Beneath the Waves

Woodgrove was one of those small towns where everything felt the same, like everyone knew everyone else, and the biggest excitement was a new restaurant opening or a parade that happened once a year. It was the kind of place where nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. Or so I thought.

I had just moved there after my mom passed away. Aunt Susan was kind enough to take me in, even though we weren't exactly close. But after the chaos of city life and everything that happened, I needed the peace. Or so I though.

There was something weird about this place, though. It wasn't just the town, it was the lake.

The locals called it "The Mirror." Everyone said it was beautiful, calm, and perfect for quiet walks or picnics, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was... off. It was like the lake had a secret. Whenever I asked about it, people would get uncomfortable and change the subject. They'd tell me things like, "it's peaceful. Nothing to worry about." But it didn't feel peaceful. It felt like it was hiding something.

I couldn't stop thinking about it. The water was still, almost unnaturally so. It was a weird kind of calm, like the kind you feel when you're standing in a room full of people who are all pretending like everything's fine, even though it's obviously not.

One night, I decided I was going to figure out what was so special about the lake. I walked down to the shore, my feet crunching the gravel beneath me as the sun set behind the trees. The air had that sharp coolness of late autumn, and the sky was painted in shades of pink and orange.

That's when I saw it.

A ripple.

I blinked, convinced it was just a fish. But it wasn't. It was more like something big was moving under the surface. The water was still again, but the ripple stayed in my mind. And then... I heard it.

"Lily."

I froze. The voice was soft, like a whisper carried by the wind. But it wasn't the wind. I looked around, but no one was there. My heart started pounding. I stepped back, my feet frozen to the ground, but the voice called again, this time more insistent.

"Lily... come closer."

I felt my legs moving on their own, like I wasn't in control. The closer I got to the water, the more I felt something pulling me in. It was weird, unnatural, but I couldn't stop myself.

The voice was sweet, almost comforting. "Come closer, Lily. You were always meant to find me."

I felt sick. My body was telling me to run, to turn and get as far away from the lake as possible, but my feet kept dragging me forward. I reached the water's edge, and then I saw it.

A shadow. It wasn't just a ripple or a fish-it was something huge moving beneath the surface. I couldn't make out what it was, but I could feel it. I could feel it's presence, like it was watching me, waiting for me.

"What... what are you?" I whispered, but the voice didn't answer. Instead, the shadow moved again, and the water rippled like a wave crashing, growing bigger and bigger. I stepped back, stumbling, but my feet wouldn't move fast enough. It felt like the water was trying to pull me in.

"Why me?" I shouted into the dark water, my voice shaky. "What do you want?"

But then. just as suddenly as it started, everything stopped. The water calmed, and the shadow disappeared. I stood there, heart racing, trying to process what had just happened.

It wasn't a dream. It was real.

I ran back to Aunt Susan's house as fast as I could, my mind racing with all the questions I couldn't answer. What had that been? Why had it called to me?

When I got back inside, Aunt Susan was waiting for me. "Where were you?" She asked, looking up from her knitting.

"I... I just went for a walk," I said, trying to catch my breath. "I saw something... in the lake."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Lily, you need to be careful around the lake. It's not... normal."

My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"

She set her knitting down and looked at me like she was about to say something important. But then she hesitated. like she was trying to figure out how to explain it.

"There's a lot of history around here that most people don't talk about," Aunt Susan said slowly. "The lake isn't just a lake. It's... it's something much older, and whatever is in there, it's been waiting a long time for someone like you."

My heart skipped a beat. "Someone like me?"

She nodded. "Your mother-she knew. She knew what the lake was, what it was hiding. But she left. And now it's your turn."

"What's in the lake?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What's beneath it?"

Aunt Susan sighed. "A long time ago, this town wasn't just a quiet little place. It used to be a village-a big one, full of people. But they made a deal with something... something powerful, something dark. They thought it would protect them, keep them safe, but it didn't. It cursed them instead. When the waters rose, it took the village and locked whatever was beneath away. And now, Lily, It's waiting for you."

I stared at her, trying to understand what she was saying. "What is it? What do you mean, waiting for me?"

And Susan looked me dead in the eye. "You're the last one, Lily. The last of the people who were tied to the creature in the lake. your mother helped seal it away, but now it wants you. It's been calling you. That's why you heard its voice."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. "No. This is crazy. There's no way. It's just a lake. It's just-"

"Lily," Aunt Susan interrupted gently, "It's real. And it's only a matter of time before it comes back. You can't ignore it. You can't run from it."

I felt a cold chill spread through me. The thing in the lake, whatever it was, was waiting for me. And I had no idea how to stop it.

I spent the rest of the night trying to wrap my head around everything Aunt Susan had said. Was it possible? Could the thing in the lake really be some kind of ancient monster or god? And why had it chosen me?

The next morning, I went back to the lake. I wasn't sure why-I wasn't even sure I wanted to know what was waiting for me. But I had to see it again. Maybe then, I'd understand.

The water was still, almost eerily calm. No ripples, no shadows. But the voice was still there, faint, like a whisper carried by the wind.

"Lily..."