Town of Mercy

Poor Little Sammy

    Sam was having a great time on the muddy sand. His parents' eyes had once again shifted away from him and toward one another. They were both silently thinking how much more enjoyable the trip would have been if they hadn't had to worry about him. Sam's parents were not his actual parents. By all legal rights and court-appointed documents, they were but that didn't stop them from denying him. When he had just turned three, Sam had lost his parents when an underground cave collapsed on them and their exhibition crew. They were Speleologists -- which was a fancy way of saying that they liked to explore caves. There was an irony in knowing that the thing they loved doing the most, killed them in the end. When Sam ended up in the system, it was really hard to say no to taking the poor kid. He was clumsy yet ecstatic and denying him felt as horrible as kicking a puppy.

Though his "parents" contemplated that alternative more than once over the past three years. There were times when they couldn't handle him. Because of the enthusiasm around their upcoming vacation, he became increasingly difficult to bear. They had never been to this town and it felt like a good getaway from the big city.

They trudged on until they reached a small sandy beach. It was really more rock than sand. Staring out to the water, there was a long rock jetty stretching out in the ocean.

"Wonder what that's for," The "mother" stated.

"It helps hold the beach together." The "father" explained.

They were both fully engrossed in the sights and as a result, they were completely unaware when Sam began chanting their names.

He couldn't help himself. He'd just discovered the coolest thing ever, and he needed his parents to come and see it. Along the seashore, past the jetty, stood a large mound of rocks. A big, gloomy cave was tucked away high in the rocks on a wide ledge. Despite its crookedness, it was as cool to him as the superheroes he saw on his mother's tablet while driving here. When he kept looking inside, he realized that it was just the proper size for him. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that they didn't notice him.

They were never going to fit.

Inside the cave, a long, low whistle pierced the air.

Sammy

Sam blinked and poked his small head in, "Hello?"

The wind picked up, almost pulling him into the cave. He heard it again. The long high-pitched whistle flowed out from deep within the cave.

Saaaaaammmmmyyyyy

This time he took a few steps inside the cave then shivered. The waves were not reaching into the caves but a cold wind was, so he moved farther in where it was nice and warm. The cave extended into half a dozen chambers reaching deep to who knows where. As he crept deeper into the shadows, the powerful wind began to drown out the sound of the sea, pulling him in.

Weeeeee missssssed you Saaaammmyyy

Sam tilted his head innocently and smiled his big ol' smile,

"Mommy?"

While his foster parents were distracted, dipping their feet in Mercy's water, the cave collapsed back into the shore like a wave and sank into the sand. Sam had vanished without a trace. There was an almost subtle movement on the surface as the cave dragged its prey from beneath the sand and back into the water.