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The Depths Beneath 
by Kathleen McCluskey

The fisherman has always been a man of quiet confidence. No one in the village could quite place when his obsession had started. He whispered talks of shadows under the waves. He believed something ancient and colossal lurked in the black abyss.

He was convinced that a creature, one older than the stories told in the taverns, lived in the black waters beyond the village. The sea had its fair share of myths, but his certainly bordered on madness. His eyes, once full of warmth, now held only the reflection of the horizon. Day after day, he would set off alone. His small wooden boat cut through the early morning mist. He was just a small speck in the endless, vast sea.

No one dared go with him. Whispers passed between the villagers, “He’s chasing ghosts.” They would say shaking their heads. But the fisherman didn’t care. Each trip felt closer. It was as if the water was pulling him toward the unknown.

This time was different.

The boat drifted farther than ever, the rope tied to a solitary rock onshore stretched out taut. It was as if it was afraid to let him go. The fisherman sat still, listening in silence. Even the birds that normally filled the sky were absent. It was just him, the ocean and his boat.

Hours passed. The horizon stayed motionless. He cast his nets, the repetitive action felt soothing to the anxiety he had endured over the years. But then, a pull. It wasn’t the usual resistance of caught fish. No, this was something else. Something immense testing the line’s strength. His heart raced. His hands trembled as he gripped the rope. The water, once calm, churned as if disturbed by a giant beneath.

The boat lurched, the force almost yanking him overboard. The fisherman’s breath caught in his throat as the rope pulled tighter. The creature below was trying to drag him into the unknown.

He had found it.

Or, rather, it found him.

The water turned dark, the reflection of the fading sunlight was swallowed by the inky blackness. His boat creaked, old wood groaning under the weight of what pulled it. His hands still gripped the rope, now slick with sweat and blood from his palm. The other rope, his only connection to the land, snapped with a sickening crack.

Panic set in. His heart pounded in his ears as the boat spun, pulling him deeper into the great aquatic expanse. He couldn’t see it, the thing that lived beneath, but he could feel its presence. A cold, suffocating fear engulfed him as the waves swelled. His boat rose and fell with the monster’s movements. He leaned over the edge, peering into the black water, desperate to catch a glimpse of the elusive creature.

Then he saw it.

A shadow larger than anything he had ever encountered, rose from the depths. Its massive body curled and slithered beneath the surface. Its scales reflected flashes of the setting sun. Eyes, deep and menacing, stared back at him just below the water line. The fisherman’s breath caught in his throat.

The sea monster had no interest in games. The boat rocked violently as something large slammed into the side. Wood splintered from the pressure. He screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the roar of the sea.

The boat cracked in two. Thrown into the water, the fisherman struggled, gasping for air as the cold embraced him. He clawed for the surface, but the thing below dragged him down. He could feel the weight of it and the pull of its ancient hunger. Water filled his lungs as he was yanked into the dark. His vision blurred as the light from above disappeared.

The sea grew silent once more. By morning the boat remained, broken and empty, floating in the glassy water. A lone rope trailed from its side, tied to nothing, heading nowhere. The fisherman was gone. But the sea monster remained, waiting in the depths for the next fool who dared to seek it out.

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Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!