The Swimming Pool

24th May 1990

He was really excited. He had spent the entire year waiting for summer to come, because summer meant holidays and holidays meant swimming. Cellario was truly as excited as he could be. His brother had come back from the boarding school today. Mason, his brother. His strong and intelligent brother. He had been the one who had taught him swimming. The pool had been a place where the two of them had bonded since childhood. Both of them were water babies. Mason, being the elder one, had taken Cellario to the town’s public swimming pool every day. He had taught him the breaststroke, the butterfly and even the backstroke technique. They would swim together the entire day until their mother would drag them out of the pool. It was their heaven, when the two boys forgot about everything else and just enjoyed life. They forgot about their grieving mother. They forgot about the father that had abandoned them. All they knew was each other. They were each other’s best friends.

However, one day their utopia was destroyed. Mason was sent to a boarding school by their mother while Cellario was forced to stay back. The brothers were separated. Cellario hadn’t seen Mason for a year. He spent the entire year blaming his mother, screaming at her to call him back. But his mother never listened to him. All she told him was that this was important for Mason. She told him he needed this.

Enough. Cellario wasn’t going to waste this day talking about the past. He wanted to spend it with his brother. When he had first seen Mason at the train station, Cellario had failed to recognize him. His elder brother truly looked elder to him. He was much taller and leaner than him, and had a face with extremely sharp features. He looked similar to how their father used to look in the pictures that hung in the living room of their house. Mason had become a young man now, all of seventeen years. Even though Cellario was only a couple of years younger to him, he still looked like a dwarf in front of his brother. Cellario couldn’t help but admire his brother. His idol.

He had gone and hugged Mason tightly as his brother planted a big kiss on his forehead. No matter how long they were separated, the brothers could never forget each other. Cellario had dragged his brother straight out of the train station and led him to the town swimming pool. The pool was usually empty these days because most of the townsfolk had gone to the city to meet their families during the holidays. As Mason saw the pool in front of him, he instantly started to strip his clothes with a child-like excitement on his face. The two boys dived deep into the pool, basking in the glory of the cold water splashing on their face. Cellario closed his eyes, feeling the glow as he mentally arrived in heavenly bliss. Cellario slowly opened his eyes as he emerged from the water. He looked around for his brother. Mason was nowhere to be seen.

Cellario went back inside the water, this time keeping his eyes wide open. His brother was not inside the water. His brother was not in the pool. Cellario clearly remembered Mason jumping into the pool with him. He had only been underwater for a few seconds. Mason couldn’t have gone anywhere so quickly. Cellario emerged from the pool and started to look around the poolside, in the changing rooms and on the road outside the pool. His brother was nowhere to be seen. Cellario started to panic. Where was his brother? He looked back at the pool. The water was extremely still. It seemed as if the pool was smiling at him, making fun of him. Cellario crumpled on the ground, sobbing loudly. He couldn’t believe it. It was as if the pool had swallowed his brother. The pool had eaten him.

……

Present Day (30 years Later)

Andre was going through his cupboard like a predator going through its prey. He scavenged for decent clothes that he could pack in his suitcase. He didn’t have any clothes which suited the weather of the place or the situation in which he was going there.

His parents, along with him, were going to his father’s hometown because his grandmother was extremely ill. She had suffered from a heart attack last week. Andre had never been to the place before, and was genuinely very excited about it, even though he shouldn’t be. He had spent the last few days planning his vacation and packing for it.

His father rarely talked about his mother, or his hometown. It was a touchy subject that even his mother tried to avoid. So, Andre had spent his entire childhood with a growing curiosity around his father’s side of the family. He had spent a lot of time looking for family pictures in his house, though failing to find any. He had tried looking for any shred of evidence regarding anyone related to his father but had found none. But now suddenly, he was told that he had a grandmother who was ill. Finally, Andre was about to get answers to his questions.

Andre stomped out of his room and entered his parents’ room. He whined, “I don’t have anything good to wear. We should’ve gone shopping.”

His mother replied, “We’re leaving tonight. There’s no time for shopping.”

Rio, his father, was staring out of the window absent-mindedly. He added, “Don’t pack heavy. We’re only going to be there for a few days.”

Andre couldn’t help but notice that his father was acting weird for the past few days. The news about his mother had brought a sense of unease in his body language. His father had always been a shy and reserved person and these days he had stopped talking completely. He only spoke when absolutely necessary. Andre didn’t understand why his father was this nervous about meeting Andre’s grandmother. This was too much. Andre needed answers now.

So, he decided to corner his mother and bombard her with questions. As the family travelled to the airport in their car, Andre whispered to his mother, “Why is daddy so nervous? You need to tell me something about what’s going on. I need to know what’s happening.”

Andre’s mother sighed and whispered back, “Look son, daddy is in a tense spot right now. I don’t know much about your father’s family either because he doesn’t like talking about it, but I understand why he is nervous. Daddy’s father left him very early and his mother was the one who raised him. I’ve met her only once at our wedding, and let’s just say she… she isn’t very social. Truthfully, she gives me some creepy vibes and that’s why we don’t meet her often. Your father tells me she was a strong and beautiful lady in her time but now she’s not really a sight for sore eyes.

Andre thought for a moment and then replied, “So, you are telling me she is an old crack?”

His mother slapped him softly on the back and said, “Don’t say that! She’s your grandmother. Imagine a woman who was abandoned by her husband and forced to raise a child on her own. It must have been hard for her. But please don’t tell your father I told you all of this, and please behave in front of your grandmother.”

As Andre heard his mother explain to him what was going on, he started to realize that this vacation might not be as much fun as he thought it was going to be.

……

The cab stopped outside 78, Masella Lane. The sun was right on top of the town and the street burning in heat. One could feel the scorch on the pavement even inside the shoes. On the flight, Andre had read in a brochure that the town stands on laterite soil terrain which causes days to be extremely hot and nights to be equally as cold. So, Andre had carried shorts as well as jackets with him. The weather of the place was as unpredictable as the place itself.

Masella Lane was a small street, barely a one-lane drive. It seemed more appropriate to call it an alley, rather than a street. This was because the houses on either side were extremely large with their gardens and cars covering most part of the road. The cars were mostly rusty with broken doors and roofs, or crumpled windshields. All the houses were old. It didn’t seem as if they were ever cleaned or even maintained. Vines hung from all houses, spreading across the entire perimeter of the wall. Weeds and wild shrubs grew across the garden, most of them drooped and shriveled into an ugly shade of yellow. It felt as if Andre had arrived in the town of death and decay. Life had been sucked out of almost everything.

Andre took a deep breath as he realized why his father wanted to run away from this place. It had been barely a few minutes since he had arrived and he already felt dead from the inside. Every sense in his body screamed at him to get back into the car and run. Run, before he gets eaten from the inside.

Andre looked at his father. He was in a much worse state. His father was barely be able to stand straight. He was kneeling onto the cab and paying the driver. His hands shivered as he handed the notes to the driver. Andre knew he had to put on a brave face to support his father. This was a hundred times more difficult for his father. Andre walked to Rio and grabbed his hand. He smiled at him and led him away from the cab to Number 78.

Number 78. It wasn’t really a house; more of an antique artefact that had been protected for centuries. The gate of the house was broken with no lock or any other safety measure. The garden, if you could call it that, outside the porch of the house was nothing but a mound of mud, flattened all across. There was no greenery in it, except for some weeds that grew in the corners supported by the wall of the house. This was quite something because it didn’t seem like the house could support itself, let alone the weeds growing at its feet. The house was black. Pitch black. Andre didn’t know if it was paint or a large amount of charcoal that had been spitted out from the bent chimney on the roof. The stink was the icing on the mud cake, pun intended. The house stank miserably would have been an understatement. But the smell was unique. It was as if the house had been coated with a special paste made of vinegar, scrambled eggs and petrol. For special flavor, it was topped by cow dung.

Andre’s mother couldn’t control herself from putting a handkerchief on her nose as the trio stepped onto the cracked porch and knocked onto the door. The knock sounded like an explosion, breaking the deathly silence around the house. It was like the spark of life of a candle in the temple of death.

There was no reply. Andre’s father knocked again, his hand trembling tremendously this time. None of them knew what to expect. His mother gave a concerned look to his father, then stepped forward and pushed the door open. The door gave away with a loud creek and the door knob fell in her hands. She gave an exasperated sigh and threw the door knob onto the muddy garden.

Andre gripped his father’s hand tightly as they entered the dimly lit living room. Once again, there was an eerie silence. The first thing that they heard was water dripping from the ceiling above, matching the sound of their footsteps. The living room was empty. Empty of people as well as objects. It had two small sofa chairs and a rocking wooden chair. Andre couldn’t help but smirk. Typical for a creepy old house to have a creepy old rocking chair. The three-legged table was sharply bent to the right, supported by one of the chairs. On one side of the wall, there was a small television set; one of the earliest models of T.V.; one that Andre had never seen before. An acutely inclined tube light hung over it, covered by a layer of dust which made it evident that it had not been switched on for a long time. The wooden floor was only a few years younger than the other commodities. It made a crick and crack sound as the family moved into the house.

Andre’s father stared at the house as if it was a ghost. His eyes had bulged out with terror. He moved his lips silently, unable to say anything. But his demeanor not just reflected fear; it also showcased awe. Nothing had changed. Everything was still the same, as it had been twenty years ago. The only change was that the house had aged, like him. Time had struck both ends of the stick.

As Andre and his mother looked at the living room with gleaming eyes, Rio went ahead into his bedroom. His old bedroom. The one he had shared with him. Him. Rio shook his head. No, he couldn’t think of him. Not now. But how long could he avoid him, especially when he was going to stay here.

Rio took support of the table stand as a single tear fell from his cheek. He should’ve never come back here. He had made a mistake. He had made a terrible mistake. His hands started to tremble violently and his face turned blank as the memories started to return. Return at a speed he was unable to match up with.

Suddenly, he broke away from them. Someone had called his name. It was his son. He had screamed his name.

……

Andre entered the small room attached to the living room. It was the room from where the stink had originated from. The room was the ugliest looking one in the house. The entire room was completely black, from the floor to the walls to the ceiling. Adding to that, the room was totally empty, except for a small bed in one corner of the room. Andre entered the room slowly as his feet touched the black material on the floor. He was intrigued. It felt as if he was in space, darkness all around him. He wondered if hell really was like this. It wasn’t red like most people represented it. What if it was black? Black symbolizing the end; after which you can’t see anything. Black, the end of all colors. Black, the end of all life.

Suddenly, Andre realized something. There was something inside the wall. He thought he saw two eyes in the wall. They were there for a second and then disappeared. Andre moved closer to where he had thought he had seen the eyes. What Andre had seen was horrifying. Those eyes, they were not human. They had in them a hunger. A hunger never seen in humans.

Andre touched the wall at the place where he had seen those eyes. The wall was soft. Suddenly, the creature came into his view. Entirely covered in black. Andre shrieked in fear as the creature jumped from the wall and bit his finger. Andre cried for help and suddenly his father was in the room. Andre hugged his father tightly and pointed at the place where he had seen the monster. His father looked at the creature, snarling with fury in the corner.

Rio relaxed. It wasn’t any creature. It was his mother. His crazy old mother. He patted Andre’s shoulder and pointed at his mother. Andre looked at her fearfully, slowly realizing who she was. It was his grandmother. Entirely naked and covered in the black soot that spread all across the room. She was snarling at Andre.

Andre’s father looked at his grandmother incredulously and exclaimed, “What are you doing? What is all this? Why are you not wearing any clothes?”

Andre’s grandmother continued to snarl at both of them, until his father went closer to her. Then, slowly she recognized her son. As it dawned to her, she whispered softly, “It can’t be. You can’t be back.”

Rio slowly hugged his mother and put a shawl around her. She continued to whisper, “Why are you back? Go! Go, before he eats you too. Go back!”

Rio softly hugged her and replied, “I’ve come to see you, Ma. How are you feeling and what are you doing?”

The grandmother answered with determination, “I’m going to catch him, Rio. I’m going to catch that monster.”

Rio helped her too her bed and said, “Relax, ma. You need to rest. I received a call from the town doctor last week. He said you had a heart attack. You need to take care of your health, Ma.”

She replied, “I’m fine. I want to die in peace, Rio. I want to die knowing that I killed it.”

Rio patted her head and said, “Sleep, Ma.”

That was when the old woman noticed Andre standing behind his father, sucking his bitten thumb and staring at her curiously. She barked, “Who is he?”

Andre’s father replied, “He’s my son. He’s your grandson, Ma.”

The old hag’s eyes twinkled as she studied Andre. Then, she lay back on her bed and commanded, “I want to talk to him alone. You go prepare tea for me. The tea bag is in the bathroom sink.”

Rio stared at the woman as if wondering he had heard correctly. He looked at Andre, who nodded at his father. Andre was scared of the woman but he didn’t want his father to know that. Rio left the room quietly.

Andre stood beside his grandmother. She lay sprawled on the bed in front of him, entirely covered in black soot with only a shawl around her. Andre’s mind was completely blank, unable to register anything. He just couldn’t understand what he was seeing. This old, crazy, naked, smelly woman was supposed to be his grandmother. She was looking at him keenly, as if he was some sort of a prized relic.

After a few minutes, she said calmly, “Sorry for the bite, lad. I hope the wound isn’t deep. Should’ve knocked. You caught me off guard.”

Andre was barely able to suppress a smirk. He was the one caught off guard by the bizarre wall camouflaging. This woman seemed more like a wild animal than a grandmother.

She beckoned him to come closer and continued, “You’re a good-looking lad. You have my son’s nose. You look a lot like him.”

Andre nodded shyly and said, “Yes I know, everyone tells me I look like my father.”

The woman shook her head and said, “No, not Cellario. You look like Mason.”

……

Andre sat on the rocking chair, moving it back and forth rhythmically. He was deep in thought. Mason. Who was Mason? Did his father have a brother that he had no idea about? What was amiss here? What part of this story did he not get?

His father sat on a chair next to his. He too seemed to be in deep thought, like he usually was these days. His mother was busy trying to organize the kitchen and turn it into something that remotely resembles an area for cooking. Presently, she was on a treasure hunt to find a pan that was in usable condition. Andre knew this was the perfect time to ask his father about Mason.

Andre bent forward towards his father and put a hand on his shoulder. His father looked up at him and smiled. But the smile was blank, empty from the inside.

Andre whispered to him, “Can I ask you something, Daddy?” Rio nodded and Andre continued, “What happened to your brother, Daddy? What happened to Mason?”

Cellario instantly pushed himself back, his face highlighting the shock he had experienced. There was terror in his eyes. He gasped, “How do you know Mason? Who told you about him?”

Andre was perplexed by the unexpected reaction. He replied calmly, “I heard grandma talk about him. I didn’t want to upset you daddy. I only wanted to know if you really had a brother. It’s alright if you don’t feel like talking about it.”

Cellario sighed painfully and tried to calm down. His son deserved to know what had happened to his brother. He needed to let the memories out. The memories of the swimming pool.

Cellario whispered slowly, “It’s fine. You deserve to know. Mason was my elder brother. He was my idol. He was young, handsome, smart and brave. Everything I wanted to be. He was my strength and my shield. He protected me from the entire world. But I couldn’t protect him. I couldn’t save him when he needed me the most. It happened the day he had come from his hostel. We had gone for a swim at the public pool. We both loved swimming, you know. And right there as we dived into the pool, he disappeared. One moment he was beside me, and the other moment he disappeared. The pool swallowed him. Ate him alive. And I could do nothing. I failed to save my brother. I failed.”

Andre’s father was in tears. He started sobbing softly as Andre hugged him tightly. Andre muttered, “I’m sorry, Daddy. I should’ve never asked. I’m sorry.”

Cellario wiped the tears of his face and kissed his son on the forehead softly. He replied, “It’s alright. He’s gone now. We can do nothing about it.”

Andre continued to hug his father tightly. This was the first time he had seen his father cry. He could feel the pain that his father felt and couldn’t stop himself from tearing up. He now understood why his father had never wanted to come back here. He had seen his own brother die, and this place reminded him of his brother. Everything he saw here reminded him of Mason.

Andre’s father got up wearily and declared, “I’m tired, son. I’m going to go and rest.”

Andre nodded. He knew what he had to do. Go and explore the town. Afterall, he was on vacation. He picked up his backpack, told his mother that he would be back by evening and raced out of the house. Andre knew where he had to go. He had to go and see the swimming pool. The place where it had all begun. He followed the town map he had bought from the airport and reached the public swimming pool of the town.

The swimming pool was located at the edge of the town. It wasn’t very large. It was more of a small lake rather than a swimming pool, because it didn’t have proper brick boundaries. There were small, sharply inclined steps that led to the pool, originating right from the road that ended in front of the pool. The pool was irregular in shape, not exactly a rectangle, but more similar to a parallelogram. There were two small huts next to the pool. Andre guessed they were the changing rooms. The pool was surrounded by a decently high wooden fence beyond which stood the forest which surrounded the town. Clearly, the location was eerie. Not the best place for a swim.

The pool was completely isolated. Not a single person could be seen near the pool. It hadn’t been cleaned for a long time with leaves floating on top of the water and dust all around the pool. The dirty pool complemented the dreary town in which it was located. The pool was only half full, clearly indicating that it wasn’t used regularly. Or rather, it wasn’t used at all.

Andre walked closer to the pool and leaned in, staring down at the still water. He could see himself. A boy all of sixteen. But he couldn’t see the bottom of the pool. It was deep.

Andre bent down and put a finger in the water. His entire body shivered as his mind froze. The water was cold, threateningly cold. It almost felt as if the pool was challenging him to take a dip. Andre suddenly felt an urge to go inside and take a quick dip. The cool water would do him good in this summer heat. He edged closer to the pool, almost trying to fall forward.

Suddenly, someone shouted from behind, “Stay back, child! This pool lures kids like you and then eats them alive.” The sound frightened him and Andre almost fell forward, barely able to balance himself.

Andre turned around to find an old man walking down the steps to the pool. He was puffing a cigarette. Andre walked up to him and asked, “Who are you?”

The old man replied, “I’m the pool’s caretaker.”

Andre smirked, “Doesn’t seem like the pool is being cared for.”

The man smiled and replied, “I make sure to warn people like you of what this monster can do. It ate a child a long time back. The boy completely vanished. Even his body wasn’t found.”

Andre grew curious now. He was referring to Mason. Mason’s body had not been discovered. He asked, “What do you mean that his body wasn’t found? Didn’t the police look for him?”

The caretaker replied, “They did. They did so, tirelessly. Nothing was found. The kid was simply swallowed up by this nasty beast. There have been theories. Some say the kid ran into the woods and escaped from this town. Others say it’s a beast from the woods. No one has proof, no one really knows. I for one do believe it was the pool. I’ve spent half a century taking care of it, and all I can tell you is that something is off about it. This beast loves to snatch good people. The best of them I tell you.”

Andre asked, “Did you know the boy who drowned?”

The caretaker laughed dryly, “Don’t call it a drown. No one can drown in a pool, and especially not him. It was something else. But yes, I did know the boy. He was a good chap. Young, handsome, smart and brave. The best that comes. He and his brother used to love swimming. They would spend the entire day here. Water babies, I tell you. Their father must have been a mad man to abandon children like them. I would do anything to get such sons. I personally liked the elder one more. He was a kind young man. I’d even given him a job at the pool each summer to help his mother run the house. I had weak eyesight so he took care of the pool at night. He was the night caretaker. Absolutely loved the pool. During summers, he would teach his brother swimming the entire day, then take care of the pool at night. Look at the irony, the boy was swallowed up by what he loved most. Poor chap.”

Andre shook his head, “I don’t believe this. How can someone disappear from a pool without anyone getting to know about it. He wasn’t invisible. He was just a god damn child! How is this possible?”

The caretaker answered murkily, “It’s the pool, kid. The pool is the void. Like a black hole. It sucks in everything.”

Andre countered, “Well why didn’t the other child get sucked in then? Why only him?”

The man replied, “The younger one was lucky. You be careful because you might not be. I was there that day and I know it is true. I had seen both the boys diving into the pool and then had gone to clean the huts. Minutes later I heard the younger one scream for help. The elder boy vanished completely. Not a single finger was found. No one has entered the pool since. No one has the guts to face the beast.”

Andre was determined to find the truth now. He needed to know what had happened to Mason. If he was able to find the truth about Mason, then maybe he could help his father. Maybe his father would get some closure about it and stop blaming himself for the death of his brother. Andre knew he had to do this to help his father, and also to prove that Mason wasn’t killed by a magical demonic swimming pool.

Andre’s stream of thought was cut by the caretaker’s words. The old man said, “You don’t believe me, do you? I have proof. There is an actual victim who has survived the pool.”

Andre countered, “But you just told me no one had gone into the pool since Mason’s death.”

The man replied, “No one except Akaara. He was a foreign tourist. Came to the town a few years back to spread his father’s ashes. Wasn’t ready to believe anything about this pool. Everyone told him to stay away but he didn’t listen. He took up the challenge for staying in the pool for an entire night alone. In the morning, he vanished from the pool. No one knew where he was. A group of hunters found the lad two days later in the woods. His right eye torn apart, blood all over his clothes. He was barely alive. Since then he has settled in the town. He’s become the local town hero. The only one who faced the monster and came out alive.”

Andre couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This couldn’t be true. Andre asked worriedly, “You mean he saw the pool attacking him. And he survived?”

The caretaker nodded, “Yup, he’s telling the truth. You want to meet him? He lives at 35, Masella Lane. He’ll tell you everything about the pool monster. In detail.”

Andre thanked the caretaker and left. He trotted up the steps and headed to 35, Masella Lane. Andre was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on in this town.

……

“Sir, I need to ask you some questions. Can I please come in?”

Akaara smiled cheekily at Andre for a few seconds and then declared, “Come in young man. I see you are one of my fans. You’re here to hear about my thrilling encounter with the swimming pool monster, right?”

Andre replied tentatively, “Sort of.”

Akaara was a handsome young man. His accent clearly reflected the fact that he was of African-Indian origin. He had thick and long black hair and a special glow to his skin. He was wearing a thin t-shirt and an even thinner jeans that stuck to his thighs and legs. He was slightly on the heavier side. But the distinct feature in his physique was the scar and the stone eye that he had. The scar ran through his right cheek, originating from the forehead and then moving sideways through the eye to the lower end of his right ear. The stone eye complemented the frightening scar. The eye was tilted sideways in a grotesque manner making it seem as if it was fitted in hurriedly without care. But it was clear that Akaara showed off his scar. He wore it proudly like a medal of war.

Akaara crashed onto the sofa and put his legs onto the table as Andre sat down on the chair in front of him gingerly. The single-eyed man asked, “Do you want an autograph or something?”

Andre ignored the question. He didn’t have any time for this nuisance. He asked, “Did you really see the pool monster?”

Akaara nodded and replied, “Yes, I did. It was frightening yet beautiful. Deadly yet godly. It had skin like the moisture of tiny droplets of water. Its eyes were sea green, like it was the embodiment of the sea. It was fierce yet calm. I couldn’t take my eyes off it until it tore my eye apart. That was when I came back to my senses. I kicked at the monster as it clawed at me. Its claws as sharp as a cat’s. I swam out of the pool and ran into the woods. Didn’t stop until I was sure it wasn’t behind me. I was tired and bleeding rapidly. I could’ve died if the hunter group hadn’t found me. But I survived because of my strength and perseverance. That’s the moral of the story, kid. Strength and perseverance.”

Andre couldn’t believe this man. But the evidence was in front of him. The scar on the eye. Andre could clearly make out that the scar was real, not made up. Akaara’s story fell into place with everything he had heard so far. Maybe the pool really housed that monster. Maybe the pool really was haunted. But there was still one lingering doubt in his mind.

Andre asked Akaara, “Are you sure the monster was real? Maybe someone was playing a prank on you? And even if you’re sure it was a monster; can you guarantee that it’s the same one that killed Mason?”

Akaara nodded and said, “I’m sure. It was no prank. I saw the monster in the eye. It was what killed poor Mason. What else could it have been?”

Andre banged the table in frustration and exclaimed, “Then where is the body? And why is it that my father didn’t see the monster when he was right inside the pool with Mason?”

Akaara replied calmly, “It’s because the monster is invisible. It only appears before someone who it’s about to attack. Only its victims can see it.”

Andre gasped, “This just doesn’t seem believable. It clearly seems to be made up.”

Akaara got up from his sofa and patted Andre lightly, “I understand how you feel, boy. I too never believed in monsters when I came to this town, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I just couldn’t deny it. Sometimes, to uncover the truth you don’t have to use facts. You have to believe. You have to believe your guts, because some things can’t be proven. Hell no, some things shouldn’t be proven at all. They are best left alone. You came here looking for the truth, and here it is. Now you need to decide what you’ll do with it. You either accept it, or you deny it throughout your life. Think about it. Maybe your father is denying the truth. Maybe your father actually saw the monster, but he’s denying it. Maybe his mind is not ready to accept the fact that a monster, something he thought didn’t exist, actually ate his brother. What do you want to say about that? Couldn’t this be a possibility?”

Andre didn’t know what to say to Akaara. The man was making sense. What if there really was a monster? What if Mason had actually faced the creature, and so had Akaara? Andre didn’t know what to do as his entire belief system started to crumple right in front of his eyes. For the first time, he started to doubt the fact that had made him start his investigation.

……

It was pitch dark and the moon had disappeared entirely. All the street lamps were switched off, making it difficult to navigate through the town. The road was full of pebbles that were piercing through Andre’s soft slippers, making it difficult for him to walk. The air was breezy and cold, but the world around him was calm and still. There was no movement at all. No movement, except for his shuffling feet.

Andre was trying to walk fast, but his slippers were not allowing him to do so. Finally, he reached the edge of town. The woods were even creepier at night. It almost seemed as if they were prison bars. Andre didn’t know if they were protecting someone in the woods from the townsfolk, or the townsfolk from someone in the woods. Or rather, something. Andre got off the road quietly and took the steps down to the swimming pool. The pool seemed less alluring at night. Mostly, because of the cool winds; but also because of the calm menacing vibes that sourced out of it. In the darkness of the night, the pool was at its ominous peak. It seemed invincible. Impenetrable. Stronger than any fortress in the world. But it also seemed exciting. Its mysterious appearance attracted Andre. The boy had clearly understood by then that the pool was an entity. It almost felt as if it had a life of its own. Maybe it actually did, wondered Andre.

Andre walked to the iron steps on the edge of the pool. This was it. This was the moment of truth. Andre stripped to his undergarments and grabbed the iron railing next to the steps tightly. He slowly lowered himself into the pool.

Andre regretted the decision as soon as his waist touched the water surface. The pool pulled at him with a force that almost made it look like a magnet. Andre held onto the wall tightly, not letting go as the magnetic pull increased. He was being pulled towards the center of the pool. Andre continued to resist.

Then suddenly, he saw it. The creature emerged from the water of the pool like a popstar emerging from the curtains to an applause by the audience. It was terrifyingly magnificent. Its skin merged with the water of the pool, uniting both the creator and creation. Its hands were soft at the palms, but sharp at the fingers. It wasn’t very large. Larger than an average human, but smaller than a bull. But the size wasn’t what terrorized Andre. It was the eyes. The eyes. They highlighted its lust for blood, its want for human flesh. They were fierce and hungry. Those eyes let Andre feel the power that the creature possessed. It was baring its teeth at Andre as it slowly wadded towards him. Andre couldn’t move. He was frozen with fear. All he could do was watch. Watch, as the creature came closer to him. Watch, as his death came closer and closer. The creature was a breath away from him now. It lowered down to reach Andre. Andre could feel its breath now. A single finger scratched at his cheek, and a trail of blood fell down from the wound. Andre thought he saw the creature smile. But before he could confirm it. The creature pounced onto Andre, tearing apart his hand with a single bite. The second bite was aimed directly at his head.

……

Andre gasped in horror as his eyes flew open. He sat up in his bed. He was in 78, Masella Lane, in the room where his father used to sleep as a kid. His father. His father was next to him, looking at him worriedly. He asked, “What happened, son? Are you alright? You were screaming like a mad man.”

Andre gulped down his fear and waited for his heart rate to drop down to normal. He gasped, “I saw him, Daddy. I saw the pool monster.”

Rio hugged his son tightly and whispered, “It’s alright son! I’m there for you! It’s alright!”

Andre tried to control his tears, but he just couldn’t stop crying. He didn’t understand if they were tears of shock at what he had seen, or tears of happiness that it had been a dream. Andre knew he couldn’t stay here anymore. This place was destroying him. From outside and inside. Andre feared that if he stayed for long, he would become just like his father.

Andre whispered, “I don’t want to stay here anymore, Daddy. When are we going to leave?”

Rio answered, “Soon, son. Soon. I have an old friend who’s coming to meet me tomorrow. We’ll meet him tomorrow and then I’ll book our flight back. You can keep yourself busy for one day for me, right? You can do that for your poor old father? Don’t worry, son. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. I want to leave this place as much as you. Even I can’t bear to stay here any longer.”

Andre nodded quietly. He knew he couldn’t make his father worry about him. He already had a lot of problems to deal with. He had to be brave. He had to face this problem on his own.

Andre whispered to his father, “Can I sleep with you and mum tonight?”

Andre’s smiled at him and said, “Sure, bud. Don’t take any stress. We’ve always got your back.”

Andre returned the smile and said, “I know.”

As Andre tucked into bed with his father, he told him, “I can’t sleep.”

His father smiled at him and said, “Let me tell you a story about Mason. It’s one of my fondest memories of him. So, my mother had gone to Paris during summer, a few months before I was born and she was fascinated by the art and culture of that city. She fell in love with Paris and came back with huge paintings of the Eiffel Tower that we had put up all around the house. She would spend all day admiring them. Some might even be here till now, stored in some corner. So, when I was born, I was very pale but I had rosy cheeks and my head was extremely round in shape. My parents used to joke that I looked like a French mime artist. Mason picked that up and always called me Mime. He had given me that pet name, and because he gave it to me, I fell in love with that name. But when he disappeared, I didn’t let anyone call me that. It was only Mason’s right to call me that, and that right died with Mason. I left my nickname the way Mason left this world.”

……

That night, Andre slept between his parents like a little kid. He didn’t remember the last time he slept like that. Maybe when he was three or four. But right now, Andre truly felt like he was a kid. He didn’t know what was true and what was a lie. He didn’t know what was right or what was wrong. His perception of the world was changing every moment. He was stuck in a situation he didn’t know how to get out.

All he knew was one thing. Something had happened to Mason. Something terrible. Something that needed to be uncovered. No. He couldn’t leave now. Not when he was right in the middle of the story. He needed to find out the complete truth. One way or the other.

……