The Lake

The Lake

     It was a gorgeous morning. The sun rose over the black surface of a lake that reflected the surrounding mountains like a mirror. Dr. Nick Ventner rowed a small boat through the mist rising out of the water and towards the center of the lake. “See James? Couldn’t have asked for a better day for it.”

     James sat sandwiched between a large brown crate and an odd assortment of fishing gear and what could have been medieval weaponry. He wore a look of sullen contempt combined with a sleep-deprived stupor.

     Nick was ignoring him and scanning the lake. A thick white mist clung in pockets on the surface of the lake, obscuring pieces of the surface from view. “Come on now, don’t look so sad,” he said, taking notice of the intern for the first time that morning. “What better a way to spend a day than out on the lake, staring at nature’s majesty, and tossing back a few early-morning beers?”

     “Sleeping might have been better.” James looked haggard. What had been his youth was stolen by the zealous nature of Nick’s employment. “This was supposed to be my day off.” He had never had more than a few seconds off in the six months he had been with Dr. Ventner. Nick’s idea of a grand gesture of gratitude and relaxation was a rickety paddle-boat in the middle of a freezing lake. At least it’s nice out, thought James, resting his head on the crate beside him.

     “Careful with that,” said Nick, pulling out an oversized telescope from his jacket.

     “What exactly are we looking for?”

     “Fish of course. Haven’t you ever been fishing?”

     James looked at the weaponry beside him and then to the large crate he rested on. “This doesn’t feel much like fishing” Hanging between two fishing poles was a large battle axe, flanked by what appeared to be sawed off shotguns.

     “Course it does, now open up that crate.”

     James did as he was told, using a crowbar to pry up the lid. Inside was a pile of Hershey’s chocolate bars, and two of the most heinous and cheap beers he had ever seen. “Please tell me those aren’t for us to drink.”

     “Well, we’re certainly not going to eat the chocolate.”

“Why in God’s name do we need all of that if we’re not going to eat it.”

“She likes them,” he said, staring at the lake with an absent-minded gaze. Just as James was about to ask who ‘she’ was, the boat jolted hard to one side, rippling the water. Off the side a sleek black hump surfaced briefly and dove below. “Told you.” Nick paced what little he could at the front of the boat, his jovial air turning anxious.

James stared, terrified, at the water which had transformed from serene to foreboding. The clouds in the sky gathered in front of the sun, casting a gloomy shadow. A knot worked its way into James’s stomach as the pieces fell into place. The medieval weaponry, the guns, and the heavy tomes and textbooks Nick had pulled from a coat that had far too many pockets. The only abnormality was the chocolate. “What the hell was that?”

“Do you really want to know?” Nick tossed a leather bound Webster’s dictionary off the boat and picked up a decrepit manuscript from the pile at his feet. The lake was silent as he scanned, pausing only for nervous glances at the water.

“No I suppose not.” Through his months of employment James had learned that there were some questions that were better left unanswered. The calm of the lake shattered. From beneath, a mighty force propelled the dingy into the sky. The sound of rushing water and cracking wood filled the air.

Nick leapt for the shotgun, but the bow of the boat gave way and he was tossed to the water below. For a sickening moment James hung in the air, with a firm grasp on the crate of chocolate, and then the world gave way. The remaining wood exploded as a massive tooth crashed through the floor. Instincts James didn’t know he had kicked in and he leapt out of the boat just as another tooth broke the bench he had been sitting on. As he fell he glimpsed a dark neck, towering out of the water, leading to a massive head that made hungry crunches as it destroyed the boat.

The cold water struck him, rendering his limbs leaden. James tried to look through the water, but bubbles blocked his view. Above, there were muted crashes as more debris fell toward the water. He fought icy pain seeping into his body and swam towards the surface. A beer can floated past him in a lazy descent as he kicked furiously. When he broke the surface there was silence. A white roil had formed where the boat had been, but the creature was gone. “Nick!”

There was no answer, but for the gentle lapping of the waves as they journeyed to the shore. A few feet away, the crate of chocolate bobbed unharmed. James paddled toward it, and hoisted himself atop. The crate didn’t provide much protection, but it was better than treading water. The green hills that had been so magnificent now only appeared as too far to swim to.

Bubbles broke the surface a few feet from the crate and James’s heart froze. A chill swept through his already numbed body. Time passed like molasses as he watched the water break in slow motion. Just as he thought death was upon him Nick popped out of the water, cheerful as ever. “Did you see that?” He swam excitedly over to the box. James held precariously to his perch, confused by Nick’s casual demeanor.

“What was that?”

“The Loch Ness Monster; Well, that’s a bit of a misnomer, there’s quite a few of them, and they don’t all live in Loch Ness, but you get the idea. This particular lady has been quite the hassle for the fishermen in the town at the south end.” Nick helped himself onto the already tenuous crate, causing it to sink further into the water.

“How are you so calm?”  

“Oh there’s no point in losing your head in these situations. Chocolate?” He reached into the crate and pulled out a bar. With precision he tore the wrapper off and handed it to James.

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, taking a bite. The sweet sensation warmed him, and he felt a fleeting feeling of relief. “So is it gone then?”

     “Oh, of course not. We’re in extreme danger, but I wouldn’t want us to die without a last meal. Any chance you snagged the beer when you jumped?”

     The chocolate turned to ash in his mouth. Danger swept back into the corners of his frozen brain, getting the blood to pump once more. “I did not.”

     “Well that is unfortunate. I would have rather been good and drunk for this.” From beneath the water he pulled one of the shotguns that had been on the boat. “Knew having waterproof cartridges in these was a good idea.” James heaved a sigh of relief. The thought of a plan was some small comfort. “Should have listened to the guy at the gun shop.”

“So we’re screwed then?”

“Good and proper, but at least we have the chocolate.”

Tears welled at the corner of James’s eyes. He wasn’t ready for the end. It was too black and final. There were so many things he had yet to experience with his short life. Emotions raged a fragile tempest in his head, and boiled over when he saw Nick was laughing. “What the hell are you so happy about?”

“You should see your face.” Nick was throwing chocolate into the water.

“We’re about to die!”

“Not a chance. Well,” Nick stroked his stubble thoughtfully. “Slight chance actually. Are you a good swimmer?” James shrugged in anger. “Pouting does us no good. I’m going to take that as a yes. Nick continued to unload the crate’s contents in the water until they were surrounded by hundreds of floating candy wrappers. “There it is.”

James looked into the box and saw the bottom had been filled with what could only be described as an unnecessary amount of plastic explosives. “Oh my god.”

“Yup, stole the plan from Jaws. Don’t worry, I’m about 50% sure this will work.” From within the C4 Nick also pulled a small box labeled: “life raft” in crude letters that looked like they had been drawn by a child.

“How are we going to get away?”

“Well that’s where the swimming comes in, and I suggest you start right about now.” Nick dove off the box and into the water, carrying the life-raft with him. A horrible rumbling echoed through the lake and James took off after him. His arms felt like rubber, barely making any progress through the water. Burning sensations replaced the cold as his muscles strained. The rumble came again, louder than ever.

“Alright, grab on.” Nick held the box out, and James grabbed it. “Wait for it.” He had turned to face the debris floating now fifty feet away from them. A current of water pushed up beneath the box of chocolate, sending it into the air. White foam broke the surface as the beast lunged from beneath. Its jaws were long and thin, extending from a muscular skull. Yellow eyes peered out from an otherwise dark exterior. Its muscles rippled as the jaws closed. “Here we go.” Nick pushed a red button on the box and the world was thunder.

The beast ripped apart in a fiery ball of orange heat. At the same time a bright red life-raft jettisoned from the box, pulling them into the air. The heat from the explosion caught the raft, propelling them like a kite through the air. James watched as below the water boiled and turned dark red. In his fascination he forgot to brace himself. The water smacked his back hard and he passed out.  

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     When he awoke he was on the water’s edge next to a campfire. He moved to a sitting position and felt blinding pain shoot through his limbs. “Easy there, take it slow. That was some fine work you did there. Well, I did it really, but you helped,” Nick said in a patronizing tone.

     James was in too much pain to care. He looked over the water and watched the waves come in to the shore. In the sand lay a single, silver can. He walked over and picked it up. The tab cracked with a hiss and he drank the freezing liquid down. Warmth spread through his aching body and he began to laugh. “At least the beer made it.” James passed the can to Nick and they watched as the morning sun rose over the hills.