The Crimson Mandovi

The Mandovi River looked like liquid silver under the full moon.

The water stretched endlessly around the small wooden boat, rippling gently as it drifted through the quiet current. On both banks, the forests of Goa stood dark and ancient, their shadows tangled like secrets no one dared disturb.

Sofia Cardoza trailed her fingers in the cool water.

The river hummed softly beneath her skin. She had always loved the Mandovi at night. It felt alive somehow—mysterious, protective.

Tonight, it felt… different.

Stronger.

She looked up at the man sitting across from her.

Gabriel.

Moonlight caught in his dark hair and traced the sharp line of his jaw. He had been quiet for most of the ride, watching the water instead of her.

But his hand was still wrapped around hers.

Warm.

Steady.

“Why are you smiling?” Sofia asked softly.

Gabriel glanced at her, amused. “You noticed?”

“You only smile like that when you’re hiding something.”

He chuckled under his breath.

The boat rocked gently as the river carried them farther from the lights of the town. The world felt distant out here—like the night belonged only to them.

And the moon.

Always the moon.

Sofia leaned back slightly, letting the breeze brush against her face.

“This place feels magical tonight,” she murmured.

Gabriel studied her for a moment. His gaze was intense—almost too intense.

“You believe in magic?” he asked.

Sofia smiled.

“I believe in moments.”

She squeezed his hand lightly.

“Like this one.”

For a while neither of them spoke.

The only sound was the quiet splash of water against the boat.

Gabriel moved closer.

Not suddenly. Slowly. Carefully.

As if he were approaching something fragile.

“Sofia,” he said quietly.

The way he said her name sent a small shiver down her spine.

“Yes?”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face.

His fingers were colder than she expected.

But she didn’t pull away.

“You trust me, don’t you?” he asked.

The question felt strange.

Yet the answer came easily.

“Of course I do.”

His expression softened for a moment—almost like regret.

Almost.

Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

The kiss was gentle at first.

Tender.

His hand slid behind her neck, pulling her closer as the boat rocked softly beneath them. Sofia’s heart fluttered as she melted into him, the warmth of his body grounding her in the quiet night.

The moon shimmered across the water around them.

Everything felt perfect.

For one brief moment, the world was only breath, warmth, and the steady rhythm of her heart.

Then—

Pain exploded in her neck.

A sharp, burning puncture.

Sofia gasped and jerked back.

Her hands flew to her throat.

“Gabriel—?”

Her voice trembled.

Her fingers came away wet.

Dark.

Red.

Gabriel was staring at her.

And he was smiling.

Not warmly.

Not lovingly.

But with something far more unsettling.

His eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight.

Crimson.

“You… trusted me,” he said softly.

The words didn’t make sense.

Nothing made sense.

“What did you do to me?” Sofia whispered, her voice shaking.

For a moment, Gabriel simply watched her.

Then he leaned back slowly, as if admiring the scene.

“You’ll understand soon enough.”

Before Sofia could react, he stood.

The boat rocked violently.

“Gabriel, wait—!”

He grinned.

And then—

He leapt.

Straight into the darkness of the riverbank.

Sofia scrambled to the edge of the boat just in time to see him land on the muddy shore with unnatural grace.

Not human grace.

Something else entirely.

He turned once.

Their eyes met across the moonlit water.

Then he vanished into the forest.

Gone.

Just like that.

Silence swallowed the river again.

Sofia stood frozen in the middle of the boat.

“Gabriel?” she called weakly.

No answer.

Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Her neck throbbed where the wounds burned against her skin.

The boat drifted slowly, carried by the current.

“Gabriel!” she shouted louder.

Still nothing.

Only the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Panic rose in her chest.

She stepped toward the edge of the boat again—

But the sudden movement tipped her balance.

The wood shifted beneath her feet.

The river lurched.

And Sofia slipped.

Her scream shattered the quiet night as she plunged into the dark water.

The Mandovi swallowed her whole.

Cold closed around her body instantly, dragging her down.

She kicked desperately, arms thrashing as she fought to reach the surface.

But the river felt heavier now.

Stronger.

Pulling her deeper.

Her lungs burned as she struggled.

The boat drifted farther away above her, a fading shadow against the moon.

Help…

Her body grew weaker.

Slower.

The darkness thickened around her.

And just before the last of her strength faded—

Sofia realized something horrifying.

The water beneath her wasn’t empty.

Something moved there.

Something ancient.

Something waiting.

And as the final breath escaped her lungs—

The Mandovi River claimed her.