Every Mask I Make

Just Watch Me

"I'll go swimming at Golden Cove Lake, just watch me!"

Those words echoed through my head as I stood silently by the shore of Golden Cove Lake. Just a little information dump, Golden Cove Lake was a popular site for spring breakers just 90 minutes north of Golden Cove City. Ever since they created the beaches near the coastline, Golden Cove Lake was left with nothing but empty beer bottles and used condoms. The lake is also popular for lovers to have sensual sex under the moonlight and elaborate marriage proposals at sunset. However, ever since that incident 6 years ago when the captain of the high school football team, Jackson Hayward disappeared; Golden Cove Lake was permanently closed off to the public. I, Christian Lopez was always curious about the lake since the news broke out about Jackson.

The cat-o'-nine tails line up along the shoreline while the dragonflies swiftly execute the mosquitos in mid-air. The stillness of the water is calming enough to drop your blood pressure. I arrived at around 5:30 pm and already pasted the semi-rusted gate that had a "NO TRESPASSING!" sign. My feet sunk into the soft dirt as I contemplated whether I should even soak my feet. Blood began to rush my arteries. My eyes dilated as the sunlight beamed into my pupils. The lake started to sparkle as the sun slowly descended.

"Those bastards!" I said to myself, "If only I didn't lose that bet... Whatever, I'm going in. Just watch me!"

I took off my black Nike Free Runs and my grey socks. After performing some jumping jacks, I rolled up my Wrangler jeans and removed my red polo shirt. My confidence gradually grew as my feet got the first taste of the lake. First my left foot, then right, left, right, left, right, and soon the water was knee-level deep. Nothing's better than a nice dip into a lake on hot summer day. I looked around for any potential bystanders. Those people can mean trouble if they catch me. Not to mention patient alligators; they'll twist me like a mozzarella stick then rip my soft exoskeleton and dip me in butter sauce. I sighed with relief when I realized that the only creatures by the lake are the red banded turtles and the bull frogs. With reassurance surging in my head, I waddled deeper until the water reached my hip. I allowed my body to float for a couple minutes. The water held me tight as I closed my eyes. The fishes swam around me, curious about if I'm safe to nimble on. I could still remember the turtle sitting comfortably on my abdomen trying to bask in the sunset.

Suddenly, I felt something brushed by me. I lost my buoyancy, and the turtles dove back into the water. I must have drifted off to the deep end because the sight to freshwater grass just vanished from my sight. I quickly emerged to the surface to meet the fiery orange sky with a tint of violet blue. It has already been 2 hours since I drove here.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" I screamed nervously as my eyes were fixated on the shoreline, "What the fuck was that?!"

I tried to remain calm, but my mind was telling me to get the hell out of there. I resubdled into the depths and saw the same darkness as before. Only now, I'm to make the shape of the shadow that brushed past me a couple of minutes ago.

"What the hell?" I thought to myself, "It's huge!"

The shadow, whatever it was; noticed my presence and swam swiftly in my direction. Now, I've been on more than enough fishing trips with my dad to tell you that I've never seen anything swim that fast. I turned and began to swim back to the safety of land. My shoulders pushed the water to the side. My legs propelled my body forward like a remote control car. The faster I swam, the more I could feel the micro-tears in my muscles radiate. I'm a strong swimmer and have being swimming competitively since junior high, yet I'm no Michael Phelps.

"Just 50 feet left, and I should be safe," I said to myself as I gasped for air, "Just watch me, Chris,"

It hadn't been a minute since I started swimming for dear life and the creature swam under me. I could see the jagged scales that lined up against its skin like a crocodile. The spikes protrude from its spine, but it was rounded at the tip. The snout reminded me of an alligator. Did it have eyes? I really don't want to know. All I'm worried about is that this monster is on my ass, hoping that I can be its next dinner special. I pushed my body further as much as I could. 30 feet left. The creature didn't make a sound but opened its massive jaws, revealing its shark-like teeth. 15 feet left. As soon as my foot touched the watery grass, I tried running through the water like how a hippopotamus hops through the river. 5 feet left. The water became shallow enough for me to sprint. The creature emerged and chased me down like a Komodo dragon. Almost there.

My exhausted legs pushed past their limit. Fuck it, I don't even care about it at this point. As I finally stepped on to dry land, the damn creature bit my right left and dragged me back into Golden Cove Lake. I aggressively punched the creature's snout as least fifteen times before it can finally let go and lose interest. I hobbled back to the shore and tied my polo shirt around the bite wound. I picked up my pace and as soon as I started the engine, I drove straight to the hospital without letting go of the gas pedal. My doctor who attended my wounds explained that I was lucky to escape from a horrific crocodilian attack. I looked at him with disbelief because I knew that wasn't any crocodilian that I ever seen. That was a fucking monster and I realized that the truth behind Golden Cove Lake.

It's been 5 months since that night, and I'm still traumatized from the encounter. But now, I volunteer to guard the fence every afternoon; making sure that no one else suffers through the pain like I did. And if you think that I'm able to convince a couple of horny teenagers to go elsewhere and do whatever they do nowadays, you best believe I'll do everything my power to shield them from the beast down below. Just watch me.