Enchanted Water

Chapter 1

I gazed into the deep blue sea and saw the sky overhead begin to fade its bright colors replacing it with darkness. Night was a approaching and I knew my father expected me to arrive home soon.

I picked up my small green bag I always brought with me during times when I went somewhere. I carried small supplies, such as a comb, a few quarters, and a ring which I loved most dearly. The ring was a special gift from my grandmother, and since I did not enjoy wearing jewelry, I decided to just keep it in my small bag.

Of course my grandmother is dead now, so this was probably the only, and special, gift she had ever given me since she was so poor. I didn't mind though.

As I left the wet sand from the ocean shore, my feet were now touching the hard surface of dry sand. As I walked farther, the smell of the sea changed and was replaced by the pollution human have caused for many years.

I loved the sea, with all my heart and desires. It felt like my home, no, more than that, and I was glad I lived near it. Papa loved the sea too, but it was my mother who dreaded it. I don't know why, but I have heard it was something to do with when she was a small little girl.

Soon I approached my house and saw my mother watering the garden and my father checking the car.

"Hey Coral!" My little sister shouted out once she came out of the house, she was just ten and I was six years older than her. My dad looked at me and gave a small smile, but my mother continued to do her work with the garden.

I looked over at my house. It was pretty small, two bedrooms and only one bath with a very small living room and kitchen. We didn't have a garage but just a simple driveway and a fairly small tree gave shade to our car.

I lived in a small town in Oregon, near the beach obviously, but still having a house just two blocks away from the beach is pretty expensive. And practically every house near the beach were small, all the big ones were in the country.

I smiled at my little sister when she came up to me. "Coral, did you take that doll with red curls I used to play with?" She asked.

"No, the dog must've taken it since you leave it in the yard the whole time." I answered.

My little sister started to cry and my smile faded. Oh no, not again, I thought, please don't cry! I begged silently. Once my sister starts to cry, it's impossible for her to stop and my mom and dad always blame me for it.

"Mina, I'll find the doll for you, just don't cry!" I insisted.

Mina whiped tears from her eyes, "But I want my dolly now!"

I sighed heavily, "Okay I took it, now I'll give it to you if you stop crying."

My little sister sniffed and nodded her head, "Okay."

I breathed in a sigh of relief. I hadn't taken the doll though, but at least it would give me a few minutes to look for it.

"Let's go inside." I said.

Me and my sister entered the house and I told her to go to her bedroom as I rushed outside to find her doll. My backyard was also small, and I went to check near the swings my father had built a little while after I was born. Now it's my sister who plays with it.

The doll wasn't there, I went and checked near our short apple tree which never gave apples by its unhealthy state, but there was no doll.

I scratched my head and decided to look inside the dog house, and there it was! Too bad the dog was asleep with the doll under his arms. My dog was big and scary looking; it would be a bad idea if you ever woke him up.

As gently as I could I lifted up his arms and saw the dog make a slight movement which made me stop short. I waited a few seconds then continued on until I had his arms out of the dolls way. I grabbed the doll and ran back inside the house before my sister would wonder what was taking so long for me to find the stupid doll.

I was panting hard from the run and knocked on my sister's bedroom, which was also mine since we shared a room, and she slowly opened the door.

I held out my hand that held the doll. "Here's your doll."

My sister made a disgusted face, "The head is ripped apart."

At first I didn't believe her, but then I looked down at the doll and saw she was right, the stupid dog had done it.

Too bad a second later my sister screamed and cried the same time and I was in deep trouble.

> > > > > > > >

I stared at my bedroom's ceiling and heard my sister's soft snores. The little brat, I thought, it's her fault I can't get out of the house tomorrow to go to the beach and instead work the whole day.

I sighed, you probably think I hate my sister, but I don't. She's still young and doesn't understand much, but in about a year she'll probably make sense of things more often. For a ten year old girl, she acted as if she was five, but that's because she was born with a mind that developed slower than a normal persons would. But it's a good thing she doesn't know that.

I turned the other side on my bed, but somehow I couldn't get to sleep. I tossed and turned a little more, but it didn't help, there was a noise inside my head that wouldn't go away. The sound of the ocean, or at least I thought it was.

I sat up from bed, I decided just to take a walk so I could get a little tired.

I got up from bed and did not turn on the light switch so it would not wake up my sister. I put on a pair of flip flops and put a long blue dress over me just to cover up my pajamas.

I quietly left my room and slowly made my way down the hall, into the living room and out the front door. I shivered as the cold breeze blew against me.

I started walking down the sidewalk; I passed by a few houses not much bigger than mine. Through one of the houses windows I saw a mother reading a book to her small child. I stopped to look. She was smiling at him as she read and the child was giggling at some funny part from the book.

I smiled, I wished my mother told me stories before bedtime when I was young, but she was too busy with her own stuff.

The mother looked right at the window and saw me; she smiled and gave a little wave. I waved back and continued to walk down the street.

The air grew colder and I hugged myself tight trying to stay warm, eventually I ended up at the beach.

I stopped; I felt the soft sand under my feet, the smell of the sea so clearly in the air. Waves hit hard against the shores and seemed to be coming closer to me, as if it wanted to grab me down with them. The wind blew against my side harder than before as if it was urging me to go out into the sea.

I took one step forward, then another, and another. Eventually my feet hit the cold water making it numb from such a coldness I had never felt before; it seeped inside of me reaching to my heart and mind. I shivered, but my feet still dragged me out into the ocean.

Something told me to come farther and farther out into the deep blue sea. The wind rocked on me harder, blowing towards the direction of the dark sea. Waves grew angrier and pulled me deeper into the ocean.

Soon the water reached up on my shoulders, but I still kept going feeling dazed and unfocused.

Come the voice in my head urged. Come to where you belong.

"Hey!"

I blinked once, twice, then shook my head trying to focus out things.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Someone shouted out.

I gasped and felt the coldness of the sea for the first time and realized where I was. I screamed, and tried to swim out of the water as fast as I could, but the wind grew stronger, and the waves grew angrier.

"Hang on!" The voice shouted once more.

A wave hit me hard and I grew off balance. It had apparently brought my head under the water and I was frantically trying to find my way up towards the surface. I hadn't realized the wave had pulled me farther into the sea making it deeper.

I tried to scream but bubbles escaped from my mouth. I swam faster to the surface, but another wave hit me hard sending me off balance once more. I was losing my breath and bright red dots escaped before my eyes making my vision dim.

I swam faster, but it only made things worse. Wave after wave hit me and there was no way I could make it to the surface on time. I grew frantic, but it only made me tired. I gave one last try to the surface, but my vision slowly turned black and I sank down into the ocean floor.

> > > > > > > >

I felt water slowly rise out of my lungs replacing by air. The water came up to my throat and I chocked gagging out water.

I coughed harder and my throat started to hurt. I coughed a little more making some more water escape from my throat.

I breathed in huge gulps of air and tried to calm down a bit.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked.

I turned around clutching my throat, it was a guy a little older than me.

"Yeah I'm fine." I managed to sputter out.

"What were you doing out there in the middle of the ocean at an hour like this?" He asked.

I tried to remember, but couldn't seem to find an answer. "I don't know."

"Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"No."

"Then why were you out there?"

"I said I don't know." I replied.

He sighed. "It's a good thing I saved your life or else you would've been probably dead by now." He said.

I tried to smile but only coughed some more. "Thanks for saving me."

"Right, but don't do that crazy thing again." He said.

"I won't." I promised.

"Do you want me to call the ambulance or do you—"

I jerked up. "No! No that's okay, I should be heading home now." I got up to leave.

I took one last look at him and said, "Thanks a lot! I really mean it!" I ran and headed home.

Meanwhile out into the dark blue sea a pair of cold black eyes stared as the running girl took off from the beach. He looked over to the boy who had apparently taken the girl from being his.

He stared angrily at the boy as he got up and left also.

The creature clenched his fist hard. Don't you worry little girl, you'll be mine soon and this time no one's going to save you.

And the creature turned off and swam back out into the ocean.

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A/N: I said the creature clenched his fists, meaning he has hands, so don't flame me for saying fish don't have hands, because the character might not be a fish. Just telling you that. Read and review please.

-Dark Arrow