Razor's in the Water

Two brothers sneak out of their house to take a night time swim in the ocean

There were ripples in the water.

“Dean, if Dad finds out we took his boat, we’re dead.”

“Shut up Jimmy, do you want your birthday present or not?”

Jimmy stuttered, then sighed and said, “No - I want my present, I just -

“Then stop being a baby, dude! You’re nine years old now, start acting like a man.”

“Just don’t want to get in trouble.” Jimmy breathed in deep, and held back his frustration of Dead interrupting him. Always interrupting him, always picking on him, teasing him, and scaring him - but that’s what big brother’s do, you know. 

But after a few moments, Jimmy thought about Dean, and remembered when he had his back on the school yard, or when their Dad drank a little too much, it was Dean who took the beatings. Dean took most beatings. And Jimmy smiled at his older brother and sighed in relief. Dean loved Jimmy, and Jimmy loved Dean.

Far enough out, Dean pulled the ore’s in, and removed his shirt. 

“Okay birthday boy, hop in!”

Dean was elated for pulling this off, but Jimmy just sat in silence. 

“Come on!”

“Dean I - I don’t know, I’m scared.”

“You’ve been saying all damn summer about swimming in the ocean! Well here you go!”

“But Dad said -

“Jimmy, the hell with Dad. Don’t listen to the crap he tells you. He calls you a sissy, but you’re not!

“What if I am?”

“Remember those swimming lessons Mom took you to?

Jimmy looked down and lowered his voice as if he were ashamed. “Yeah.”

“You’re really good, man. Better than me. I was too scared to get into a pool, let alone the ocean.”

“Really?” Jimmy asked, surprised.

“Yeah! I didn’t go swimming until I was eleven. That was two years ago. You hopped in when you were five!”

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You guess? No moron, you did! Dad’s afraid of failure because he is a failure. He sees him in us, and wants us to think we’re stupid like him, but we’re not. Especially you. That’s why he picks on you the most.”

“But Dad said -

“Forget Dad!” Dean placed his hand on his small brother’s bony shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jimmy thought for a long while. “It’s really amazing out here huh?” Jimmy’s voice had a sunny kick to it now.

“Hell yeah it is.”

“Wish we could have gone out in the morning. It’s a little creepy at night.”

Sure it’s scary, if you’re a little wuss!” Dean grabbed his brother’s hair, and pretended to wrestle him to the floor of the boat. The two laughed. Finally Jimmy took off his shirt, and posed by the edge of their father’s fishing boat.

They were miles away from their beach home, exactly what Dean wanted. No one around to hear them, no parents to tell them to shut up, not a damn thing. They could be as loud as they wanted. Miles and miles, and miles away. Surrounded by endless open ocean. It felt like freedom. The kind of freedom Jimmy wanted. Free to swim in the vast blue waters of his books, and dreams. 

“Happy birthday little brother.”

“Thanks, big brother.”

And Jimmy jumped in. Cold drops in the hundreds splashed Dean’s body and he shivered excitedly.

Under the water swam little Jimmy, the fish boy as he was known in swim class. His body was light and smooth as he glided effortlessly above the many different sea life that existed hundreds of years before him, or Dean. He was in their world now. To them, there is no ocean, only earth. Nature. There is no swimming, only surviving. Living. Hunting. Eating. Being eaten. The great circle only miles below to a dark infinite. And Jimmy felt at home. He was a part of this world. Swimming is to those who live above land, but for Jimmy, he was simply flying. Flying, and flying. 

And it - saw him.

Dean leaned back, arms behind his head, and a toe dipped lightly in the cooling sea. He wanted to swim, but this was Jimmy's night. Let him have his fun. After looking at the bright moon, Dean caught onto a sudden suspicion. Jimmy has never come up. 

The kid could hold his breath for unGodly amounts of time, Dean thought, but this is too damn long. Where is Jimmy? Dean splashed around, calling his name. No response. The water was quiet. A wide thin layer of liquid surrounding him. Dean called for help, but his call was never answered. They were too far out, just as Dean wanted. 

He held himself over the edge and screamed into the ocean. He could just swim, he thought. Just jump in, you promised him. You were meant to be there for him. But he never did. He was frozen in fear. What now? What can he do? Where is Jimmy?!

He punched the water, the ripples distorting the quiet air. He waited impatiently for the ripples to stop, but they never did. Dean leaned in more, bubbles were reaching the surface. 

“What the hell?”

The bubbles doubled, then tripled in the hundreds -

And the water rose into a hill, and razor’s sliced from under its foundation. Two rows, hundreds of them. Jagged and sharp, and cruel. Splashes of thick blood were smeared unevenly on it’s top and bottom jaws. They moved too fast, even for a scream that no one would hear. A 200 ton splash hit the water, and Dean was gone. 

The boat was rocking, and there were ripples in the water.