There's Something in The Water

Diary entry: May 20, 2021

"Simmabali jay danum, bigla nga limmangsi ken gummalis.” I remembered those words, spoken in Ilocano, as I drifted in and out of consciousness. The phrase meant 'the water changed, it suddenly smelled foul and became slippery'.

It's been a few days since I was discharged from the hospital. I'm writing this down so I won't forget what happened to me around forty days ago. Before I delve into that, however, let me just say that we don’t really know the Earth. Not really. I mean, yes, we’ve made great scientific strides in the last century, we know our planet’s composition, and we’re even venturing out into space... But still, our big blue planet is a mystery.

I grew up in a small, rural town. Us at the countryside, we *know* that there are creatures out there that defy basic human comprehension. Are they God’s creations? Probably. I don't want to poke my nose into something that doesn't belong. At best, it'll be bulbous—like a million stingers have stuck their needles into it, giving me the appearance of a tumor. At worst, well... it's unspeakable.

Anyway, we grow up from country bumpkin children, move through towns, cities, and visit other countries. We experience the world, and as time passes, we forget. The stories of old transform into legends and fairytales, leaving us wondering why we were so afraid of them when we were young.

Growing up, my elders always warned me not to go out during Holy Week, you know, the week of mourning when Jesus died. But, y'see, it's been a few years since I returned to the country. One of the friends I met during my travels invited me to their hometown down South. Let me tell you, the beaches there were absolutely stunning, and I couldn't help but think they surpassed the natural beauty of my own home islands.

We camped that night. It was a summer evening, and apart from a few tourists during the daytime, there was nobody else around. Our group consisted of six people - myself, my friend Kris, and their friends Alana, Jan, Ryan, and Tad. It was quite a group. We had booze, a campfire, and plenty of food. I had never been camping at the beach before, and Kris told me it was a magical experience that I had to try before traveling for work again. So, I did.

At one point, I wandered far from where the group was, gathered around the campfire, with Alana and Kris, the lightweights that they are, already half asleep and giggling at Ryan's antics. I felt drawn to the water for some reason. It was calm and soothing. If I hadn't been buzzed from the alcohol, I might have thought it was a bad idea. But even now, I still feel that pull, that inexplicable call. It somehow makes sense since humans are mostly water. The moon wasn't full anymore, but it still illuminated the night brightly.

As I took steps towards the water, my path was lit by fireflies, and it took me a while to realize that there were beautiful incandescent substances on the water's surface too. I wanted more than anything to float among them, to watch the stars as the gentle current lulled me into deep peaceful relaxation. And there I was, floating. Throughout all my years, I had never learned how to float, but in that magical moment, I did.

I hadn't realized I had been floating for a long time, and the objects I was seeing were no longer stars but rather stalagmites or some other incandescent mineral inside a dwelling. When this fact registered in my mind, I instantly went into fight or flight mode. The surroundings, although the most beautiful scenery I had ever beheld, suddenly filled me with dread. Having spent some time in a monastery and learned how to better control my emotions, I did not panic.

I floated near the rock formations - the cave - away from the water. The cave was filled with bioluminescent creatures, harmless ones, which made me feel less alone. I stood up and attempted to find my way out of the cave without having to return to the water. After a while, I discovered a pool inside the cave. Initially, it appeared to be just a pool with a school of tiny fish swimming in it. However, it took a few more moments for me to realize that I wasn't merely looking at a pool. It seemed more like a ceiling, and beneath it were people, or rather, creatures. And it wasn't just a superficial layer; it was actually deep, as if I were observing from above a greenhouse roof.

The creatures. I had no idea what they were doing. It seemed like they had a system, similar to ours. If they had been people, I would have been a casual observer, simply 'people watching'.

They appeared as humanoids with luminous, scaly skin and gills. Their webbed feet caught my attention. As I stared, completely taken aback, one of them locked eyes with me. But this particular individual was different from the rest. It... seemed to be a male, with long hair cascading past his shoulders. I caught a glimpse of his bare torso, revealing a tattoo on the right side of his chest depicting hands holding a globe. He noticed me. I noticed him. Our eyes widened in surprise.

Overwhelmed by panic, I turned and sprinted away from the pool, although I didn't manage to get very far. My hand brushed against something. It felt like a handle, but due to the rush of adrenaline, I couldn't be certain. Upon touching it, a warm summer breeze caressed my skin, and the distant cries of seagulls reached my ears from the ocean. I glanced back and instinctively pulled at the edges of what now appeared to be a cave door. In an instant, I was blinded by intense light and engulfed in heat. A sudden and overwhelming thirst consumed me.

The last thing I recall is collapsing, with people rushing to my aid. I faintly heard someone exclaiming "Susmaryosep" (an expression of astonishment combining Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) before losing consciousness, and an ambulance was called for assistance.

I woke up in the hospital with an IV inserted in my arm, feeling utterly drained. As soon as I regained consciousness, a nurse was attending to my vital signs, and I promptly requested water. She kindly opened a bottle and poured it into a glass for me. She mentioned that my vital signs were stable and informed me that I had visitors and a detective waiting to hear my account of what happened. Despite my persistent requests for more water, the nurse cautioned against consuming too much, too quickly.

I saw Kris first when people started entering my room. Kris had lost a noticeable amount of weight overnight. They appeared both relieved and concerned. They asked me what had happened, and I explained that I had spent the night in the lagoon near our campsite. That's when they exchanged horrified glances among themselves.

Initially, I thought they were joking, and I was about to scold them when the detective, who overheard our conversation, interjected, confirming that I had indeed been gone for a long time. He stated that I had been missing for forty days. Furthermore, there was no 'lagoon'—the area was simply part of the sea. They even showed me pictures from the day of our trip. I had disappeared without a trace and then reappeared, surprising both locals and tourists at the beach, emerging abruptly, disoriented, and emitting a strong odor of rotting fish.

Since awakening, I hadn't seen my reflection. When they handed me a mirror, I saw a hollow version of myself, with a ghastly complexion, chapped lips, and bleached, tangled hair. I resembled someone who had been immersed in saltwater for an extended period. I shared everything I could recall with the detective, except for the part about the humanoid creatures beneath the cave's pool. From my perspective, it was an open-and-shut case.

I was discharged from the hospital later that week, and my friends organized a welcome back party for me at Kris' place. During the gathering, I recounted all the things I had witnessed. After sharing my story, everyone fell silent, seemingly processing the information. Ryan took a sharp breath and exited the room. Kris followed, offering comfort by rubbing his back. I refrained from interrupting, but I overheard them mention a name and how relieved they were to discover that their twin was still alive and might return, similar to my experience.

Later that evening, as the party winded down, I approached Kris and inquired if they believed me. Kris assured me that they did. In their high school years, it had become somewhat of a tradition for people to go missing around this time when they visited the beach. Some would return with stories as unbelievable as mine, while others were discovered on beaches in different towns. Unfortunately, many who went missing were never found. Ryan's twin brother was one of them. Kris' mother once saw him at the wet market a few days before he disappeared. He was singing a popular song and claiming to be a mermaid, despite his mother's reprimands, particularly during Holy Week, the time of Jesus' death.

On Good Friday that year, Ryan, Terry (Ryan's twin), and a few friends went to the beach. They all went swimming, but Terry never came back from the water. Although the water was only waist-deep, he couldn't move, and his friends struggled to pull him out. Something seemed to be gripping and pulling him back. Then, the water changed—it became slimy, slippery, and foul-smelling. One of their other friends who drowned was later found on a beach in a nearby town, but Terry's body never resurfaced. The locals believed that the water had 'taken two' because it hadn't taken anyone the previous year.

Kris tells me that every year since that day, Ryan's family would go to a seer to ask about Terry. The seer kept telling them that he was just 'under a big rock.' It has been over a decade since that incident. Ryan never believed that his twin died and insisted that he could feel it. Kris tells me that there were many before me who came back with stories from the mysterious water. Some of them had actually talked with the creatures I saw. Some came back after months, others took years. If these stories are true - and I'm having a hard time believing it myself - then I'm lucky.

I asked Kris what Terry looked like, and they gave me a wistful smile.

Terry didn't look very similar to Ryan, but he had long hair and a tattoo on his chest: a pair of hands holding a globe.