Into The Water

Chapter Eleven: Disaster At The Festival

Down into the ocean, deeper and deeper, Mizuki sinks. There is a swirling and foaming of the water as she goes down, caused by the air bubbles she carries with her in her descend. The silence is disturbed by the rapid beatings of her own heart.

Her uneasiness increases; the dolphin does not appear.

Around her is all darkness, a darkness so deep and so black. Mizuki swims as hard as she can to the light, toward the surface that seems miles away, when suddenly she sees movement from afar.

An enormous head with a huge mouth, wide open, showing four rows of gleaming teeth appears, and the mere sight of the shark frightens her almost to death. She tries to swim away from it, to escape, but that immense mouth keeps coming closer and closer.

Mizuki swims desperately with her arms, her legs, her feet.

The shark slides through the water like a shot—swifter and swifter. The monster overtakes her and she finds herself in between the rows of gleaming white teeth.

Mizuki wakes with a cry of terror, trembling with the recollection of her dreadful nightmare. Beads of sweat are evident on her forehead as she breathes heavily with her eyes wide. It's a long time since she had a nightmare this severe and scary.

When Mizuki's mother knocks on the door and calls out to her, she pretends to be in deep slumber. "Good morning, sweetheart," Mom whispers, then strokes Mizuki's leg as she begins to rouse.

"Good morning," Mizuki smiles tiredly. She appreciates Mom's presence in the house; working full time as a nurse doesn't give her much time to spend at home.

"Hurry up and get dressed. I made omurice―your favorite." It's really been a while since she ate Mom's special omurice. That simple act of sweetness is like her way of telling Mizuki she's sorry she wasn't around as much because of work.

Joy soars through Mizuki's chest and tears spring to her eyes. "I really missed you―" She chokes as unshed tears fill her warm eyes.

"I missed you too," Mom says, her hand wrapping around the back of Mizuki's neck, embracing her. "Give me a hug, Mizuki," she commands playfully. "A real hug."

With a laugh, Mizuki holds her mother firmly, the familiar perfume of garden-roses, pinks, and other blossoms wafting in her nose.

"Your father is already wearing his happi coat," Mom says, stroking Mizuki's hair. "He wears the same thing every year..."

"...and then goes around every year asking if he looks good in it," Mizuki ends, with another laugh.

After Mom leaves the room, Mizuki rises from her bed to the bathroom and gazes in silence at her reflection in the mirror, not liking how tired she looks; her face is sickly pale, and her hair matted with cold sweat, hung in wild disorder about her head.

I'm surprised Mom didn't notice, she thinks, or maybe she just didn't want to mention anything.

Mizuki turns away from the mirror with plans to take a bath, only to desist.

She's haunted by the shark. A dread possesses her that when she least expects it, the shark will appear. She imagines the shark watching her from below the bathwater with greedy eyes, then coming at her with those mighty jaws, and she screams herself out of the unpleasant daydream.

"What's the matter?" Mizuki hears her father's muffled voice in the hall.

"Nothing!" She calls back. "Just... excited for the festival," she replies bitterly.

"Yeah, I'm the same. I still look good in my happi coat, though, right?" Mizuki is too stressed out to laugh at his words; maybe a quick shower would be best.