Lazy Lion Books Presents

Second place goes to Richard Spiers of Louisville, KY.  If you keep up, you'll remember that Richard was in the top three last year as well. Great job Richard!

Out of the Sea

Captain Harville called out, “Billy, are those traps broken, too?”

“Yeah, just like the others; no lobsters this trip, Cap.”

Harville spat.  He scanned out over the bay now smooth as supernatural silk, the air still as a whisper.

Harville paced to the aft deck to examine the dripping empty broken traps – money ripped out of his pocket.

Billy stated, “Damnedest thing, Cap.  I've seen damage before, but these traps look pulled apart. You think some animal kissing wackos with scuba gear might've done it?”

Harville examined the wrecked cages. Pieces of green scaly flesh hung speared off of the splintered wood.  Some animal – some thing - had left that gore not a card carrying member of P.E.T.A.

Billy called out, “Cap, what the hell. Look at this.”

A perfectly circular ripple flowed outward, as if a rock had been dropped into a bucket.

Smoothly silken, the water reflected Harville and Billy like a mirror.  Some fog now played over the glassy sea like threads of haze.

Billy gasped, “I see –“.

Harville saw, too.  Something swam below the surface.  Then it was gone.

They both started at the sound as the winch engaged by itself, and the heavy cable pulled with a whine.  Stunned, they both watched the steel on the spool unwind into the sea.

“Good God, we've snagged something!”  Billy wailed.

Harville barked.  “Lock it down.”

“It’s too late, Cap.” 

The squeal stopped, the winch cracked loose from the deck, and crashed overboard.  The men looked over the side to glimpse two green-scaled things.  Then, the fog closed in like a panthers claws.

“I’m getting the rifle.  Keep an eye out, Billy.  I’ll only be a moment.”

Harville stormed down the stairs.  When he came back up, Billy was gone.

Harville paced the circumference of the boat, but half-way round a crash of wood sounded below deck.  A moment later the engines stopped.  The boat listed.  She was taking on water – fast.

Then he heard a splash through the dense fog, and then another, and finally - a third.

He ran to the bow and looked out, rifle ready to kill, but could see nothing through the thickening gray of the fog. 

The boat lurched.  Behind, he first heard the fast dripping of water on the deck and then heavy steps resounded fast on the deck wood.

Harville turned, but was too slow.  Faster than a blink, in one smooth motion, a scaled paw slapped the rifle out of his hands.

The broad-faced monster bared teeth in an awful smile.

“Cap, it ain’t so bad to be a part of this,” the green thing growled, “it only hurts a minute.  Then it’s like nothing you could ever imagine.”

The old sea salt, Harville, backed away, but Billy – the monster – moved in closer.  A siren's song welled up like the most beautiful angel’s melody just as Billy’s red claws came closer.

© Richard Spiers