New Format and Release Schedule.
Thank you so much to everyone who has been so patient. I have been dealing with a lot recently, but in that time I have decided to change my posts on my newsletter. Instead of doing different posts for the reviews and stories I want to do one post for all of it at the end of the month, almost like a magazine. Please let me know what you think in the comments. I appreciate each of you showing me your support, I hope with this format I will be able to release content more regularly.
Stories edited by Willie Robert Heredia
Down The Depths
Flash Fiction
Derek Pru stares out at the still lake. The sunlight reflects off its surface. He reaches for the half empty beer on the ground next to his chair and takes a sip.
“Are you sure we should be here?” Derek asks.
Patrick Gilles, sitting in a chair beside him, smiles and pulls his sunglasses from his face. He looks over at Derek.
“Yes, we are fine. Isn’t this better than going to someplace with hundreds of people?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Patrick reaches out and places his hand on Derek’s arm.
“Alright then, relax. All we need is each other and mother nature.”
He lets go of his arm, puts his sunglasses back on, and crosses his arms behind his head. Derek takes another sip of his beer without pulling his eyes from the lake.
“I guess I could go for a swim.”
“Well, there you go. That’s a great idea.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“Not yet. I’m going to finish my beer, but I’ll be in after.”
Derek stands from his chair, removes his shirt, and walks out toward the lake. His feet disappear into the murky water. A breeze skims across the surface. Goosebumps form across his skin, and his teeth chatter. Plants slither between his toes like snakes. The lake’s floor sinks under his feet. He stops with the water up to his waist and looks down. It hides everything below the surface. Derek looks back at Patrick, who sticks out a thumbs up and yells to him.
“Looking good!”
He grits his teeth and lunges into the lake. The water makes his muscles constrict as he swims out further, popping his head up for air every few feet. Derek reaches the middle and stops to float as the small waves settle. His body hides in the greenish blue murk. Patrick cups his hands around his mouth and shouts louder.
“Gold medal!”
Even the chilling lake couldn’t stop the warmth Derek feels in his chest when Patrick is around. They wave to each other with giant smiles on their faces. His hand slips back into the water, but something rises from its depths. It coils up his leg and constricts. A pressure builds within his chest as he kicks, but its grip tightens.
“He-!”
Only half a word escapes his lips as the thing around his leg pulls him down. Derek closes his mouth and holds onto his nose. He looks down at his attacker, but still can’t see a thing. The water rushes past and the pressure in his ears swells. He doesn’t feel any teeth or spines going into his leg.
It’s like a large sponge or a soft rubber tube wrapped around his leg. He kicks at whatever it is with his other leg, but it only squashes beneath his foot and tightens its grip again. A few bones crunch and a sharp pain stabs through his foot. He swats through the water and jerks his body, but nothing helps him slip free.
The pressure of the water’s depths squeezes his body tighter than the thing around his leg. The sunlight shining across the lake's surface fades away. Derek sinks deeper into the dark green depths. He relaxes his body the best he can, and sweeps his arms through the water once more, but the thing continues pulling him. The green murk extinguishes the glints of sunlight. Derek lets his body go limp as memories of his life flood his mind. If this was his death, he only wants to focus on one. He and Patrick, laying on the hood of Patrick’s crimson convertible that he saved his money for in high school.
They passed around a cigarette. Derek felt the pools of sweat on his hands grow. Both stared at the stars. He couldn’t take the knots in his chest anymore. Derek leaned over, prepared for whatever the outcome of his actions might be.
The car’s hood crinkled under them. Before he could close his eyes, he saw Patrick smiling and leaning toward him as well. Without taking a breath, they leaned into each other’s embrace and shared their first kiss. The memory swells in Derek’s mind. The pitch black depths made it easier to visualize it like he was there again.
The pressure sends a crushing pain through his body. The thing around his leg squeezes harder until his calf bone snaps. A fire roars through his leg, and he screams out. Bubbles rise past his face and disappear into the darkness.
Derek’s eyes bulge from their sockets. The thing around his leg loosens its grip. His ears fill with an eerie growl that ripples through the water. A glow of yellowish green appears in a line in front of him.
It extends out through the darkness and stretches open until it reveals an eye four times his size. He stares into its pupil. The water squeezes his body down to a pulp, but waves of wonder and amazement splash against his mind. Its the last thing he sees before he slips unconscious. The green murky water swirls down into his stomach and lungs. Patrick stares out at the still lake.
The Babadook
Movie Review #08
One of the movies I am reviewing is “The Babadook”, a 2014 film directed and written by Jennifer Kent. It's about Amelia (Essie Davis), a single mother, and her child, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), as they descend into madness when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home. I remember a time when I watched this movie and wasn’t into it, but when I saw it on Shudder I decided to give it another chance. I am glad I did. This movie has great acting, incredible scene transitions, and a well written story. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was how the Babadook looked. I would have enjoyed the movie a little more if we never actually saw him. The ending was perfect and wrapped up the movie in a neat bow. "The Babadook" is a disturbing movie with a great theme that everyone should watch at least once.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Glen Picotte's Mind to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.