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A Monster To Choose

The Lake’s Mystery

By Calie Judy BrooksPublished 2 years ago 9 min read
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A Monster To Choose
Photo by sippakorn yamkasikorn on Unsplash

Deep water, the fear of many people. Even some people who never saw horror in it still have this instinctive fear of it. It’s partly because of it’s darkness. We can’t see what it hides. Like a thick curtain hiding mysteries. Both of them can hide beauty, but it’s not the possible beauty we fear. We fear that underneath the black curtain is hiding even more darkness. Eternal obscurity that we can’t run from. A shadow that will lead us to an eternal night.

Drowning is another fear related to water. We fear the burn of the water in our nose and lungs. Fear the inability to breathe. The coldness of the water that can as easily kill us. We fear that even the beauty inside can hide darkness. We fear possible pain and death.

However, water is often seen as the root of life. We can’t live without it and it can save us from another of people’s greatest fears; fire. A totally different kind of burn awaits the person approaching it without caution.

The reality is that we fear all elements. We are scared of their potential wrath. However, earth and wind bring less terror than fire and water. Even if earth and wind can bring fire to life, tornadoes and earthquakes are still less frightening than any devastating fire.

Fire is something that destroys life wherever it goes. We use it to stay warm on cold winter days or to play around during summer. However, it can easily break out from our control and destroy everything we build. Fire is a soulless monster that consumes everything that crosses its path. Water is the only thing that can stop it. So, when a fire breaks out, you’re stuck between two monsters. A pretty one that doesn’t look deadly at first sight and a horrifying one we can only escape when hugging the other.

~ ~ ~

Living in a forest has its perks. It smells better than in town, it’s more quiet and there is less light to disturb the sleep or the mind. However, the darkness is a double sided blade. Of course, it hides you from the world, but it also hides the world from you. You don’t see anything coming in the comfort of the darkness until it hits you.

Aenaya was sleeping in her little cottage in the woods. She liked it there. She always had something to do. With such a name, she was bound to become an interesting person. She seemed to be a modern hermit. She didn’t have much technology in her house, but it was filled with books and works of art. The calm and quiet was perfect for her. She could admire the art pieces and read all she wanted with no outside distractions.

Her cottage was not that far from a lake. She liked to swim in it in summer. However, she never went to a night swim. Someone once told her that this lake was once linked to an ocean. A landslide apparently destroyed the path between the two a long time ago. They said a nocturnal predator got stuck in the lake. Even though she didn’t fully believe it, she never took the risk to possibly taunt it.

It started to be chilly earlier than usual that year. It was too cold to even think about dipping a single toe in anything water-related. The weather was too cold to swim, but just perfect for some reckless camper. Aenaya noticed the number of campfires growing for some reason. She didn’t understand the thrill of camping. Forests were great, but camping wasn’t her thing, nor campfire.

A fresh night can sometimes bring a restful sleep. It was the case that day. She was sleeping soundly. Nonetheless, she did wake up in the middle of the night. There was a shining reddish light filtering through the window messing with her sleep. She slowly regained her consciousness and realised what was happening outside. Fire. There was a fire in the forest. Probably caused by one of the campers. She got up as fast as she could and didn’t even take the time to put on any shoes before exiting her house. She only took a jacket to prevent her from freezing to death because of the coldness of the night. The fire was magnificently huge. Too vast for her to be able to do anything. She instinctively knew she wouldn’t have enough time to find a shelter or to go out of the forest. The only thing she could do was to run toward the lake and immerse herself into the cold water hoping to get there soon enough to save herself from any burns the fire could inflict. She ran and ran toward it knowing it would surely be the end of her if she slowed down even just a little. When she finally reached the water, she hesitated. She didn’t know if she should choose to freeze or burn to death. Both seemed awful. Not to mention the story about the lake’s beast. She resolved herself to put one foot in it, then the other. It was freezing, but she couldn’t stop and she knew it. The shiver started taking over her body. She couldn’t move any further. The cold grasp of the water was too much for her to move further.

“Why would it matter anyway? I’m probably far enough to survive the fire, aren’t I?”

She thought while feeling the burning heat in her back. She knew she was wrong and she had to do something, but both monsters looked terrifying at that moment. Like two beasts fighting for the same prey. They were battling one another while ripping parts of the prey’s soul and mind. Only one could win and it would only depend on the creature's tactics to bait the weakened mind. Her leg didn’t feel the coldness of the water anymore. It had numbed her pain. She looked at the deeper water. It was dark and unknown. She looked back. It was lightful, but it was just like the lights of hell. A fire ready to consume her soul. She made her decision. Keep her soul, lose her mind. She turned back to face the water. A man had appeared about ten feet apart from her where she was looking just seconds ago. He was dressed in bluish clothes and his face was as delightful to look at as the most exquisite flower. She… didn’t fear him even a bit. She was charmed by his soft presence. His smile was sweet and charismatic. Everything about him was welcoming.

— What are you doing in the water for?

She asked him, forgetting about the fire.

— I’m sorry, it was a dumb question.

She said, answering her own question.

— I didn’t know you lived near here… Are you perhaps one of the people camping around here?

— No, I’ve lived here longer than you. And I’m not here temporarily either.

He said with an appealing smile.

— I didn’t know… When did you decide to live here?

— No, I didn’t decide anything, but I live here because of the landslide.

— There was a landslide as well?

— Not recently…

She started understanding. At least, she thought she did. Her love for books and mystical stories made her see what she wanted.

— Perchance… Are you a water spirit?

— I’m surprised you’ve even considered it.

— Why? Because I might not believe in water spirits?

— Not only that... Also because the ones who do, usually see us as women.

— Yeah… It’s… weirdly true…

— Do you know why it’s always beautiful women people see as water or sea spirits? Just like mermaids and nymphs?

— No, I don’t. Why is it always women we imagine? And why aren’t you a woman if sea spirits are usually female?

— It’s because we’re there to charm people to come to us. We attract them in our embrace. Most sailors and sea travelers were men, men thought to be attracted to women. So taking the appearance of a beautiful woman would attract them in our grasp.

The girl didn’t realise she was slowly getting dangerously close to the deepest part of the lake.

— Do you know stories about mermaids?

Said the spirit.

— I know many... In the older ones they were seductive creatures that bewitched sailors so they could drag them in the deepest of water. Drowning the poor souls tricked by them. But, those stories can’t be true, or else they wouldn’t have been told, would they? All men would be dead if they encountered mermaids.

— I’ll answer you with another question. Why were women considered bad luck on ships?

— … People thought they would anger the sea gods and cause storms and disasters.. I think. It's probably also because the all-men crew would let themselves be distracted by the appearance of their female peers.

— The second part might be somewhat true, but the first part is only an assumption from people. The truth is, the ‘mermaids’ will try to seduce both the women and men of a ship unlucky enough to cross the path of a horde of mermaids. You see, sea spirits are very territorial at night, because we are nocturnal creatures. Anyone who passes their night trail will be taunted by their charms. At least, they would try to seduce you whether you're a boy or a girl. So, if both genders are present on a ship all kinds of charms will be used. Besides, the charms we use don't always work on the people we expect…

Aenaya gradually regained control over her bewitched mind. Though, she was still under his charm, just enough not to fight and try to evade him.

— You mean… The ones who survived these attacks and told the tales were…

He smiled. His smile wasn’t sweet anymore. It was grim, almost terrifying.

— Exactly!

His face desepeared in the water. She finally understood the peril threatening her life and broke out of his charm. However, it was too late, she was awfully cold. She couldn’t move a limb because of the coldness and the anguish. They were in the deepest waters already. She couldn’t swim away, it was behind the time she had. She knew her fate was sealed. She slowly sank into the freezing water, not knowing what the sea spirit would do to her. Everything gradually became dark. She was completely at the mercy of the beast. She heard one last thing before completely losing consciousness.

— I have bigger plans for you. Don’t you dare to even think about the easy path of death.

urban legend
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