Mermaids and Vampires

55: Arrival

~~~DYLAN~~~

It's dark. I can't see a thing aside from a faint light in the distance. I'm hoping it's something on land, and not just a passing boat.

The splash of the water, the soft drips of rain - it's all I've heard since Cordelia dissapeared underwater. She hasn't surfaced since. She's determined. Focused. We must have been farther from shore than she'd imagined.

I pull myself up, gripping the sides of the boat and try to hone my sights on the approaching glow.

It's closer now, and I realize there's more than just one light. There's two - three - wait, much more... There could be hundreds of them. As the boat gets pulled closer and closer, more and more come into view. They flicker and pulse like twinkling stars in the night sky.

The boat slows.

A soft ripple inturrupts the water.

"We're here." Cordelia whispers.

I can't see her but understand her location by sound.

"Those lights on the hill, probably the vampires." She explains.

"Are the mermaids nearby?" I whisper.

"Probably." She responds.

"You shouldn't stick around. Drop the rope, I'll row to shore." I murmur.

"Be careful." She instructs, "There are hundreds of mermaids who want you dead lurking just beneath the surface. Follow the light, but don't get too close."

I begin rowing.

"How will I find you again?" I ask into the darkness.

There's no answer.

She's gone now.

It's just me, a boat, and a sea full of angry monsters. I paddle as fast as I can, making headway for shore.

Thud!

The boat hits the rock with a jolt. I spring from my seat and crawl my way onto dry land, dragging the boat out of the water behind me.

Finally, I've made it.

But the worst it evidently yet to come. As I step further inland, crunching sticks and bushes beneath my feet, I am humbled by the knowledge that there are monsters here too. They could be waiting in the shadows, ready to claim my life. I feel a deep sense of impermanence.

What have I gotten myself into?