Into the Water, Out of the Aether

Don’t Get Lost

If this is the first installment you’re reading of the Story of the Marsh Boy, you’re going to be as lost as last year’s Easter eggs.

Tap here to go to the chapter list, or tap here if you only missed part 8.

Without further delay…

Into the Water, Out of the Aether

The Tannites pulled their freshly encased prey deep beneath the waters of the bay. Contrails of luminescence followed the serpentine fins and claws of each creature. As grotesque as they were, the Tannites swam with elegance. Each move was not out of utility but had purposeful flourishes. Their swimming was as much of a dark dance as it was propelling movement. Deep black eyes scanned back and forth in search of their route into Tannigath. Channels and passageways had been carved into the rock, like an underwater ant colony. Jeremiah Marsh, Cole Marsh, and Jeddy Lee were being towed into the maze of passages in a case of hardened Tannite slime. Though their captors carried their capsule with a twisted grace with a terrible beauty of light ribbons behind them, the capsule did not embody such grace itself. As they located and entered their selected tunnel, the case would bounce and drag against the rock.

From inside the cocoon, Jeremiah could hear the sounds of water moving across the hard shell in addition to it scraping against rock. He couldn’t turn his head to see his son or friend. Not that there was any light to see them by. Jeddy’s tired voice came from behind him. “Jer?”

Jeremiah sighed and said, “Yeah, I can hear you.”

Cole spoke up. “Dad, I’m scared.”

“I know, son. I am too.”

“How thick do you think this thing is? I can hear water passing over it like on the bottom of David’s canoe.”

Jeremiah sighed. “Jeddy, you gonna make it?”

“I’m pretty busted up. That thing slashed me good. It hurts like all get out but I think I’m OK.”

“We’re pretty far from OK, guy!” Jeremiah huffed at him. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re caught in some slime egg of those snaky fish things.

Jeddy’s face throbbed and he could feel the wet blood running down his face. Jeremiah’s breaking down stung even worse. He hated hearing it. “Jer, I love you brother, but you have got to snap out of this,” Jeddy said.

“What’s the point?” Jeremiah asked.

“Dude, seriously. Your son is watching you act like this. Your son. Pull it together,” Jeddy scolded.

The two men and boy jarred as the cocoon knocked against something on the outside.

“Cole, you said David was out here with you?” Jeddy asked the boy.

“Yeah, we paddled out here to go fishing. Something bit his jig off the line and then he attacked me. He got mad and tried to choke me.”

“He attacked you about a fish getting off the line?” Jeremiah asked.

“Yep. Then he started growling at me. His eyes got big and black like those things. He jumped into the water and that was it.”

“What happened to the canoe?”

“Those things pulled it under the water. Before you guys came, and mom was talking to me, I saw a thing wearing the pants David had on. I think he turned into one of them.”

“That wasn’t your mother, Cole,” Jeremiah said to him as there was a loud scraping sound from outside the slime cocoon. “What did we see on the docks before we left?”

“I don’t know what we saw,” said Jeddy.

The scraping sound came again. This time it lasted longer. It grew to a continuous drone outside and the men and boy could feel the rocking of the cocoon on a solid surface. They slammed against the inside as the movement came to a sudden stop. Green light shimmered across the inner surface in front of them, as if it were a bioluminescent pearl or clam shell.

Though they weren’t moving, more scraping sounds came from outside of the cocoon. The case began to crack and the men and boy pulled back as much as their limited range of movement allowed them to. In the dull light of the inner casing, Jeremiah saw webbed claws pierce the surface and tear downwards. Glowing orbs floated in the exposed air. Black orbs of eyes gazed into the broken shell and locked onto Jeremiah as if they were trying to bore down below the man and into his soul. Its eyes lingered on Jeremiah then moved to Jeddy.

Jeddy stared the otherworldly creature down. He didn’t avert his eyes but held it in a glare through the broken shell. The Tannite shook its head and exhaled.

A thin film blinked over the surface of its eye and the Tannite circled around the cocoon. With careful movements, it continued pulling and cracking until the entire top of the cocoon had been torn away.

The other Tannites lowered themselves from an upright position down to all fours. Like dogs who have had enough of their food bowl, they slinked backwards into the water and disappeared beneath the surface of the water. The Tannite that had torn the top of the cocoon away opened its maw of razor sharp teeth and let out the single note of song they had sung on the surface. It stretched and stood at its full height, shorter than the others. It gave a single melodic bark and backed away from its captees. It was wearing the tatters of pants. As it’s webbed feet touched the water, it paused, gave one more glance around the room, and followed its brothers into the water.

Jeremiah and Jeddy tried without success to wrestle themselves free from the case that held them. Cole squirmed with just as much futility. Each of them pushed with all they had. Jeddy’s arms were held tight by the casing. Jeremiah could move his left arm at the elbow and feel around inside the case. He put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. Cole sighed. The men could not get the leverage they needed to break free from their bonds.

“Dad, this isn’t anything like tying knots on a boat,” Cole said.

“It’s still a problem we have to solve, but I’m having a hard time myself right now.”

Cole’s neck was free and he tilted his head upwards to his dad. “At least we’re together, right? And the Lord gave us a friend, right? But I am sorry we’re here.”

“No point being gloomy about it,” Jeddy said. “You’re gloomy enough already. There’s enough gloom for the whole town down in this place. We don’t need anymore.”

The floating orbs of light illuminated the cavern like a strip of LED lights in a child’s room where half the lights have gone bad. Uneven shadows shifted across the rocky interior of the room.

Jeddy set his jaw and closed his eyes. “Only one thing we can do, boys.” He opened his mouth and began to sing.

“This little light of mind, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.”

Cole and Jeremiah joined in the melody. All three captives sang in the gloomy dungeon. As they sang, Jeremiah could feel the strength and courage return to his back. It had fled in the months of Lily’s death, and he could only summon strength in small spurts to encourage his boy. The light had gone out of his life and he had forgotten how to pass it on. He had lost sight of his own goals, and being unable to muster what was necessary to make a man of his son, further decimated by the ghostly encounters with Lily that only reminded him of his ever present loss, his light had nearly gone out. He was a smoldering wick of the burning flame he used to be.

Down in the shadows, Jeremiah lifted his voice with a fullness he had forgotten he had. Cole followed and tried to match his father. Jeddy smiled below to soft yellow and pink hues of the orbs.

Green light slowly shimmered across every surface of the cavern like a creeping aftershock.

The Green Light

Today, Jeremiah caught a breath of hope above the surface of the proverbial waves of grief he’d been drowning in.

Ready for a real trip into a mind dive? Tap here to read chapter 10, The Unseen Realm of Glory and Shadow.

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Talk to y’all in two weeks.

~ J.P. Simons