Life at Lunar Lake

Chapter 4

Heather let out a blood curdling scream as she plunged into the water. It all turned black as her bare skin touched it. I ran up to the tank and pried the door open, the black water pouring out. She lay, in her creature form, in a heap on the bottom of the tank. I took her hand and helped her stand.

When the others saw her scaly blue body they screamed and panicked. "What the hell is that?" I heard people scream.

"Mason, what do I do?" Heather sobbed.

"Just run," I replied. "Just follow me. I'll take you to safety." She nodded, tears in her eyes, and we ran as fast as we possibly could away from the carnival.

We arrived at the only place I knew we could be safe; Lunar Lake. Nobody was there yet, but I assumed that they'd be coming. We had to do something, and fast.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She asked, sitting on the dock. I sat beside her. "They know what I am now. It's not like I can just get back to everyday life here now. They've probably called the police on me and I'll be taken away to be experimented on."

"I'm not going to let that happen," I said, hugging her. Suddenly I got an incredible idea. "Heather, you can live in the lake."

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Won't I get discovered by some swimmer?"

"You could live in the depths of the lake, and then I could be able to visit you."

"No, that wouldn't work. The lake is already inhabited... by my mother."

"What?" I asked, shocked. Well, I was wondering where she came from. I guess now I'm gonna find out.

"My mother was a hybrid just like me, and she fell in love with a human boy. He lived here, in Lakeview. So, one thing led to another and then I was born. I was raised in the lake ever since I was a child, and just recently I was released to go join the community at Lakeview as a normal human girl. Unfortunately, as you can see, that failed."

"Oh... but why don't you just go back and live with her?"

"Well, she thinks I'm successfully living up here on the surface and starting my life as a contributor to society, and I don't want her to see I failed. I don't want to let her down. Isn't there a different body of water I could live in?"

I thought for a minute and then came up with an idea. "I know. Get in the truck, we're going for a ride."

 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked as we pulled into the parking space.

"Positive," I replied, getting out of the truck. "You see, you have a virtually unlimited supply of fish, and you're too intelligent to get caught by a fisherman. Plus, you can swim out far enough so that you don't have to be afraid of getting discovered by a swimmer. It's paradise for you." I said, looking on across the seemingly endless ocean.

"If you say so," Heather replied uneasily. She turned to me, taking my hand. "But... I won't ever see you again, Mason. I don't think I'll be able to bear it."

"Trust me, Heather," I said, "knowing you, you'll be strong enough." I gazed into her gleaming, beautiful eyes. "So, I guess this is goodbye..."

"Yeah, I guess so," she said softly. She pulled me in for a passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. She released me and we stood there, just looking at each other, holding each other's hands. "Goodbye Mason," she said, taking off her locket and handing it to me. And with that, she turned around and dove into the gigantic ocean, never to see me again.

Although I should've felt sad that she was gone, I couldn't feel happier, for I knew she would be happier in the ocean, where she belonged, than on the land, where she would never be accepted for who she truly was.

I put on the locket and held it close to my heart. Now, even though I'm a grown man, I still wear it every day, remembering Heather. Even though I only knew her for a few days, it felt like an eternity, and they were the happiest days of my life.

The End