1.The Sea

The waves were lazy and hushed as they slapped against the sides of the boat. It was night. The sea was like ink reflecting garbled slivers of moonlight. She was the small boat's only passenger, having turned off the motor to lay across the wooden bench in near-silence. Nothing greeted her but the steady sloshing of water against the craft. She was well aware that her presence out here was a disruption to the natural sea, and she could feel the ocean pushing back against her. In fact, she could feel the steady tide pushing her back towards the marina. But she knew that for now, beyond the lights of her coastal town and away from the noise of people, she could have some peace.

She traced the tiny stars in the sky with her eyes, following patterns as she made them up, naming new constellations for herself. And then, a rush of water hit the side of her boat off to the left, out of sync with the previous waves. She shot upwards into a sitting position, nearly tipping the little boat, and grasped the side to peer down into the waves. She had always hoped to spot a killer whale out here, although sightings were rare this close to a town. She hoped the disturbance in the water had been something of that size-it had certainly felt like it. Straining her eyes to peer down into the thick, black water, she could make out a vague luminescence beyond the reflections of the stars. There was something gliding past, away from the sea and towards the harbor town. And whatever it was, it was glowing.

Not wanting to alert the creature to her presence, she picked up a pair of oars from the bottom of the craft and began rowing. She knew she was hopelessly outpaced by the thing already, but hoped she could catch up with it when it inevitably slowed near the marina. She paddled quietly and with the longest strokes she could muster, covering the distance slowly but surely. She had since lost sight of the glowing thing, but knew that she would see it again if she only pushed forwards. The brightest lights of town stretched their way across the waves towards her, in bright squiggling lines. As she neared, she realized that it would be nearly impossible to catch another glimpse of the glowing thing this close to the town. It painted the sea with its lights, obscuring her view of what was underneath.

She was about to put the oars back in the bottom and turn on the motor again, heading back out to sea, when she saw a vague form emerge from the water. It looked somewhat like a person on horseback-but from the sea?

The figure was wearing something sharp and metallic-or maybe it was made of metal-and it had a spiky circlet on its head. She removed the oars from the water as quietly as possible, laying them on the bench gently. She watched the figure, lowering herself in the boat, hoping to evade detection. The figure remained in its place, drifting only slightly back and forth in the waves. It was about 20 feet away from her, and she knew she was too close to paddle backwards, so she remained still as well. The figure appeared to be gazing towards the town. Without warning, it submerged itself in the water. She panicked, wondering if it was headed her way next. She grabbed the oars, without placing them in the water yet, and weighed her options. After a few more moments, she concluded that the figure had not passed her again. The waves against the boat hadn't changed, hitting the sides in the same regular pattern. There was no pulse in the water like there had been when it passed her. A few more minutes passed. Nothing emerged, nothing approached her, nothing had happened.

Doubting her own perception, she placed the oars in the bottom of the boat and started the motor. Docking it in the marina earlier than usual, she hopped on her bike and pedaled home, finding it hard to fall asleep.