Old Short Stories

Transparent Tears

Water. It surrounded his thin form, and pressed into his lungs, forcing any and all air out of its raging, cold, powerful path.

His lungs burned, the part of his brain that understood, that didn't want to die, screamed that this was wrong, everything was wrong.

Why was he drowning?

----

He had drowned?

Keith sat in class, reading from his textbook. They were learning myths about the area his hometown was in.

Apparently, the lake about two miles out of the southwest end of town, Lake Altea, had a myth about it.

A young boy, who was believed to be one of very few sirens, had drowned there, and now cries transparent tears forever.

Sounds like bullshit.

The teacher called on Pidge, his friend, who sat in front of him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Pidge?" The teaher spoke softly.

"Okay, sorry Miss Allura, but how the fuck does a siren, a creature of the sea, like 'Myr' and 'Mermaids' drown!?"

Allura sighed, and expained that this was "just a myth and the answer to that question, if one exists, is out of her knowledge. "

The bell rang, and students filed out.

It was a new class, this being its first year. And in all honesty, Keith didn't mind it. No homework, and it was actually pretty interesting. And silly. Definitely silly.

It was also his last class of the day.

Shiro, his adoptive brother, would be working late today, and Adam was out of town. So, Keith walks with his friends, Pidge and Hunk.

The trio had been completely silent. Keith had even considered grabbing his earbuds.

...

"Wanna go check out lake Altea?"

"Shit Pidge! Scare the crap out of me some more why don't cha?"

"Damn dude! Calm down! "

"Why?" Hunk stopped Keith from snapping at them.

"I wanna check it out. See if the myth we learned in class today is true, ya know?"

"Weren't you the one questioning it in class?"

"Yeah- but- uh- shut up and lets go. "

And they did. They ended up at Altea after walkung for about twenty minutes.

They arrived at lake Altea, which was large, and mostly round. The water was a deep, crisp, unforgiving blue that could swallow you whole. The outside of the lake was lined with golden sand, with patches of large rocks, and a couple patches of trees and brush.

The afternoon sun had just begun to shift colour.

Pidge was sitting on a rock, in front of Hunk, and they were messing with papers, or something.

Keith, on the other had, had decided to wander the huge lake. He stepped into an area with more bushes and trees lining a small portion of the lake. He heard soft singing, in what seemed like spanish.

'Okay, so, what the fuck? No one else was out here that we saw.. and, that singing is really,, pretty,,,'

Lost in his thoughta about the voice creating the beautiful tune he began tonwander closer to the source.

Even though he didn't know spanish, he could tell the sonf was sad. Warm, slaty tears began to pool in his eyes and roll softly down his cheeks, but he kept walking.

The water was close now. So vas the voice.

CRACK

A branch snapped under the weight of Keith's foot.

He was released from his trance and the voice stopped.

No noises were made other than heavy, anxious, scared breathing. No birds. Even the water seemed mute.

Keith took one more step, out into the small clearing where the sand and brush meets the lake's lively blue water.

He saw a boy.

Short brown hair that may be curly if it had been longer.

Blue eyes that could match the lake's water.

Tan skin with strategically placed scales lining his arms, back, and chest.

Two markings beneath his eyes.

And a blue tail that was dark blue at his hips and faded to a light baby blue at the tip with four fins.

Two on the sides higher up.

Two on the bottom, accompanying the light tip of his tail.

Ears that resembled the fins in a way.

Claws that seemed so sharp as if the had never been used.

And a light coloured scar running across his neck, in between the four markings that resembed gills.

And small, almost transparent tears runng off his cheeks and falling off his chin.

His mouth hung open, and his teeth were sharp.

Footsteps became apparent behind Keith.

But he only saw the boy, as he mouthed two words.

'I'm sorry.'

And he lept into the water, which swallowed him whole.

As soon as the boy lept, Keith dashed forward.

He missed the long blue tail. And was left staring into the water which swallowed him whole.

As soon as the boy lept, Keith dashed forward.

He missed the long blue tail. And was left staring into the water which held no trace of the boy he had seen.

Pidge and Hunk burst out of the brush.

"What happened?"

"Did you see somerhing?"

"Keith!?"

"We heard singing!"

And various other things were spoken to him.

But no no no, he didn't care. It was as if he hadn't heard them.

He just spoke.

"The myth was true. There is a siren in this lake and he cries transparent tears. "