria,” I yelled over my shoulder to my sister on the starboard side of the small watercraft, who was as cheerful and full of energy as ever, even though there was nothing to do on the relatively small craft. “Thanks again for winning a stupid radio contest and flying us all the way down here to the Atlantic Ocean.” She rolled her eyes and walked over to me with ease. Apparently, she already had her ‘sea legs’, while I was barely keeping my breakfast from the airport terminal in my stomach.
“We’re not just here to see the ocean, Edward. We’re on our way to the island too,” She corrected, flicking me upside the head.
“Right, because spending a month on a no-name island in the middle of nowhere sounds like a wonderful time,” I commented sarcastically. The thought did sound fun, but it was what it took to get there that was trying my patience. Days of travelling by plane, rental car and finally boat and we weren’t even there yet.
“Can’t you at least pretend to be a little excited? I thought time away from home would do you some good. And spending an entire month by yourself can’t be healthy. Especially after what happened with you and—“
“Will you stop bringing that up?” I snapped, glaring at her with my sickly eyes. “Why can’t everybody just leave me alone?” I huffed, tilting my sea-sickened head over the railing once more.
“I’m sorry. But mom and I thought it would be better that you come with us, rather than stay home all alone.”
“But I like being alone…” Victoria only rolled her eyes at my rebuttal.
“Look, after a breakup that bad, it’s not good being alone to think about her.”
“But being alone is what makes me feel better,” I grumbled. “And besides, what do you know about bad breakups? You’re only sixteen and never had a boyfriend.”
“Only because you go all ‘big brother’ and threaten to shoot any boys I bring home.” She laughed and playfully punched me in the arm.
“Hey, it’s my job to keep my sister safe, even if she is a pain in the a—“ A wave of vomit poured from my mouth over the side of the boat. After it was all done I cringed and tucked my arms together.
’I am never, ever setting foot on another boat as long as I live.’
“You alright?” My sister’s worried voice calmly asked. “You seem really sick.”
“No, really? What gave it away?” I replied flatly.
“I’ll go get you some water, be right back.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh as I sat down and leaned onto the lower rail, resting my chin hard on the cool metal. My thoughts drifted as I dangled my feet off the edge and watched the waves roll by.
’Why am I here, again? I could’ve just fought harder to stay home. I am twenty-three after all, I can take care of myself… Well, maybe a whole month alone might be pushing it a bit. Considering I’m not exactly on speaking terms with my most recent ex and all my friends went south for college, I wouldn't really have anything to do now that I think about it...’
I paused for a moment as I reflected on my friends.
’I guess I really shouldn’t complain. They’re happy after all, no more northern Michigan winters for them. Too bad I’ve always wanted to move further north where it was colder and more comfortable.’
I looked up to the clear sky and was met with the blazing sun that had helped in turning my mood sour.
’It must be a thousand degrees down here. I wish I could go back home and jump in the snow, where I belong; as far away from the Equator as possible.’
My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden cold sensation of Victoria pressing a bottle of ice-water against my cheek.
“I just talked to the captain, guess where we are!” She chirped, positively vibrating with excitement.
I shrugged to her as I took the bottle and gulped the water down in record time.
“He said we’re right on the edge of the Bermuda Triangle! Isn’t that awesome?”
“Yep, it means we’re getting closer to the island, and that means closer to land.” I smiled at the thought of it. No more rocking back and forth, no more worrying about sharks. A silly thought seeing as we were safe on the boat, but I mean everyone has the right to be afraid of something, right?
“Well, yes, but that’s not what I meant.” She said as she kicked off her flip flops onto the deck before sitting cross-legged next to me. “It means we might see something cool out here. You know all the myths and stuff about this place, right? Because you know, like everything, or at least you think you do.” I looked up in thought before quickly speaking again.
“I’ve read a few books on the matter. There’s some weird stuff that happens here, but there’s nothing superstitious or alien going on here like most people believe.”
“You’re so boring sometimes, you know that? You don’t have to go all ‘science genius’ all the time,” she stated with a large frown.
“And why is that?” I cocked an eyebrow turning towards her.
“Because it’s fun to just believe sometimes!” My sister beamed. You could almost sees stars blinking into existence in her eyes.
“Believe in what? Magical storms that make people disappear?” I rolled my eyes at the ludicrous idea.
“So you’re saying you don’t believe in magic at all?”
Victoria had been quite irritating ever since she found out about Wicca or whatever it was called. She was always wasting her money at a “potion” shop, truly thinking it would do something. She even tried putting a curse on me to make me lose my hair. It didn’t work.
“Just because some expensive book you got off a website with birthday money says magic is real, doesn’t mean it is. Can your magic explain that squadron of planes that vanished some sixty years ago?” She smirked at the question.
“Can your science?” She shot back trying to stump me.
“I don’t even need science. It’s just an unfortunate event the planes or boats or whatever get caught in storms and sink or crash.” I waved my hands up in the air. “It’s all just chance they disappear more in this part of the ocean. Just like when you went outside that one day when it was windy and that one-hundred dollar bill that smacked you in the face; all coincidence and proper timing.” Victoria remained silent while she shot me a thoughtful glare. Without a word she stood up.
“I’m going to take a nap below deck,” She started as she slipped her flip flops back on. “—and for the record, this conversation isn’t finished.”
“Just don’t slip on your way there, wouldn’t want me getting the inheritance.” I teased.
“Only if I don’t push you in the water first.” She stuck her tongue out at me. I didn’t watch her go, only stared out to the sea with a satisfied, slightly evil smirk. There was of course, no family inheritance. We just teased each other about it.
I chuckled softly as my pale face rested on the strangely comfortable metal railing. A slightly less comfortable thought shoved itself to the front of my silent musings.
’I sure hope my neighbor remembers to feed my fish. Those guys are expensive to replace…’
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The ocean is truly a breathtaking sight to see. Even if the temperature was in the triple digits, and I was vomiting like a sewage outlet pipe, I had to admit it was beautiful. It was a couple hours later I’d guessed by the sun’s position. Even though I had an expensive watch that was right to within a ten-thousandth of a second, there was something nice about guessing the time.
My stomach had finally settled and I managed to keep down a granola bar my mother brought me. She was always trying to get me to eat this healthy stuff. I sighed deeply at the thought of the dry, tasteless things she classified as ‘food’.
’I hope there’s better stuff on the isla—wait.’
“We should have been there by now.” I thought out loud.
I slowly stood up from my spot on deck and made my way to the back of the vessel. If I had to guess, I’d say the boat was fifty feet long? I don’t know, I’m not good at judging length or distance. After watching my feet and paying attention to my balance, I made it to the small ladder that led up to the captain’s nest; A small platform not really made for two people about five feet up from the rest of the deck.
“Hey, Captain William, how much longer ‘til we get there?” I asked as my feet connected with the floor of the navigation room.
“Hey there, Curly!” The captain greeted over his shoulder. I got called that a lot because of my hair. I had what people called “jerry curls”. I’m glad I understood the references. It just made me more aware of how strange my hair looked, considering I’m Caucasian.
“So, what brings you up here?” He asked with his slightly southern accent.
“Well, I was thinking we’d be there by now. The trip was only supposed to take three hours.” This got a reaction out of the captain. He looked up at what I guessed to be the GPS mounted by the main viewport. He then turned his attention to a framed map on the wall. I could see his face just enough to notice his brow furrow and an unsure smirk appear.
“We should see the island on the horizon shortly.” He answered in a stern voice much unlike his usual upbeat demeanor. I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it. Heckling the captain wouldn’t get us there any faster. I eventually made my way back to the comfortable spot I had picked out on the deck.
I nestled where I spent most of my time, resting my chin on a metal bar as I glowered over the side towards the endless ocean. My head felt like a snow globe, being shaken and having all the little bits floating around. I took my sandals off to let my feet breathe a little easier, hoping that would help me cool down some too.
’Could this pathetic watercraft possibly go any slowe—’
My bored thoughts were interrupted by a gentle buzzing sensation on my right thigh. It was my phone, surprisingly enough. We must have been getting close if I was able to get that small bit of reception. I pulled it out of my pocket and paused upon seeing the picture assigned to the caller.
“Who’s that?” I jumped at the question. Victoria had snuck up right behind me when she noticed I was getting a call.
“I don’t know,” I lied, shrugging my shoulders. “It might be somebody from work. I’m gonna head to the back and take this.” I stood up and quickly strode off. Aware I only had a few seconds left to answer, I didn’t bother putting my shoes back on, making the deck a little trickier to navigate.
“Don’t you mean the stern? That’s what the back of a boat is called!” Victoria teased as I walked off. I just waved over my shoulder and brought the phone to my ear, now satisfied I was away from eavesdroppers.
“To whom do I owe the pleasure?” My tone was cold and flat into the receiver. The only thing I heard was the slight gasp of somebody opening their mouth to speak, then pausing. Even without the caller-id I could have told you who it was; It was my ex-girlfriend.
“Hey...” She choked out after a few long moments.
“Hey yourself.” I rolled my eyes. She never was great at getting a conversation rolling. “So, what’s up? I thought you weren’t talking to me any more.”
“I came by your house yesterday, but nobody was there... I tried again today. Where are you? I want to see you.” Her words slowly came out in-between sniffles.
“I’m on a forced vacation to the Caribbean, no thanks to Wingus and Dingus here.” I was of course referring to my mother and sister; I did not consider either of them notably intelligent.
“Heh, figures it’d take them to drag you out of the house.” She let out a stifled giggle. “So the Caribbean, eh? Must be nice down there.”
“I guess. We’re not even to the actual vacation proper yet. So far it’s been tedious plane trips, fast food and a lot of—” The boat listed to one side, throwing me off balance. I grabbed on to the nearby railing with a vice-like grip out of reflex just as a foot of water emerged over the sides, not quite soaking the deck but leaving it thoroughly wet at the very least. I gave myself a moment to breathe before putting the speaker back up to my ear. “...and a lot of water.”
“I’d kill to be down there with you. I mean—to be down there, to see things.” She caught herself.
“So, what—”
“Hey!” I looked back to see my mother poking her head out from the lower deck. “You kids alright!? That was a real big wave!”
’Why all these interruptions?’ I let go of the railing to wave that I was just fine.
“Sorry, I keep getting interrupted by the ocean and my family.” I groaned into the phone’s microphone, using my off-hand to rub at my temples. “So, what did—”
A small wave knocked me off balance and made me collapse to the deck on one knee. My phone clattered a little further down the boat. I reached out in my half-prone position, my fingers just bracing its edge. I couldn’t reach so I rose into a low crouch, wary of the slick coating of water all over.
I crept closer to my prize only a few feet away. I snatched it in one quick motion and grinned that it hadn’t gone any further, or over the edge.
“Ha ha, gotcha!” I said to nobody in particular. I looked to the screen and saw that the call had dropped during the commotion. I rolled my eyes and put it back in my pocket.
’Oh well. Whatever it was, it can wait until I’m off this death tra—’ I didn’t finish my thought, as yet another wave of seawater lept over the edge of the boat. This one was centered right where I was standing and momentarily blinded me as the salt water stung at my eyes. Out of pure reflex, I brought both my hands up to wipe at my eyes, relinquishing my grip on the railing.
As the boat rocked back down to recover from the sudden waterborne turbulence, my bare feet lost their cohesion with the plastic decking. I went down hard, my feet being sucked out from under me. I smacked my head on something behind me on the way down, dazing me for the exact moment I would have needed to have grabbed hold of something.
It all happened too fast to really register at the time. What I felt next was the momentary sense of falling, then the sensation of water rushing up my nose, tickling my involuntary gag reflexes and shocking my mind back into the present.
’No!’
I panicked and flailed my arms underwater, quickly reaching the surface that had only been a couple feet above me. The water that made it into my system was irritating my entire system, forcing me to fight the urge to open my mouth and cough, which would have just let in more water.
’No!’
I broke the water’s surface and retched and heaved up everything I could, rasping out pathetic yells for help in between. I raised one hand out of the water to try and wave, but the boat wasn’t showing any signs of stopping.
’No! Come back!’
A mouthful of water escaped my mouth that had been most of the issue. I could breathe a little easier and was finally able to speak instead of just groan. I yelled and hollered as loud and as much as I could at the white dot on the horizon that was my boat. I screamed for minutes, even as the watercraft left the limits of my view. I coughed from the irritation caused by the seawater, and the violent yelling I wasn’t used to.
’No! No no no no no no no! This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening.’
My breathing increased and I turned around in the water, panicking, looking in all directions for something that wasn’t water and waves. Nothing.
’This… this is happening.’
“Calm, Edward. Stay calm,” I told myself, still whipping my head back and forth over the featureless sea. “Ok. Ok ok, just… take a second to think. The boat was headed in…” I paused, trying to remember the position of the sun compared to the boat’s direction of travel. “In… that direction.” I said, aligning myself the same way and hoping I wasn’t wrong.
’Ok… Ok ok you can do this.’ I gulped, feeling the gravity of the situation continue to settle on my shoulders. I was stranded in a relatively small lake once after a water skiing incident, although nothing could have prepared me for what horror the current situation brought.
I could feel the vast emptiness below my feet, the nothingness. It made me reflexively bring my legs up closer to my chest, trying to feel safe, knowing I was far from alone in the vast abyss.
But, it was either try to make an effort and possibly live another day… or sit in that spot and definitely never be seen again.
I swam in the direction I assumed was the right way, pacing myself as best I could. As well as trying to shut out the thoughts of something in the water eyeing me at that very instant, ready to attack any moment. Swimming with baggy cargo shorts wasn’t easy, and I was getting winded after only a few minutes into each swim. Not to mention I wasn’t exactly the epitome of picture-perfect health to begin with. It was during my eighth or ninth break I heard a loud crack behind me.
Clouds as black as obsidian were rapidly encroaching from behind. The occasional flash of lightning within the looming mass only quickened the feeling of dread welling up inside of me. They looked to be maybe ten miles off, but growing up around so many large bodies of water, I knew storms over oceans and lakes had a tendency to be far away one moment and on top of you in the blink of an eye.
’You have to keep going.’
I knew trying to out-swim a storm of that size was futile, but I couldn’t just sit there and not try. I resumed my tedious, painful task of battling the ocean—now getting more rough—whilst doing my best to not look over my shoulder. I could feel the wind pushing me from behind, chilling me to the bone and slowing my previously-strong strokes to no more than little dog paddles.
I could feel the freezing wind and water sapping all the heat and energy out of my body, feel it just wicking away into the turbulent abyss. I willed myself to keep going, but before long it took what energy and will I had left to even stay above the surface.
I kicked my legs to stay afloat, but the sea tossed me around like a ping-pong ball in a washing machine. It didn’t take long for my lower half to succumb to the exhaustion and chill, and stopped responding all-together. I tried to compensate by willing more energy into my arms but it just didn’t work; my body was failing and I slowly inched my way deeper in the water, the salty spray assaulting me from all angles.
’No...’
I looked with half-lidded eyes towards the last glimmer of sunshine, now miles off. Soon, the only light that remained was the frequent flash of lightning quickly followed up by the ear-splitting crack of thunder. There was no longer any sense of direction, just water.
“No...” My voice cracked. Unable to fight it any more, I let my body go limp and my eyes close. There was a moment of warmth, then it all faded away.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Have you ever woken up on a beach? Can’t say that I have, though I hear it is a magnificent sight to wake up to. This was not what I began to wake up feeling. I felt weaker than ever before, like all the life was sucked out of me. Letting out a pained moan, I rolled to my side and groggily opened an eye, though the sight before me was not what I expected. There was grass, and from the blurry vision of one eye I guessed it to be the middle of the night. I brushed it off and moaned at the pain coursing through my body.
I turned to my other side, not having enough of my senses back to even feel what I was lying on and tried to huddle my freezing limbs together. It felt like somebody had taken me apart like a toy and put me back together in all the wrong ways. There was a noise off in the distance that caught my attention, but I ignored it. I was tired, so tired and all I wanted was to fall asleep, not caring where I was. The noise came back, it was closer now. I opened my eyes again after muttering a barely audible “what”.
What stood before me was beyond my vocabulary, it was some thing standing there, with the most unusual color of a deep, dark blue. It stood on four tall legs and its neck stretched into the air towards the face of the monster looking me over. I blinked several times to try and clear my vision, but everything remained too fuzzy to make out any fine details.
’What in the world is that thing? It looks like a… horse, or a donkey. I must have washed up on a farm near the beach.’
The strange horse-like figure before me opened its mouth and began speaking what my traumatized brain could only barely classify as some sort of language. I closed my eyes and chalked it up to my trauma, trying to shut out its continuing sounds.
’Just shut up you stupid animal. Go find your keeper already.’
The unusual animal took a step towards me as its strange voice made more sound beyond my understanding. Seeing I wouldn’t respond, it took yet another step towards me, one step too close for my comfort. I could tell now it was far from any equine proportions I’d known. It was far taller, and almost lanky in its appearance. The creature turned its head slightly to the side, now showing me the unusual appendage on its head.
’What in the hell...’ I thought, my vision slowly beginning to sharpen.
I turned onto my back and started a slow retreat from the frightening monster. Or I would have if my bruised and broken body had responded. My eyes went wide with fright at what the mysterious creature would do to me with that horn I had just noticed upon its head. It opened its mouth and let loose yet another string of sounds unfamiliar to me. I could just make out the thing’s eyes; a striking—and unusual—blue hue.
“I don’t understand! Somebody, please, help!” I yelled, wincing as I tried crawling away on my back. The creature tilted its head in thought and narrowed its blue eyes. Before I could react, it closed the gap and glared at me. I was sure this thing would stab me with its horn and devour my freezing body.
I blankly stared back at the situation overloading my barely-conscious brain. A grey haze formed from around my eyes, as I dropped my head back onto the soft grass.
’This can’t be happening’.
I shut my eyes, and submitted my body back to the realm of unconsciousness.