Chapter 1- Dead in the Water

Filth. It slicked down in the beds of their fingernails as the boat tipped with the rush of the angled current. Cigarette smoke wisped into the moistened nightly air, and beer bottles littered the cupboards as the waves rocked the boat further into the chilly lake. Miniscule droplets of fresh snow sprinkled onto the unshaven beards of the fishermen, coloring their dull hair with a glistle.

“Dinner’s served, boys! Dig in!” Hollered one with ash blonde hair, stumbling into the sitting area with arms full of potato chips and bags of unattractive sandwiches. Sawyer observed them with his steely amber eyes, completely separated from the swarm of hungry men with a bored frown on his teenaged face. They had been at the lake for grueling hours, struggling to catch any  fish, trout, bass, any finned creature really, and so far only empty hooks and reddened noses from the cold to deliver.

“The tuna sandwich isn’t that bad. Marley’s a decent chef.” A man with a sculpted face of kindred jubilance and coarse brown hair told Sawyer, gesturing to the sandwich in his hand.

“I think I’ll pass, thanks. When are we going home? I’m exhausted.” Sawyer complained, moodily gazing out at the dark waters and the curtain of lush pine  trees surrounding the lake with impatience. Fishing was an activity he had never enjoyed, hugely due to the fact that his interests were more in tune with the electronic world than the nature of hunting.

“Soon, son. Soon. I’ve got a feeling one of these pesky fish will nibble any second now. Just try to enjoy it. When we get home, your mother will have a steaming bowl of soup and you can go back to whatever it is you love to do on that phone of yours.” His father reminded him gently, his tone light yet firm. Rolling his eyes, Sawyer coughed and continued to focus on the moonlight’s reflection chiseled on the surface of the dark water. The lake itself was beautiful, with tender ripples on the smooth dark blue of the water body, luscious pine trees with squirrels and birds nestled in the creaks, and a grand view of the silvery beauty of the moon shining overhead. If he were  a nature lover, Sawyer was sure he would appreciate it much more, but he had a phone at home buzzing with messages that he was missing, and he was eager to return to the comfort of the online world.

“Έλα να με ™ρεις………..” A devastatingly sweet voice whispered, barely audible. Sawyer whipped his head around, his shaggy caramel brown hair hitting his cheek as he struggled to locate the voice.

“Who said that?’ He barked at the men, who were currently stuffing their faces with chips and laughing heartily about some ill-mannered joke. They paused from their sloppy eating to stare at the boy with amusement and mild irritation.

“Who said what, Sawyer?” The man with the red beard asked gruffly, licking a crumb off his greased thumb.

“I heard something, it sounded like a different language. Who said it?” Sawyer demanded, rising from the seat.

“We didn’t say nothin’, boy. You hungry? We’ve got plenty to go around.” The man with the red beard offered a soggy sandwich to him, and Sawyer wrinkled his nose at the odor it emitted.

“Never mind, I must have been hearing things. Sorry.” Sawyer grumbled in a half-hearted apology, sinking back down into the seat and once more observing the nature around him in sheer boredom. The snow seemed to fall more rapidly now, the snowflakes picking up acceleration as they fell onto his hair and his thick jacket. He crushed some with his fingers, watching as the cool water dribbled onto the wooden flooring of the boat with slowness.

“'γκαλιάστε το ένα που ™ρήκατε”...... The voice sang again, the lullaby as hauntingly beautiful as the moon itself. This time, Sawyer slowly gazed accusingly at the lake water’s surface, his eyes flickering over every ripple and slight churn in the water for any signs of it.

“'ρείτε τα κάποιου που έχουν αναζητήσει ..” It continued, again only Sawyer seemed to hear it. He closed his eyes, wishing in that instant to listen to it forever, a lyrical melody so perfect and reserved only for those who couldn’t sing it themselves. It was calming, loving, and everything a song should be wrapped into foreign words. A warm feeling arose in him, and he felt every fiber of his being and every muscle in his body being enveloped in warmth, though the temperature outside was frigid cold. He felt loved, treasured, cherished, and he sighed in contentment. Peeling open his eyes, he now stared at the moonlight’s reflection with a newfound sense of appreciation, admiring the way the pine trees stood tall and unmoving, as if soldiers geared for war. The water, dancing with grace and serenity he had never noticed before. The moon, sending blissful rays of silvery light to blend with the dark blue of the water.

And then he saw it. Just below the ripples, a flicker of movement. If he had blinked, he would’ve missed it. He temporarily broke out of his lucid state, zeroing in on the spot in the water, but to no avail. All was silent and tranquil on  the rocky boat, filled only with the cacophony of jeering fishermen and crunching sounds from the morsels they devoured.

“Son, are you alright? You seem a bit queasy.” His father clamped a hand on his shoulder, causing him to startle and his breath hitched in his throat. Concern pooled in his eyes, and Sawyer offered a lazy grin.

“I’m just fine, Pops. Just wanting to get home and eat some soup.” He assured him, feeling agitated now that the sweet song had ended. His father chuckled heartily, the creases near his aged eyes twinkling as he began to shuffle toward the steering wheel.

“Soon, son. I’m hoping for a miracle.” His father whistled, and Sawyer smirked at his father’s antics. The joy was short lived when the boat gave a sudden lurch, and Sawyer tumbled into the window, smashing his shoulder painfully on the frosty glass.

“Hey Andrew! Go easy, alright! Don’t want to lose my dinner!” Hollered a fisherman angrily, and Andrew frowned, in deep thought as he righted the boat again. Rubbing his sore shoulder, Sawyer shot his father a glare and returned to his pensive sulking, taking care to never skim his eyes over the one spot where he had seen the ripple.

“Settle down, boys. Might’ve been parts of a sunken ship or something.” Andrew remarked over his shoulder, suspiciously gazing at the calm waters, as if stripping through their innocent, calm strokes.

“A sunken ship? In a lake? How much beer did ya have, Andrew?” Guffawed a stocky man with a blonde beard, and the rest roared in agreement.

“Then what else was it? Nessie?”  Snorted the red bearded man, and the rest followed with rowdy agreement.

“I think it’s time to go home.” Sawyer pressed Andrew, shivering, though oddly not from the weather. Something very wrong seemed to be brewing, and it bothered him that he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I suppose it is getting late. We’ll get a better catch tomorrow, and your mother’s soup sounds mighty good.” Andrew agreed with a charismatic wink,  and began to rev the engine of the boat, beginning the process of steering it around. Sawyer heaved a sigh of relief and his heart rate slowed down. Feeling bold, he even reached for the soggy tuna sandwich when time seemed to stop entirely. Seconds spent themselves selfishly.

The first second, his fingers slipped and the tuna sandwich slid on the floor.

The second second, the boat tipped with absurd force to the lake.

The third second, his father gasped and slammed to the floor.

“Father…” Sawyer whispered, and his steps happened in slow motion. His father’s glassy eyes gazed at the looming moon overhead and as if someone had flipped a switch the drone of the sweet song started playing. The fishermen were yelling now, their meals abandoned along with their nightly dreams, panic flooding in their supple eyes. Paralyzed by the melody of the singing, Sawyer realized the female’s lighter tones and found himself swaying dangerously close to the oblivion of murky water.

“This song…. it is so lovely……… I don’t think I ever want it to stop.” The red bearded man murmured in delight, and the rest of the dazed fishermen agreed. Only Sawyer seemed to be able to break out of his trance with difficulty, shaking hands touching his father’s neck for a pulse as snowflakes fell on his red nose.

“Dad… come on….” He whispered, shivering uncontrollably. He didn’t get any response from Andrew, only slight moaning and a shift of his eyes.

“'ρείτε..” The song continued, and Sawyer only had a moment to stare over his shoulder when the boat rocked violently once more, only this time he was the one who crashed into the freezing waves, plunging under the bed of blanketed water. The cold pierced him as if a bullet had buried itself in his chest, freezing all of his muscles in its iron grip. He screamed, but no sound left his lips as his lungs drowned under the weight of the crushing water. All he could see was bleak darkness, his eyes burning with the sting of the sheer cold. Thrashing around was all he could do,  wildly flailing towards the unreachable surface. The only thing that comforted him was the sweet melody of the song as it weaved its way through the water with alarming clarity.

And then it appeared before him. At first, it was a flash. A flicker of movement. And then it floated in front of him, and his vision, though blurred, marveled at the sight of it. Big, crystalline orbs of luminescent lavender that gazed at him with a mixture of curiosity and fury. A long, mermaid's tail of spiky fins, all colored icy white and fresh gold, the scales capturing the essence of the moonlight with an artistic pisase he could not understand with his lack of oxygen. Long, billowing hair of multiple colors, starting with dark crimson mellowing into iridescent periwinkle. Scaled skin the color of porcelain, smooth and shiny under the night’s glow. And then he released it wasn’t an it at all. It was a she, and she was beautiful.

“You...Alive….” She whispered, and her expression molded into disgust, opening her mouth to reveal pointed, dagger-like teeth, sharpened precisely for ripping flesh. And she smirked, a tigress in the water. She observed him curiously, her movements graceful and divine. And he was just the prey she craved, licking her lips with hunger. Sawyer didn’t know what to think, barely hearing the frantic shouts of the fishermen from above the water, no doubt being devoured themselves. If he had the energy to speak, he would’ve asked her to sing again just so he could hear her voice again, but he could barely see her through the blurry haze of his oxygen failing. Reaching out a hand, the last thing he remembered as his body drooped down in the water was her eyes that held his, fearless and wildly beautiful, as blackness became him and the cold wrapped him in its embrace. Strange, he could barely hear the sweet song even in the darkness. And he welcomed it entirely.

Reviews

[David Jae]

I really like this. Your imagery is powerful and paints a vivid picture. Your characters are compelling and bring the story to life. If there is a criticism I could make, it is that it is too long and would be better broken into chapters. Overall, an enjoyable read.

[Madison Ramsey]

Thank you very much for your kind words and feedback! I highly appreciate it! :) I will take the length of the chapter into consideration and try making future chapters shorter!

[David Jae]

You have a lot of potential and should be proud of this.