Excellent A 'Coming of Age' story with a sci-fi twist. Shallow Water by jackiesmuse

Category:  Young Adult Science Fiction   Posted:  March 21, 2006      Views: 112

JACKIESMUSE  IN PRINT   ABOUT JACKIESMUSE  Jackiesmuse is a published writer, playwright, and composer. She co-wrote, designed and edited a history book, which is used as a supplemental text in colleges and universities. Jackie represented the United States in Sydney, Australia, where she sang her original songs in concert at the Sydney Domain. Her songs have won recognition in song competitions, and have received radio air play. Jackie's music is also used in video presentations, and can be found in libraries throughout the USA. Her stage plays have won recognition, and have been produced across the USA. Her one act play, Gray Lady's Angel Baby was chosen by the Dramatists Guild of America for a June, 2009 staged reading. TickTock, was chosen by the Guild for a June, 2008 staged reading. Her short play,'Freedom's Last Breath', was also chosen by the Guild for a June, 2007 staged reading. Jackie's play, 'One Flew into the Cuckoo's Nest', has won contest recognition. Her ten-minute play,'Brother Can You Spare Me?' was used by a high school for its state drama competitions in 2005 and 2006, as was her short play, 'The Nest', which was entered in 2007. She directed her short play, 'Gray Lady's Angel Baby' in a university setting (ASU West) in 2001, and was chosen (Fall, 2007-Phoenix College production) as musical director for the Readers Theatre play, "Memorial" by Charles Laborde. Jackie's non-fiction has been published in various publications. Her short story, 'Time Traveling in Pink Chenille' was chosen for inclusion in a national magazine. One of Jackie's musical dramas (Rocket City!) has enjoyed productions in Illinois, Texas and Arizona, and is under consideration for a Broadway staged reading in the near future. Other books by jackiesmuse coming soon... She has won several contests. The contest submission The Beldons, Alone Again was the first place winner in the contest Flash Fiction. Madam Kuro was the first place winner in the contest Strong Character. Freedom's Last Breath was the first place winner in the contest Strong Character. Portfolio | Become A Fan Jacob Abbott glanced up at the clock above the kitchen sink. In less than twenty four hours, Dean Hammond would be handing him his high school diploma, finally ridding Lewisville High School of its 'biggest trouble-maker'; two hours after that, Jacob would be blowing-off the graduation party his parents would have--more-than-likely--forgotten to throw for him. His bus ticket to Vegas had been hidden in his underwear drawer for three weeks, and he trembled with anticipation at the thought of handing the ticket to the Greyhound bus driver tomorrow night as he made his great escape. Tonight was his last Friday night stuck in this dead-end town. He planned to make the most of it, by enjoying an early graduation gift in a secluded clearing of Hiawatha Woods, compliments of one of the Willinger twins, who lived in the Oakwood subdivision located directly behind the wooded area. The popular meeting spot, situated directly across Lake Wowotonka from the town of Lewisville, Indiana, was a five mile square patch of forest populated with black walnuts, sycamores and white pines. Hiawatha Woods was home to picnic sites, campgrounds, and small, secluded clearings peppered throughout the densely wooded landscape. Jacob's favorite spot was the clearing near the stand of white pines, the scene of his 'deflowering' two years earlier. Jacob and his brother, Tanner, sat across the cafeteria table from Cindy and Mindy Willinger earlier in the day, planning the 'deed'. "Mom and Dad are going to the Moose Lodge for fish fry." Cindy Willinger peeled the skin from her orange, juices running into her napkin, as she spoke. "We'll sneak out right after that," she said as she caught Tanner's eye. Tanner was in Cindy's sophomore English class. It was obvious to Jacob that she was sweet on Tanner--not him anymore, as he had hoped. Day to Jacob's night, even-tempered Tanner had a medium frame, and refined facial features like his mother. Hot-tempered Jacob favored his father's side with his muscular, rugged looks--like a boxer after the bell. Jacob turned toward Mindy and sneaked a peek. She had the same long, blonde hair as Cindy, and really great--assets. She would do just fine, if it came to that. "We'll bring the chips and dip," Mindy added, as she winked at Jacob and pulled her shoulders back. "And, we'll bring the blanket." "Blankets!" Cindy blurted, her alabaster skin a momentary deep crimson. "I'll grab the two Pendletons out of Mom's hope chest." "And, we'll bring our CD player." Mindy wrote out a list as she spoke, "What kind of music do you boys like?" She looked to Jacob for the answer. "Whatever you girls like. Right, Tanner?" "Sure." Tanner never contradicted his older brother in front of others. With the list complete, and the time set, they all stacked their lunch trays, picked up their back packs, and went their separate ways down the crowded hall, looking forward to the night. Jacob and Tanner would meet the twins at nine o'clock in the 'white pines' clearing, bearing condoms and a twelve pack of Bud, the 'compulsory' beverage for the rite of passage. Friday night was usually parents' fight night at the Abbott house--a fact that the eldest Abbott son was counting on this particular 'T.G.I.F.'. Dad and Mom did not disappoint. After dinner, one angry word led to another, and then to another--until Dad, blinded by rage, scooped up the Bronco keys, peeled out of the gravel driveway that ran along the white frame farm house, and raged down the rutted dirt road into the gathering dusk; and Mom, true to form, passed out on the worn divan, an empty vodka bottle tipped over near the coffee table. "Jacob, you set him up!" Tanner said as he looked out the living room window toward the dirt road, and then walked over toward his mother, motionless on the couch. "And, on this particular Friday night, that's a bad thing? Can you say Cindy and Mindy Willinger ten times fast?" "He would never cheat on Mom!" "It's not my fault if they always think the worst of each other," Jacob said, not wanting to fracture the fairytale. "You set him up!" "Like Dad would be stupid enough to leave the Bronco parked in front of Lucky's Motel. Lewisville is a small town--too many loose tongues." "Like yours, for instance?" Jacob snaked his tongue at his brother, then pulled on his jacket. "And, anyway, you know she looks for any excuse to get plastered." He glanced at the kitchen clock and opened the back door. "Come on. The twins are waiting." Tanner covered his sleeping mother with the pink thermal blanket she kept flung over the back of the divan, pulled on his windbreaker and lucky knit cap, and followed Jacob out the back door and down the rickety steps. "What time?" "You were sitting right there." Jacob said as he zipped his jacket and jumped on his Schwinn. "Are you getting cold feet?" Tanner was a virgin--at least that's what he'd admitted just the other night when Jacob caught him in the bathroom with the May edition of Playboy. Jacob knew that the thought of sleeping with a girl for the first time--though exciting, especially with an old pro like Cindy Willinger--would probably be unsettling. It had been for him--that first time--two years ago in the 'white pine' clearing. "No, I'm not!" "Then, come on." Tanner climbed on his ten-speed, and they were off, side-by-side, riding into the night on their hand-me-down bikes, head lights intermittently searching for potholes, as they bounced along the ruts. Jacob stopped his bike two farms down. "Wait here 'till I give the signal." He pedalled slowly down the gravel driveway along the Wilson's property. The farm house was dark, and there were no vehicles parked in back. When Jacob gave the clipped whistle, Tanner joined him, tires crunching on the gravel. "Why are we stopping here?" Tanner whispered when he caught up with his brother, who had pulled up to the back of the house. "There's no one home." "Exactly," Jacob said as he dismounted from the Schwinn and engaged the kick stand. He opened the screen door, motioned Tanner to join him on the back porch. An old Kelvinator refrigerator occupied the far corner. A flashlight hung from a peg near the back door. "Old man Wilson keeps his extra stash of Bud locked in here." "We're going to take it?" "No, we're gonna sit here all night and guard it," Jacob said, as he slipped the flashlight from the peg, turned it on, and handed it to Tanner. "This will take a minute. Hold the light steady," Jacob said as he fiddled with the lock while Tanner held the flashlight. Five minutes later, the lock had been picked, and the Abbott boys were back on the road with a chilled twelve-pack of Budweiser bungeed to the carrier Jacob had jerry-rigged to the back fender of his ten-speed. All that was left to do was to pedal the one mile to Lake Wowotonka, 'borrow' one of old man Engleman's rental skiffs--after the gin had tucked him in for the night--and then glide across the moonlit lake to the waiting girls. Lake Wowotonka was shallow, and the use of pleasure boats with their propellers kicking up the lake bottom, had been banned in 2002 because of pollution fears. So, skiffs--once rotting in dry dock--were now in high demand. Few people rented skiffs after dark, so Engleman's Bait Shop and Boat Rental closed at eight o'clock. Bert Engleman was known to pull a bottle of gin from his hidden stash under his desk after he checked the receipts of the day, and be out for the night by nine. It was quarter to nine when they arrived at the boat rental. They hid their bikes in the bushes--at the ready for their return trip much later that night--after they had done the 'deed', and made their way to the office, Tanner toting the case of Budweiser. Jacob peeked in the office window. Bert Engleman, was tossing back the last shot in the bottle of Gilbey's--the one that would put him out of commission for the night, fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. "Why do we need a boat? Wowotonka's almost shallow enough to walk across." Tanner whispered, as they waited under the window for the man to pass out. "The boy that would be Jesus," Jacob whispered as he peeked in the office window. "He's down for the count. Come on." Jacob said as he led the way to the waiting boat. "Thou shalt not steal," Tanner joke-whispered in a 'god-like' voice. "Do you have any other suggestions, oh, holy one?" "We could rent one?" "With what money?" Jacob kept his voice low as he untied the last skiff on the end. "Same stash we bought the beer with?" Jacob glanced at his watch. "Jump in. Tick tock!" Once Tanner was in the skiff, Jacob handed him the case of beer, jumped in, and pushed off from the pier with one of the two poles stored in the bottom of the wooden boat. Within five minutes, the boys had glided more than half way across the shallow lake, cool clear water lapping against the sides of the skiff as Jacob manned one of the pine poles, and Tanner navigated from his seat on the front edge. Jacob thought about the evening ahead as the skiff glided closer to shore, the promised condoms safely zipped into the pocket of his windbreaker. The Willinger twins were probably spreading the soft woolen blankets on top of pine needle beds, each girl refreshing her flavored lip gloss, and popping breath mints while they waited--blouses unbuttoned part way down. Jacob's body was responding, as he poled faster through the clear, black water. The boys were smack dab in the middle of the shallow water when they heard an earsplitting sound, not more than twenty yards to their left. Suddenly, the air filled with the smell of ozone. "What in the hell?" Jacob said as he looked up and to the left, pole in hand, bracing his feet. "Jets?" Tanner asked, as he grabbed the sides of the skiff and hung on. "Way too weird for jets, Tanny." The shallow lake roiled in reaction to the deafening hum that grew in intensity as--what resembled a gigantic metal pie tin the size of a football field--came out of the west, and traveled swiftly into the air space above Lake Wowotonka, where it stopped, and swallowed up the moon, as it hovered overhead. Transfixed, the boys watched the unfolding scene as the huge hatch in the bottom of the 'pie tin' slid open, and a hot, putrid amber liquid suddenly belched forth from the opening. Jacob instinctively pushed Tanner to the bottom of the skiff and fell on top of him, trying to shield his brother from the onslaught. The mysterious substance poured from the opening and flooded everything in site, except for Jacob and Tanner Abbott, and the stolen skiff. Within seconds, the suffocated landscape collapsed upon itself, and the shallow water around the tiny boat began bubbling violently. And, then--as suddenly as it had appeared--the huge craft disappeared into the night sky. The decimated area lay in total silence, except for a sizzling sound emanating from the bubbling amber liquid. "Oh my god!" Jacob said as he looked out over the smoldering devastation that had become the Abbott boys' new world in the time span of less than a minute. Instinct told him that everyone he and Tanner had ever loved or even liked--or hated--for that matter, had more than likely been vaporized, along with his Greyhound bus ticket. What had started out as the promise of a night of sex in Hiawatha Woods with two pretty girls, seemed to be ending as a battle for survival on Lake Wowotonka for two frightened boys. Jacob sensed that their very lives depended on crossing the mysterious boiling amber liquid to the opposite shore. "Are you okay?" Jacob said as he brushed the raining ash from his windbreaker. "Yeah," the younger boy said as he brushed himself off. "You?" "Far as I can tell." "What was that thing, Jacob? And, what's that smell?" Jacob had no answers. He could feel the boat bottom slowly heating up. "Do you think there's more than one of--them?" "How in the hell should I know, Tanny?" "If we hadn't stolen old man Engelman's boat--when we did--we'd be dead." "The night's still young, little brother." "Is that supposed to be funny?" Tanner began to cry and turned away. "That won't help anything!" Jacob said as he picked up the pole, winced as the burning wood made contact with his hands, and began propelling through the hissing liquid toward shore. "I can't help it, Jacob--I'm scared!" "Just this one time Tanny--you're not gonna wimp out on me! Grab that other pole!" Tanner turned toward his brother. "You can't make me!" "Really?" Jacob could feel his resentment rising. "Watch me!" "You're not my boss!" Jacob, unable to contain himself, shoved his brother, and then caught him--just before Tanner tumbled over the edge of the skiff. "Are you nuts?" Tanner said as he pulled his arm from Jacob's grasp. "Dad was right. You squat to pee." Tanner turned away, wounded, and looked out into the night. Jacob continued his task. All that could be heard was the sizzling lake, and a low humming sound off in the distance. Finally, Tanner broke the silence. "So that's why you got the girls, and made me go into Rite Aid to buy the--rubbers?" "What in the hell are you talking about?" "You think I'm queer!" "No." "But, Dad does, right?" Jacob kept at his task without responding. "This whole thing was a set-up--Dad's little test. Right?" "Dad had nothing to do with it." "Right!" Tanner said as he pulled off his knit cap, and placed it on his right hand to shield it. "And, the moon is made of green cheese," he continued, as he pulled his jacket sleeve down to cover his left hand. "And, you don't think I'm gay, you just think I'm a chicken shit!" "Something like that." "Well, I'm not!" Tanner said as he picked up the hot pole. Jacob knew that the intense heat was finding its way through Tanner's 'pot holders'. He couldn't help but feel a flush of pride when the kid grabbed hold with both hands and pushed off--without a whimper. The Abbott boys worked together in silence as they navigated the skiff toward the opposite shore. "We were on the water when it--happened." Tanner turned to watch his brother's eyes. "That's why we're okay, right?" "I don't know, Tanny!" Jacob said as he avoided his brother's gaze. "What do you think that smell is?" "I don't know." "It smells like a dead--" "I said, I don't know!" "Jacob, do you think Mom is--" "WHAT PART OF 'I DON'T KNOW' DON'T YOU GET?" It wasn't like Jacob to scream at his brother, and the stricken look on Tanner's face said as much. But, Jacob was also scared, and didn't have any answers for Tanner--maybe for the first time in his life. "Quit asking me questions I can't answer," was all the older boy could offer as he inched the boat forward with his pole. "It fell all around us, but not on us. It was like there was a--some kind of--'force field'--like a sci-fi flick," the younger boy said, his imagination angling for an explanation. "A force field--just around us!" "This is no movie, Tanny." "I know." The two boys forged on, silently, through the unidentified substance. "Should we say a prayer, or something?" Tanner said, finally. "When's the last time you opened the Bible?" "That doesn't matter to God." "Oh, Tanny, grow up! There is no god! Don't you get it? If there was a 'god', this wouldn't be happening.. ." Jacob's voice trailed off as he placed his foot on the stolen case of beer, as if to guard it. "Is it Armageddon? Mom always says it's coming." "If it is, why are we still here?" The unanswered question uneasy between them, they moved slowly toward the shore. They were close enough to Hiawatha Woods to make out the shoreline. There were no outlines of trees or shrubs against the moonlit sky, no pine scent floating through the woods, no music coming from the clearing--or sounds of giggling girls. "Maybe it's over. The air is getting cooler," Jacob said, gently, trying to calm his frightened brother. "That's good, huh?" "I think it might be, Tanny. And, the water is looking clearer the closer we get to shore." "That's good, too, huh?" "Um-hum. I can almost see the bottom." "The boat is starting to leak," Tanner said as he moved his feet closer to the sides of the skiff. "Maybe we can get out and wade the rest of the way." "That's probably not a good idea, Tanny." "I'll carry the beer." "Just hang on--we're almost there." Shards of premature daylight cut through the night sky as the brothers reached the shore. Tanner strained to see the face on his Timex. "It's still night time. Why's the sun coming up?" "Like I said, maybe it's over," Jacob said, trying to hide his growing panic over the strange sunrise, as the boat glided up onto the amber shore. Instead of the lush tree line of Hiawatha Woods, an expanse of desolation greeted the landing party, not a white pine in sight. "Jacob, don't get out!" Tanner said as he grabbed his brother's arm. "Please!" "What are we gonna do, stay in the damn skiff for the rest of our lives?" Jacob said as he jumped out of the boat, bracing himself for a molten landing. "It's not hot," Jacob said as the soles of his shoes made contact with the amber shore. "It's almost cool--it feels like sand," he said, feeling a bit more hopeful. Playfully, he scooped up some of the dark yellow grains and flung them at Tanner. "See--it's like the Indiana Dunes, only darker. Come on, jump!" A dazed Tanner brushed the seemingly benign granules from his jacket, and willed himself to jump out of the boat, and onto the shore. Jacob looked toward the skiff, and saw the case of beer. "Tanny--the beer!" "What?" An immobile Tanner, safe on shore, looked back at the putrid water he had jumped across. "Grab the beer--before the skiff sinks!" "No way!" "It's all we have left!" "Forget it!" Tanner backed up from the lapping liquid. "I'm not going back out there! You get it!" "I can't count on you for anything, you little wuss!" Jacob said, as he pushed his brother to the ground and sat on his chest. "It's beer, for god's sake, Jacob!" Tanner said as he tried to get up. "It's all we have left!" Jacob said, his bravado totally stripped away, his raw terror exposed as he held his brother down with one hand and tried to punch him with the other. "You frickin' wuss!" Tanner dodged punches, trying to work himself free, as a warm wind picked up from the east. He finally slid out from under his out-of-control brother, his back scraping across the amber glass. "I'll get the damn beer! Just quit wailing on me--Dad!" Bleeding, Tanner sprinted toward the shore just in time to see the skiff, tossed by a strong gust, disappear under the surface. At the same time, a disoriented Jacob ran in the direction of the choppy lake as the beer disappeared from view. "Tanny, it's all we had left..." "I'm sorry," was all Tanner could muster. His sanity swirling in the wind like so much amber sand, Jacob looked at his watch, and then jumped up. Suddenly remembering the condoms, he pulled them from his jacket pocket. "All is not lost," he said as he started for the clearing. "Baby brother and I are gonna get laid tonight!" He turned back to see Tanner standing where he had left him. "Come on! We're late!" Jacob said brightly, as he continued on toward the white pines at a faster pace. "Come on, chicken shit! It's after nine," Jacob said as he took off at a full run."Tick Tock!" Tanner sat down on the sand and hugged his legs, tiny brown funnel clouds dancing around him. "Tanny, what are you doing? Don't you wanna get laid?" His voice lost in the wind, Jacob ran back toward his brother, wheezing as he searched for a breath of unfouled air. "Don't you wanna get laid?" Jacob said, chest heaving, as he looked down on his brother's tear-stained face. "I think we had better stay put, for now, Jacob," Tanner said as he patted the ground next to him. "Just for now, until the wind dies down." Obeying, an exhausted Jacob collapsed next to Tanner, and curled up in the fetal position, tiny amber crystals swirling all around them. He allowed his brother to take the condom package from his hand; he let the boy gently stroke his forehead. "Maybe they'll come looking for us--blouses unbuttoned part way down..." Jacob's voice drifted as he looked in the direction of 'white pine' clearing. "Maybe they will, after the wind dies down." Tanner took off his jacket, rolled it up and placed it under Jacob's head. "Rest now, Jacob. Close your eyes." Jacob could feel Tanner's warmth, as the gentle boy curled up next to him, and put his arm around his big brother's shoulder. "That's it, Jacob. Try to relax. Everything will be fine," Tanner said, as the huge craft moved in front of the moon once again. "After the wind dies down." 'Yeah--after the wind dies down," Tanner said, blocking the craft from Jacob's line of sight as it moved over Lake Wowotonka. "What's that sound, Tanny?" "The wind. Sleep now." Feeling safe--maybe for the first time in his life--Jacob drifted off to sleep. The wind velocity increased, as the space craft hovered over the shallow water once again; hovered over the two earthlings huddled on the cooling, amber sand. *** Share your own writing! - Information on our membership for writers. Pays one point and 2 member cents.

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