Otherworld

Pointe Aux Braques

Morning came without much of a hassle. I convinced Melody it was better to do our hunting sometime this summer when her cousin was no longer staying. He ruined everything the day before, and he knew it. Obviously, I had yet to say a single word to Shawn since we left the beach last night. I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet, no matter how many times he told me he was sorry. I would do it soon enough, but I wanted him to feel as terrible as I did for the rest of the weekend.

I wasn’t too thrilled to have Shawn tag along on our trip to the lighthouse, but I decided to be cordial since I didn’t have a choice. Melody’s mother would have worried, and I couldn’t have that. Don’t get me wrong; I knew he would have to go. I just wished his dad would have come to get him a day early.  

Together, Melody and I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, washed and bagged some grapes, and packed a bag of chips up into a cooler. Melody’s mom stuffed a blanket into the back of the old station wagon while Shawn was sent to get a bag of ice and some 2-liters from up the street.

Once everything was set, we left Harbor Beach and headed north along M-25. It was a beautiful drive. The road followed closely along Lake Huron’s shore, flashing spectacular glimpses of deep blue water. We passed farms and fields full of young hay, beans, and corn. There were also patches of dense forestry surrounding marsh-like inlets that let creeks branch up through the landscape. Plenty of white-tailed deer could be seen poking their heads out of the grasses at the slightest bit of sound. It always took my breath away. In no time, we passed through Port Hope and beyond.

Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse was located next to Lighthouse County Park, a pretty little campground near the very tip of the Thumb. We parked as close to the shore as we could. I set out the blanket on the grassy edge of a small cliff not far from the parking lot and took a deep breath. This part of the lakeshore didn’t have much of a beach. What little of one it did have was too rocky to be comfortable.

A gentle breeze blew off the lake, tussling my hair over my shoulders. I flopped down on my stomach and rolled on to my back so that I could stare up at the sky. Fluffy white clouds slowly fled across my vision. It was the perfect time for daydreaming.

“Hey Gwen, the museum is open. Come check it out with me,” Melody said, popping over me and blocking my view.

I rolled over and pushed myself up on my elbows, glancing towards the lighthouse and the building attached. “Since when did you like stuff like that?” I countered. Melody never cared for educational things.

She looked at me sheepishly and scratched her chin, avoiding my gaze. “Well…”

That’s when I knew she was up to something. She looked about as guilty as a dog stealing something off of a child’s plate. “Oh, I see what this is. Saw someone go in there you want to meet, didn’t you? Who is it?” I pressed as a grin slowly spread across my face.

“Alright. Fine. You caught me. Do you know Kade Gentner?” Melody scooted closer to my side, wanting nothing more than to smother me with frivolous girl talk. Her voice took on a dreamy quality. “He’s the senior that won that basketball scholarship last year. He’s here. I sort of told him I would meet him there, but you know how my mom can be. She’s so embarrassing. If you come with me, she won’t want to get in our way.”

“You know, one of these days I’m going to learn how to say no to you.”

“But that’s not gonna be today, is it?”

“No. It’s not. But if you think I am going to hang around to watch you both get all handsy, you got another thing coming. Unlike you, I happen to like history.” I hopped up and linked my arm with Melody as we headed towards the museum.

Together, we walked up the little ramp into the building. It used to be the old Light Keepers house but was refashioned into an excellent little place to hold Lake Huron’s history. I left Melody on her own when we spotted Kade, offering a slight wave in greeting first. Then, I took my sweet old time looking at all of the nautical collections under the protection of glass cases.

Finding the upstairs open, I climbed up the narrow stairwell and walked into the first room. It was set up like a little girl’s room from the early days of the lighthouse. The bed was tiny and made of rope and wood. Yeah, that looked so comfortable… Can’t you just feel the sarcasm? I leaned over to look at an old patchwork doll sitting on one of the pillows. Somehow, it seemed familiar.

“You just don’t have any sense, do you, Gwen?” I heard over my shoulder.

I knew that voice. “Croix…” I wasn’t really in the mood for him right now. Nor did I want to know how or why he disappeared the night before. “What do you want now?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

He leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. I turned to face him, waiting for him to speak. He seemed to savor my apprehension. Finally, he broke the silence between us, relaxing his frame. “I suppose I do owe you some sort of apology.”

“You think? You left me looking like I was crazy. If you were so concerned, I don’t see why you felt the need to make my night even worse.” I nearly growled.

“So, I was right.”

“That’s not the point. Where did you go, anyway?” I put my hands on my hips, expecting something… Anything to rationalize what happened last night.

“I promise I’ll explain that later. Right now, I need you to trust me. Take my hand, ok?” He stepped forward with his hand out, sounding so desperate that goosebumps rose on my arms.

I felt the breath catch in my lungs. What was he doing? “Don’t. Get away from me…” I started, shoving past him. My heartbeat up in my ears, and I hurried down the steps in a panic. For whatever reason, my stupid self took me towards the tower at the back of the museum. I darted up the old iron stairs to where a panel in the ceiling was usually locked and discovered that it was open. Having been to the Lighthouse at least a dozen times before, I couldn’t remember a time when it was left unattended like that.

A sharp ringing, like a microphone getting too close to a speaker, filled the little room I was in. Then, a sickly sensation rose within me. I thought my ears were going to explode. When it became too much, I cried out as the world around me faded away. Why did it hurt so much?

                                                                        *

“Gwen…” Croix whispered my name soft and sweet. “Gwendolyn? Can you hear me?” My eyes fluttered as I struggled to open them and force them to adjust. I felt heavy like a numbing weight was sitting on my chest.

When I finally came around, I found myself on the floor under the locked hatch. Croix loomed to my side, looking even more worried. He had wadded up his jacket and stuck it under my head, and he was now holding my hand tightly. Croix relaxed when our eyes met. “Thank the Lake Mother. Stupid girl...” He nearly whispered, but it wasn’t vicious.

“What happened?” I sat up quickly, swooning just a little bit. Croix stood and held his palm out to me, helping me to get to my feet when I was ready.

“You ran off like an i***t right as I was about to warn you not to. Maybe you should listen once in a while. It would do you some good. Come on. I wanna show you something. No more running. I told you I would protect you, didn’t I? Stay close to me this time.”

I blushed faintly and nodded, letting Croix lead the way. What could I say? My brain hadn’t registered everything going on yet. We headed out of the building hand in hand and headed toward the beach. It was a short, awkward walk.

There wasn’t a whole lot of people along the shore. Though, one of the few was Shawn. He glared at Croix and I, nearing quickly. “Geez, Gwen. You sure do get around, don’t you.” He said with his voice full of venom.

“Dude, Back off,” Croix warned. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Why not? If she wants to act like a s**t, then I’ll call her one.”

I frowned. What a jerk. “Stop it, Shawn. You have no right to talk to me about who I choose to spend my time with. Not after last night. Besides, this isn’t what it looks like. Croix and I are just friends.” Even as the words left my lips, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything at all. I refused to let go of Croix regardless.

“Friends? Don’t make me laugh.” He eyed the white-knuckled grip I had. “You will just cozy up to anyone that gives you the time of day. Does your mom know you are sleeping around?” He shot back.

Croix’s eye twitched. I could see the anger seeping from him. “I said, shut the hell up.” He growled.

“Or what? You gonna tell my aunt on me? Ohhhh. So Scary.”

CRACK! Croix decked Shawn as hard as he could in the jaw. The blur of his fist was impossible to dodge. He shook his hand, the bruising in his copper skin already visible. “Keep talking and see what else happens.” He looked down the bridge of his nose at Shawn, daring him to keep on. “Don’t waste your time on this loser anymore, Gwen. You’re out of his league.”

I looked from Croix to Shawn and back again. It was an exhilarating feeling to have someone stick up for me like that. Shawn deserved what he got. I’ve never even had a boyfriend, let alone my first kiss, and that jerk-wad knew that. There was nothing to say about it. I just shook my head and stepped over him to make a point.

“Gwen…” Shawn whined. The look I flashed him could have soured cabbage.

                                                                                      *

“Keep up, and don’t fall. The water’s still cold.” Croix was a few feet in front of me. We were climbing over some of the larger boulders jutting off of the shoreline around the pointe. People didn’t come this way. The woods were thick and overgrown on the land, chock full of thorns. The Pointe Aux Braques Reef prevented boats from coming too close as well. The water only got two feet deep here, and crafts were likely to run aground. If you tried to walk the shoal, the uneven and slick lakebed guaranteed misfortune.

By the time I managed to catch up to Croix, who seemed to get a little pleasure at my expense, my hands were cut up, and my jeans were soaked. I was not as agile as he was, and it showed. But I wanted to see what Croix was so eager for me to learn.

“Take a look over there. Do you see that cave?” He pointed the way. I had to steady myself to get a good view.

“The little opening just above the sand?”

“That’s the one. It’s a sacred entrance to the limestone caverns under this side of the county. This is a place that you should never go, even if you hear it calling to you. As your grandfather did before you.”

Taken aback, I slowly turned to face Croix. “Why? And what about my grandfather?” I glanced back. The opening itself looked rather small, but that was because of the angle we were looking at it. “It doesn’t seem like it’s a dangerous place.” Of course, what did I know about it? Nothing.

“Use that head of yours. The Dark Ones come from that place. That feeling you had in the lighthouse was from them, the lake’s greatest enemies. At least, it is where they hide in this realm.”

I still wasn’t following, but as I watched, I began to understand. Croix pulled me down into the water between two boulders just as a dark mass emerged from the mouth of the cave. My skin crawled. The figure looked like it was made of thousands of flying insects, buzzing as they swarmed. I watched in sheer terror as the figure morphed into a black beast that ducked into the surrounding forestry above. My first instinct was to run.

Croix must have felt my panic. “Shhhh. It cannot see you so long as I cover you.” He assured. I blinked slowly. I hadn’t realized till then, but he was pressed up against my back, squishing me to the stone protectively. Even though I was quite chilled, warmth spread across my cheeks.

We waited like this in tangible silence for what seemed like a lifetime. When I began to shiver uncontrollably, Croix backed away. “I’m sorry. Here. Hold on to me, and don’t let go.” He told me. I happily obliged, expecting to be swept off my feet like a damsel in distress out of one of my fairytale books. There was no way I was going to be able to get myself back to the shore with my frozen legs.

Croix hoisted me up on his back at first. “Ready, Gwen?” He didn’t wait for me to answer, taking off across the waves like the lake’s surface was solid ground. His frame shifted underneath me, contorting until he was a great white-tailed stag. His tracks were silver ripples as he rode the wind like he was a gail. I had to close my eyes to keep myself from getting dizzy.

I gasped. Surely, I must have fallen asleep on that blanket, and this was a fantastical dream. That or I really had gone off the deep end. This felt so real. Croix’s thick fur was soft and warm. He smelled earthy, like damp potting soil and the rain. My senses were screaming.

Suddenly we were back upon the beach, and I was dry. Croix had yet to turn back to his human form. Nobody was upon the beach now, and even if they were, deer were commonplace. The county seemed to have more of those creatures then they could keep up with. And though many deer were skittish, there were plenty that would come up to people these days in hopes of a treat.

I slipped off of his back, taking him in. Croix was magnificent; his coloring reminded me of a thawing hill covered in snow. I wanted to stroke his fur but had to stop myself. “What are you?” I blurted out loud in admiration.

“It’s alright, Gwen. You don’t have to restrain yourself.” He permitted me to pet him. “Through the many thousands of years I have been upon the earth, I have gone by many names, and I have forgotten most of them. I suppose I am what many people would call a forest spirit or an elf, though that hardly does my kind any justice. We are the original keepers of this land. And though in our time, we have dwindled with the ravaging of the world, we keep everything in balance: the light and the dark.

Creatures like me, we are the children of the Mother Lake. And she is not alone in this either. All of the lakes and rivers and even the oceans have a Guardian Mother.” He tried his best to make sure I understood. “We have existed since the very first human walked under the branches of the forests.”

“How did you get your current name? If you are so ancient, why are you playing a child?”

“I am a child. Age matters little to my kind. In comparison to you, I may be old. Though to the Lady of the Lake, I am no older then you are. The human me is how I naturally appear.

 As to what I call myself, the name was given to me when the French first came to settle the Great Lakes. I was curious, and I wished to learn about the new traders. I had no title to give the settlers I befriended, so they gifted me the name. It is very dear to me.”

I opened my mouth, but Croix spoke again before I could get any words out.

 “And before you even ask it, I said I was meant to protect you. Mother Lake told me to keep an eye on you. The best way for me to do that was to be with you as much as I could. I am still your classmate. The things I have learned are things that I hadn’t known before. This opportunity has given me that as a gift. “

“Oh… I don’t know how I feel about that.” I muttered. It was a lot to take in. I never had to consider such a situation before. My mind was swirling with may questions that I was too afraid to know the answers to. How did the Lake Mother know who I was? Did she or Croix understand what happened to my grandfather before he passed away so suddenly a few years ago?

“Don’t think about it too much. You are much like your grandfather, you know. He was a good man. My people owe him an enormous debt. Maybe that is why The Mother Lake was so adamant about keeping an eye on you.” Croix morphed back into the teen I knew him to be. “You could say that the bond between them has bound us together.”

My eyes grew wide. What was that even supposed to mean? Croix chuckled a little bit as I racked my brain.

“You overthink. Relax.”