The Dark Lake
"Rukky please help me put this on my neck." I stretched out the diamond necklace to her.
"Hermione where did you get that? Wait! Is that what I think it is?!" Rukky stuttered.
"This is a rare diamond necklace. Where did you get this from? Because to the best of my knowledge,you won't even find this necklace at any diamond store. "Alex quizzed as he picked out the necklace from my palm.
"Hermione!!" Rukky and Alex chorused. "
"This is a sure pass for a jewel day. You don't need any screening to pass. Sadly,you're a junior student. " Alex said.
"Let me have a closer look at this," Rukky said,allowing the necklace to drop and jiggle in her right index finger. She kept admiring the illuminating flashes that spritzed out of the necklace. "Where did you get this from Hermione?" She asked
"Erm! Erm!! A friend...! I mean my dad gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday. "I forged.
So Rukky finally wore the diamond necklace on my neck after so much admirations. And we returned back to our dormitory. Although,Rukky was not a boarder. She returned home after we had dispatched from our boot.
Something mysterious happened that night. Most night skies were the darkest of greys, but this one was pure black. It was like someone shut off the stars and moon.
It was 12:00AM midnight and everyone was fast asleep. I was lying on my bed sleeping but my heart wasn't sleeping. Suddenly, I saw an animal shadow emerged from the darkness. I stopped still, clenching my heart and hoping this was all just a dream. My eyes were tightly closed but I could see the entire room through my closed eyes. Then a large black cat with gleaming jade-green eyes spurted out of the wall. It was almost invisible in the gloomy dark room. It was strutting towards me.
"Alex! Alex!! There's a cat in our room! Alex stand up and get it out!" I called severally but Alex was a deep sleeper. I wished he would hear me.
The black huge cat approached towards me until it climbed into my bed. It stared directly into my closed eyes and down at the diamond necklace. Physically,my eyes where closed but spiritually there were open. So I believe the cat was actually staring at my spiritual eyes. The cat was as big as a lion.
I still could not move nor scream. Then the black cat pulled it's claws out of its paws to unleash it's hunting tactics on me.
Disruptively,a wall of strange water stretched out into the dark room. The big black cat was startled as the chattering water splashed in it's reassuring manner.
The black cat then scratched me in my rib cage and jumped off into the wall.
I jolted from my sleep screaming. But none of my roommates noticed what happened. It was as if they were dead, snoring the entire roof down.
I started to feel pains from the scratch. I quickly raised my shirt and saw blood spurting out of my rib cage. I couldn't sleep after that. Luckily, I had my diamond necklace on.
After the black huge cat had successfully escaped from the strange flood that emerged from the walls of our room,it shape shifted into a senior student. He then walked into our school's boot house. He picked up a pen and a piece of paper," Hermione ,I will definitely get back at you on this one,since I couldn't get you this night because of that demonic necklace your wore. " He said and walked back to his dormitory.
The following morning,one of the senior students came to call me from my dormitory. So I followed him. When we got there,it was a meeting of only senior students. The look on their faces wasn't giving friendship.
"Are you that eager to compete with the senior students that you had to sneak your name into the list of those going for the jewel day?" Liam the school president queried.
"How do you mean? Because I can't swim let alone sneaking whatever!" I replied Liam.
"We found your name among those that are going for the jewel day. "Another senior student thundered.
"This task is all about the leaders of tomorrow. Paying homage to the dark lake opens opportunities for us to draw from the blessings of the lake. " Donyell thundered," And we are making this jewel day out at the lake." Donyell explained," You are not the only junior student coming with us any ways. We also have junior boys and girls coming with us for this rituals. And this your diamond necklace is a pass for the jewel task." Donyell said pointing to the necklace on my neck.
I debunked severally but they presented the offer to me in a favourable way. So I agreed to follow them.
So we finally sneaked out. When we arrived at the lake,Donyell instructed us all to fetch some water from the lake and take our bath. So we all did as instructed before returning to the lake side.
There I found all the boys and girls from school waiting for me with smiles on their faces.
The leading boy Liam said: "Hermione, you are late, we have just finished our rituals we decided to propitiate the lake with the ritual of the offerings which we had not performed for a long time. So we all sacrificed our jewels and threw them in the lake. I am sure you would like to do the same, otherwise the lake goddess might come out and catch you and drag you down to your death one day after dark when you are late again."
I had never heard that our school organized such rituals except for the jewel day; on the contrary, it was something that a chief priest would do and the offerings were usually animals.
Anyway, I was quite willing to contribute to the sacrifice in order to secure the goodwill of the lake for another year. So, in good faith, I took off my diamond necklace and threw it into the dark lake, calling on the dark lake goddess each time to please accept it as a token of my gratitude for the competition. When my necklace had disappeared into the water, I, absorbed in my prayers, suddenly heard loud laughter behind me, and there were all the boys and girls laughing at me.
It was all a plot: the girls and boys had conspired to make me throw my diamond necklace away so I would have none left to make them jealous with!
They laughed and returned to the school leaving me behind.
I had no choice than to enter the dark lake because,I would need my necklace. I continued walking into the water. It went from my knees to my waist and then my chest.
Suddenly, I moved into a deeper hole in the lake and I sank immediately.
I was kicking and brushing through the water as I couldn't swim. I called for help but there was none closed by.
After a long time, my feet touched the bottom at last, and in front of me I saw a light. I walked towards it but in the water one can only walk slowly. I finally stood in the doorway of an underground cave where I could see a thousand precious stones flashing and sparkling so that the whole cave was brightly illuminated by their light.
When my eyes had adjusted to the light I saw a well built dark skinned man with a diamond crown on his head coming towards me. The man had long black hair just like the one in my dream,and hands with which he took me firmly by the elbow. He guided me to another room where he had prepared a meal for me.
"Eat first, my son, I will reward you for your offerings," spoke the Water-man.
The food was delicious, and when I had finished, the Water-man said: "Now you must clean everything in this room, all the pots and pans, pick out the liters from the floor and when it is all done I will come back." He left and I quickly washed all the pots and dishes, tidied the floor and as soon as it was ready, the water-man came in again and said: "Come with me, I will give you your necklace now."
He took me back to the jewelroom and gave me a choice of precious stones. Confused and delighted, I pointed at some of the most brightly coloured stones, and the Water-man just plucked them from the wall.
There were breast ornaments and necklaces, bracelets and earrings in all the shiniest colours of the rainbow. I also saw my diamond necklace hung on the wall. In addition, the Water-man gave me clothes of the finest fabrics but I rejected them and only collected my lost necklace.
Suddenly we heard a loud splashing as if a rainstorm were approaching.
"Quick, son, there is Ariadne, the Dark lake-goddess, she will eat you if she finds you here," said the Water-man, and pushed me out of the door and up towards the surface. While I rose up, I saw a glimpse of the Dark lake-goddess: it was an enormous half human and half crocodile! But soon lucky I was already with my head above the surface of the water, and quickly I swam towards the shore.