Take Me to the Water

INTRODUCTION // The Water

I was minding my own business when the boy showed up at my uncle's house.

I told myself that when I came back home, I would do so quietly. I wouldn't reconnect with old friends. I wouldn't try to get revenge, and I wouldn't dare use my powers. I would just pack up my uncle's house, sell what didn't matter to me, and be on my way—but then he showed up.

It was a Sunday afternoon in July. I was inside of my uncle's house listening to an old James Brown record, Papa Don't Take No Mess. My Uncle Calvin had all of the greats on vinyl: James Brown, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin. You name it, Uncle Calvin had it, and after all these years the records still played like new. When I found the James Brown record in his collection, I blew the dust off it and placed it gently on my uncle's record player. The sound of the needle touching the record was a natural high for me. Only a music lover would understand. There's nothing more pleasing than the sound of static right before a record starts, especially a good record.

I was in my groove, packing boxes and jamming to the music when my big sister, Leah, yelled from the front porch that someone was by the river. I stopped what I was doing, agitated.

"Why was someone by the river?" I thought.

The river is within walking distance to our house, so if Leah could see someone, that meant they were on our property, and that was the first thing that upset me. I didn't want to be bothered. I didn't come home to pick up where I left off. I wanted to be invisible. The second thing that bothered me was the thought of having to go anywhere near that water. I knew too much about the water, and what I knew terrified me.

When I walked through the front screen door, I crossed my arms and stood over Leah. She was wearing her blue dress and rocking in her chair as she stared out at the water. This is all she ever does. From sun up to sun down she rocks in her chair and stares out at the Pearl River. There could be a tornado twirling by and Leah wouldn't budge. The water consumed her.

When Leah noticed me standing, she pointed toward the river and that's when I saw the boy. He looked no older than 16 and he was sitting by the water with his back to us. I wondered what would bring someone as young as him to our dead-end street, and what was it about the water that was consuming him too.

"What do you want me to do, Leah?" I asked, confused.

"Grab him," she responded, with her usual calmness.

"What do you mean grab him?"

"I mean grab him before he falls in, Eve."

I could feel my blood boiling. I exhaled and looked out to the water. The boy was still staring out at it, then, out of nowhere, he stood up.

"You're running out of time, Eve."

"Just give me a minute, will you?" I snapped.

It had been years since I'd been remotely close to that water, and I had no desire to go near now. But I knew that if Leah said the boy was going to fall in, it was only a matter of time before he did. I exhaled, frustrated, and reluctantly headed to the water.

I didn't want to scare him, so when I got about 10 feet away I yelled out.

"Hey! Are you lost?"

He turned to face me. There was a blank look on his face. I couldn't make out what he was thinking, but I knew that he looked familiar. Then, he turned back to the water.

"Listen lady, I'm not interested," he said with an attitude. "I don't care how you make your money, but take it away from me."

"Excuse me? Who do you think I am?"