The Dark Of Our Worlds

Thirteen

"I'm going to be going away for a while" Alma said. The children, who were all gathered in the parlour, cried in outrage and Enoch said a word so vulgar that Emma slapped him around the back of the head.

"But, you can't go away" Claire cried "Who will look after us?"

"More importantly" chimed in Horace "Who will reset the loop? If you leave we are all going to be bombed!"

"An Ymbryne from the academy will be coming down to look after you all." She held up a hand and silenced the second outburst "I understand it is not ideal, but certain circumstances have arose which require my leaving"

Claire was crying. Alma walked over to her and picked her up, placing her on her hip. After twenty minutes, and far more disgruntled arguments, the younger children eventually resigned the idea, hugged their Ymbryne, and sulked off upstairs.

"This is about Lorelai," asked Olive "isn't it?"

Alma looked at the floor and sighed, picking at her nails, before answering. "Yes" she said solemnly "and if I'm right then things could get a lot worse than they already are"

"Then we're coming with you" Emma said

"Oh no you're not

They argued about it for forty five minutes until Alma decided that taking them was less hassle than not. So the next morning, when the Ymbryne from the academy arrived, they left, stealing a small boat from the docks.

***

It took them two days to get to Miss Nuthatch's loop. The ocean was torturous the entire way there, so they thought nothing of it when the boat jolted dangerously beneath them as they crossed the line into the loop. What they did question, however, was why the jolting continued inside, despite the ocean being perfectly clear and still. 

After a moment or two, a deafening crack echoed beneath them and the jolting stopped. Alma looked around frantically, expecting to see some sort of animal which had taken pleasure in swimming into the boats keel. She never could have expected what she eventually saw. 

Something like the torso of a woman, but horribly animalistic, with blueish white skin and piercing blue eyes and silted pupils. It's hands, which sat on top of the oceans surface, were ghastly thin and webbed, with horrible long fingers and claws for nails. The creature smiled, revealing two rows of sharp, pearl white fangs. 

Deep down Alma knew, but she didn't want to admit it.

She had been so horrified by the sight she had become completely unaware of her surroundings. She could not hear the melody dancing it's way across the water towards the boat. She could not hear the screaming of the two girls next to her. She did not see Enoch already five meters away from the boat. 

It was only when Olive grabbed her by the arm and shook her that she was pulled from her trance, but it was too late. The creature had Enoch by the collar of his shirt and was pulling him below the surface. Alma collapsed to her knees, screaming and crying. 

She couldn't swim. 

She couldn't save him. 

Water was pooling in the bottom of the boat. Emma had her by the shoulders, trying desperately to console her. She did not care. All she could do was scream as the ocean in front of her turned scarlet, and the body of her son floated to the surface. 

A/n - On that note, i'm going to go cry.