The Lake

Prompt: Write a poem or story about catching fish.
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“This is madness!” she screamed, her silhouette a lonely shape against the warm glow from the kitchen. “You’ll only get yourself killed!” Her voice broke and she slumped to her knees, her slender frame trembling with the tears she had tried to hold back all evening.

“Daniel!” she cried out again. “Don’t do this! Please--”

“That’s enough, Maryann!” he finally roared, tossing the fishing reel into the side of the boat. “I ain’t gonna sit back no longer, you hear me! That thing…that thing took my baby…our baby! You think I’m gonna let it live?!”

She moaned in agony, a pitiful sound that mingled with the low sounds of water softly kissing the banks. She watched him through a shimmering veil of tears, knowing that her cries and pleas would go unheeded now that his mind was set.

No one knew where it had come from, but something – something huge and terrible – from the lake had taken away their only daughter last week. For five years they had lived in this picturesque town – Lake Montgomery – so called because of the breathtaking expanse of water that seemed to sit between the woodland houses surrounding it. It was a summer getaway for those who worked in the city, but for Maryann and Daniel Ruddington, it was their only home and they loved it.

Since it was such a safe community, children were allowed to play by themselves by the shore, as long as they didn’t wander out too far or without adult supervision. Maryann was supposed to have been watching their five-year old daughter on that fateful day, but a combination of the intense heat and weariness had caused her to doze off on the porch.

Ellie’s shriek of terror had shaken her peaceful repose.

In horror, she could only watch the ‘thing’ – one couldn’t call it a fish since it seemed so much bigger – drag away her daughter, her mind slowly unraveling as feelings of detachment and disbelief overwhelmed her. It couldn’t be happening to her daughter. It just couldn’t.

Daniel would return home an hour later to find his wife, half mad with grief, wading into the lake in search of Ellie – a torn and bloody rag of her daughter’s favorite dress clenched in one hand.

The police had done nothing. They had supposedly searched the lake and no one could find anything remotely connected to Maryann’s description. The townsfolk had begun to look at them with suspicion, perhaps blaming them for the death of their own child. Their nights were filled with hollow silences and empty words, both going through the motions as they struggled to live.

Everyday, he would look out to the lake, its deceptive stillness causing his blood to boil as he wondered what lurked beneath. Finally, he had made up his mind to search for it himself, knowing that he would have to find this creature or his daughter’s soul would never find peace.

“I’m going fishing tonight, honey,” he said with a grunt as he started up the engine to their small boat. He walked back to her to place a soft kiss on her cheek, wincing inwardly at how cold and clammy it felt. She said nothing, a blank emptiness within her green eyes as she stared rigidly at the lake, as if transfixed.

“I’ll find the bastard,” he continued quietly. “And Ellie will finally rest in peace. I promise you that.”

Without waiting for a response, he leapt into the boat and set out towards the middle of the lake, eyes narrowed in concentration as he turned on the heavy powered lights to help him see. He could barely make out the houses within the safe cocoon of the woods, smiling bitterly as he thought of the happy families sharing their dinners.

“You stole my happiness from me,” he growled, killing the engine to leave the boat idling in the middle of the lake. He tugged the high speed reel closer and towards the stern, bracing himself as he set up the lure at the end of his fishing line. He was by no means the best fisherman around, but he could hold his own when it came to fishing for sport. Tonight, however, he did not plan to make a mistake and he was determined to wait for as long as possible for this creature to reveal itself.

He lowered the line into the water, listening to the almost silent ‘plop’ sound as it broke the still surface. Quietly he sat and waited, thinking of the moments he had spent with his precious baby girl over the past few years. Oblivious to the tears that slid down his cheeks, when the first tug came, it took him a full minute to comprehend what was finally happening.

“Son-of-a-bitch.” The tug was harder and he was almost knocked off his perch. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself, a cruel smile of victory on his lips as he tucked the reel between his legs to reach for his shotgun. A small cry of surprise escaped his lips as the next tug from the creature almost sent him tumbling over the side. He could hear the boat groaning in protest, the water beginning to swirl faster and faster as the creature began to swim around it.

“Gotcha now!” Daniel cried out in triumph, aiming the gun and pulling the trigger as the surface was soon broken with a resounding splash. It took only a second, but it was enough to burn the terrifying image of the beast within his mind for the rest of his life. His scream of horror was lost in the deafening crack of the weapon, and in the space of five minutes, all was still as the lake returned to its familiar tranquil state.

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Maryann pours herself a cup of coffee and watches the sun rise in the horizon. Although its been two days since she last saw him, she still waits patiently for his return.


Word Count: 1000