Daniel watched the fields pass from a small blue car. His mother was taking him to see his grandfather despite the fact that he had nearly begged her not to. "Abuelo is boring." He groaned. His mother didn't even look back. "Danny, you used to love hanging out with your abuelo." Daniel crossed his arms. It used to seem fun, but then he got older, and his grandfather began to make him help around the house. Whether it was because he was older or Mr. Aldana was getting too old to do it all himself, it wasn't fun. What's more, Mr. Aldana was beginning to stop Daniel from doing things that were fun; he had a curfew, and he wasn't allowed to play in certain houses. Mr. Aldana only really approved of Daniel reading, but the books were boring. Daniel let his fist drag half his face down, and stared daggers into the window the rest of the ride. "Used to."
The houses in Mr. Aldana's neighborhood looked like they came from the fifties; they were painted in bright colors and most were made of wood, but some were made of brick. They had big porches and chairs right up front for old people to sit. Daniel glowered at them as they passed him by. Even though there were a bunch of pale-yellow houses, Daniel knew which one was his grandfather's. Mr Aldana stepped out of the seventh house on the right. He waved the car down as if it might miss him if he didn't, and Daniel's mother parked beside the house. "It's nice to see you." The man gave her a small smile and hugged her and kissed both sides of her face. His voice was lower, and gravelly and rough, but not when he talked to his daughter-in-law. "And this must be my new housemate." He said smiling at Daniel, but Daniel didn't smile back. He only watched Mr. Aldana as if the man were a stranger. "Hello," said Daniel dragging his little black suitcase and stopping right beside his mother. He was wearing a navy blue backpack and a royal blue sweater with navy blue shorts and blue sneakers. Mr. Aldana put his hands in his pockets. "You'll help me with this month's rent, right?" Daniel's mother's laughs were bouncy and high pitched while Mr. Aldana seemed to put weight on each raspy chuckle. "I'll pick you up in a month, okay?" said his mother. "I love you!" She got into her car and back onto the road. "Come on and get settled." Said Mr. Aldana when the little blue car was out of sight.
There was no wifi in Mr. Aldana's house. Daniel was glad that he downloaded all his books, but wondered if he'd finish them all before his mother got back. He decided that he would not read all this week and tried to find something else to do. He unpacked all his clothes and put them in his father's old dresser, then set his tablet on the desk to charge. He decided to read an old book called "Don Quixote" instead. Mr. Aldana walked by and stopped at his room. He smiled at Daniel. "I haven't seen you since you were seven." That was two years ago, the time when Daniel started to realize that spending time with his grandfather was not fun. Now he said, "We're walking to the store. Put your shoes on." Daniel spotted Mr. Aldana's navy blue car when he stepped down from the porch. He guessed that Mr. Aldana had not touched the car since the time he came over for Christmas, because he liked to walk everywhere. If the place was within two miles, he would walk. That meant so would Daniel. So they walked to a small grocery store where Mr. Aldana went further to the back of the store with a list. Daniel sat on the bench up front when he saw a woman that looked nearly fifty walk in shortly after. She had long dark hair that brushed against her elbows and she wore a dark mauve colored dress and carried a magenta purse. She had cinnamon-toned skin and bright brown eyes. She smiled at the cashier and then-- when she noticed him-- she smiled at Daniel before walking further into the store. "Good to see you, Carlos." She said as she passed Mr. Aldana. Her voice was a gentle wave in contrast to Mr. Aldana's gravelly voice. "Good to see you, too, Mrs. Haoa" Mr. Aldana said as he smiled back. "Call me Alanis. I've told you countless times." She waved her finger at him with a smile. Mr. Aldana let out his raspy chuckle, then he continued shopping. Daniel spotted the corner of an egg carton before his grandfather moved to another aisle out of sight. Daniel turned back to the front of the store, waiting. Five minutes passed and Mr. Aldana returned with eggs, milk, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. He turned to Daniel and jerked his head towards the desk. Daniel got up from the bench and joined Mr. Aldana at the counter, where he watched as the food was paid for.
"Give me that one." Mr. Aldana said to Daniel, noticing that he was struggling to hold the milk. He handed him the onions, tomatoes and bell peppers and hung the bag with the milk over his forearm. "You do well in school?" asked Mr. Aldana. Daniel nodded. He said nothing else until they got home. Mr Aldana spoke again. "We will not go to the lake this week." Daniel looked up. "Why?" Mr. Aldana grunted. "Wind's too strong." Daniel sighed, and put the groceries up. "No, no. That is for breakfast." Daniel took the ingredients back out.
Mr. Aldana made something he called "Tortilla de Patatas." Daniel tried not to look like he was enjoying the food. Though he was. Then, forty-five minutes later, Daniel was trying to read the Don Quixote book in his room, when Mr. Aldana leaned on the door frame. "It's nap time." The man said before going to his room. Daniel frowned. In Spain, afternoon naps were very common, but Daniel did not want to sleep. He slipped on his shoes and slipped out of the house. He decided he would go on his own walk.
Down the very long road was a lake. It took about twenty minutes to get there, but Daniel didn't mind walking without groceries as much. He wanted to see the "Strong winds" Mr. Aldana was talking about. Nearly half an hour later, Daniel was face to face with a still lake. He smiled at its calm waters and stood there. He was listening to the sounds of birds, but then he heard a voice. "You don't plan on swimming in those waters, are you?" It was the same voice he heard at the grocery store, as gentle and calming as a wave. "Not today, no." Said Daniel anxiously. A wide smile spread on Mrs. Haoa's face as she raised an eyebrow. Daniel felt like the woman saw right through him. He looked back at the lake and Mrs. Haoa spoke. "You should listen to your grandfather, Daniel. Don't swim in the lake." Daniel stared at the water for a second more. He then realized that she was not there when Mr. Aldana told him that. He looked back up where Mrs. Haoa was. She was not there. Instead, on the other side of him, she was walking away. Daniel returned to Mr. Aldana's house where he found that his grandfather was still in his room. He went back to his room and began reading the old book again.
When Mr. Aldana woke up, Daniel was sleeping. He woke the boy up and spoke gruffly. "Get dressed and come outside." When Daniel did get dressed, he went outside to find his grandfather with two rakes. "We'll cut the grass tomorrow." Said Mr. Aldana as he and Daniel raked the front of the yard. After twenty minutes, Daniel was now counting the yellow leaves in the pile while Mr. Aldana took the rakes to the storage room behind the house. A shrill caw coming from the fence caused him to jump upright and turn. He saw it was a crow, but when he blinked, there was no bird in sight. Just then, he saw Mrs. Haoa slowly making her way over. There was a hard grim look on her face. "Hi, ma'am." He said to her, and she stopped right in front of him. "Daniel, have you seen anything out of the ordinary today?" The boy looked puzzled. "I don't think so." Mrs. Haoa bent her knees and rested her hands on them. "Well if you do, it's not real. None of it is." Daniel's face went blank. "What?" Mrs. Haoa placed her hands on Daniel's shoulders. "If you see anything, make sure you're with someone. Things won't be as they seem for the next three days." Then she slowly straightened she continued on her path, and Mr. Aldana came back. "Let's go." He said. He didn't notice Mrs. Haoa at all. The boy and his grandfather went back inside and the sun began to set. It was 5 pm, and Mr. Aldana had served lunch. He warmed the potato omelet and served it with something he called, "Pan con tomate". After eating, Daniel told Mr. Aldana that he was tired from his trip and was going to bed. Mr Aldana told him to suit himself, and he turned on his small TV. Daniel wondered where radio waves were coming from in this day and age. He got dressed for bed and brushed his teeth. Then he tucked himself in and slept.
Hours later, the TV turned off and Mr. Aldana had dinner and went to bed, and Daniel was faintly aware of it as he slowly regained consciousness. Daniel rubbed his eyes and sat up in the large bed. For some time he sat and stared into the pitch black air. It was hard to move his legs under the heavy blankets, and it was hard to see. Daniel managed, however, to find his dresser and feel around for anything waterproof. He found his trunks and changed into them. He put on a new T-shirt and set his pajamas onto the bed. He found a towel in the middle drawer and some flip flops in his suitcase and he snuck out of the house in complete darkness. It wasn't as dark outside, as there were streetlights with just enough space between each other so that someone walking would be able to see where they were going, but not quite close enough for comfort. Daniel walked quickly with the towel wrapped around his shoulders and it didn't feel long before he made it to the lake. The moon was bright and made the water glow. Though the air was warm and no one was watching, there was something keeping Daniel from getting in the water. Whenever he thought about it, he wouldn't budge. It was a sluggish feeling or maybe a skittish one. Whatever it was, it made Daniel stand and decide against swimming for the night. He felt something brush his leg and looked down to find a gray cat pressed firmly against him. He pet the cat and then watched as it trotted into the water, swimming across to get to the woods. Soon it climbed out of the water at the edge of the woods. It watched Daniel with its large glowing eyes before disappearing into the darkness of the forest. Daniel walked home.
The next day, Daniel woke up and Mr. Aldana was waiting for him in the living room. Mr. Aldana gave him a regular omelet with beans and peppers today. He also gave him some magdelenas and tea. Daniel guessed that Mr. Aldana didn't know about his trip. Once they'd eaten, Mr. Aldana spoke up. "None of the kids came to visit. They must think they're all grown up." Daniel wishes he was at home with his parents. He wondered if that meant he thought he was grown up too. Mr Aldana and Daniel walked along the edge of the quiet road while listening to the birds and the wind. They walked to the store where Daniel was kept in the dark about what was bought this time. Mr Aldana doubled the bags and held all the groceries on the way home. He said he'd show Daniel tomorrow and that was that. The day passed fairly quickly until the sun began setting. Mr. Aldana called Daniel back and had him rake the grass clippings and the pile of leaves into a bag. He took the bag and told Daniel to take a shower. After Daniel showered, he began changing into his clothes and when he was done, he folded his towel on his suitcase and opened the blinds. He could have sworn he saw the same gray cat right outside in the yard. He left his room and opened the front door. Looking around, he found nothing. He closed the door behind him as he went further out to look for the cat. He crept hastily around the house but there was no cat. There was, however, another voice. "Hey." hissed a young voice. Daniel looked around and jumped when he saw a boy with bright hazel green eyes staring back at him. He was peering around the corner of a brick house. The boy snickered and beckoned Daniel over. Daniel walked over slowly. Mr. Aldana had lied again it seemed. "Hello." said Daniel. "What's your name?" asked the boy. "Daniel."
"I'm Kai. Kai Haoa." Daniel furrowed his eyebrows. "You're Mrs. Haoa's son?" When the boy nodded, Daniel asked, "Well how old are you?" The boy chuckled. "What? Don't I look twelve?" Daniel shook his head. "How old is Mrs. Haoa?" Kai looked away and held his chin. "She's fifty now." He looked back at Daniel now. "Hey." Daniel looked up at him. "I saw you at the lake yesterday." Said Kai. "Are you going back tonight?" Daniel stepped back. "I don't know." Kai smiled. "Well I'm going. And I won't tell mom." He slid his fingers across his mouth and pretended to zip it shut. Daniel relaxed, but he still hesitated. "I'll think about it." Kai nodded. "Either way, I'll be there. I'm always there." Then he jogged away. Daniel stood there with blank, pondering eyes. Then he went back to the house and stared at the pages of Don Quixote. He found that he was barely able to focus on the story. He only thought about the lake.
After he had skimmed for about an hour before he gave up and saw that it was getting dark. The thought of letting Kai go alone made him squeamish. He ate dinner with his grandfather while his mind began to wander beyond the house. He had even forgotten about the 'surprise' in the cabinet. Soon he had finished eating, and again he went to bed early. This time he did not sleep. He opened his blinds and tried to read the Don Quixote book once again. It didn't matter how much he tried; he ended up reading nothing. He shut the book and slid it under the bed. Instead he turned on his tablet and began reading one of his pirate books. He read on and on until he heard the TV shut off. Then --shortly after-- slow, heavy footsteps tread down the hall. And Daniel waited for several moments before he got up and set his tablet back on the desk. He didn't have to rummage for his trunks this time, because they were clumsily thrown on top of his clothes the day before. He put them on and took the same towel from yesterday. After that he grabbed his sneakers. He was too lazy to look for sandals, and after he put the shoes on it just felt like the right decision. He inched the front door open, and he threw his towel over his shoulder as he bolted off to the lake. Getting to the lake seemed to take half the time it took yesterday. He looked around for Kai, and after a moment he spotted those gleaming greenish brown eyes. "What took you so long?" Kai said with the same wide grin as his mother's. "I had to wait for my grandpa to sleep." Daniel shoved his hands into the pockets of his trunks. "Well, you're here." Kai did the same and turned to look at the moon. "Can you swim?" Daniel turned as well, and nodded. "Yeah."
"Do you wanna race?" Kai asked, already taking his shirt off. "Sure." Daniel took his shirt off too and tossed it on his towel. The two waded into the water and Kai said that the finish line was the edge of the forest on the other side. Daniel breathed in, and Kai whispered. "Okay. Three, two, one!" They dove forward and Daniel began kicking his legs and reaching ahead for more inky black water. He heard Kai kicking too, and quickened his pace. Daniel noticed that the kicks were beginning to slow. And slowly they came to a halt. Daniel kept going, but then he felt a short current of water under him, and he stopped. He poked his head above the surface and saw that Kai was far behind him. "What are you waiting for?" he called out, but no answer came from the boy. He stared at Daniel with an expressionless face, and there was no gleam in his hazel eyes anymore. He just floated in silence with Daniel for a moment, and then another moment. Then the water in front of Daniel crashed as something emerged from it. Something big.
!
Daniel's head whipped around, facing a huge mass of sticks and twigs. Branches weaved together to form a thin set of shoulders and a collarbone. Its body was crowded with twigs and its face seemed to be rotten and long dead. Daniel could feel the loose branches below the surface of the water. He felt the smooth branches stretching up and up. It kept rising up out of the water, and Daniel flipped over and his legs kicked and plunged at the water until there was some distance between them. He noticed that Kai was gone, but he glanced behind him and found him dangling by his neck in the arms of the creature. Its face began to stretch open and encase Kai's head. "Ergh!" Kai choked and thrashed while holding the thing's wrist, but Daniel kept swimming until he reached dry ground and stomped his sneakers on, grabbing his shirt and towel as he ran. He heard something splashing, and then the quiet trill of a cat. He heard galloping slaps against the road as something became closer and closer. Daniel's chest became hot with panic and exhaustion. Mr. Aldana's house seemed to be hours away at that very moment, and Daniel began to count the streetlights. Gusts of wind hit his skin as he fleeted down the road. Daniel did not even notice that the slapping had stopped. He wrapped his towel over his shoulders and arms as his feet pounded on the ground. He ran and ran until his legs were numb, his nose was runny and he barely even noticed his grandfather's house was right beside him. He pounded up the stairs and barreled in, falling against the door and locking it. He collapsed against it and plopped onto the floor where shoes surrounded him. He heard his grandfather stir and groan, but then he took a deep breath in and sighed as he went back to sleep. Daniel's legs burned. They stung and tightened, but after a while the pain had eased. He wanted to scream but he couldn't make a sound. Nor could he close his mouth as he sat frozen on the floor. His arms are stiff and refused to move as he held himself up against the door. He closed his eyes and mouth and then swallowed. Then continued to gasp for air. He opened his eyes fully now and calmed his pounding heart with long breaths. Though his stomach still lurched at the thought of Kai. He stared at the couch and then the dining room table. He was alive and could scarcely believe it. Daniel stumbled off of the floor and pulled his shoes off. He trudged into his father's old bedroom and dragged off his wet trunks. He dried off and changed back into his pajamas and threw everything at the corner of the room. He plopped back onto his bed and stared at the darkness for some time. When Daniel noticed that he could now see the room, forced his eyes closed, and he buried himself in his covers.
The next morning, Daniel's legs were sore. His legs wobbled as he slid out of bed, and he smelled cinnamon and frying oil coming from the kitchen. He heard sizzling dragged his feet to the dining room table. "Why, hello." Mr. Aldana said as if Daniel were a wonderful surprise. "You didn't peek in the grocery bag, did you? You look tired." Daniel shook his head. "I was reading pirate books on my tablet." Mr. Aldana made a silent "Ah." In recognition. "I have a pirate book that your father loved when he was small." He turned from the counter where he was standing and turned off the stove. While his back was turned, Daniel observed him, and watched him shake something up. It sounded like dry rice in a bucket, but then Mr. Aldana turned and Daniel saw they were churros. Mr. Aldana put them all in a big plate and placed them on the table, then he sat adjacent to Daniel. "Ta-da!" Mr. Aldana said. Daniel got up and hugged his grandfather, and buried his face in the man's shoulder. "Thank you, Abuelo." and then his grandfather let out a heavy, raspy chuckle. "No problem." Mr. Aldana served the churros with thick hot chocolate.
Later that day, Daniel asked where Mrs. Haoa lived. Then he walked across from Mr. Aldana's house, then three houses to the right. He knocked on the door, and when it opened, Daniel broke down. He hugged Mrs. Haoa. "What's wrong?" She asked kneeling down to his height. "Kai." Was all she could make out through his sobs. His eyes were focused on the floor the whole time. Then she knew exactly what he was saying. "Daniel, Kai is dead." She said calmly. Daniel nodded and choked up once again. "Kai has been dead for some time." Daniel took a breath in, and then another. He sighed and hiccupped until he was quiet, and Mrs. Haoa continued. "Kai was your father's friend. What you saw were illusions." Daniel's eyes shot up into Mrs. Haoa's. Now Daniel's lip quivered for only a little moment longer. "Illusions?" Mrs. Haoa nodded. Daniel rubbed his eyes and listened to Mrs Haoa as she explained that the creature in the lake only comes during a full moon. "When your father and Kai were boys, they used to swim in the lake almost every night, but one night, that... thing," Mrs. Aldana grit her teeth. "Took my son. That was eighteen years ago. I never told your grandfather. Your father never comes here because he's reminded of the horrors of this town, but your grandfather stayed so I wouldn't be alone." Mrs. Haoa smiled. "You'd better listen to him. He's a good friend of mine." Mrs. Haoa waved a finger at Daniel, and Daniel sniffled and nodded. For the rest of the day, Daniel felt free. He visited Mrs. Haoa more often, he enjoyed spending time with his grandfather, and he never went to the lake again.
