A Strange Day in July

(This story comes out of an exercise i was encouraged to do to help me to develop my writing ability)

He threw with all his might but the third stone came skipping back to him

“Do it again!” demanded Lizzy. “Do you think it is magic?” she asked as Casey bent down to pick up another stone.

He shrugged and pulled his arm back like his uncle had taught him to skip the stone across the shiny waves. That is what he had planned on doing, teaching Lizzy how to skip rocks. But then something very weird had happened. The first stone he had thrown as he was trying to show Lizzy how to skip, skipped three times and then instead of sinking to the bottom of the lake it came skipping back to him. Casey tossed the little stone in the air then he threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back to him, just like the first two.

“I bet it's magic.” said Lizzy, “I bet there is some kind of curse on this lake, and that's way mama, and daddy, and aunt Ria came here.”

“Don't be stupid.” said Casey, “Why would they let us play by it if the lake was cursed?”

Now Lizzie was only just barley five and as most five year old she did not like it very much when people called her stupid. She pouted for a wail as Casey picked up one more stone and hurdled it into the lake. Once again it cam back. “Well what do you think it is?” she asked arms crossed so he could see that she was mad.

“A ghost probably.” he answered picking up another stone and tossing it.

“That's dumb, ghosts can't throw stones.”

“No you're dumb, ghosts can do anything.”

now that had done it. Casey had called her stupid and dumb, it was more then the little five year old ego could take and she ran back to the small cottage where her mother, father, and Aunt Ria were sitting having their afternoon tea.

Lizzy burst into the tea room, “momma, mamma, Casey called me stupid, and dumb.”

Her mother, an exceptionally thin women, put down her tea cup, “Oh baby,” Lizzy ran over and flung her head into her mother's lap, “Why did he say that?” her mothers voice was soft and she stroked her daughters hair as she spoke.

“the rocks...” by this time Lizzie had been able to conjure up some almost convincing tears, “he was throwing them into the lake, but they kept skipping right back to him...” she sobbed, “ and I said it must be cursed and he said I was stupid.”

“Oh ho.” Her mother laughed just a little still trying to comfort her little girl. “honey, the lake isn't cursed.”

“Really?” Lizzie looked up at her mom. “is it haunted then, cause that is what Casey said.”

at this point the women across the table, aunt Ria as the children called her, spoke up, “no it is defiantly not haunted.” Ria was a strong women, she was larger then Lizzy's mother though that wasn't saying much, and though she did have a sustain amount of softness to her she was mostly

muscle. “but I should probably go see what this rock thing is all about.”

Lizzie's father then chimed in “would you like me to come with you.” Lizzie's father was a tall man, or sort of man. The truth was her father was hardly a man at all. His green skin and red eyes and horns shattered any illusion of that. His name was Zack and he was about a quarter human and three quarters Hactsen Daemon. His daughter Lizzy showed very little of her father looks, but there was a chance that when she got older her inhuman side might present itself.

“Naw.” said Ria, “if it is bad I'll scream.”

“oh please don't.” Zack mocked.

Ria shrugged as she left the room and headed down to the lake.

***

Casey was standing in the exact same place where Lizzy had left him. “Case!” she called. Casey looked her way then back at the stone in his hand. When she got to him she knelt so she could look him in the eye. “Lizzie says you told her she was stupid.”

Casey looked down at his feet, “Well...” he started, “She thinks the lake is cursed. And that is stupid.”

“Just because a thought or idea is stupid doesn't mean the person is stupid.” his aunt explained she sat on the beach. “Why do you think the stones keep coming back?” she asked him.

Casey took the stone in his hand and threw it into the waters only to have it come skipping back to him. “It's haunted.” he said confidently.

Ria smiled and rubbed the back of her neck, “What if I told you that that is more stupid then Lizzie saying the lake is cursed?”

Casey looked at his aunt shocked.

Ria rubbed her hands to get rid of the sand on them, “actually she is much closer to the truth of this lake then you are.”

“But it's not cursed.” he wasn't as sure of himself any more, he had been so convinced that it was a ghost he was playing with. Some little boy spirit that had drowned in the lake and was doomed to haunt the shores forever alone that now he felt very disappointed.

“No not the lake itself, but this is an old and mysterious lake. There are many things in here that are, cursed. Like the guest we had at dinner last night, you remember him right?”

Casey made a disgusted face, the guest they had had over for dinner that night had been by far one of the more demonic looking things he had seen, and he had seen a lot of demonic things, his uncle Zack for insistence.

“There are many mysterious things in this world, you probably will never discover all of them.” Ria went on. Casey was now sitting next to her looking out at the waves which shone with the light of the sun. “look there!” Ria exclaimed pointing a finger out over the lake.

Casey looked. He saw something that looked like a head on a long neck like some kind of serpent. “wave to Nessy.” instructed his aunt.

Casey waved excitedly. “is that who I have been playing with?”

Ria shrugged, “I doubt it, but who knows?” they watched as the creature rolled over to its side and waved a flipper back at them.

Casey giggled, “No one is going to believe this.”

“Nope,” agreed his aunt, “but that is our lot in life. We see things and know things that keep everyone else safe. So safe that they have forgotten how to believe in the magic that surrounds them every day.” she hugged her nephew, “Come on its time for lunch and you need to apologizes to Lizzie.” she stood.

“Awe do I have to?” asked Casey.

Ria was dusting herself off, “Yes.”

“But why?”

“Because,” answered Ria, “you hurt her, and that is wrong.” they started walking towards the house, “What you your teacher make you do?” she asked.

Casey bowed his head as they walked, “she'd make me say I was sorry and then give her my snack.”

Ria smiled, “well maybe you can just say you are sorry.