Beneath a Darkened Reef
An original short horror story
I’m excited to share this latest short story with you. I drew inspiration from a prompt Winston Malone posted in his The Storyletter newsletter. The prompt invited writers to create a flash fiction story, or a poem, based on the concept of exploring the unknown. Beneath a Darkened Reef is the result of inspiration from that prompt.
Check out the link above to see other stories and poems exploring the unknown.
Kaia never expected new coral to be so colorful up close.
Shades of green, blue, and red blended into a vibrant and beautiful mosaic. She instinctively reached out to touch the reef. Her fingertips stopped short of grazing the stony creatures. Kaia remembered her ocean etiquette. Coral reefs must be admired from a distance like fish swimming behind glass in an aquarium.
Touching reefs harmed the coral.
“Can you hear me?” An anxious voice crackled in her ear. “Are you okay down there?”
Kaia's brown eyes sparkled with amusement. Her oxygen mask concealed an equally amused grin. Jack worried too much for his own good. But that trait also made him an excellent guide. His gruff demeanor faded into a fatherly care once she boarded his boat.
Kaia gave a thumbs up to a tiny headband camera on her forehead. The mask muffled her words. Not that it mattered. Jack would never catch anything she said while so deep underwater.
“Awesome,” her guide said. “Give the line a tug if you run into trouble.”
Bubbles flew around Kaia's face and her black hair fluttered as she plunged deeper. Sunlight penetrating the ocean's surface faded and surrounding water grew colder. Kaia shivered and pressed forward, determined to find the mysterious creature which the oceanography institute detected a couple of nights earlier.
She jumped at the chance to don a wet suit and oxygen tank and dive down beyond the reef's boundaries to shed more light on this discovery. Secrets concealed in the ocean's depths beckoned with their siren call. A thirst for exploration formed part of her DNA.
She loved few things more than unraveling a compelling mystery.
“We're picking up something on sonar,” Jack's voice pierced the surrounding water’s stillness. “I can't describe it.”
Kaia's eyes trailed through darkened water. A massive shadow moved among a legion of shadows. An eerie calm settled over her.
“Whatever is down there is … huge. Be careful.”
Hearing hesitation in his voice didn't inspire confidence. Her heart raced as the larger shadow separated from the others and coalesced into a more defined animal shape.
What are you?
That lone question penetrated Kaia's mind and absorbed all other thoughts like a sponge. Tentacles sprang out from the shadowy creature, reaching out like wriggling fingers. In one fluid wave-like motion, it darted toward her.
Fear surged through Kaia.
What do I do?
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