The Serpent
Aiden jumped into the shallow water and grabbed the rope. He pulled long and hard as the small boat scraped against the shore. “McLaughlin! Watch the rocks!” His father, Tadgh yelled down to him from where he stood on the bow.
The shore was littered with jagged stones, even though Ireland was mainly grassy. The sky was grey, and it was starting to rain more heavily than the drizzle that took up most of the voyage. Aiden's red-brown hair was sopping and falling into his eyes, making it hard to see how far he was pulling the boat onto the shore. He stopped, letting it settle back into the edge of the shallow water. He walked around to where his father was letting down the wooden ramp. “Home sweet home, aye boy?” Tadgh clapped Aiden …show more content…
As he rolled his head over, he felt the bandage wrapped around his skull, and a pounding in his temple that nearly made him vomit.
“Hey, hey! Be careful now!” He heard his father mumble. “What the bloody hell happened to you out there?”
“Out where? What?” Aiden replied hazily. After a few moments of silence, his memories flooded back. The boat, the tail, the serpent, the water. Everything that was blank was now filled with memories of dark water and gasping for air. He explained to his father what had happened and his father laughed.
“A mermaid? You must’ve hit your head real hard, lad. Everyone knows those don’t exist.”
“Mmm maybe..” Aiden moaned in pain. He lolled his head back to the side without the gash and drifted back to sleep.
A few days passed and Aiden had returned home to find their boat wrecked against the shore, just as he’d remembered it. He examined the boat closer and saw that there were green streaks along the side of it, and dried pools of his own blood and the same green substance on the deck.
Graine peered at him on the boat from below the surface, clutching her abdomen. Her wounds had not healed and she had gotten weaker every day since the event. She knew her time was coming, and she was fully prepared. She just wanted one more look at him before it came
Aiden jumped into the shallow water and grabbed the rope. He pulled long and hard as the small boat scraped against the shore. “McLaughlin! Watch the rocks!” His father, Tadgh yelled down to him from where he stood on the bow.
The shore was littered with jagged stones, even though Ireland was mainly grassy. The sky was grey, and it was starting to rain more heavily than the drizzle that took up most of the voyage. Aiden's red-brown hair was sopping and falling into his eyes, making it hard to see how far he was pulling the boat onto the shore. He stopped, letting it settle back into the edge of the shallow water. He walked around to where his father was letting down the wooden ramp. “Home sweet home, aye boy?” Tadgh clapped Aiden …show more content…
As he rolled his head over, he felt the bandage wrapped around his skull, and a pounding in his temple that nearly made him vomit.
“Hey, hey! Be careful now!” He heard his father mumble. “What the bloody hell happened to you out there?”
“Out where? What?” Aiden replied hazily. After a few moments of silence, his memories flooded back. The boat, the tail, the serpent, the water. Everything that was blank was now filled with memories of dark water and gasping for air. He explained to his father what had happened and his father laughed.
“A mermaid? You must’ve hit your head real hard, lad. Everyone knows those don’t exist.”
“Mmm maybe..” Aiden moaned in pain. He lolled his head back to the side without the gash and drifted back to sleep.
A few days passed and Aiden had returned home to find their boat wrecked against the shore, just as he’d remembered it. He examined the boat closer and saw that there were green streaks along the side of it, and dried pools of his own blood and the same green substance on the deck.
Graine peered at him on the boat from below the surface, clutching her abdomen. Her wounds had not healed and she had gotten weaker every day since the event. She knew her time was coming, and she was fully prepared. She just wanted one more look at him before it came