Oceans Read online

  Running up to the deck, her hair and dress lifted like sails; lips cracking in the cold, ominous air. As the wood fractured underneath her soles, she whispered farewell to the distant shore.

  Blue water dressed her in sequin scales... Ready for the Sea King’s bed.

  XIMENA ESCOBAR is writing stories and poetry. Originally from Chile, she is the author of a translation into Spanish of the Broadway Musical “The Wizard of Oz”, and of an original adaptation of the same, “Navidad en Oz”, both produced in her home country. Since 2018 she has published several short stories in various anthologies and online platforms, and is now slowly working on her own collection. Ximena has a degree in Arts & Communication Science and lives in Nottingham with her family.

  Facebook: Ximenautora

  Twitter: @laximenin

  There is Such a Thing as Fate

  by M.J. Christie

  “Ship ahoy!”

  Rising, I wiped at a porthole. How had he seen through the fog? Sails stowed to avoid mishap; we’d drifted for days.

  Shrugging on my captain’s jacket, I climbed on deck.

  What greeted me has plagued me these last twenty years. How I survived, I know not.

  My crew lay butchered. Their blood frozen by freezing fog. First Mate Jenkins hung from the mast; his eyeglass rested at my feet. Eerie creaking from the starboard side. A ship swaying in and out of view.

  Deliver me from evil.

  Fate carried me home.

  Eyeless sockets now disturbed my sleep.

  A WRITER OF NOVEL-LENGTH fiction, short fiction and poetry. M.J. Christie recently became addicted to writing shorter fiction—the shorter the better - and poetry. The UK’s Lincolnshire Coast provides the backdrop and inspiration for M.J.’s writing, giving focus and meaning to everyday life. M.J. has had 100 word drabbles and one poem published (so far) in online magazines.

  Website: www.mjchristie.com

  Amazed

  by Cassandra Angler

  It’s staring at me through the glass, eyes glowing yellow. Tentacles waving in the current of the sea. I can see the fangs hidden beneath its scales as they pulse. We stare at one another as it wraps its limbs around my vessel. The metal groans underneath the beast’s grip. It isn’t long before I can hear the trickle of water splashing against the floor. The centre gives way, a gush of sea sucks me into its mass. Face to face now, it watches me as I gasp in panic, water filling my lungs. Mouth wide, it shoves me inside.

  CASSANDRA ANGLER is a married mother of four who lives in the State of Ohio in the USA. When she isn’t busy caring for her family, Cassandra works on her upcoming novel due out in November of 2020 titled Contaminated. Cassandra has three short story publications as well as several flash fiction and drabble publications.

  The Survivor

  by Patrick J. Gallagher

  When the torpedo hit the ship, I thought I was one of the lucky ones, making it to an air pocket deep in the bowels of the vessel. I survived as the wreck sank to the bottom of the ocean.

  Now I sit, surrounded by the bloated bodies of my friends and shipmates. Three days... I know that rescue isn’t coming. I recoil as clammy white flesh bumps against me. So many dead.

  The meagre yellow light from my flashlight finally flickered and died an hour ago. I can hear them moving in the darkness, wanting me to join them...

  PATRICK J. GALLAGHER is a television cameraman and photographer, working in Canberra for the Australian Parliament. He has a life-long fascination with mysteries, the paranormal, and things generally horrific and unknown. He has self-published several books on various topics related to those interests, including the Loch Ness Monster, and an almost-forgotten serial killer operating in London at the same time as the infamous Ripper. All this folklore and history becomes grist for the mill of his imagination.

  Facebook: PatJGallagher

  The Endless Song

  by Paula R.C. Readman

  From beneath the waves, she rose up. As a child, she would panic when the salty taste reached her mouth. It created a siren in her mind.

  Yet she found comfort in her watery grave, a kind of a release. Visions haunt her mind on stormy nights. Recalling her parents struggling as their expensive yacht faulted in a storm.

  The horror on their despairing faces. With open mouths they’re caught in silent screams as the yacht capsized and sank beneath the waves.

  Obviously, money can’t buy you everything.

  With her sisters, she sings from their rocky perches, driving ships ashore.

  PAULA R.C. READMAN learnt ‘How to Write’ from books which her husband purchased from eBay. After 250 purchases, he finally told her ‘just to get on with the writing’. Since 2010, she’s had 34 stories published.

  Blog: paulareadman1.wordpress.com

  Sanity is Blue

  by Joshua Gessner

  I am not insane. I am surviving. Stranded in the deep blue of waters, that too. I must resort to the facts to survive. The water is blue, my crew is gone, my knife is missing. Where has it gone? A question, it is a danger to me. There are so many dangers now. I refer once more on the things I know: bad men do bad things, nature is against man, mind against itself, sanity is blue. I fear to think of the rest, wherever it may lie. Is that another’s voice I hear? No, it is my own.

  JOSHUA GESSNER is a full-time college student, enrolled under the English major at his local community college. He is nineteen years old, and lives with his family in Manchester. Joshua Gessner has been published for the first time ever in January of 2020, and was published again one month later in February of 2020! He now continues working diligently on his craft, hoping to enter literary contests. In the near future he also hopes to publish: novels, novellas, short stories, and poetry!

  Facebook: joshua.gessner.98

  Twitter: @joshuagessner41

  The Indianapolis

  by Stephen Herczeg

  It was dark and quiet. Just after midnight. The great ocean was black and still.

  I was on watch on the top deck.

  Then they hit. Two torps into the starboard side. The explosions lit up the night. Turned my world upside down.

  I hit the water and watched the rain of my shipmates as they dived in to join me.

  The huge ship lurched and died, sliding beneath the waves and taking hundreds with her.

  We survivors bobbed in the still night.

  I gasped as the first grey triangle cut the glassy surface.

  Then the screams rocked the night.

  STEPHEN HERCZEG is an IT Geek based in Canberra Australia. He has been writing for over twenty years and has completed a couple of dodgy novels, sixteen feature length screenplays and numerous short stories and scripts. His horror work has featured in Sproutlings, Hells Bells, Below the Stairs, Trickster’s Treats #1 and #2, Shades of Santa, Behind the Mask, Beyond the Infinite; The Body Horror Book, Anemone Enemy, Petrified Punks and Beginnings. He has also had numerous Sherlock Holmes stories published through the Belanger Books - Sherlock Holmes anthologies.

  Amazon: amazon.com/-/e/B07916SQQS

  Facebook: stephenherczegauthor

  There Below

  by Radar DeBoard

  Mary leaned over the boat’s railing and looked down into the swirling waters of the ocean. She was amazed at the calm beauty of the waves as they continued to move up and down.

  She stood there wondering what it would be like to look up from beneath the waves at the world. Mary wished that she could see that sight.

  Little did Mary know that a tentacled creature was just below the surface. It was looking right at her, wondering what she tasted like. In one quick motion, it whipped its tentacle up and pulled Mary beneath the waves.

  RADAR DEBOARD is a horror movie and novel enthusiast who resides in the small town of Goddard, Kansas. He occasionally dabbles in writing, and enjoys to make dark tales for people to enjoy. He has had drabbles and short stories published in various electronic magazines and anthologies.

 
Facebook: WriterRadarDeBoard

  Bad Luck

  by Ali House

  She hit the water hard, slamming into the churning waves. Her hands reached out, grabbing only air, as the dark waters dragged her down.

  All she wanted was to escape her horrible life, but when the crew discovered the new deckhand was actually a woman, they tossed her over the side. “Bad luck having a woman on board.”

  The frigid water enveloped her, filling her lungs. Closing her eyes, she gave in, accepting fate. Suddenly, a surge of magical power rushed through her. Her eyes opened, searching out her former ship. A wicked smile crossed her face. “Bad luck indeed...”

  ALI HOUSE is the author of sci-fi/fantasy novels The Six Elemental and The Fifth Queen, along with various short stories in the “From the Rock” series published by Engen Books. She is a traveller, baker, and fan of the Oxford comma.

  Website: engenbooks.com/tag/house-blog/

  Bait

  by Jodi Jensen

  Brian couldn’t stop smiling. Months ago, he’d entered a contest for a deep-sea fishing trip and won. Now, here he was, zooming across the ocean, after a new species of fish and a heap of prize money.

  He readied his pole, then turned to his crewmate, Alan. “What are we using for bait?”

  Alan drew a wicked long fishing knife with a curved blade and pointed to a trapdoor. “It’s in the hatch.”

  Brian bent and yanked the door open.

  He never saw it coming.

  A sharp stab in the back and a slice across the throat.

  “You’re the bait.”

  JODI JENSEN, author of time travel romances and speculative fiction short stories, grew up moving from California, to Massachusetts, and a few other places in between, before finally settling in Utah at the ripe old age of nine. The nomadic life fed her sense of adventure as a child and the wanderlust continues to this day. With a passion for old cemeteries, historical buildings and sweeping sagas of days gone by, it was only natural she’d dream of time traveling to all the places that sparked her imagination.

  Twitter: @WritesJodi

  Facebook: jodijensenwrites

  Necessity

  by Carole de Monclin

  Your lips are cracked. Your eyes closed against the blistering sun. Your injured leg throbs.

  Five days. Floating on this miserable raft, with no water or food.

  Five days. Since that blasted thunderstorm sank your ship.

  Five days. Alternating between hopes of rescue and certitude exposure will kill you.

  Or dehydration.

  Or worse.

  The way your four companions have been looking at you since yesterday unsettles you.

  With nothing else to do, you force yourself back to sleep, only to be awakened by a sharp pain in your neck.

  “Sorry. You’ve no wife or kids, and we need to eat.”

  CAROLE DE MONCLIN travels both the real world and imaginary ones. She’s lived in France, Australia, and the USA; visited 25+ countries; and explored Mars, Ceres, and many distant planets. She writes to invite people on a journey. Her stories can be found in The Arcanist, The Deep Space Anthology, and every volume of the Dark Drabbles series.

  Website: CaroledeMonclin.com

  Twitter: @CaroledeMonclin

  Deep Revenge

  by Olivia Arieti

  The hollow glitter of the ice cloaked the merciless whaler in a ghastly shroud as it struggled through the waves.

  Although well acquainted with storms, an unfamiliar fear crawled upon the captain and the sailors for the many hearts their harpoons had struck.

  Now the animals’ consuming dirges kept resounding in their ears as a warning of pending doom.

  When the fury of the ocean capsized the ship, the enraged creatures expelled their deadly spout and with a diabolic light in the eyes advanced towards the drowning crew.

  This time no escamotage could ever make them open their famished jaws.

  OLIVIA ARIETI has a degree from the University of Pisa and lives in Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, with her family. Besides being a published playwright, she loves writing retellings of fairy tales, and at the same time is intrigued by supernatural and horror themes. Her stories appeared in several magazines and anthologies like Enchanted Conversations, Enchanted Tales Literary Magazine, Fantasia Divinity Magazine, Cliterature, Medieval Nightmares, Static Movement, 100 Doors To Madness Forgotten Tomb Press, Black Cats Horrified Press, Bloody Ghost Stories Full Moon Books, Death And Decorations Thirteen O’Clock Press, Infective Ink, Pandemonium Press, Pussy Magic Magazine.

  They Float Too

  by Nicola Currie

  The last man on Earth was dragged into the crushing depths, wondering how he hadn’t noticed. But as his alien doppelganger floated up past him from the glowing portal beneath the Marianas Trench, he realised the cleverness of the trick.

  How long had his wife been gone? His children? They must have been taken already.

  The portal beneath him closed as the invisible energy that carried, sustained him, completed its mission and he passed through.

  Scientists had never fathomed the possibility that humans might be taken down, debating what creatures could come out instead of what mattered: What lay beyond?

  NICOLA CURRIE is from Cambridge, UK where she works in educational publishing. She has published poetry in literary magazines, including Mslexia and Sarasvati, and short stories in various anthologies. She has also completed her first novel, which was longlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award.

  Website: writeitandweep.home.blog

  Songs to Sing

  by A.R. Johnston

  “What shall I sing today? Who shall sink to the bottom of the sea?” the siren sang out to the great ocean.

  Triton appeared upon the waves. “And who will hear your song today, my dearest? There are no ships upon the seas.”

  Her eyes got wide as she looked at the sea god. “My liege. I wish only to serve and do as is in my nature.”

  “The waters will cover the earth soon. There will be many ships for you to pick from. Everything shall be ours.”

  She smiled. “Then I shall sing them to the depths below.”

  A.R. JOHNSTON is a small-town girl from Nova Scotia, Canada. She is known to write mostly urban fantasy, though she goes where the muses lead her and you never know where that may be. She is a lover of coffee, good tv shows, horror flicks, and a reader of good books. She pretends to be a writer when real life doesn’t get in the way. Pesky full-time job and adulting!

  Facebook: arjohnstonauthor

  Website: arjohnstonauthor.wordpress.com

  Drowning not Waving

  by Paula R.C. Readman

  Olaf’s dream was coming true; the cup was within his grasp. He swung his yacht around to catch the wind. No doubts in his mind; he would be the first to cross the winning line.

  Then he saw her, a maiden in the water. Her beauty was captivating. Her long hair eddied around her bare shoulders as she waved madly to him.

  It’s a miracle, Gressa believed as the boat came into sight. All night, she had clung to the wreckage of her yacht.

  “Mermaids don’t exist! Such foolish tales won’t dupe me.” Olaf laughed as he crashed into Gressa.

  PAULA R.C. READMAN learnt ‘How to Write’ from books which her husband purchased from eBay. After 250 purchases, he finally told her ‘just to get on with the writing’. Since 2010, she’s had 34 stories published.

  Blog: paulareadman1.wordpress.com

  Ocean Piranhas

  by C.L. Williams

  Jay and Dustin take a trip to an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. On the way there, Jay was telling Dustin about piranhas that live in the ocean instead of the freshwater habitats that we all know about.

  “It’s just a tale to keep people out of the water,” Dustin exclaims.

  “It’s real, I promise!” Jay says in self-defence.

  “Really?” Dustin questions him, “How would you know
?”

  A demonic grin now covers Jay’s face, “This is where I take all of the bodies!”

  He then pushes Dustin into the Indian Ocean and watches the piranhas devour Dustin.

  C.L. WILLIAMS is an international best-selling author currently living in central Virginia. He has written eight poetry books, four novellas, one novel, and a contributor to a multitude of anthologies and magazines. His most recent anthology appearance ANGELS: Dark Drabbles #2 from Black Hare Press became a number one in hot new releases. C.L. Williams is currently working on his second novel and a new poetry book.

  Facebook: writer434

  Twitter: @writer_434

  Baptism

  by Jeff Slade

  The moon’s reflection wobbled and wavered upon the water. Shifting like my stomach’s contents.