#fff206

[outpost51]

Crossing Over

For @flashfictionfridayofficial’s prompt: “Sink or Swim”

Consider it the fifth installment of the lighthouse keeper shorts.

Rating: Mature

CW: peril, drowning

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

I meant nothing to the sea.

Humans were supposed to be more buoyant in water.

No one filled the open ocean in on that fact.

I told them we should have headed home long before the sun set — we had time to get back then, and we still had time when I told them again, and again, and then... and then the fog rolled in. The sun dipped below the far-off rocks we thought belonged the little fishing village from which we'd left. We could just keep sailing forward, they told me. Eventually we would be home, but until then, why not kick back, enjoy the trip for once.

How enjoyable is the trip now, James, I thought, with your dad's expensive sailboat in pieces and the tide ripping us one-by-one away from the sharp rocks that turned out not to be the fucking fishing village?

I held out the longest. My boyfriend and his idiot friends probably would have attributed it to how high strung I was, but it was more likely because I was the only one who hadn't been drinking. There was only so much of a beating I could take from the waves, and undertow I could resist, and cold I could try to shiver away. None of the lighthearted surfing movies I grew up on made drowning seem quite as terrifying as it really was. It burned — my lungs, my throat, my nose, the cuts and scrapes all over my body, everywhere the water went, it brought the stinging salt with it. I wondered after a while of clinging to that rock if it would be the lack of oxygen, the physical exhaustion, or just plain bleeding out that would finally sap the last of my strength.

(Spoiler: it was all three, plus a heaping side of crushing anxiety and a deep, dark sadness that AP English and a perfect GPA and burning myself out with extracurriculars and one last semester at Harvard meant nothing to the sea. I meant nothing to the sea.)

It tore me right off that rock and swallowed me whole, tossing and turning my body like a rag doll caught in the spin cycle. Just when I thought it was through playing with its food, the tide would change directions, allow me to break the surface just long enough to choke on rain, then yanked me right back down to drag my face across the sand. I might have begged it for mercy once or twice. I thought I heard it laugh. Glad someone was having a good time.

What felt like hours, days later, the pain finally started to fade.

Something massive collided with my side. It would have knocked the wind from my lungs if they'd had any left.

Naively, I hoped it was James, miraculously still alive and risking that precious gift to make sure I got home safe.

The sea wasn't quite done beating the shit out of me, it seemed; great, heavy blows connected with my spine, my chest, cracked my ribs, bruised my cheek—

"Cough, stupid!" something hissed inside my skull.

I did, and if I thought the water sucked going in, it was much, much worse coming back out. Again, a mighty fist smashed against my back, and again, and again, until it was satisfied I'd returned all that I'd unwillingly taken from the sea. If I died and all my good deeds meant anything at all to the universe, then God was a fucking asshole.

He laughed, thunderous and cruel, and smacked my back again.

The world went dark.

It returned far too bright and stinking of brine. My ingratitude offended the earth, apparently, because a sinkhole opened up beside my hip, rolling me towards — something solid. Message received, I was so grateful for the light and the fermenting salt.

"Good t'see drownin' didn't kill your sense of humor." Thick fingers gripped my jaw and shook it like I'd put something in my mouth a dog wasn't supposed to swallow. "C'mon, we got work to do."

I grimaced, cracking one eye open wide enough to make out the face of God. Beady eyes and rows of teeth greeted me.

"Am I in Hell?" I croaked without thinking any wiser of it.

The Devil laughed again. "Maybe," he sneered. "Depends on you." He rose, but rather than callously let the mattress fling me off the other side, his massive, scarred hand closed over my arm and yanked me to my feet.

"I don't think I'm in any state to—"

"Complain? Nah. You got a name?"

No sooner had it fallen from my tongue, it was swept away on a gust of wind.

"Idiot," he chuckled. "You're a Keeper now. Have to be smarter than that if you're gonna survive out here."

At least the anger kept me on my feet as he turned away. "And what's yours, then?"

The smile he cast over his shoulder wasn't friendly. "Xoctosz," he said. "Try to take it, Keeper."

"What are you?" I called after him. He beckoned me to follow. I dug my feet in.

None of the sharks I'd seen on my recreational dives had quite so many teeth. "Death." Again, he beckoned.

I curled my toes into the gaps between the warped floorboards.

"I'm not a patient man, Keeper."

"And what if I don't want to be your keeper?"

The windows all slammed open and the stormwinds rushed in. "Water's right there. You can leave any time."

My lungs burned. I followed Death.

[ngkiscool]

The war against evil

FFF206 Sink or Swim - the weekly prompt by @flashfictionfridayofficial

Not my finest writing, but not perfect is better than not at all, so there it is. A short drabble about Newt's first day at The Witchfinder Army, enjoy.

"Reporting for duty, sir!"

"Good, good, a young man with manners. You don't get too many of those these days."

Newt felt it was a rhetorical statement, and chose, wisely, to remain silent. Not that it mattered, Sergeant Shadwell continued to ramble without waiting for an answer.

"Here, lad, this is your most important weapon in the war against evil."

"Scissors? I thought that a wooden stake is the weapon of choice against vampires."

"Vampires? Ah, they have never done anything wrong to me. No, lad, the real war is against witches!"

It was called The Witchfinder Army, so fighting against them made sense, in a way, though Newt wasn't too clear just what exactly was that sense. "This is really the purpose of the organization? I thought it was just a symbolic name."

"This is a serious war, and you have to brace yourself, the fight is not easy. Now, grab the scissors, and listen carefully to the instructions because I will not repeat myself. You got to learn on your feet, sink or swim. What is it going to be?"

Obediently, Newt took his (rusted) scissors and sat on the chair. "What do I do?"

[authortango]

Sympatry of Mermaid Kind

Word Count: 773

Themes: mermaids, fantasy, urban fantasy

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Aegaea’s head bobbed on the surface of the water, watching a crowd of tourists and locals alike gather around their little town’s dock. Just like them, she watched in wonder and awe, transfixed by the woman in the water.

Aegaea had seen her perform once before, and had frequently visited the docks since that first sighting. The performance perplexed and excited her. This woman had a tail, like her own - but it wasn’t completely fused at her waist. This woman also wore the cloth covering of the human folk around her chest - a habit that Aegaea had never seen among her own people.

Aegaea longed to get closer to the woman, to ask her so many questions. How far away was her colony? How far did she have to swim to get here? Why did she perform for the humans? What did she gain from their attention?

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, a few people mingling or stopping by to take pictures with their flashing rectangles. Aegaea swam slowly closer, nervous to approach the other mermaid, as well as drawing attention from the human folk. But her desire to know more about this other species of mermaid caused her to inch forward.

However, before she could get closer to this strange creature, the other mermaid hoisted herself onto the dock, and began fiddling with one of those large cloth bags some of the humans carried around. As Aegaea paused to watch her, to her astonishment the mermaid pulled out one of those flashing rectangles the humans always had! How had she managed to get one? How did it still work if she carried it with her in the water? Even Aegaea knew that the rectangles didn’t work in the water.

Circling closer again, her curiosity too great to keep her away, Aegaea got close enough to the dock that she could see the other mermaid much clearer than before. Her face was round, and her fingers were flat - not pointy at the ends, no fins adorning the side of her face. No gill slits marked her neck - in fact her skin was unmarked completely, aside from the tiniest of dark spots that lay on her brown skin. Her hair was not collagen, but rather a large, dark mass, turned stringy from her time in the water. And her tail…

There was something odd about her tail. It was adequately shiny, this was true, but the scales seemed large - but perhaps this was the mark of her species. There were no extra fins to boost her speed in the water, and her tail fin was completely opaque. Aegaea imagined that she must have to be very strong to propel herself through turbulent waters.

The other mermaid hadn’t noticed her yet, and Aegaea wasn’t sure how to approach her without startling her. She circled the dock a few more times as the mermaid tapped on the rectangle. Her heart nearly leaping out of her chest, she mustered all her courage together and swam close enough to tap the mermaid on the fin.

As soon as she touched the other mermaid, both creatures jumped, startled by the presence of the other. Aegaea was horrified by the way the other mermaid’s tail felt - not nearly as firm as her own tail, and too soft to protect the other mermaid from predators. Who had taken her protective shell? Was she soft-shelled by nature?

Though Aegaea had tried not to startle her, the other mermaid jumped as well, her rectangle flying out of her hands and into the water with a deep plop. Both mermaids watched it sink for a moment before, mortified, Aegaea dove after it. The water around the docks was murky, the object almost completely disappearing from sight as it sank deeper into the muck. Aegaea swam faster, and desperately reached out her hand into the silt that floated around her, until her fingers grasped the cool, smooth surface of the device.

When she resurfaced again, the other mermaid just gaped at her, stunned. Aegaea timidly placed the rectangle on the dock before placing some distance between her and the other mermaid. Aegaea felt shame tingle in her scales - she was certain she had ruined her chance to establish contact with this other mermaid that fascinated her so.

The other mermaid said something garbled that Aegaea couldn’t understand, but caused her to look up. The mermaid on the dock was holding something out in her hand - a piece of dry food - and offering it to Aegaea. Aegea took the offering, her heart leaping with sudden joy. Maybe she hadn’t ruined her chance at cross-cultural friendship after all.

[renee-writer]

Sink or Swim ( a parenting metaphor)

For @flashfictionfridayofficial 206 amazing prompt: sink or swim

It is how I taught my boys to swim. Placing them between myself and their dad, letting them go. Oh, they were in arms reach of us, no one was going to drown. The point, they learn to swim so they don’t sink. In the safety of our outstretched arms, they were free to learn, without fear, knowing we would save then.

 

As they got older and more proficient, the space between us grew. They had to travel more distance to reach safety. We could still safe them, were there need, but, letting them flounder a bit, gaining confidence to save themselves, made them better swimmers.

 

Eventually, we could watch from the beach knowing they would be alright in their own.

 

This is a good metaphor for parenting. At first, they need the safety of your arms. In the water of life, that is the only place they are safe. Everything has to be taken care of for them.

 

Then they start to crawl and, though they look back to make sure you are still there, they venture out a bit on their own.  Walking then running, but still looking for us, making sure you are still there to run back to.

 

With ever milestone, it is the same, starting school, first sleepover, first date. We keep giving them more room to swim freely.

 

Finally, they are adults and we can watch from the beach. Oh but watch we do, our eyes still on them, as their own babies start to learn to swim.

[on-noon]

The Fisher's Apprentice

for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt #FFF206 Sink or Swim

Sranch stood beside the docks, watching the hustle of fisherman and dockworkers unloading that night’s catch. Cold waves lapped against her calves, lowering her core temperature further and further from normal.

The big boats unloaded, and the fisherman and dockworkers carried away the last loads then went home to sleep. Sranch swung her legs up onto the dock. The sky was lightening from the sun getting close to rising, and Sranch couldn’t be in the wrong place when it did.

Sranch was sitting in the middle of the dock watching a spider that had crawled onto her knife when Thorl’s boots clomped down the docks.

“You Sranch? Get in the boat, the sooner we leave, more time on the ocean,” Thorl said, glancing at the thirteen-year-old.

Sranch scrambled after Thorl into the tiny boat at the edge of the dock. The boat surged as Sranch was climbing in. Sranch jumped back, shocked.

“You coming or not?” Thorl untied the boat. “I don’t need an apprentice.”

Sranch stepped onto the boat. She stepped off the dock, pushing the boat forward. In order to stay in the boat, Sranch fell into the boat.

Seagulls flew around above.

Thorl let the waves carry the boat out deeper and deeper.

“When do we start fishing?” Sranch asked.

“We’re not fishing. You are. Shadow-fishers don’t work in teams.”

Sranch peeks over the edge of the edge of the boat, watching the mackerels swim.

“Maybe it would be easier if the sun was up higher, so we could see deeper into the ocean,” Sranch said as she let down a shadow-fish catcher.

“Then the fish would be deeper down. If you can’t find a shadowfish today, I won’t teach you, regardless of what Homas wants.” Thorl looked up from untangling the line.

When the sun was at the zenith, Sranch felt a tug on the line of the shadow-fish catcher. She pulled it up, only to find a cod.

She refilled the bait.

Before Sranch dropped the catcher down, Thorl said, “Add a mirror bit to it.”

Sranch took a mirror shard from the baitbox, and put it in with the bait.

With the shadow-fish catcher dropped, Sranch turned towards Thorl “I guess the mirror makes sense, it probably stops the fish from eating all–”

The line to the shadow-fish catcher tugged at Sranch’s hand, she pulled it up.

Nothing, even the mirror was gone. Sranch replaced the bait, even the mirror bit, and let the trap back down.

After eating her meal for the Sranch tugged at the line, the line slipped from her hand and the trap went much deeper.

When the sun was deep enough in the sky Sranch needed to squint when she looked out towards the deep ocean, the trap tugged again.

Sranch, tired from a long day rocking back and forth, hauled the trap up.

A fish came up with, its scales dark, capturing all the light.

“Guess you do have it in you, after all. I’ll start teaching you tomorrow. Feel free to eat that fish if you want, but all the rest we’re selling.”

Sranch sold the fish for half its usual cost, in order to keep the scales.

[onceuponanaromantic]

come home (I never left)

(Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial​‘s prompt: FFF206 Sink or Swim. Not related to anything else I’m working on at this point but set using some of the Hell worldbuilding. CW: grief, near death experience, implied major injuries. Enjoy!)

A dreamer must wake or die.

 That’s the second lesson anyone with any affinity for Fate learns. The first is that Seeing is more burden than blessing, but you learn that on your own.

 If they apply to affinity, they apply even more so to the designated heir of Fate, her Child.

 In a silent cave in one of the regions of Hell, a demon drops to her knees as she removes her armour at a bedside. She peels off her vest, braces, masks and removes her boots. She tangles her fingers with her best friend’s, clenching and unclenching the cold hand. She lets go, just long enough to close the curtain separating them from the rest of the world and then returns to the bedside.

 She’s never needed words, but she needs them now.

 “The fungus is taking well to your bones.” Her voice is hoarse as she tries to will warmth and movement through the hand. “It’s healing the breaks. Noctern told me that.”

 Her voice cracks. “I think I did well, pretending I can go on. Ani offered to impersonate me if I needed to leave, but she’s—she’s done enough for us. She’s the one who figured out the throat damage, you know? And she says it’s your mind. So. She’s trying to see if she can meet you inside your own mind safely.”

 Her fingers tremble and she raises a hand to brush a stray strand. “I was the one who argued for you to be moved here. Time passes more slowly here, as you know, because I figured you would want to get back to your duties as soon as you get back. But I want you to stay.”

 “I always want you to stay, but it’s okay.” She shifts her weight to lean against the bedframe. “I love you, even if I don’t say that enough. It was—it was horrifying—finding you. Just… just floating in the River. In the shallows, at least, but—but still.”

             “Hello, Nyx.” She lets go, knife flying to hand as she turns, eyes cold at the new voice.

             “What are you doing here?” She spits, blocking the newcomer from stepping forward. “Haven’t you done enough harm already?”

             Fate looks back at her, pupilless gold eyes meeting hers. “Can I not visit my Child? You’re not the only one who has a claim on her.”

             “She died for you.” Nyx spits, “She died. Because. Of. You.”

           Fate looks at her steadily. “You seem to believe so. Why?”

             Fate glides forward, silver cloak gleaming in the dim lighting of the glow worms, and angles Her head forward as She settles at the foot of the bed.

             “Don’t you dare. I had to—I was the one who found her body there. I was the one who walked in and pulled her out and managed to get her in the time frame to pull her close enough to life to get her soul to stay. Okay. So, don’t you sit there. And- and pretend she doesn’t mean anything.”

             Fate pushes off the hood from Her head. “I don’t defend myself to you, Queen Nyx of the House of Night. Koya’s choices were her own.”

             “Don’t call me that.” Nyx hisses, claws extending as she steps forward. “Koya wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t given her the Sight. She died because you messed with her mind enough that she needed to know what was true. So she stepped into the Void.”

             “And?”

             “Don’t give me that. It’s sink or swim, that’s what you all say. You and Time were the ones who told her about the Test in the first place. You were the ones who made her feel like she needed to walk through it to be worthy.” Nyx spits, one claw close enough that she would have taken Fate’s eye out of She was mortal. “She was always worthy!”

             “I see. Thank you for telling me.”

             Nyx recoils. “What is that supposed to mean?”

           “I felt Koya fall into the River, because the River is moving water of a sort, which I can feel.” Fate tilts Her head. “Hasn’t being her friend taught you anything, Queen Nyx? Fate cannot affect anything that it knows directly. She is my Child, I cannot even see her.”

             “Then how did you find this place?” Nyx demands.

             “It took some searching.” Fate opens Her hands and rises. She steps forward, looking upon Koya’s face. “She will breathe again. It is not her time.”

             “Frankly, I do not give a single flying fart if it was.” Nyx says, “I am not yours, and your rules do not apply to me. I will do anything to get her back.”

           “You spend a lot of time defying me, Queen Nyx of the Night.” Fate notes, “Or at least, you try to.”

           “Got a problem with that?”

           Fate waves a hand. “Oh, certainly not. Koya chose well, but she’s always had good Senses even before I named her my Child.”

             Before Nyx could retort, Fate runs one hand over Koya’s hair. “I’ll take my leave for now. But know that someday, I will catch up to you, Queen Nyx. And you may not like the consequences when I do.”

           She glides to the curtain, Her cloak floating behind her, and Her pocket watch clicking as it swings from between her fingers. It clicks twice as Fate reaches the curtain. “Oh yes, and she will wake. Make of that what you will.”

             The curtain sweeps close behind Her. Nyx settles back, heart thumping, claws receding back into fingernails.

             “That was something, huh?” She whispers quietly.

             And then she pauses. Her hearing is sharp enough that she doesn’t need to do this but she needs confirmation.

             She rests her ear against Koya’s wrist.

             And she hears the steady beat of a heart again.

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

Those Rueful Woes

A/N: just a short of a werewolf daunted by a dare by their pals.^^ Word Count: 524 T.W/C.W: hydrophobia, i guess

***

Crows cawed from trees towering over the ground of soil. A crescent moon hovered over the dark blue sky, where glints of stars surrounded it. Also stimulating below a lake's surface, casting rippling reflections on the water.

As someone flopped down the grass, they shoved their hands onto their hair. Etching to yank it off or at the very least, attempt to get a grip.

However, they needed to summon their bravado. They desperately needed it for the upcoming situation they would be in. And they would be screwed if they didn't go through with it.

Ugh. The werewolf, in their semi-human form, threw their head back and howled.

What were they thinking? All for a silly dare?

Then again, they had difficulty in resisting a challenge presented to them. Especially if it intrigued them immensely.

It all started when they had been hanging out with their friends at a skate park. Their usual place, where they often went to whenever they wanna catch up with them. Anyways, they had discussed about what surface of water would be the coldest.

Somehow, they mentioned something about a particular lake in the woods. Saying how it probably had a freezing temperature, which they loathed. And they perked up in eerie interest, goading them into telling more. So, they did that. One of the members, a banshee no less, called them out to prove it.

At first, they attempted to dismiss her challenge. Then she egged them on and on until they gave in, having no other option. They couldn't turn it down, aware it would screw things up. They would be called as a wuss at the very worst. They wouldn't have stood for it. Their group had been elated and look forward to the so-called demonstration. And while the banshee, she just smiled in victory.

The werewolf had flipped her off once she didn't look at them. But it was futile, anyway. It couldn't lend an escape from their decision.

Whatever. They got themselves into this problem, they should probably crawl their way out. By any means necessary. However, they knew they couldn't because a deal was a deal.

For a werewolf, they couldn't risk it for a mere midnight swim. As full moon approached, they would be covered up in tons of fur. Be wet unless they got a hairdryer or waited for sunrise to dry them up.

Not ideal. If they got it all drenched and soak, it would take hours to dry.

A sink or swim situation, the thought while scoffing. Essentially, they needed to prove to their friends and that banshee the lake was frigid. Plunging onto it, feeling it freeze them to the bone.

Their dignity might be in jeopardy. . . However, some things needed to be done. Despite at their own expense. To get it over with. So, they wouldn't have to do it again. . . Hopefully.

To make things somewhat tolerable, the werewolf would scheme a payback for their banshee friend. Form a dare that she couldn't refuse. Not if she valued her dignity and moderate temperature.

As they caught the moon slightly expanding, they ignored a compulsion to flee.

***

[nyamadermont]

You Cover Me With Water

@flashfictionfridayofficial

#FFF 206 Sink or Swim

Avatar: Legend of Korra

612 words

CW: Implied sexual content

[Image ID: A dark blue rectangle with a watery texture. The text #FFF 206 Sink or Swim" is centered, in white. /End ID]

A gift for @slowdissolve ahead of a busy day tomorrow.

Story below the cut.

Lin was running along behind Tenzin and Kya and Bumi when the earth lifted her straight up. She teetered, but kept her balance, just like Toph had taught her. 

She frowned. Toph hadn’t said anything. She was just following the others. She started to climb down the rock when she realized just how high she was. 

Back on the ground, Lin turned to her mother. “I wanna go with them!” When she stomped her foot, her whole body felt funny. 

“I know Kya is a water bender, but Bumi won’t keep track of you and Tenzin at the same time. I can’t follow you when you’re in the water, so you have to stay on the ground.”

Lin crossed her arms like Toph and Katara did. 

“I don’t need you.”

Her mother’s face changed a little, and Lin felt something strange. 

“You need me more than you think, Rock Lobster. Where is the ground? Under the water. You can’t breathe water. Don’t get in the water.”

An hour later, Lin cried herself to sleep in her mother’s lap with Katara soothing her older son. As she drifted to sleep, she heard Bumi’s voice saying, “She’s so much heavier than Tenzin, I couldn’t keep her from sinking…”

***

“Hey Badgermole!”

Lin scowled at her schoolwork and looked for something she could hurl at the infuriating Tenzin. 

“I told you not to call me that, Moon Peach.”

Tenzin skidded to a halt, his face already bright red.

When he didn’t say anything in response, she rolled her eye and slammed her pen down. “Come on, Tenzin. Out with it. I have work to do.”

“Pumice.”

Lin blinked. “Is a rock. Do you even know what a point is if it’s not on your head?”

Tenzin dug in a pocket of his robes and pulled out a small, pale, rough rock. He blew against it gently. It rolled along his hand and when it got to his fingertips, he flipped it up. He grabbed her water glass from her work table, and used it to catch the rock as it fell.

“Hey! I was drinking that!”

He shrugged. “I’m sure you can pull all the impurities out. I watched your mom train you on it enough.”

He stopped long enough to bring the glass in front of her and wait for her to look at it. 

Her irritation was growing. She had three papers to write, Toph wanted her bills paid, and she still had to pick Su up from dance class. 

“Point, Tenzin. No time, no patience.”

“It floats. Some kinds of rocks float. Even if they’re all rough and sharp to hold.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she frowned. 

“So what. It floats. It doesn’t write my papers or do my chores. Why are we talking about pumice?”

“You can float, Lin. Rocks don’t only sink.”

She blinked again, trying to collect her thoughts. 

But just as she opened her mouth to say… something, the rock released a little bubble of air, spun over, and settled to the bottom of the glass. 

She didn’t even look at him. 

***

The water in the pool lapped over the edge, spilling over the rocks. With a final groan, they stilled. 

Kya pressed her forehead against Lin’s, pressing down with her whole body. 

Lin’s breath shook, and slowly evened. Her arms lay weakly at her sides, her fingers caressing Kya’s legs. 

Kya kissed Lin’s face gently, savoring the soft feel of her. 

Lin inhaled, and brought her hands up to Kya’s face. 

“You cover me with water." She kissed her, pulling her closer.

"I should sink, but now I finally know how it feels to swim.”