The Pond

The Pond

by Janet Carpenter

“C’mon, Lani! It’ll be fun!” Nathan shouted as he got out of the pick-up truck, slamming the door and running toward the pond, taking off his shirt and throwing it down as he went.

Lani sat in the passenger side, arms crossed, refusing to budge. She had heard all the stories of the strange pond and was sorry she even mentioned it to Nathan, because now he was determined to prove her wrong. The pond, on the coast of Ka’u on the Big Island of Hawaii, had been there a long time; the result of fresh water bubbling up from the aquifer and mixing with salt water from the nearby coast. The black lava rock that made the walls of the pond gave it a dark and foreboding look even during the day. Lani would not go in the pond. It was haunted, plain and simple, with something old and evil, and she absolutely would NOT set foot in it.

“C’mon!” he shouted again. “Don’t be like that. At least come out and sit by the pond...and watch me die!” he teased, laughing.

The thing below in the dark waters felt the truck door slamming, the humans yelling, the rhythmic thump of footsteps...and it stirred.

With a deep breath and a “I should know better than this” voice in her head, Lani opened the door and stepped out. The still water of the pond glimmered in the moonlight, inviting anyone to step in for a midnight party. But Lani knew better. She walked toward Nathan, her eyes never leaving the reflected moon on the water’s surface.

There were many tales of the Ninole area in Ka’u: some of night marchers and strange whispering winds from the mountains, but the one Lani believed was the spirit that haunted the pond. This was the first time in many years she was even close enough to see the pond. Nathan held out his hand and beckoned her to join him, just as the still waters were doing to him.

Lani looked into his eyes, crossed her arms again, and shook her head “no”.

“Oh, forget it, then!” Nathan exclaimed as he kicked off his rubber slippers, turned and ran, jumping into the silvery pool.

Deep inside the crevice below, the thing analyzed the changes happening. The ripples in the water were big...but not from a leaf blowing in or children throwing pebbles. She opened her crusty, yellow eyes and turned her head toward the vibrations. There...an electric current in the water, from flesh...and blood. Something warm and alive was in the pond. Prey. The hunger now was more intense than ever. It had been a long time since her last meal. She unfurled her snake-like body from the treasure pile of human bones, trophies from another time, and slowly peeked out to investigate.

“Whoo-hoo!” yelled Nathan, splashing water. “See, Lani! Try look, I’m still here. C’mon, join me. It feels great. C’mon!”

Lani stepped closer to the pond. “Nathan, you know you shouldn’t be in there. Just come out, please? You proved your point; there’s nothing wrong with the pond. You ‘da man’, okay? So, let’s just go now.”

“Nah. Not until you come in. You da one stay thinking the pond is haunted. You have to come in before I get out. C’mon. See? There’s nothing wrong with the pond!”

The thing below slithered forward slightly; her sensitive nose picking up the pulse of the human in the water, the throbbing of the heartbeat matching her own hunger. An evil smile began to creep across her brain. She longed for the iron taste of blood, the delicate texture of raw meat. Slowly, she started to move.

“Nathan, really, just get out of the pond. Please?” Lani begged.

“You gotta come in first. Just one foot...one toe, even. Just for say you ‘did it’ and that all this time you were wrong about the pond. Otherwise, I’m going to stay in here forever!”

“Nathan, don’t say that!” Lani said in a panic, stepping closer to the pond. “It’s bad luck. Now just get out and let’s go.”

“Nope,” he laughed, splashing water at her, “Not until you come in.”

Lani hesitated. “I’ll look in...but I’m not stepping in,” she said as she peered into the darkness below.

The slimy creature heard the exchange of voices amplified through the water. The hum, the splash...all coming together to drive her on, faster, toward her goal. She opened her mouth in anticipation; jagged teeth gnashing through the stirred-up muck from the human’s movements; her razor-sharp claws stretching out from wrinkled hands ready to grasp the tender flesh of her next meal.

Lani saw a blink of yellow light at the bottom of the pond. It seemed to be moving.

“Nathan! Get out! Now!” she screamed.

“What? Lani! What’s going on?” Nathan reacted as he reached up to grab the black rocks on the side. He pulled himself up, scrambling to hold on to something solid.

The thing lunged at the human’s body trying to leave the pond. Her massive hands grabbed a leg. Sharp talons ripped through skin and muscle as the human heaved himself up the embankment onto dry land.

“Ow!! What the—Lani, you scared me half to death! Now I went scrape my leg on the rocks,” Nathan complained as he limped toward the pick-up. He looked for his rubber slippers along the way. “Grab my t-shirt and let’s just go.”

Lani picked up the t-shirt and looked back at the dark water. The yellow eyes below the surface stared at her in anger and frustration. With a shiver, Lani turned to leave.

As the she-creature watched the humans escape, her long, white lizard-like tongue silently lapped at the sweet drops of Nathan’s blood shining on the rocks. She knew there would be other opportunities like them, and she was very patient. The moon danced on the slight ripples as she slipped back to wait in the depths of her pond.