Called Under Read online

  I gasped for air. “Kick your feet, Benj, I’m going to get you!” I threw his trunks into the canoe and heard them land inside. I had already turned back to him and saw him slide the rest of the way out of the life jacket. It popped up to rest on the water once he wasn’t weighing it down, and it took half a second to realize he was gone. My blood went cold.

  “Benj!” I screamed, and dove again. I could see him, just under the surface, but slowly floating down. I swam down to him, just a couple feet under the water, and when I reached out for him, his eyes were wide but he wasn’t struggling. I grabbed his arm and his head turned to look at me. Then a scared expression came over his face and he started thrashing. I hugged him to me and started kicking, trying to reach the surface of the water.

  He jerked his head and hit me in the nose. I grunted and stopped myself from trying to gasp for air when I tasted the odd taste of the lake water. Then I cursed silently as I realized I had let out a bunch of air and that would make it harder to swim. I put my hands under his armpits and pushed him towards the surface, then started kicking to swim higher myself. I reached the surface, gasped for air, and then reached down and grabbed a handful of his hair. Then I yanked him up while trying to tread water.

  Benji reached the surface and made a gurgling sound. I grabbed for his life jacket and lifted him onto it. He cried and tried to wrap himself around me but I knew if he did that we’d both drown. I managed to twist him back around to the life jacket that was floating, then I pulled him with one hand as I swam to the canoe and pushed him up to the side. I held the canoe and pushed him up into it even though I had to touch his butt.

  Then I swam to my life jacket and pulled it back to the canoe as I listened to Benji’s hysterical crying. I couldn’t imagine a sadder sound and I threw my life jacket into the canoe and then struggled to climb in again without tipping it over.

  Benji was huddled, half-naked, crying his eyes out, stopping only to burp once or twice. I crept over to him and he launched himself at me and wrapped himself around me. I hugged him and put my hand on the back of his head. “Hey, you’re safe now! I rescued you and it’s going to be okay. I’ll take you back to the dock, okay?”

  He burped again. “I don’t feel good, Joey,” he said, and then he started to burp but threw up instead. It was lake water and it was still cold as it spilled down my back. I resisted the urge to push him away and kept holding him as he started crying harder. I leaned over a bit so that the next time he threw up over my shoulder, it went into the lake.

  I held him, and eventually he stopped shivering and warmed up. His crying quieted into sobs, and then those went away. I stroked his hair for a little bit longer before I leaned him back.

  “We have to get you dressed again and in your life jacket, okay?”

  He sniffed wretchedly and nodded. I made him lay back in the canoe and then wrung out his swim trunks and tried to wrestle them around his feet. “They’re cold!” he wailed and started whimpering again.

  “They’ll warm up fast,” I said. He lifted his butt and I fought them up to his waist. It was a lot easier to put the life jacket on than the wet swim trunks.

  “Okay, listen. We can’t tell Dad about this, okay?” I told him as I put my life jacket on. “He’ll never let me canoe again. Hell, I’ll be grounded for the rest of the summer.”

  “But if we don’t tell him, they will,” Benji said.

  “Who’s ‘they’?” I asked.

  “The mermaids.”

  “The what?”

  “They live in the lake. And they were calling me. Once I was in the water.”

  “Benjamin...” I started. But I didn’t know where to go from there. What was this about mermaids?

  “They wanted me to swim with them.”

  I thought fast. Maybe if he thought there were mermaids beneath the lake, he wouldn’t have nightmares about drowning. And maybe we could keep this a secret after all. “The mermaids won’t tell Dad. They don’t talk to adults. Only kids. So don’t worry about that at all. It’ll just be our secret, okay?”

  “I want to visit them, Joey.”

  “Mermaids are usually invisible. You must’ve been really lucky and really brave to see one.”

  “I didn’t see them. I could just hear them calling my name.”

  “I was calling your name, Benj. Look. Just... just don’t tell Dad, okay? I’ll let you play my Pokémon cartridge tonight, okay?”

  That got his attention. “Really?”

  “Sure. Just don’t use all my potions. Go to the Pokécenter instead.”

  “Thanks, Joey.”

  He yawned. “I’m tired,” he said.

  “Okay. Just rest and I’ll row us back. And this is just between us, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said. I started rowing. Left, left, right, right. And when I crossed over I looked at him. He was already asleep.

  I carried Benji in from the lake and into our cabin and put him in dry underwear and into bed. Mom asked if he was all right, and I just told her that we swam a bit next to the island and he fell asleep on the way back. She thanked me for looking after him and gave me a can of Coke from the refrigerator.

  I felt like crap for lying, but the cold, fizzy taste of the Coke helped me calm down as I walked back outside where it was starting to get muggy, as Dad called it. I went over to where Angela had been building castles out of the mud and kicked one.

  “Hey! I’m telling!” she said. This made me angry. She had like ten more.

  “So tell,” I said.

  “Give me some of your Coke or I will.”

  I huffed. “Here,” I said.

  Her whole face changed from anger to delight, and she ran over and took the can and started chugging it. I grabbed the can back. “That’s enough,” I said.

  She scrubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. “Go away and stop being mean to me,” she said.

  I rolled my eyes and walked back through the trees where there was meager shade.

  Everything was better now, I thought. I’d never been so wrong.

  Three

  The next day, I was busy gathering rocks I could take with me in the canoe to throw in the lake and pretend they were bombs.

  It was about 10:30 in the morning, and I had a pretty nice pile. I started carrying them over to the canoe in a bucket. It was important to make sure that it could carry all the rocks I was taking. If the canoe sank because it was carrying too many rocks, I’d never be able to go out on my own again.

  On my second trip, Benji stopped playing along the shore and followed me.

  “Can I go with you today?”

  “No,” I told him. I said it a little more mean that I intended, and I felt my face heat up.

  “But I want to visit the mermaids again,” he said in a whiny voice. I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “Look, there weren’t any mermaids.”

  “I heard them, they wanted me to visit!”

  “That was just your stupid imagination,” I said. I wondered if he was going to have nightmares or flashbacks about almost drowning, and that made me scared and angry. Mostly at myself. But also at him, because if he let it slip to Mom or Dad he’d ruin everything.

  “Don’t be a baby. There’s no such thing. It’s just your imagination.”

  He pouted. “They’re real! I heard them!”

  “Don’t be stupid. If they’re real, why didn’t you see any?”

  “They’re afraid of us. That’s why they called to me to visit. They don’t want to show themselves.”

  I slammed the bucket on the ground and grabbed his arm. “Benjamin, you have to stop this. You’re going to ruin everything.”

  He yelled, “Let go of me!” before I realized I was shaking him. I scowled at him and let go of his arm. I picked up the bucket and continued to the canoe, and I could hear his crying trail off as he ran away. I decided to leave the rest of the rocks behind and get going with what I already had, because I wanted to paddle around before lunch and I did n
ot want to be in trouble because he told on me.

  I grabbed my life jacket from the canoe and strapped it on. I didn’t need it but it was bright orange so Dad would be able to tell if I was wearing it or not. I untied the canoe and jumped in. It smelled like hot metal and the oar was hot from lying in the bottom of the canoe, but it would soon be comfortable to hold. I started paddling anyway.

  Once I was away from the shore, it was really nice out. The sun wasn’t quite as harsh as it had been yesterday afternoon, and the breeze was a little too cold but refreshing. I could hear water everywhere, which was strange because it was all just sitting in the lake, but it all made a sound like it was alive. I could hear birds from far away and I knew that if I was lucky, I might see some diving in the lake in search of fish to eat. I had seen that before, but I’d never seen where they took them.

  I had about an hour before I had to be back, so I decided to go around the island again. If I paddled fast enough, I’d get to land on the little island and explore it a bit.

  I paddled hard and then I’d stop and smile as the canoe kept traveling forward in the water with my momentum. It felt good to do something hard enough that it kept happening even after I stopped. But it did make my arms tired. I looked back at the shore toward the dock. I didn’t see my brother or anyone around, so that was good to know. I took a deep breath and started paddling. I’d get around the island and then relax and see where the waves took me for a while before I headed back in.

  Once I was out of sight of the shore, I pulled in the oar and put it on the bottom of the canoe. I looked down. You couldn’t see the bottom of the lake or anything. I guess the water was too muddy. I took a couple of rocks and looked for fish to aim at. I didn’t see any, so I threw the big rocks into the water, savoring the ‘ka-sploosh’ they made if I threw the rock high enough and it went straight in. Then I got a couple flatter rocks and tried to skip them, but the lake wasn’t smooth enough. I only got two skips. I scooted my butt toward the center of the canoe and leaned back. It was nice out and I thought I’d just close my eyes and relax for a minute and see if I drifted anywhere.

  I took a deep breath and sighed it out. The sun was warm on my skin and I could smell the lake air. It got a little musty near the island, but otherwise if you concentrated really hard, you could smell the trees from the shore. It was a smell I was really familiar with from years of visiting the same place every summer.

  I lay there as the waves rocked me gently, and felt really content. The wind blew soft and steady for a few seconds, and then stopped. The sun grew a little warmer without the breeze, like it was more real somehow, and the canoe stopped rocking or bobbing. I thought that was sort of weird, and then I felt uneasy for some reason.

  I opened my eyes and didn’t see anything but the clear blue sky and a couple clouds. I felt like something was watching me, but I didn’t see or hear any birds anywhere. And then I realized it. I didn’t hear anything.

  I jerked upright and held on to the sides of the canoe. There wasn’t any wind at all, and the lake had gone completely flat. I sat perfectly still and strained my ears, but I couldn’t hear anything at all. No birds, no water. Not even the water lapping at the shore of the island. I looked over at the island and didn’t see any waves at all.

  I felt my stomach rise up into my throat and I knew I was starting to panic. I took a deep breath and leaned over to look down into the lake. I felt like I could see deep under the water now, but it was all just deep, clean blue. I couldn’t see the bottom at all. But it made me feel better somehow.

  Like it was always there no matter what.

  Like it was calm.

  Like it was safe.

  I stared down into the water and I knew I’d be more comfortable in there. The sun was hot. And I was sweating under my life jacket, which chafed against my armpits and my throat. I looked down at my life jacket and realized I was unbuckling it with my hand. I didn’t even realize I was doing that.

  When the last buckle was free, I hunched my shoulders and let the life jacket fall into the canoe. My skin felt cooler where it had been because of the sweat, but there was no breeze to make me cold. I looked into the water and saw nothing but blue. Just deep blue, the opposite of the clear sky blue above. I felt like I could just slip in the water and float and be free. I leaned forward a little further. I could almost feel the coolness coming off of the water, and the sun was so hot without the breeze. I felt a little tug in my lap, and then a stronger one.

  I sat up straight again and looked down. My right hand was holding one of the drawstrings to my swim trunks. I’d pulled it, but the drawstrings had knotted instead of coming loose. I scooted back to one side of the canoe. Why did I pull my drawstrings? I wasn’t stupid enough to go skinny dipping in the middle of the day, and even if I was, you only did that if you didn’t have swim trunks.

  I looked around again. No waves, no breeze. I felt my stomach churn again. Something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what. I grabbed the biggest rock in the canoe and threw it into the lake. It went under the water without a splash.

  And then the ripples that came out slowly spread and then blended into the uneven pattern of the water. I looked around and the lake was no longer perfectly flat. I shivered, and realized the wind was chilly where I had been sweaty. I shook my head and hooked a finger in my waistband to make sure my trunks weren’t loose. Then I grabbed my life jacket and put it on again. The clicks of the buckles snapping back into place were louder than the distant birdsong, and I realized that the noises around me were back to normal.

  I felt tired. I picked up the oar and had to force myself to start paddling. My arms felt sluggish at first, like they didn’t want to. Once I started moving, it was easier to keep going. I kept paddling and as I started to come around the side of the island, I still felt funny, but it was like a spell had been lifted. I started paddling back to the dock. I wanted to eat and maybe take a nap before I tried to go to the island again. And maybe this time I’d land on the near side, not the far side.

  As I set my sights on the dock, I noticed a small crowd of people there, which was weird, because there hadn’t really been many campers the day before and I hadn’t noticed any this morning. I was always looking for other kids to hang out with, but I guess a group had shown up. I paced myself while rowing, and by the time I got to the dock, everyone had left.

  I tied up the canoe and walked up the dock. The wet dirt was all churned up where everyone had been walking around, and the mud hadn’t dried yet. I looked at my watch. I’d made pretty good time rowing, at least. I walked back through the cool shade of the trees as I approached our cabin, and I could hear Mom and Dad talking. They didn’t sound happy. I was just glad I wasn’t around so they couldn’t blame me for anything.

  I opened the door and let the screen slam shut behind me as I stepped into the living room. Rudy and Angela were inside, playing with toys. “Mom, I’m back!”

  Her voice called out from the cabin's kitchen. “Get in here right now.” That wasn’t a good sign. I hurried to the kitchen.

  "You're so busted," Rudy said.

  "Shut up, Rudy," I snapped back. But I kept up my pace as I hurried into the kitchen. Mom looked worried. Dad looked angry.

  He turned to me. “Where have you been, young man?”

  I blinked. “I took the canoe out onto the lake like I told you.”

  “Why weren’t you watching your brother?” Mom asked.

  I scowled. That would make them more mad, but I didn’t care just then. “Why would I watch him? I was going out. He was playing together with Rudy and Angela. They know to keep an eye on him.”

  “Well, he tried to follow you out onto the lake.”

  I was confused. “What do you mean? I told him I wasn’t taking him in the canoe. He ran off crying.” I didn’t mean to confess to that. It might make them madder. I felt my face redden.

  “Yeah, well, we sent him back outside to play, and he followed you onto the dock. Why didn’t
you just let him come with you?”

  I was incredulous. “He was nowhere near the dock when I left. I didn’t wait for him once he was away from the water. So what’s the big deal? It’s not like he can get in a canoe by himself.”

  Mom and Dad looked at each other. “He jumped into the water after you.”

  I was shocked. “What? Is he okay?”

  “It’s too late to start worrying about your brother now, Joseph,” Mom said. “We expect you to be there for them.” I didn’t need her getting angry at me, too.

  “I just happened to be walking out to check the canoes for after lunch,” Dad said. “He slipped and fell right off of the dock. It took me almost a minute to reach him. It’s just lucky I was there.”

  “Dad, I swear, I didn’t know! I’ve been gone for an hour!”

  Dad looked at me strange. “Don’t lie to me. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, Dad. I was timing how long it took me to get to the island out there and back. I left at 10:40.”

  Dad checked his watch, and so did I. It was just past 11:30. Dad had a frown on his face. “We rescued him about 25 minutes ago. He’s taking a nap in your bedroom right now.”

  “I saw the crowd that gathered on the dock. But I had already paddled the canoe around the island and was on my way back. How long were they out there?”

  “Only a couple of minutes,” Dad said. “Benji was more scared than anything else. I was at the end of the dock.”

  “So he couldn’t have possibly followed me. It takes me 15 or 20 minutes to row out to the island. And I just rowed out and around it and came right back.” I blushed again. I didn’t mention what had happened when I stopped behind the island. It sounded crazy. And anyway, it had only lasted a minute or two. “I’m glad Benji’s all right,” I added.