WATER
1047 Words
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
March 19, 2014
Clara’s sleep was different. For the first time in years, no nightmares came.
Instead, she dreamed of floating through the clouds, her body weightless, as though she belonged there. She wasn’t just floating, she was descending.
A long gown of deep blue and silver threads clung and flowed around her, its fabric rich with hand-stitched patterns that shimmered faintly in the light. A circlet of burnished gold, set with a single stone, rested against her brow. She felt not like herself, but like someone older, someone important.
When her feet touched the ground, she realized she was on the island again.
But this time, it wasn’t empty.
There were people, beautiful beings dressed in ceremonial robes and jeweled sashes, their garments carrying the weight of centuries. They moved with grace, their eyes glowing softly like moonlight on water. They were watching her, silent and expectant, as though they had been waiting for her return.
Her eyelids fluttered open, and for once, she actually wished she had stayed asleep.
The scent of broth filled the air. Her eyes shifted to the clock. 8:00 AM.
She sat up, stretched, and grabbed her headphones. It had been a while since she listened to music, but today felt different. Maybe her friends had worked some kind of magic by visiting yesterday.
Feeling refreshed, she took her towel and headed to the bathroom.
The warm water soothed her as she leaned back in the bathtub, headphones covering her ears. Music filled her mind, drowning out every other thought.
She closed her eyes, letting the music carry her. Each note wrapped around her like a soft wave, lifting her somewhere far beyond the four walls of her bathroom. For once, it didn’t feel like drowning in a dream, it felt like floating. Peaceful. Almost natural.
And yet, beneath the surface of the water, her body stirred.
At first, it was nothing, just a faint tingling in her legs, like the prickle of tiny bubbles rising against her skin. Then the sensation deepened, growing heavier, stranger, until her muscles tightened as though they were being pulled into place by invisible hands.
Her legs pressed together, stiff and unyielding. A shiver ran through her as the smooth skin of her thighs and calves began to harden, shifting into something new, something stronger. Iridescent scales shimmered faintly beneath the water, catching the light like fractured glass. Her knees dissolved into the transformation, vanishing as the two limbs fused into one seamless form.
And then, stretching out where her legs should have been, a tail unfurled, gleaming in the water as if it had always belonged there.
But Clara was still lost in the music.
Eyes closed, she swayed her head lightly to the rhythm, fingers tapping against the edge of the tub like she was performing on a grand stage.
She opened her eyes.
At first, she didn’t notice anything, her head was still moving with the rhythm, her lips quietly mouthing along to the lyrics. Then something tugged at the edge of her awareness, like the faintest wrong note in the middle of a song.
She glanced down lazily.
And froze.
Her brain stalled, refusing to put meaning to what her eyes were showing her. A tail. A long, shimmering tail where her legs should have been.
She blinked once. Twice. Rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as if that would wipe the vision away. When she looked again, the tail gleamed under the bathroom light, golden scales catching and scattering the glow.
A nervous laugh slipped out of her. No way. “This is just… I’m seeing things. Right?”
She forced her eyes shut, shaking her head, and let the music pull her back, humming along as if the sound alone could anchor her to reality.
But the pull of curiosity was stronger than the song. Slowly, she opened her eyes again.
Still there.
The music was still playing, but she didn’t hear it anymore. She tugged off her headphones, letting them fall against her shoulders. The silence made the sight even sharper.
Her brow furrowed. With a shaky breath, she lifted the end of it, almost timidly, as though she still half-expected to see feet appear.
No feet.
Only the tail. Real. Heavy. Alive. Its surface wasn’t smooth like glass but layered, slick, ridged scales that slid against her palm with a strange strength.
Her chest tightened. Her breaths came quick and shallow. Her hand shook as she touched it again, just to be certain.
And then the scream ripped out of her throat, raw and panicked.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The sound rattled through the house, bouncing off the walls.
Her vision swam, the edges of the bathroom blurring. The last thing she saw before everything slipped into darkness was the golden flash of the tail still curled in the water.
The scream sent Mrs. White bolting upright. She didn’t think, she just ran, slippers slapping against the wooden floor as she rushed upstairs.
“Clara?!”
She pushed open her daughter’s bedroom door. Empty. Her heart skipped.
“Clara!”
Her voice cracked as she hurried to the bathroom. She knocked hard, panic rising in her throat. “Clara, answer me!”
No response. Only the faint sound of running water.
That was all it took for her to shove the door open.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Clara was slumped in the bathtub, half-submerged, the water sloshing dangerously close to her face. Her headphones dangled over the side, music still faintly playing.
“Clara!”
Mrs. White dropped to her knees and grabbed her daughter under the arms, pulling her up before she could slip beneath the surface. Water splashed onto the floor, soaking her clothes, but she didn’t care.
“Come on, baby, wake up. Please.”
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against Clara’s cheeks, searching for signs of life. Clara’s skin was cool but not clammy, her breathing shallow but steady. Relief and terror twisted in her chest all at once.
“Thank God…” she whispered, clutching her tighter.
Her mind raced. Had she fainted? Slipped? Was it stress? Exhaustion? Something worse?
But questions could wait. Right now, all that mattered was getting Clara safe, warm, and awake.
- Writer
