The Flooded City

Prologue

 "You know, Miss Knox, it's been close to a decade since Mother has received a visit," the small man said as he continued to row through the streets in a boat that would surely break under the pressure of the water throwing it off course every so often. He was an older man, maybe in his late fifties, bald on the head but had one of the longest beards she's ever seen on a person. He looked weak with a thin frame, but his eyes held life in them. It wasn't a look that was common. "Ever since the floods. No one seemed to want to risk another disaster like this. Sure, many have thought about it, and some have even gotten in my boat with the thought in mind, but they changed their minds in the end. Poor Mr. and Mrs. Long. Has anyone ever told you what happened?"

"Just rumors," Miss Knox nodded. "Tales of what went on that night. Seems pretty far-fetched if you ask me." her voice was distant, mind elsewhere, focused on the image of the room she left her son in, coloring in a picture of a train. Thirty minutes and she would be back.

"My father was actually the one who drove the Longs to come see Mother," the man said. She really should have asked for his name. "I know these streets like the back of my hand. Snuck in the trunk of father's old car before the floods. I always found it interesting how you can just get anywhere you want if you know the right roads, you know? Well, I guess it's a bit harder now than back then." It was a lot harder to remember where to go now that the ground wasn't visible, hidden by multiple feet of water.

Lauren Knox sat without responding to the man. She was sure she came off as rude, but she didn't care. Surely there were plenty of others who sat quietly and listened to the ramblings of the man.

They passed a small boat that held a hefty man. Lauren wasn't sure how the boat was staying afloat or how the man even managed to squeeze into it. Perhaps the man was the buoyant one and the boat was there for decoration. He smiled at them as he passed with a happy, "Long time, no see, Howie!" as they crossed paths. The old man, Howie, returned the smile with a small wave.

"I'm not sure what I would seek from Mother if I were to ever see her," Howie continued. "I'm sure that's what you're thinking about. I have lots of people in my boat on a day-to-day basis, all of them either over talk or don't talk at all. I imagine the ones that talk a lot don't have a plan and they're just hoping to wing it. Anxiety, it'll do things to a person. Twist their minds in unspeakable ways. We saw a lot of that in the days following the floods. Suicide was at the highest rate the town had ever seen. People lost their homes, personal belongings, pets, kids, you name it and someone probably lost it to the floods. Food sources were the worst. The market got destroyed, taking a majority of the food with it. There were some perishables like cans, but not much that you could do without a microwave or stove. The city tried to send a party out for food in the next town over, but everyone that left mysteriously disappeared. My theory? They started new lives there, leaving the rest of us to rot. I don't blame them if they did.

Anyway, Miss Knox, here we are. If you still want to continue, just go right in. Mother will lead you to her."