Short Stories

A Strange Day in July

Based on the Harris Burdick legend.
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The first thing Lenni noticed about Mrs. Hanford was her hands. They were calloused, her fingers gnarled, and every nail was embedded in a layer of dirt. Her brows were etched into a deep furrow, her thin lips drawn into a scowl. Lenni couldn't help but shrink back when Mrs. Hanford's sharp eyes fixated on her.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Mrs. Hanford snapped. Lenni heard a snicker beside her and glanced over to gape at her older brother.

       Mrs. Hanford was the children's aunt; they had come to stay with her for the summer, as both of their parents were otherwise removed.

       "Pfft- Uh, I'm Ralf. And this is my little sister, Lenni. She doesn't talk much. " Ralf responded.

        Lenni, who had been hovering uncertainly behind her brother, offered a timid wave in greeting. She had never been good at meeting new people, and Mrs. Hanford's stern expression added to her nervousness.
   
       "Well, come inside at once, it's bad luck to linger in doorways." Mrs. Hanford said. She stepped aside for the children to enter, and as Lenni stepped over the threshold, she looked back to see the old lady peering out the door as if she were checking if anyone had seen them.
   
       "Your room is up the stairs. I can't climb them anymore, bad back of course, so you'll have to carry the bags up on your own. Once you've unpacked your things, join me in the parlor."

       Lenni and Ralf heaved their large suitcases up the stairs. When they got to the top, Lenni was surprised to see that there was just a large open space. The room seemed to be built into the roof, so the ceilings were arched and there were no windows. The entire room was covered in wood panels, extending from the floor, up the walls, and the ceiling.
     
        Well, it's definitely roomy up here, kinda chilly though," Lenni's brother commented. Lenni agreed, it was several degrees colder upstairs than the rest of the house.
   
        The children began unpacking their suitcases, storing their belongings under their new beds. Once they finished, they headed back down the stairs and into the parlor.
   
        Mrs. Hanford was sitting at a table nestled in the corner of the small room. The walls were white, and there were floor-to-ceiling windows about the space. She had her hands clasped together and was gazing out one of the windows, staring at the ocean.
   
        Ralf's voice broke through the silence, "Ahem, we've finished unpacking. Did you have something you needed to tell us?" Mrs. Hanford startled, and her head snapped toward the children– as if she had forgotten their new residence there.
   
        Ah, right. Well, to be honest children, I've entirely forgotten what I wanted to say, I find myself quite lost in thought. Why don't you two go familiarize yourselves with the island? The sea is calm today, perhaps you could take a walk there while I collect myself."

The children just looked at each other.
   
"Um, alright Mrs. Hanford. When will you expect us back?" Ralf asked.
   
"Expect you back? Oh! Right, um, just be sure to be back by sundown."

          After their odd interaction with their new guardian, the children put on their hats and boots and made their way out of the house. The beach was only a stone's throw away from Mrs. Hanford's cabin, so they decided to take their aunt's advice and visit the sea.
   
        "Mrs. Hanford is an odd one ain't she? At first, I thought she was gonna be some kinda drill sergeant! What with her witch face and all. 'Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?!'" Ralf mocked. "Now you'd think she belongs in the loony bin! Did you see the way she stares? Acting as if somethings out to get 'er. And all the forgetting stuff" he ranted.

Lenni only hummed in response.
  
"Can't believe we have to stay here all summer. When do ya think mom'll be better?"

Lenni just shrugged.
   
          Ralf seemed to be getting himself worked up and began to pick up rocks and throw them into the ocean. At first, he was just throwing them wildly; but as time went on he began attempting to skip them across the water. After many tries, he finally succeeded in his efforts.
   
          "Hey, I did it! Did you see me, Lenni?" Ralf shouted. He threw another, and it seemed to hop across the sea like a rabbit. He threw one more, but this time it did not sink into the depths; instead, it reversed its course and returned to the children.
   
         "Now what in the-!" Ralf exclaimed, eyes widening with wonder. "Did you see that, Lenni?"

          Lenni did see it; but unlike Ralf, the stone had not merely reversed its course. Instead what she saw was a small creature who had caught the stone and thrown it back. Ralf threw the same stone back into the sea. It again returned to them. Becoming frustrated, Ralf threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. Lenni saw the creature laughing, swishing his tail and splashing about in the water.
   
         The creature reminded Lenni of the dolphins she had seen in her storybooks; but where dolphins had a thin, short snout, this creature's was long and wide. Its' tail was thin and elongated, but its body was stout. Its' skin was a grayish color, but it seemed to have gold armor covering the creature's head and back.
   
         Lenni had never seen any creature like it; so when it came closer, she was frightened.
"Lenni, why do ya look so afraid? I'm sure it's nothing, just a whirlpool or something messing with us." Ralf said. Lenni was confused; why could he not see what was right in front of him?
She began frantically shaking her head when the creature approached nearer.
   
       "There's... an animal, just right there, coming towards us" she whispered.
   
"Huh? But I don't see anything." Ralf said, blocking out the sun with his hand and squinting to see if he could find what frightened his sister. The creature seemed confused by the children's reaction. It began turning his head to the side like a dog would.
   
          Lenni found the action cute and began to giggle at the creature's confusion. Her newfound joy excited the creature, and he began to turn his head faster, with more energy. Lenni began to laugh even louder.
   
"What in the world are you laughing at Lenni?" Ralf said confusedly.
   
"He looks as though he's dancing!" Lenni exclaimed.

           All of a sudden the creature turned his attention to Ralf. Lenni was reminded of Ralf's obliviousness to the creature's presence when it began advancing on him.

"Ralf- he's, he's coming towards you now," Lenni said, her voice becoming more alarmed.

           The creature began to rise out of the water, its head gesticulating wildly and piercing shrieks erupting from its mouth. Lenni began to scream.
   
           "Ralf! He's right next to you! Move, I think he's angry!"

          Ralf, who could not hear nor see the creature, just stared at her with bewilderment.
   
"Now what are you screaming like that for?"

         The creature bit down on Ralf's legs and began to pull him into the sea.
   
"What-?! What's going on- Something's pulling on me Lenni! Lenni- help!" Ralf began thrashing about, trying to get out of the invisible hold. The monster clamped down on his legs even harder, finally breaking the skin. Blood mixed in with the white seafoam.
   
"Lenni- Oh god- help!!"

          Lenni, who earlier had been amused by the animal, could now only stare at it in horror. She felt as though her muscles were locked and existence frozen; she could only stare at her struggling brother.

           The creature succeeded in his fight, finally pulling Ralf into a shelf break, where the water deepened. Lenni saw her brother's head submerge under the waves, his blood washing away from the shore. What a strange day in July.