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Upon not being able to answer the question, “Can you describe what you saw?” I decided to write this. That’s the thing, I can describe it. I remembered it in every perfect deitel but the words to describe it drowned in my throat. Trying to tell only my therapist led to my lungs seizing up and my heart trying to leave my body, while my hands shook and my mind went blank except for one thought...
For context, I had a week off of university for winter holiday. Some mates of mine were planning a trip to Miami to escape the cold and to visit some long distance friends. Our week involved drinking, partying, and disneyworld. It ended with a beach day and a night on our friend’s sailboat.
The memory of that night in Florida keeps replaying in my head. How the boat rocked lightly in the water below. The sounds of my friend's laughter and dance music. The weight of a beer bottle in my hand. Not a care in the world. It was supposed to be the cherry on top of the last night on holiday. The crescendo before returning to the gloom of England. Returning to the mundane reality of school and work.
“Willbur!” I turn around at the sound of my name, “head back to the car and grab the six pack of Heineken!” his words were clear and his smile was heard in them. You might think we were all completely wasted, but I didn’t want to be hungover on the flight home, so I was only on my second bottle.
Regardless, I obeyed and left my bottle on the boat and carefully climbed off and back onto the dock. The trek back to the car required one to walk across the private beach, only for boat owners, and up a hill into the parking lot. On my way there, I hadn’t noticed anything amiss on the beach. There was a sidewalk paved next to the sand banks which I kept to. The waved glowed with the reflection of the silver star. The sky was bright tonight, even with no moon out. Out on the waves some boats were moving towards the docks.
I pulled the keys to the rental car out of my pocket to unlock the trunks. The 6 pack was exactly where I expected it to be. I grab it and turn around, gazing back out to sea. I realized the boats had begun turning around simultaneously, all back into open waters.
As I left the parking lot and began making my way back to the docks, I couldn’t help wondering what was happening out at sea. Why were the boats turning around? This thought was enough to pull me off the sidewalk and stepped onto the sand. it gave beneath me as I walked down to the ocean the cool sand crept between my toes.
I realized there was a bright light reflecting off the waves, much brighter than the stars could provide. Walking closer to the water's edge I noticed how the light was emitting from a source.
It was only then I realized I wasn't alone on this beach. That a man sat at the edge of the waterline, hunched forward, with a green hood over their head. In the dark I couldn't make out details. He was short enough to almost blend in as a hill of or a strange rock. I assumed they were shining a flashlight over the water for some reason but I wasn't sure.
"Hey!" I called out. They didn't turn. Me and my fool hearted mild inebriation didn't take the hint.
As I continued walking they slowly turned, and suddenly each step I took was in slow motion. As they turned a glowing light illuminated where they faced. It didn't fully register until I looked upon its face head first, and I felt every muscle in my body freeze solid.
Where a human face should have been was an abyss of glowing white. Any features were so saturated in blinding light they were next to impossible to truly see. His physique was humanoid, but I am certain I was looking at something more.
I felt my heartbeat, my breath, and every muscle in my body. I remember looking down at hand and realizing something was very wrong. Someone must have spiked my drink, I thought. I looked back up at the creature in front of me, and realized it was standing up.
I knew I had to run, but before I could escape the breath caught in my throat. I choked, and realized it had grabbed me by the hood of my jumper. I fell backwards, kicking up sand with my tumble. In a last ditch effort I tried to throw the 6 pack at him but the angle did little in way of putting power in my punch.
Any attempt to escape was stopped before it started. An unending weight held me in the sand. I realized the creature looked down at me, and a faint ringing sound played in my ears. My pupils dilated down to a pins width. Even closing my eyes did little to alleviate the strain.
I'm sure I screamed… but I don't remember hearing it. I just remembered the ringing getting louder and louder, and the weight keeping me in place, and the light starting to give way to a horrid facial expression. The only thought in my mind was that this was the end.
I woke up to the sound of people calling out my name.
Everyone asked what happened but I couldn’t tell them. How could you say such a thing out loud without everyone thinking you’ve lost it? Then again maybe I have. Even If the bruises from where it touched me are still there, I can’t accept whatever it was. I keep catching myself looking down at my hand to make sure this is real. I keep asking myself If i’m dead.
Sometimes I’d swear I see a light in the corner of my eye. I wonder if it’s come to finish the job. Or if running my perception of reality was its job. I need to find the answer, and It might kill me to do so. Right now, I’m safe in england, but tomorrow I’ll be on a flight back to Florida. I’ll realize I'm insane or I'll awake from this dream.