Serpentine

by Napier, Barry

  He found it odd to think that kids from the city thought that other kids from the boondocks needed to get out and experience more of life. It was as if living in a city like New York made them feel like they were better or more educated. But coming out here to the middle of nowhere had shown Joe what a relationship with his parents could look like in just eight short days.

  It had also showed him that being an annoying brat to everyone just because he wasn’t always getting his way did nothing more than make him seem like an asshole.

  Sure, thoughts of Valerie had lifted his spirits and there was very little that would detour his good mood, but there was something more to it. Joe wondered if there was something ingrained in every teenager that felt it was their responsibility to be a punk to their parents. As he sat in the gathering gloom of dusk and sang a medley of 80s songs with his family, he tried to pinpoint what his parents and Mac had ever done to piss him off so badly.

  The answer was nothing.

  Yet under it all was the unnamed reason his parents were fighting. He’d noticed that in the eight days they’d spent at the lake so far, his folks seemed to be gelling much better. Even as they sang on the back porch and looked out onto the lake, he saw his mother with her hand on his dad’s shoulder. They were laughing together, having fun—something they had done very little of in New York.

  But still, Joe kept fixating on what might be wrong. Over half of his friends had parents that were divorced. And he had definitely heard his own parents mention the word on one of the nights he had snooped on their conversation. He had not heard how they had actually used the word, but he had assumed the worst and let it rule his mood. Then of course, his father had all but confirmed it on their first day here, sneaking in a man-to-man talk with him as they’d stood by the picture window in the kitchen, looking out to the lake.

  Maybe it’s none of my business, he thought later in the day. Night had finally fallen over the lake, pushing midnight closer to Kerr Lane. Mac was giving him a kiss goodnight before climbing into bed and he was finding a whole new level of appreciation for his family as he wrestled with it all. Mom and Dad would fill us in if something bad was going on, right? They’re not the type to hide stuff.

  He sat in the darkness of the bedroom, looking at the digital clock and occupying himself with these thoughts, willing the time to pass. In the bed on the other side of the room, Mac had fallen asleep, her back to him and her breathing steady. Joe had his iPod playing the not-so-soothing tunes of Devilsgut in his ears as he watched the time trickle by.

  10:35…10:42…11:07.

  During the course of the day, he had managed to nonchalantly make a few laps around the house in search of his best escape route for the night. As it turned out, it had been easier than he had hoped: the best way to sneak out was from his very own room. Beneath the room’s single window was a decorative wooden bench, bordered by two potted plants that sat along the back of the house. He’d have to sustain a bit of a drop and the bench looked like it might break with a strong win. Still, if he could land it right, it would be smooth sailing.

  The trick of course, was to not wake up Mac. He’d played the scene out several times in his head. He could open the window and climb out without much of a problem. He’d checked the screens that sat outside of the glass and found they were simple to pop out. Getting them back in might cause a bit of a problem, but he’d worry about that when the time came.

  When the clock read 11:45, he sat up and looked over to Mac’s bed. She still had her back to him and was curled up like she usually was when she slept. He had no doubt that the stuffed bear she called Mr. Scraps would be tucked under her arm.

  He quietly made his way across the room and slid the window up. It creaked a bit and made a faint whooshing noise in the frame. He then pulled the small plastic catches at the bottom corners of the screen and gently pushed outward. The clicking sound they made was a little loud but Mac didn’t stir at all.

  The screen came free easier than he expected. He lost his grip and the screen dropped from the frame and clattered to the ground outside.

  He looked back to Mac and saw that she still hadn’t budged. With a smile, Joe climbed into the window, carefully turned himself so that he was facing back into the room, and scaled down the side of the house. When his feet were dangling in the air roughly two feet away from the bench, he let go of the window frame before he could allow himself to chicken out. He landed on the bench perfectly, grimacing at the way it creaked under his one hundred and thirty-five pounds. He quickly hopped down onto the ground before the bench had a chance to break.

  He picked up the screen and, with some effort, managed to balance himself along the bench and place it mostly back within the window frame. He made sure to leave the bottom corners free so he could pop it back out when he returned.

  He opted to leave his bike, feeling that it would be easier to remain stealthy on foot. He ran down the driveway towards Kerr Lane and then headed right. He gave one hard look back towards his own cabin, deathly afraid that he’d see the light on in his parents’ room. But there was nothing; the entire cabin was dark.

  Joe reached Kerr Lane and kept straight, towards Valerie’s cabin and the shed they had hung out around yesterday. He was a few steps into his speedy walk when he realized that he was all alone in the woods at night. He didn’t know what sorts of animals lived out here and the thought suddenly had him scared. Were there bears? Cougars? He didn’t think so, but he had no way of being certain.

  He heard an owl hooting somewhere nearby and what seemed to be an infinite chorus of crickets and tree frogs. Hearing this and knowing that Valerie was waiting for him just up ahead dashed any fears he had of being mauled by some rural woodland creature or horror-movie maniac. He headed on with confidence in his step, suddenly finding the cooled night air and the vast darkness all around him exhilarating. The stars dotted the sky like stray salt on a dark tablecloth and the tree branches reached up, some blending with the night sky and others obscuring it. He took it all in, knowing that New York had much to offer, but nothing like this.

  He noticed the flickering orange light of a few fireflies moments later. He’d never seen them before and couldn’t help but smile. The way they floated and glowed in a weird orange-tinted light was almost comical, like something out of a cartoon. They glowed up ahead of him as if they were beckoning him on into the woods…which, he guessed, was more creepy than beautiful.

  He didn’t realize that he was passing Valerie’s cabin until he was standing directly beside the driveway. He looked towards the cabin and saw that it was just as dark as the one he had left behind. He sped up and took his phone out of his pocket. It read 12:01.

  He broke into a lazy sprint and started to look along the right edge of the road for the entrance to the thin footpath Valerie had led him down yesterday. After a few moments, he slowed a bit, fearing that he would miss it. When he sensed that he might have already gone too far, he stopped completely and peered out to the edge of the woods, sure that he had passed it.

  He turned to walk back the way he had come, hoping he’d be able to see the trail if he used his phone as a makeshift nightlight. He took two steps in that direction, reaching for his phone, and then stopped cold in his tracks.

  Something moved behind him. And as soon as he realized this, there was a hand around his mouth.

  He tried to cry out, but the hand was tight against his lips.

  “Don’t move,” a voice said from behind him. “You’re dead.”

  His heart had started to gallop madly before he realized that the voice belonged to Valerie.

  It started beating even faster when he realized that she was still holding him—one hand at his mouth, the other at his back—and speaking directly into his ear. He felt her breath on his neck and he was suddenly aware of an urgent stirring below his waist.

  He chuckled nervously and she released his mouth. He turned to her, unsure of whether he should be glad to see her or pissed that
she had almost made him scream.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t help it.”

  Although she was now two feet away from him, he could still feel her breath on his neck and along the lobe of his ear. His nerves seemed to soak it all up.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “How long were you waiting to jump out at me like that?”

  “Just a few minutes.”

  “Not cool,” he said.

  But it had been very cool. He could still feel her hand on his back and over his mouth. He licked his lips, thinking he might be able to taste her hand still there.

  “Ready to catch some fireflies?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Then come on,” she said. She reached out and grabbed his arm, leading him further down the lane.

  “Where are we going?” he asked. Honestly, he didn’t care. With her hand gently around his upper arm, he’d go wherever she took him.

  “Just a bit further down this way,” she answered. “There’s a small field where they swarm. It’s hard to catch them in the trees like this.”

  He didn’t question her. He just let her lead him down the road and was suddenly very grateful that it was night. Anything remotely resembling fear was gone now, replaced with the idea that something about this was incredibly romantic. And while he’d usually cringe at the mention of anything being romantic, it was suddenly very exciting to him.

  They passed another few darkened cabins and then Valerie led them down a road to the right. At first it looked like every other driveway on the lane but it quickly widened out into a larger expanse of dirt. This dirt was overtaken by weeds right away, as high as his chest his some areas. Throughout the small field, there were a few broken down old speed boats that looked to have been salvaged for their parts. The lake came into view behind all of this, sparkling in the moonlight almost as if it had snuck up on the land.

  As Valerie had promised, the field was alive with fireflies. There were easily a hundred of them drifting in the darkness, flickering their orange light like little spaceships that floated through the weeds.

  “Okay,” Joe said, clearly impressed. “This is pretty cool.”

  “Isn’t it?” Valerie said, smiling.

  Joe walked slowly into the field and held his right hand out. He cupped it and brought it slowly up under two fireflies. When they were on his hand, he cupped his left hand over them and peered inside through the space between his thumb and forefinger. The flies didn’t seem panicked at all; they simply lit up the darkness inside his closed hands with their otherworldly glow. He let out a tiny giggle at the way their legs and wings tickled the insides of his hands.

  He looked to see if Valerie was also catching them, but she was walking further into the weeds alongside one of the gutted speedboats. He followed after her with the two fireflies still in his hand. Up ahead, he saw where the field dipped a bit, making way for a cracked concrete slab. The slab dropped into the lake at a slight angle. Joe guessed this was an old loading ramp of some kind. If Joe had to guess, the concrete ramp was probably as old as the broken down speedboats that occupied the field.

  “Sort of creepy, isn’t it?” Valerie asked.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  They walked across the length of the field, wading through the weeds, and came to the ramp. Joe watched as Valerie kicked off her shoes and walked carefully down the concrete ramp. Joe followed her, looking out over the lake just in time to see a fish jump out of the water some distance out, chasing after a daring nighttime insect skirting along the surface. He grinned at it, finally releasing the fireflies that had been held captive in his hands. They floated up and away slowly, almost in a dance.

  Out in the water, the fish went back into the water with a delicate splash. As he watched this, Joe realized that the lake looked like a totally different place at night. This close to the water, it was easy to imagine that he and Valerie were standing on the banks of a body of water in some distant galaxy. With the weeds behind them, the shells of the boats, and nothing but forest and water to all sides, it felt like they were the only two people on the planet.

  Joe was hesitant to take off his shoes, but he walked to the edge of the water and looked out. Valerie was walking into the water, her feet submerged as she followed the ramp down. She then walked out to where the water came to her knees, the legs of her shorts still a good three inches away from getting wet. Joe caught himself staring at her thin legs and jerked his attention back out to the water.

  Another bank sat straight ahead, roughly one hundred yards out and barely visible in the dark. Porch lights glowed over there, dim and distant. To the left, the lake seemed to get choked out by the forest, the banks coming in and out to allow room for the cabins along Kerr Lane and the other winding roads that crept through the forest. To the left, though, the lake seemed to grow in size. The forest dropped away to all sides, giving an indication of Clarkton Lake’s true size.

  Joe hadn’t had the chance to go out onto the lake yet but his dad kept promising that they’d rent a boat for a week or so and try some skiing or tubing. The idea was exciting but daunting at the same time. Joe had been to the beach before, but the lake was different somehow. The ocean kept going, spreading all around the globe until it came back around on itself. But the lake was confined, a hole in the earth that was much more peaceful and inviting than the thunderous roar of the ocean. It was sort of intimidating in terms of its isolation.

  Valerie walked out another foot or so, the concrete boat ramp diving deeper under her feet. The water was now touching her shorts and when she turned back to smile at him, it took everything within Joe to not get in and join her.

  “We need to go swimming sometime,” Valerie said. “I’d invite you out on the boat with me and Dad sometime, but he’d kill you.”

  “He doesn’t even know me.”

  “You’re a male. That’s enough for him.”

  “So you’ll never be allowed to date at all?” Joe asked.

  “Maybe when I’m off to college. Dad isn’t mean…don’t get that impression. He’s just been very protective ever since mom died.”

  Not too protective, Joe thought. He gets drunk in front of baseball games in the afternoon, leaves you unattended, and is oblivious when you sneak out at midnight.

  But he knew such thoughts weren’t fair. He didn’t know Valerie and her family history. After all, with some sort of drama lurking at the heart of his own parents’ marriage, who was he to judge?

  “Come on out,” Valerie said, offering her hand. “The water is sort of chilly but it’s nice. Just up to your knees. Come on.”

  Joe could technically do it. He was wearing a pair of mesh shorts, so he could get in up to his knees and there would be no evidence for his parents to discover that he had been out at night.

  Her arm was still stretched out, offering her hand. Seeing her out there smiling at him, Joe couldn’t resist. He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks. He reached out and took her hand, trying to play it as cool as possible when her fingers wrapped around his own.

  As he took a step closer to her, he watched another fish break the surface of the water several feet behind them. It was sort of cool to see the lake at night, to see the quiet of it that most people forgot about during the day. It was—

  Joe’s eyes locked on the fish that had broken the water and gave it an uncertain glance. It had broken the surface of the water, but remained there, about fifteen feet away. It looked like it was just floating above the surface. Was it dead? Was it some weird fish that he’d never seen before?

  “What is it?” Valerie asked.

  She turned to look in the direction Joe was staring and took a sudden step backwards. As they watched, the thing that Joe had originally thought to be a fish swam along, breaking the water with a strange hump-like shape that appeared to be on its back. It swam quickly, going under and then breaking the surface again several times in a series of snake-like movements.

  “Is it a snake?
” Joe asked, already taking a nervous step back towards the top of the concrete ramp.

  “No,” Valerie answered. “That would be a huge snake.”

  Joe knew she was right. The thing was still moving out there, coasting along at the surface of the water with a large hump breaking the water. It made a turning motion and when it did, the single hump became two.

  Joe’s mind instantly brought up the images he had seen of the so-called Lochness Monster and its telltale humps breaking the water. And as comical as he found the possibility of the Lochness Monster to be, he was suddenly filled with bitter fear. It plummeted through him like a rock from a cliff.

  But this was nothing like that certain fabled lake monster. First of all, it was much smaller. Secondly, Joe was pretty sure there was no sort of body attached to the thing; there was only the snake-like shape of it.

  Also, it was moving fast. It was then, as he watched it and tried to make sense of its shape, that it put on extra speed and came straight towards them.

  “Shit,” Joe said, the word coming out in a whoosh of terrified breath.

  Still holding Valerie’s hand, he yanked her back at the exact same moment she had started to retreat. Their bodies collided as they started up the ramp and they went down in the shallow water in a tangle of arms and legs. There was a brief moment where Joe realized that his clothes were going to be soaked now and he’d have to come up with some lie to present to his folks.

  But that thought was obliterated when he saw that the thing in the water had reached the place where he and Valerie had been standing less than three seconds ago. And it was still coming, not losing any speed.