Spaced Out

There's A Monster Outside My Room. Can I Have A Glass Of Water?

"Ho-lee shit." Lily dog-shook water from her face and hair.

Steam curled off the radiant ship. It was a ship, right? It had to be a ship. That's what it looked like.

If it was a ship, it crashed on an angle. A fin shape jutted from the craft's flank. Fattest at its center, the thing tapered at the nose and tail and, maybe she was seeing things, but the vessel's outside appeared to pulse like the subtle beat of a heart. Churning water around its visible base stilled after all that cool steam erupted from the openings in its outer walls. Those openings sealed themselves after the venting finished. Heat no longer emanated from the craft. None that she felt.

As she goggled the thing, Lily noticed the slant and position of the object made it a perfect stepping stone. If she could get on top of it, she could jump over the pier's wreckage instead of swimming under it. Of course, that meant getting close to the ship. And touching it. She chewed her bottom lip then shrugged.

Bits of scaffolding dropped with Lily when she released the pilings she gripped. The lake, bathwater warm, crested over the top of her head. She surfaced and swam. The galoshes she wore, which filled with water, weighed her down. Extra ballast strained her arms, but she made it without having to kick them off. Halting before the ship's fin, she treaded water until her arms wore out. Heart fluttering, she stretched out her hand and touched the craft's flank.

An elastic surface dimpled under her fingers. A rough texture, like fine sandpaper, rasped at her palm. The skin snapped back into shape when she withdrew.

"Ok," Lily muttered. "How do I get up you?"

Getting hold of that fin should work. Lily strained her arm upwards. Fingertips just brushed the fin's underside. Realizing she'd have to jump, she sighed.

Escape from the camp and the swim exhausted her. She braced herself against the craft and gave herself a second. The ship's side swelled under her body and shrank away, tightening against her skin like a deflating balloon. This thing did pulse. It did. But why?

With a shake of her head, Lily shoved off the vessel. Plunging underwater, she sank then propelled herself upwards and launched out of the lake. Water fountained around her when she rocketed from the surface. She flung out her arms. The fin caught her in the chest and under her pits. She oofed. Legs cart wheeled in the air as she hauled herself onto the crescent shaped shelf. Water sloshed from her boots.

The pliable fin bent under her weight. Huffing, she flopped her left arm further onto the shelf then half of it bowed completely. Gravity pulled her towards the lake. She slid. Digging her fingers into the ship, she clenched her teeth and stopped herself. Her lower half pendulum-swayed over the water. The ship's skin bunched in her fists. She grabbed another handful of the rough stuff nearer the stabler portion and pulled.

By inches, Lily hauled herself onto the fin. It firmed up a couple feet from where it met the body. With her back resting along the vessel's flank, she splayed her legs on the wing and massaged her aching biceps. Fingertips stung. Bloody stains lined the edges of her nail beds. She curled her toes. Feet squelched in the water left in her rubber boots. The swampy sensation curled her upper lip.

Shifting onto her knees, Lily faced the ship. Incandescent threads traced elegant patterns in violet all over its surface. She straddled one of the thicker veins and put her un-bandaged palm to it.

It was warm. Something coursed through it like the rush of water through pipes. Black lines ran alongside each bright strand. She trailed a finger down one of the darker ones and discovered they were grooves. Her short nails fitted into one of the seams. Tugging at the segment wouldn't budge it, so she straightened then put her ear to the ship's expanding and contracting side.

Humming. The steady drone of a charged transformer vibrated against her cheek. She pulled away and cocked her head. Maybe the government would compensate her parents for damages to the property when they carted away this thing.

The slope of the ship's body eased Lily's ascent to its apex. Its spongy consistency tripped her up. Where her weight settled—knees, hands, feet—its skin dented. Scaling it was like crawling over a massive, irregularly shaped mattress. At the top, she perched and bobbed up and down with the ship's pulsing. Mom wouldn't have enough I-told-you-sos for this. Spread eagled, she surveyed the haphazard jumble of wood that used to be the pier.

Alright, let's get off this thing, she thought and planted her hands at her sides and pushed herself standing.

As Lily's feet sunk deep into the ship's pliant exterior, the luminous veins blazed. The whole thing shuddered and expanded and the abrupt shift threw her off kilter. Staggering, she landed on her butt, knees bent. Grabbing two fistfuls of skin, she hung on while the ship lurched. Deep wailing jittered its mass. The howl came from within, deep from the ship's insides, like the craft itself cried out.

Jets of damp air erupted from the dark seams that ran between her legs. Steam blew up her hair. She crab-scuttled away as a swatch of the exterior wall lifted and peeled back. The hiss of escaping air dissipated and the fog cleared. She squee-geed the damp from her face and arms. The discharge left a strange residue on her skin. Wiping her hands off on her shorts, she grimaced then gaped at the black opening framed by her bent legs. While she waited, she didn't so much as flick an eyelash. The ship hushed. When nothing emerged from the hole, she swallowed, crept forward, and peered into the shadows.

A hand shot from the dark and grasped Lily's tank top. She screamed, clawed at her attacker and tried to tear away. Whatever had her was strong. Much stronger than she was. The hand wrenched her forward. She tumbled and fell.

The ship's lightless interior swallowed her whole.