The Creature

Claire had so much to do. The pressure at work and at home was just getting to her. She knew that in order to meet her deadline at work, she had to get away for the weekend - by herself.

It was something she had never done before. She felt safe with her husband around and she really loved being with the twins. But she just had to have the peace and quiet in order to finish her latest novel. The deadline for the draft loomed overhead and there was no way she could get it extended. Her story was almost finished, there were just the final touches that needed to be put into place.

So she came to the agreement with her husband that he would handle the twins for the weekend, while she took the short drive out to their lake home to find the solitude she needed. It made her nervous just thinking about driving the crooked road and staying in the isolated home. But this was what it was going to take to meet her deadline.

This book was the first one since the twins had been born just a little over a year ago. She and her husband were thrilled with the double blessing. Of course, with blessings, there are always the trials. It wasn't an easy pregnancy. She was bed ridden for the last three months and ended up delivering them by c-section. But, the end result was what they wanted: two healthy and happy baby girls.

So, now she found herself making the drive to the lake house. The sun was already beginning to set in the mountains. The reds and oranges mixed with the blues and white clouds seemed to relax her just a little. She really did love the Ouachita Mountains. You just couldn't beat the colors of the trees in the fall.

She arrived before the sun had completely set, so she decided to sit on the deck overlooking Lake Ouachita and enjoy a glass of wine before unloading the car. The cool breeze lifted the ends of her hair and tickled her nose. Sighing, she thought that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. No, she decided, it wasn't. It felt good to just sit and relax and enjoy the view of the lake with the sun reflecting off of it.

That's when she saw it. Something gliding through the water. At first she thought it was a beaver. But then she realized it was much larger than that. She watched with pure curiosity as it made its way across the lake. As she watched it, the creature moved its body from one side to the other with an effortless ease. Whatever it was, it was a champion swimmer. Then as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. As it dove down deeper into the water, its tail popped the surface, hitting it hard enough to make Claire jump with surprise. A splash of water sprayed the air and she could see a rainbow through the sunbeams. Strange as it was, she really didn't think much more about it. She knew the lake well enough to know that surely whatever it was belonged there.

She finally got the car unloaded and her laptop out to do some work just a little bit later. That was one thing she couldn't do at home. She couldn't just sit in a comfy chair with her laptop across her and work. Not with the twins toddling around. Their little pink hands seemed to always find their way to the keyboard. So to finally be able to relax and work in her favorite chair was like sneaking a peek into heaven.

She finally found her niche and worked for hours. Rewriting some of the story and adding things here and there. Still debating on the ending, she got up to take a break. As she headed to the kitchen for a light snack, she heard a thump on the deck. She just shrugged it off. Pine cones fell off of the trees all of the time up here. Maybe it was just a squirrel scampering across the deck. No big deal.

As she walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light, she heard it again. She decided maybe she'd better make sure the animal wasn't hurt, if that's what it was. Making her way back to the deck, she saw something moving around. Being dark she couldn't make out what it was. All she saw was the movement. As she turned the deck light on, she could see it was nothing she had ever seen before!

She stood frozen to her place, not even able to suck in the air she needed to breathe. As she stared at it, it stared back at her. Long and slender, dark and scaly, it stood up. Rearing back it lashed its tongue out towards her. At the same time, the lips rolled back to reveal the rows of teeth. What in the world is this? Her mind was racing trying to tell her body to move. But, still, she couldn't.

Glued to her spot, the creature lowered itself back down. Slowly it slithered its way closer to the door. Glass was all that stood between her and that thing. Finally, her body flew into action turning to run. She could hear the glass shattering as the beast crashed through it. Her feet began to fail her, sliding around in all directions. She kept thinking that if she made it to the kitchen, maybe she could find a large knife.

Inches ahead of the creature, she finally reached the knives. Grabbing one, she turned to face her predator. She blindly slashed at it through the air. Blood splattered everywhere and shrieks arose from the creature. She felt the teeth tear into her arm as the battle continued. With all of her strength, she continued to stab until finally, there was no fight left in the beast.

Laying on the floor in a puddle of blood, she began to actually focus on the scene. Pieces of flesh were strewn throughout the kitchen. She had beaten the beast. But as she examined her own wounds, she realized a transformation was taking place. Not with the beast, but with her.

She watched as her skin slowly turned a scaly green. Her body began to thrash around on the floor and color faded from her sight. Images became blurry and her heart rate seemed to drop. Before she even understood what she was doing, she was making her way toward the lake. Not walking, but more like slithering. She felt suddenly cold and hungry as the water washed over her.

The last thing she remembered as she plunged deep into the lake was an image of two little girls. Her mind was reeling now, she couldn't remember who they were. It didn't matter anyway, because she could smell food. Slowly, she made her way through the clear depths of the lake toward a campsite.