#LLHENRY

It couldn’t end this way.

Water lapped against the side of the overturned canoe. It was the only sound in the otherwise still lake. Henry dragged himself up onto the boat and attempted to rock it upright to no avail. Again he rocked the boat, clutching the little black book close to his chest. The pages were already waterlogged and the words were an illegible smear. A shout ripped from Henry’s throat as he hefted himself onto the top of the boat, but the momentum sent him over the other side and back down into the depths.

Days later, divers found Henry’s body tangled in a mass of weeds at the bottom. His hand was clutched to his chest as if he were protecting something, but there was nothing in his grasp.

“Whoa is that a dead body!” Madison gasped, trying to see the black bag the divers were zipping up further down the lakeshore.

Slowly the police and divers packed their things and the lake was still once more. Madison made her way down the embankment, being careful to listen for any sounds of the police returning. The hum of boats and men shouting orders was reclaimed by nature: the soft trill of birds, and the chatter of squirrels bounding through the trees filled her ears as she stopped and sat down on a rock at the bank.

Madison sighed, took a deep breath and allowed herself to become lost in the scenery. Senior year had not been what she wanted at all. Her best friend had moved away, her parents were in the middle of a nasty divorce, and she was struggling to find money for college tuition. Yet, the end of the year loomed closer like a shadow ready to snuff out even the smallest flicker of light. The only constant this year had been the lake. Every day she would walk along its shores, indulging in the way the water caressed the embankment. Sure it was a manmade lake, but the quiet was welcome and the only escape from the chaos of her everyday life.

The din of crickets chirping joined the symphony of the lake at night as the surface was illuminated with slivers of gold from the setting sun. Just before nightfall the surface of the lake came alive with the scrambling of bugs across the surface, and bubbles from the fish taking advantage of an early dinner. It was astonishing that a lake teeming with so much life had taken one only days before. Madison shook her head, willing the thought of Henry Newman’s death from her mind.

Henry had graduated last year and had only been home for the spring break. Nobody knew why he had made his way out into the middle of the lake a few nights ago, and the only reason divers knew where to look was from a video he posted online. The video was short and only showed him pushing a canoe into the mist covered water. He smiled at the camera and said that things were finally looking up. When he hadn’t returned home later that night his mother had reported him missing. Police located his car and searched for two days before turning the search party into a recovery operation. Madison logged into her phone and scrolled through Facebook. Nearly her entire timeline was flooded with #RIPHENRY and #LLHENRY.

She logged off and turned on her flashlight. A sigh blew past her lips as she decided it would be best to return home. Gold and red light flickered across the water as the sun slowly sank into the distance and behind the treeline. Thankfully, Madison had made this trek many times before and carefully picked her way through the treeline in the darkness. She turned once more towards the water, breathing in one final calming breath. Although she couldn’t make out what it was, she could just see the outline of something caught in a swath of reeds on the water’s edge.

“My dad is going to be so mad,” She moaned, feeling the water seep into her shoes and soak her socks as she made her way to the patch of reeds.

Resting in the middle of the reeds was a little black notebook. Curious, Madison picked it up and was surprised that it was completely dry. She turned it over in her hands, but there was nothing special about the leather bound notebook with a single black ribbon nestled between some of the pages.

“Ahh!” she screamed, nearly dropping the notebook unceremoniously into the dirt as her phone began to ring.

Her father’s face lit up her phone screen as the ringtone continued to shatter the quiet space.

“Hey dad,” Madison answered, already making her way back through the trees and to the parking lot, “I’m on my way home. Sorry I got distracted.”

“You should have been home an hour ago. Just because it’s the weekend doesn’t mean you can just disappear whenever you want. This is just the thing your mother --”

“I said I’m on my way home. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Madison hung up the phone and slid behind the wheel of her car. She turned the key, bringing the car to life. For a moment, her headlights illuminated the darkened treeline and she froze. Just past the trees she could make out the silhouette of something staring in her direction. She squinted attempting to see the figure better, but just as quickly as she noticed it, it was gone. A chill settled in her hands, her mind racing to thoughts of murderers and ghosts. Quickly, she backed out of the parking spot and turned towards home.

Ten minutes later she pulled into the driveway of her house. Through the window she could see her father and brother setting the table. She stepped out of the car, pausing for a moment to prepare herself for interrogation. Her father meant well but ever since her mom brought over the divorce papers he had been on edge. Streetlights flickered all along the street, illuminating the sidewalks and driveways in orange light. Before going in the house she retrieved her bookbag from the backseat and stuck the little black notebook into the front pocket.

Later that night she sat at her desk doing homework. Doing homework is a bit of a stretch, she stared down at the pages of a calculus book hoping that some miracle would allow her to understand it. Pain rippled through her head and she rubbed her temples.

“I need a break,” she said aloud, pushing away from the desk.

Her gaze fell on her backpack and the little notebook. She pulled it from the pocket and opened up the front page.

If found please return to 456-020-0000

Madison shrugged before picking up her phone and dialing the number.

“Hello,” a familiar voice said on the other line.

Despite it being familiar, Madison couldn’t place who it sounded like.

“Hello sir. I found your notebook by the lake.”

“Thank you so much...what’s your name again?”

“I didn’t say,” Madison frowned, that cold chill settling over her again.

“Well I would like to thank you properly. I could come by and pick it up.”

“I’ll leave it as the library lost and found for you in the morning,” Madison stammered.

“That sounds wonderful. Thank you Madison,” the voice said, just before hanging up.

Madison stared down at the phone, the thud of her own heartbeat pounding in her head. Doing calculus after that call seemed ridiculous and she decided to just go to bed. After brushing her teeth, and filling her dad in on what had happened she hunkered down in her bed. Suddenly, she bolted upright in bed, newfound fear pressing down on her chest and making it hard to breathe. The caller had said her name, but she never gave it.

That night her dreams or rather nightmares were about faceless men with familiar voices chasing her through the woods. After only a few hours of restless sleep she awoke to her phone vibrating on her nightstand.

1 new text from 456-020-0000

Against her better judgement she opened it.

456-020-0000: I forgot I have plans today. I’ll double your reward if you bring it back to the lake for me. I’ll be out canoeing with a few friends.

Madison’s brow furrowed. What reward? The caller hadn’t mentioned anything about a reward the night before. Before she could think about it any further, another notification appeared at the top of her screen.

Hello. Just a heads up for you. We have authorized a deposit of $20,000 into your primary checking account. Your available balance as of 8:00 am is $20,300.50.

The resounding thud of her phone clattering to the ground seemed to hang in the air. Twenty thousand dollars was enough for her first semester to be covered, but forty thousand would be even better. She logged into her banking app and sure enough the money was there. It had to be a trick or a scam. Right? Even though she knew she could confide in her dad, she decided not to mention the money. He was stressed enough already.

An hour later, she made her way towards the library. She parked just in front of the stone lion that towered over the entrance to the building. For the fifth time that morning she checked her bank account. It was real and all she needed to do was take the book to the lake to double her money. The sun shone brightly overhead and since it was the weekend the lake would be teeming with other people. Frustrated she made her way into the library and logged onto her Facebook from a library computer. Just like the night before, #RIPHENRY overwhelmed her timeline. The final video that Henry posted was being shared by everyone as the town tried to play amateur detective. Hoping to distract herself she clicked the link. Henry’s face filled the screen moments later.

“I’m so amped!” he shouted, pushing a canoe into the water.

He reached back and grabbed his phone before hopping into the boat.

“Things are finally looking up for me. Thanks little black book.”

With a wink to the camera the video ended.

That voice. The voice on the phone. It was Henry.

Without another thought, Madison took the little black book to the librarian’s desk for the lost and found. Fear clung to every inch of her like static, buzzing along her skin. The book was gone and out of her hands, but curiosity got the best of her. She turned towards the lake, curious as to who would have met her there. As she drove, the sky darkened overhead and rain splattered against her windshield. A light mist began to hover over the road as the asphalt cooled down.

She parked closer to the boat ramp, hoping to find people, but only found a deserted pier. Everyone had taken shelter from the rain in their cars or returned home. An unseen force seemed to pull her closer to the water. Raindrops mimicked the bubbles from the fish the night before, disrupting the otherwise calm surface. Madison peered into the depths of the water and along the treeline, fear holding her fast and making it impossible for her to move.

Shadowy figures clung to the treelines and in front stood Henry Newman in drenched clothes, eyes milky white, weeds clinging to his legs, and the little black book nestled close to his chest as he stepped back into the water.