Eyes of the Blood Moon

New Priest in Town

Ella Marin sat up on her favourite rock, overlooking the beach of Crocket island. The cool salty breeze whipped around her, filling her with a sense of calm she knew and loved.

Whenever the weight of the world got to be too much, she would sit, here by the beach, and she would be calm.

She stared out at the sapphire blue water stretching for miles around her. It was far too cold still to swim, but it was tempting.

She loved to swim. She was always the fastest swimmer whenever Crocket held its summer festival down on the beach.

She smiled to herself, remembering how she always wanted to go pro. She had big plans when she was younger. And now, here she was at 29 years old sitting back on the island she longed to be away from.

Ella sighed. That wasn't the case anymore. This island was her home. Her parents had moved away three years ago, driven out by Beverly Keanes insane embezzlement, causing the price of living for them to be too much.

Her heart filled with hatred for the woman. "Shes always been such a saint!" People would say. She worked for the church, wore her hair in a tight braid and wore long dresses and cardigans. She was the perfect Catholic girl in everyone's eyes, but Ella knew her for who she really was. Nothing but a coward.

She sighed to herself again. Now wasn't the time for Bev to be working her way into her brain. She wouldn't let that witch touch this safe spot of hers and infect it with her negativity.

She closed her eyes and stretched out against the rock, letting the sun warm her face and the cool salty breeze fill the air.

*****

Hoooooooonk

Ella woke with a start, her heart racing.

She sat up on the rock she had been on hours earlier. It was now dusk, the last bit of sunlight faded away casting the island in a blue hue.

She saw the bright lights of The Breeze, the farey that took people to the island from the mainland. It had just pulled in a ways down the shore line.

She sighed looking up at the twilight sky.

"Didn't meant to fall asleep," she muttered to herself, swinging her legs off the rock and down onto the rough sand.

"That's an odd place to rest."

Ella whipped around at the voice only to find Bev Keane standing over her, her arms clasped together in front of her stomach.

Ella let out a scream internally before putting on her best "polite smile" and turning back to Bev.

"Oh you know me Bev. The wild woman of the water," Ella replied with a smile.

"More like the hobo on the beach," Bev muttered.

"Excuse me?" Ella asked, careful not to break her smile.

Bev shook her head. "Nothing dear."

Bev was only a year older than Ella, yet she always acted as if she was so much wiser.

She acts more like my grandma Ella thought to herself stifling a laugh.

Bev apparently caught on. "Something the matter?"

Ella shook her head standing up from the rock and stretching.

"You should see Doctor Gunning about your narcolepsy," Bev snarked.

Ella wasn't going to listen to this bullshit any longer. She was too tired to do anything about Bev now.

She just sleepily strolled past her, patting her shoulder. "Just enjoying a day in the sun. Maybe you should get out more."