The white sand under Louise Williams’s feet was the only thing warm about her as she paced back and forth watching her boyfriend frolic in the waist deep water. Although she wanted desperately to join the dark-haired, young man, the cool March breeze kept her feet planted in the sand just inches from the white foam.
“Three hours to find a bathing suit to match my brown eyes yet here I stand,” she thought.
“Come on in,” yelled Bill Coons. “It’s warmer out here than it is on that windy beach.”
Louise knew that Native Americans, especially the Cheyenne, didn’t approve of lying, but the grin on his face did little to entice her into believing his words.
Louise brushed her short, blond hair from her face. “Right,”
she quipped as she gathered the big beach towel closely about her.
“March would be warm at Panama Beach?” she asked, squinting her eyes.
Bill laughed as he brushed his long, black hair back. “Your dad said that. Besides, he got the resort at a good price this time of the year. The spring break crazies are all but gone, and the Landmark’s condos are as large as he boasted.” Bill splashed some water in her direction being careful not to get it too close. “Come on in,” he added, “once you get passed the initial shock, it’s much warmer.”
Watching her retreat as he splashed the water again, Bill cocked his head, smiled, and then pointed out, “The Cheyenne don’t lie, pretty girl. It’s not that cold.”
Still staring at him suspiciously, she replied, “Ohhh, here we go again, Mr. Straight as an Arrow, but I’m going to take your word.”
Louise then eased out toward him just far enough so that the waves began breaking at her knees.
“Good God,” she said weakly. “You liar. It’s freezing.”
“Come on, Lou,” encouraged Bill. “Throw that blanket back on the beach and swim to me as fast as you can.”
The six-foot-six hulk of a young man stood there with his already tanned complexion and held out his arms toward her. Usually, such an invitation would get an immediate response, but the cold, March breeze had numbed her senses.
“All right,” she finally said as she wadded up the towel and flung it back to the sand toward his. “I’m freezing anyway, and you’re the only warm thing I can see.”
She then splashed forward a few leaps and dove in with not so much as a whimper. Swimming like Michael Phelps, she only stopped when Bill scooped her into his arms.
“Liar,” her voice trembled as she clung to him.
“See,” said Bill as he danced her through the oncoming set of waves, “Your dad told the truth. The beach is a lot less crowded right now.”
“Well, I’ll agree to that,” added Louise. Clinging to his warm body she added, “The storm that followed us here is all but gone also. For a while last night, I thought it would ruin our stay.”
“Yes,” replied Bill as he rubbed her cold back, “but look at it now. You would never—” Bill winced and then rubbed his right leg. “You really need to trim those toe nails. They’re like claws.”
Louise looked up at him through squinted eyes. “I beg your pardon. My nails are trimmed, filed, and painted.”
Just as soon as she said that, the water around them began to come alive as if something was circling them.
“What the heck is this!” exclaimed Bill. “I didn’t come all the way to Florida to get eaten by some fish.”
“Ouch!” exclaimed Louise as she grabbed Bill and looked back at the churning water. “Something just scratched me!”
Without a word, Bill grabbed Louise by the waist, hauled her up into the air like she weighed nothing, and then began to run for the beach. As though not pleased with that, the mysterious creature then passed close to the front of his knees. Losing his balance, they both went plunging headlong into the churning surf.
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Stories in the Ether, Issue #4
A Digital Storytelling Anthology
$2.99
Stories in the Ether is a quarterly story telling anthology of fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction short stories from Nevermet Press. This issue features 11 compelling works including:
- The Gorgon’s Love, by Martin Shelby
- The Stars at Night, by JC Hemphill
- Big Heart, by David J. Fielding
- The Chase, by J. A. Gonzales
- A New Beginning, by Colin W. Campbell
- The Mechanical Turk, or All’s Well That Ends, by Tucker Cummings
- Shelled, by M. R. Williamson
- Exodus, by Eric Staggs
- The Emerald City, by Per Wiger
- The Occurrence of the Cavalry Horse, by Teel James Glenn
- Empyrean Skies, by David Gaither
With artwork by Paul Hagwood
$2.99 in ePUB for all eReaders from Lulu, DriveThruFiction.com, Smashwords, B&N Nook Bookstore, and Apple's iBookstore. Also available from Amazon for Kindle.
