ACT II
Are we the ones that got away?
© Scott 2020
“Harold, those are not human.”
Shelly was right; I did not want to alarm the kids. We had drifted over a mile from the shore. The water which lapped at the hull reminded me we were moving rapidly, almost as if the trolling motor were pushing us.
I switched the trolling motor on and put it in reverse. For a moment, the boat slowed its journey toward whoever those people or things were. They were holding a device that now glowed even brighter. The small boat moved toward them unabated by my efforts to thwart them.
“We can’t let them reel us in like fish,” Shelly exclaimed.
I struggled against the pull with the oars, along with the trolling motor. The boat bucked, much like riding a bull. The analogy of them reeling us in was not lost on me. I tried to turn the small boat away from them rather than fight them directly.
“Shelly, make sure the kid’s life jackets are on correctly, and you four head over the side toward that outcropping.” I could see she wanted to argue with me, but she also knew there was precious little time.
I continued the struggle against the pull of the invisible force. Shelly was scared but determined not to be taken by anyone against our will.
We passed by the point when the first child went in the water, then the second, and finally, Shelly went in holding the baby. The sounds of their shrieks echoed off the water and rocks by the shoreline. I couldn’t blame them; that water had to be chilly.
The splashing sounds and their breathing told the tale. That water was chilly, and they had very little time to get to the shore. I needed to purchase them more time. I needed to stall them from getting this boat.
Without the constraint of all the surrounding bodies, I could use both oars along with the trolling motor to resist whoever they were. Aluminum does not respond to magnetism. They were using otherworld technology. I wanted to put up a good fight against the aliens.
I heard coughing toward the point. Shelly was not that strong of a swimmer. She was having issues. I abandoned my struggle to enter another. This fight was now for our very survival. I tucked the blanket under my life jacket, taking a quick look around; there was little else I could carry.
The black water soon had me under its icy spell. I headed toward the splashing sounds. The boat disappeared as if propelled by a powerful motor.
My body ached in the frigid water. Heading toward the thrashing sounds, I soon had one child, and then another in tow, as I looked for Shelly and the baby.
Submerged trees caught my leg as I pulled the two kids toward the land. I had caught fish in this spot, never dreaming I would swim here.
Another shooting star lit up the night sky as I could hear Shelly up ahead. The kids were of no help. The cold water had all but paralyzed them.
The current that carried the boat away from shore was now flowing around the point. My struggle against the flow of water was difficult as I had two kids in one hand and could only use the other free arm to swim. My muscles ached, holding on to the kids and trying to swim at the same time.
Shelly had made land, and she called out to me. Hearing her voice gave me the strength to do the impossible. I pulled us from one limb to another using the submerged trees that once afforded me great times fishing.
In this area, fishing was splendid however; It was almost impossible to weave around the underwater obstructions while fighting the currents. I was reminded of how creatures in the wild used three limbs to get from one place to another. Now it was me that pulled us from one to another. Shelly must have caught sight of me.
The moon was now cresting over the mountain tops, casting an eerie greenish glow on everything around us. Shelly made her way back into the water, grabbing Ginger, our middle child.
Land under my feet caused me to offer a sigh of relief. The two kids had passed out. Finding a tree to shelter us from the breeze, they huddled close while I wrung the water from the blanket, before covering us with it.
The kids were breathing but unconscious. I needed to warm them. Shelly and I were shivering, but we were alive and not in the clutches of whatever those things were.
When they got the boat and realized we were not in it, would they come looking for us?
I held the kid’s wet bodies next to me to warm them. The five of us under the blanket was less than ideal, but slowly our warmth returned. The slight breeze curled under the edges of the blanket causing parts of us to be even colder. Shelly was still shivering, holding the baby as close to her as possible.
I took a mental inventory of what I had on me. Keys, knife, wallet, and a wet flip phone.
Through the forest, I could see a glow from where our campsite is. The scent of burning wood wafted on the breezes that came from that direction.
Have they made a campfire, or are have they set the forest ablaze? Was this fire a beacon, or were they cold as well? Had it been just me, I might have allowed them to reel me in. Was I or we fish? Could this be some alien sport to see who could catch an impressive human? Were humans a delicacy to these creatures? Were they looking for a phone to call home?
Staying in the cold all night was not an option. These kids needed to be by that fire at the very least.
You who are reading this, it is now your turn. Whether you are Harold or Shelly or perhaps Tim, Ginger, or Tina the baby. Choose your POV and tell us what happens next… I am dying to know….
Thanks for playing along. I hope you enjoy the story.
