Oceans Page 9
In Utero
by Rich Rurshell
She panicked as the salt water rushed into her lungs, unable to hold her breath any longer. She kicked her legs, knowing she was too far away from the surface, but it felt like the right thing to do. After a moment, the pain in her lungs went away and she stopped moving.
Quiet.
Ebony could make out groups of curious fish in her blurred vision. Their beautiful colours. The shades of green and blue around her.
As the darkness closed in, Ebony felt great peace. Safety. At one with her environment. A sense of belonging deep within Mother Earth.
RICH RURSHELL is a short story writer from Suffolk, England. Rich writes Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy, and his stories can be found in various short story anthologies and magazines. Most recently, his story “Subject: Galilee” was published in World War Four from Zombie Pirate Publishing, and “Life Choices” was published in Salty Tales from Stormy Island Publishing. When Rich is not writing stories, he likes to write and perform music.
Facebook: richrurshellauthor
Beachfront Days
by Robin Braid
Alex waded into the water, searching for movement beneath the surface. Had nobody else seen the child go under? A group of teenagers splashed past, laughing as they raced towards an incoming wave.
Then he saw her, reaching out. He had a rush of relief as her little hand slipped into his, but it felt strange.
Her long, blonde hair seemed to drift away, debris in a retreating tide, and a cold, grey eye stared up at him. The little hand wound around his, and as a crimson cloud stirred shapes in the water, Alex fell into the ocean’s embrace.
ROBIN BRAID writes stories of the mysterious and macabre. A resident of Fife, Scotland, he graduated from Dundee University with a degree in English Literature. When not working in his regular job he can often be found rambling over hills and glens in search of inspiration for further tales.
Twitter: @robinbraid
Cold
by Ximena Escobar
The day came that Ocean decided to be fire. The sun through the ripples; she envisioned grasping it in her hands like a pearl of everything she wasn’t; everything she wanted consuming her, lighting her. She’d burn, fly like the shooting stars fly and she doesn’t, trapped always in dark cold craters.
Rising like a mountain, she walked to the shore on legs of dream, dragging the planet’s water like a wedding dress to the edge.
She jumped, but no wings opened. The unreachable sun dimmed as she floated away shapelessly, missed by the shooting stars around her. Unlit. Unburnt.
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
The Blood Red Sea
by Lyndsey Ellis-Holloway
Hi ho, hi ho, a pirate’s life for me.
You can run, you can’t hide,
As we sail the high tide,
Upon the Blood Red Sea.
Hi ho, hi ho, a pirate’s life for me.
With a swish of my sword,
I’ll never get bored,
Upon the Blood Red Sea.
Hi ho, hi ho, a pirate’s life for me.
I chop off his head,
And he joins the dead,
Upon the Blood Red Sea.
Hi ho, hi ho, a pirate’s life for me.
The rolling waves,
A hundred new graves,
Upon the Blood Red Sea.
A pirate’s life for me.
LYNDSEY ELLIS-HOLLOWAY is a writer from Knaresborough, UK. She writes fantasy, sci-fi, horror and dystopian stories, focussing on compelling characters and layering in myth and legend at every opportunity. Her mind is somewhat dark and twisted, and she lives in perpetual hope of owning her own Dragon someday, but for now she writes about them to fill the void... and to stop her from murdering people who annoy her. When she’s not writing she spends time with her husband, her dogs and her friends enjoying activities such as walking, movies, conventions and of course writing for fun as well!
Website: theprose.com/LyndseyEH
The Dead Can’t Warn You
by Susanne Thomas
Another body washed up on shore, pocked by circles like the others. Giant rings were gruesome reds and purples on the bloated, rotting, grey flesh. Access to the beaches had been revoked for the millions of tourists and residents of the city. Not that it seemed to matter.
Patrick had the misfortune of examining each cadaver. He watched the water’s surface with fear. He was just a coroner, and bravery wasn’t his strong suit. A glint in the water caught his eye, and he approached the water’s edge, staring into the distance. He never saw the tentacle that grabbed him.
SUSANNE THOMAS reads, writes, parents, and teaches from the windy west in Wyoming. She’s an MFA graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello Creative Writing Program and she loves fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, poetry, children’s books, science, coffee, and puns.
Website: www.themightierpenn.com
Even sharks can be prey
by Stephen Herczeg
The shark swam through the deep cold water. Summer was coming and with it the rise in fish stocks and the chance for something larger. The dark seals were a delicacy, but not the larger pale seals. Too many bones.
Deep below, a large shape surfaced from the murky depths. Its powerful tail thrust towards the shark.
Awakened from its frozen slumber, the giant Kronosaurus rose. Massive jaws snapped the shark in half and gulped it down.
After so long, the hunger gnawed away inside.
It sensed prey splashing in the shallows nearby. They were small, but they were many.
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
Bad Luck
by Jade Wilburn
Bad luck to have a woman onboard.
That’s what the sailors said when they tossed Veronica overboard, a sacrifice to appease the raging sea.
What was a woman’s life in comparison to the fear of fifty men?
Luckily, the sea gifted its new daughters with water-breathing and tails.
“It’s time,” Veronica called, sharing a fanged smile with her sisters as they bobbed in the water beside a ship. A haunting melody spilled out their lips, and bodies began to fall from overhead.
She and her sisters had drowned for something that wasn’t their fault; every sailor deserved that same courtesy.
A NATIVE OF ROCHESTER, New York, Jade Wilburn is currently earning an M.S. in User Experience and Interaction Design at Thomas Jefferson University. In between studying like a good student, she devours fairytales and composes fantasy stories. Her work has appeared in Enchanted Conversation Magazine. Twitter: @_Jade_Green_
Sink or Float
by Radar DeBoard
Tommy’s favourite game was walking to the end of the dock by his oceanside home and tossing things into the water. He loved to discover if each item would sink or float.
His favourite moment was that
brief second where he couldn’t tell what was going to happen.
Secretly, Tommy liked watching items sink way more than seeing them float.
He was having trouble getting his latest object pushed off the dock since it was so heavy.
With a final push he managed to shove his father’s body off the edge. Tommy smiled as his dad sank into the ocean.
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
It Began in the Oceans
by Crystal L. Kirkham
It began in the oceans.
A war unlike others.
Dolphins organised the sea creatures. Whales crashed down and destroyed ships. Jellyfish sought out the swimmers.
Soon, the seas were untouchable, the beaches abandoned.
It was war, and we weren’t going to give up. They fought dirty, we fought dirtier.
Poison. Disease. Bombing.
We defeated them, but we did not win.
Our oceans were destroyed. Unusable. Fresh water was at a premium.
Parched and choking, all living things perished.
The empty Earth had time to heal and life could once again find a way.
As always, it began in the oceans.
CRYSTAL L. KIRKHAM is a multi-genre speculative fiction author. She has published novels across several genres including her fantasy adventure Feathers and Fae (October 2019 from Kyanite Publishing) and her self-published urban fantasy series, Saints & Sinners. She is also a contributing author to multiple best-selling anthologies. Hailing from the wilds of Canada, she is an avid outdoors person, unrepentant coffee addict, part-time foodie, servant to a wonderful feline, and companion to three delightfully hilarious canines - Treble and Freddie the Standard Poodles, and Nahni the Australian Shepherd.
Website: www.crystallkirkham.com
Man O’ War
by Antonia Rachel Ward
I swam as far from the beach as I dared. The ocean was drenched in sunlight. I floated adrift, feeling free, until electric prickles seared up my limbs.
Turning my head, I saw the water swarming with cellophane forms. They looked so delicate. So harmless. I reached out to them. Feathery tendrils wrapped around my arms and legs. The pain turned me translucent. I became atoms on the surface of the water.
My rescuers told me I was lucky. The amount of venom in my blood should have killed me. But they don’t understand.
I brought death back with me.
ANTONIA RACHEL WARD is a writer of Gothic, horror, and futuristic fiction based in Cambridgeshire, UK. She holds an MA in English Literature with a specialism in Eighteenth-Century Gothic, and is currently working on her first novel.
To Die or
Not to (Not) Die
by K.B. Elijah
There was only one choice for the crew of the Bountiful: death by dehydration or death by drowning.
On a steadily sinking ship whose mast had been lost in the storm three days prior, and now lay adrift in a desolate part of the ocean far from shipping lanes, that choice was all they had.
Would they give themselves to the sea, that unforgiving and temperamental mistress? Or would they clutch at the vestiges of a forlorn hope; attempt to hold on to life until their thirst stole it from their bones?
Then the Kraken arrived and stole their choice.
K.B. ELIJAH is a fantasy author living in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and three cockatiels. A lawyer by day, and a writer by...also day, because she needs her solid nine hours of sleep per night (not that the cockatiels let her sleep past 6am). K.B. writes for various international anthologies, and her work features in dozens of collections about the mysterious, the magical and the macabre. Her own books of short fantasy novellas with twists, The Empty Sky and Out of the Nowhere, are available on paperback and Kindle now.
Website: www.kbelijah.com
Instagram: k.b.elijah
The Longest Voyage
by Kimberly Rei
The discovery of an ancient sea-faring vessel in the middle of a prairie had brought Sam to the abandoned farmhouse on a survey mission.
He stared in wonder and pressed his palm to the oddly preserved wooden hull.
The sound of crashing waves snapped his gaze to the horizon. He had to be hearing things. The air felt heavy, as if a storm was approaching. Icy water, unseen to the mortal eye, slammed into him and spun him off his feet. He struggled for air, blacking out as the ship slid past.
The ocean had come to reclaim its own.
KIMBERLY REI has been writing for as long as she can remember. At five years old, her parents gifted her with a set of Children’s Classics that she had no hope of reading. Yet. The potential alone sparked a love of words that has never wavered. Kim has taught writing workshops and edited novels for Authors You May Recognize. She has published several short stories and now can’t stop chasing paper dragons. She currently lives in Tampa Bay, Florida with her wife and an abundance of gorgeous beaches to explore.
Qalupalik Part 2
by V.A. Vazquez
She waited.
Shotgun clutched tight in her hands, puffs of breath steaming and dissipating in the arctic winds. Finally, the qalupalik climbed out of the breathing hole; its lurching, consumptive frame silhouetted against the lights of the town.
Her town.
“Do you remember me?”
Its voice was cracked and seeping.
She looked closer at its pale face, its damp-blue eyes.
The outsider boy.
The one who’d chased her onto the ice years ago.
“I’ve been living all this time—” It pointed its stuttering finger towards the breathing hole. “—down there.”
The night breathed.
“I suppose it’s your town too then.”
V.A. VAZQUEZ writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She currently lives in Glasgow, Scotland with her husband and small doggo.
Website: www.vavazquez.com
The Artist
by Bec Lewis
The luxury yacht—her floating studio—lurched. Water spewed in.
Bella grabbed her precious paintings.
“Where d’you get such amazingly iridescent colours?” buyers always asked.
She never told. Tattoos snaking down her arms gave a clue: seaweed, coral...and mermaids. Papa’s fishing trips were not for food. The ground-up scales were like liquid mother-of-pearl.
The water rose rapidly.
A woman appeared alongside the floundering Bella and pointed at bobbing seascapes.
“You like my art?” Bella gasped, spotting the fishy tail. The mermaid stroked Bella’s tattoos, nodded, smiling, before whipping out a sharp razor shell and starting her own art collection.
BEC LEWIS lives in Kent, England. She’s had stories published in a number of e-zines and print magazines.
Website: www.beclewisfiction.com
The Lady and the Whale
by Nicola Currie
Something draws the creature, I think as I observe from the helm, as I am drawn to his melancholy song. Days he has followed our ship, ever singing.
Could it be? I think as I fuss the odious whalebone pendant my husband bids me wear, ever reminded of his cruelty.
How many seas would I cross if I loved someone to their bones?
My husband approaches, harpoon ready. He ignores my implorations, leans overboard, aims at the mellifluous angel.
For my melancholy or the creature’s, I know not, but I push.
Silently, the beauty enjoys his vengeance.
Bone by bone.
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 antholog
ies. She has also completed her first novel, which was longlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award.
Website: writeitandweep.home.blog
Caged
by Jodi Jensen
Down, down, down she went, safe inside the shark cage, camera in hand. The deeper she went, the darker it got.
A bump against the cage sent her heart racing.
Lifting her camera, she wondered what species of shark she was about to capture. A hammerhead, she hoped.
She waited...
And waited...
Something tugged at her foot.
She glanced down...
Tentacles?
One around her ankle, another around a bar. A head squeezed through the cage, then a body.
She dropped the camera and fumbled with the cage door.
The giant squid wrapped her in its tentacles and swallowed her screams.
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.