UBELFANG CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER THREE
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
It’s six in the morning, and all the birds are chirping and sounding their beautiful music; nature’s alarm clocks. Ant is the first one to wake up and brush his teeth, followed by his father, who rushes to the bathroom to do the same. He turns the knob, not expecting any resistance, but to his surprise, it is locked.
Knock…Knock
“Hey, who’s in there? Is that you, Anthony?” Inspects the father.
“It’s me, Dad. Give me a sec; I’m coming out.” Murmurs Ant from the other side.
“It’s okay, son. Imma just use the bathroom downstairs. Take your time.”
Before Phill leaves, he looks at the door and asks his son a simple question.
“Hey, Ant. Are you hungry?” asks Phill with enthusiasm in his voice.
Phill has never had a proper breakfast with his son for more than six months. It’s one of the downfalls of working an early shift.
“Umm… what’re you cooking?” asks Anthony with intrigue.
“Well, what do you want? I can make you pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage… whatever you want.”
“Can I have all of that with a side of orange, please. Also, can you add cheese on top of the eggs? I like my eggs cheesy.” Requests Ant happily.
“Wow… that’s a lot of things. Well…” Phill’s thinking about it.
“Please, Dad.” Begs Anthony.
“You know what, you got it, kiddo. Food will be ready in thirty minutes. See you down there, Ant-Man. And don’t forget to take a shower before you come downstairs.”
Phill rushes downstairs to start cooking. He’s ecstatic to cook and eat breakfast with his son.
I don’t remember the last time my dad called me Ant-Man. I think maybe since I was eight. And now, he wants to cook me a royal breakfast. Weird, but I can’t complain. I wonder if last night had anything to do with it. Thinks Ant to himself before jumping into the shower.
Anthony goes down the stairs with his nostrils open, inhaling the mouthwatering aroma of cooked bacon and sausage. Ant looks over the kitchen table to see his plate filled with cheesy scrambled eggs, with four strips of sausages and three strips of bacon, next to five stacks of pancakes topped with sweet maple syrup. The hungry boy is eager to eat it all at once, but finds the discipline to wait for his father to fill his plate and sit next to him. Anthony takes the first bite with a forkful of eggs.
“So, how’re the eggs?” Asks Phill, eager for his son’s review.
“Wow! These eggs are zy bomb. You haven’t lost your cooking touch, that’s for sure.” Says Ant while chewing his food.
“Zy bomb, huh? Well, Ant, make sure you eat all your food because today will be the day you go fishing for the first time.” Announces Phill with an ecstatic grin on his face.
“Oh shit! For real dad.” Ant outbursts with excitement.
“C’mon now, watch your language. Anyways, once you’re finished with your food, wash your hands and face, and meet me in the back of the house on the boardwalk. I’ll get the fishing equipment in the garage and meet you there in the meantime.”
Ant nods to his father as they both finish eating their breakfast.
Later, on the boardwalk…
“Are you ready to catch a big one?” Says Phill to his son as he hands him a small but sturdy blue rod.
Anthony stares at the rod, perplexed.
“Umm… I don’t know how to operate these things.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll show you. Watch carefully,” says Phill as he shows his son how to set up the reel and the bait on the hook.
He hands him the fishing rod with a finger-sized fish bait hooked to it, and slowly directs his arms backwards to gain enough momentum.
“And now you swing your arms forward as hard as you can in order to throw the fishing line far into the lake.” Explains Phill as he helps him with his swing.
Ant manages to swing it perfectly as the fishing line goes deep into the lake.
“Good job, Anthony. Now comes the boring part; you must wait… sometimes for a while, sometimes right away; but eventually something will catch the bait, and then the fun part is the catch.”
“How do I know if I caught something?” Ask Anthony with excitement in his voice, eager to know.
“It’s simple, son. Once you see the bobber sinking down, that’s when you know you’ve got a fish. You always look out for these two things: the bobber and if you feel pressure or something pulling on your rod. When that happens, you reel and pull… reel and pull. Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you when that happens.” Phill explains the process to his son.
“In the meantime, I’ll go get two folding chairs from the backyard and some drinks for us. What do you wanna drink, Ant?” walks Phill towards the yard as he looks back at his son for an answer.
“Some Coke would be fine.” The young boy speaks swiftly, already knowing what he wants.
“Anthony, it’s seven O’clock in the morning. It’s either hot coco or milk tea,” declares his father as he stands waiting for a better answer.
“Why even ask?” Ant mumbles to himself.
“What….”
“I said coco; Coco would be fine, Dad.” Smirks Ant tilting his head.
Phill gives Ant a warm smile before heading inside to get the drinks.
Ant is by his lonesome, staring at the sun on the horizon. The view is beautiful; nature's architect is a marvel that no man has ever been able to replicate. The hue of the clouds gives a light azure that glistens in the sunlight. Looking long enough, the eyes can see the sun swimming in the sea of the sky. Water above and water below, reflecting each other.
Ant’s mind is in a completely different realm, not even nature’s allure can enter it. It’s filled with the image of one thing. It has monstrous wings ready to crush any man caught up in it. Eyes that are deep, dark, and utterly hollow with the power to cripple all who dare to stare back with fear. Fear that breaks down the nerves, speeds the heart, and fragments the mind. But the worst danger comes in its long, sharp teeth ready to break bones, tear flesh, and consume a man whole.
It wasn’t real. What I saw wasn’t real. It was just a figment of my imagination. It could’ve been a bat or an owl. But it was too big to be a bat; are owls big? I think owls can be big. But what about the teeth? Owls don’t have teeth like that. ENOUGH…. I need to snap it out.” Ant smacks himself out of his head.
I should just focus on the fish. It would be funny if I catch a fish before my dad comes back.” He chuckles at the thought.
“Come on, fishy fish, fish… Give me something big,” murmurs the impatient boy to himself.
Ant is getting jittery, foot-tapping to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Unable to stand still or contain himself, he keeps looking at the red and white bobber, waiting for it to submerge. But nothing, no movement. The water is too calm, no current or wave; no sign of fish or life inside the water. The calm is eerie for some people, but for Ant, it is a disturbance. No fish means no fun. He looks away from the bobber, hoping that by averting his attention, the fish will come. A technique he used while waiting for loading screens to play his video games. It never works, unless done unintentionally.
“COME ON ALREADY…” Ant couldn’t finish his sentence before he felt it.
It was a light pull on his rod, forcing him to look at the bobber that was moving slightly up and down in the water. Ant didn’t react right away; his inexperience froze his mind. But with his cartoon memory of fishermen and his young enthusiasm, he is able to break his mind free. He does what he remembers seeing and starts reeling in as fast as he can. There is no resistance as Anthony turns the handle towards him in a counterclockwise motion. He starts to increase the speed, licking his lips as he stares with his wide eyes at the bobber as it moves closer to the boardwalk. But… right before Anthony can taste victory, the handle gets stuck. He tries to use force to turn the handle, but it won’t budge an inch. He starts to pull on his rod instead, but every time he pulls, the rod pulls back. He leans all the way back, using all his weight and all his force to pull this giant fish out. Stretching his arms and using his legs to muster all the strength a child his age can. But the boy’s body is floating in the air in a losing battle of tug of war. Only his ankles are firmly placed on the wooden ground while the rest is suspended between gravity and resistance.
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“ANTHONY…” Shouts, Phill, from afar.
“Dad, I caught a fish. Look…. Come, Dad, look.” Gasps, Ant as he runs out of breath.
“I think it’s big….” Ants’ speech is cut short as his rod pulled him forward so harshly; his body flew to the edge of the boardwalk. He slams his head and elbows on the hardwood, sending Ant into a pain shock as adrenaline takes over. The scene in front of Phill, and the cracking of the rod on wood, created a panic that set him running on foot. Anthony, although in pain, still held on to the rod. Refusing to let go of his catch.
“I’m right here, Anthony.” Phill bursts out the words as he firmly grabs his son’s shoulders.
He pulls him upwards away from the edge, but the force of the water creature doesn’t allow him to get too far. Ant is off his feet, being pulled from both ends; as his father pulls him an inch closer, the rod pulls them back to the same location and sometimes right on the edge. Phill’s fast breathing is catching up to him as he’s beginning to lose some of his grip on his son. He leans back using all his strength just like his son did before.
“LET GO OF THE ROD, ANTHONY…” yells Phill as his grip is close to loosening completely.
“But Dad, the fish…”
“JUST LET IT GO ANT… PLEASE” pleaded his father with fear in his voice.
The moment the boy finally let go, they both went flying to the ground with Phill’s backside and tailbone breaking his fall. Ant crashed on top of his father, landing aggressively into his father’s embrace. Phill puts his right palm over his son’s face, caressing his hair gently as his heartbeat starts to slow down gradually.
“Are you okay…?” His words are cut short as he sees blood on his right palm.
“We didn’t catch the fish.” Whispers Ant.
I can’t overreact in front of Ant. If he sees the blood, he might freak out. I must be careful about what I say next. He’s been through enough since last night’s incident. Thoughts are racing through his head.
“You did all you could, Ant. Fought like a warrior and even have a little scar to show for it. Let’s go inside and bandage you up, and then you can drink all the Coke you want. You earned it, champ.” Consoles Phill to his son as he kisses his forehead.
Afternoon……
Anthony slept the whole time since the morning clash. Deep sleep filled with fantasy dreams away from monsters and fish. But his dreams are snatched from him as loud voices from outside his window are taking over his ears. At first, he hears them inside his dreams speaking incoherently, like a disturbance that doesn’t belong in his fantasy realm, and then slowly his eyes open, taking in the real source of that sound.
“ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS, PHILL?” Mocks Ralf with his coarse voice.
“OH, the water monster is gonna get me. Get a hold of yourself, Phill.”
Ant’s curiosity leads him to the window as he witnesses both his father and uncle arguing on the boardwalk. The boy feels disoriented, like waking up from a long coma. As he walks to his door, he notices his reflection in the mirror, looking at himself in shock. He sees a long white bandage wrapped around his forehead. It reminds him of how people look in movies after a car crash. This is the first time he sees the extent of his injuries, which caused his breathing to rapidly rise. He wants to cry, but a part of him is proud of his scar and his efforts in attempting to catch the giant fish. He swallows his saliva and buries his fear.
This scar is a mark of honour. Anthony thinks of himself as a Medal of Honour hero from his games.
He goes downstairs to check what is going on. Both Ralf and Phill are still going at each other. When he steps outside, he can finally see his aunt, who was swimming quietly in the lake, as both brothers have their clash of words. Ant is worried; his instincts tell him that no one should be swimming in the water, especially while there is a giant fish lurking around.
“DAD,” yells Ant from a distance.
Phill turns his head with his full attention on Ant. He forces a smile through his red-hot face.
“Go worry about your kid, and let me worry about my wife.” Snorts Ralf as he switches his attention to his wife swimming in her bikini.
“Ralf, can you please stop fighting like children and get your ass into the water. You two can be such drama queens,” teases Stacey as she floats on her back looking at the sun.
“Your hooters look good in that yellow top; makes me wanna bury my face in 'em.” Flirts Ralf.
“Baby, you better watch your mouth and get your ass in here so we can have some …”
“What?”
“Nothing, the glare from the sun makes my eyes see shadows around me. I wonder how deep this lake is. I’ll take a quick dive and check it out. You'd better be in the water by the time I come back up.”
“Watch out for the monster lurking in the depths.” Ralf taunts with a bad impression of his brother.
“Oh, stop it, Ralf,” says Stacey before diving deep into the depths of the lake.
“Asshole.” Whispers Phill under his breath.
“Hey, Ant, why are you out of bed? You need your rest so you can heal,” soothes his father in a gentle voice.
“Why is Aunt Stacey swimming in the lake?” Questions, Ant, with confusion on his face.
“It’s none of our business, Ant. Some people don’t like to listen, and we can’t force them, okay.” Phill pinches his son’s cheeks as he gives him a warm smile.
Anthony smiles back and hugs his father.
“Everything will be alright, Ant…”
“STACEY…” Ralf blurts out the words.
“Alright, honey, you can come up now.” Pleads her husband with desperation in his tone.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON……”
“STACEY…… PLEASE… HONEY…. BABY.” Ralf rips his shirt with his brutish, drunk strength.
He’s about to jump… but his brother stops him, holding him down, trying to calm him down.
“LISTEN… RALF….RALF…. LOOK! You can’t go in there, it’s not safe.” Phill begs his brother, staring intensely into his eyes.
“GET THE FUCK OFF ME…” Snaps the husband as he pushes his brother out of the way and onto the ground.
Without a moment of hesitation, he dives deep into the water looking for his wife.
“DAD, what’s going on?” Stutters Ant with wide, lost eyes and a loud heartbeat.
Phill looked at his son, not finding any answers. He is just as lost as he is. He gets up to his feet slowly and, without saying a word, grabs his son’s head and places it against his chest aggressively. Ant is astonished by his father’s behaviour as shivers run up and down his spine. He can hear his father’s heartbeat; it is hitting his eardrums with every beat. He can also feel small drops of water landing on the roots of his hair. It is warm and drops every five seconds or less. Ant knows exactly what that means. He doesn’t look up; afraid to see his father, his invincible superhero, like this.
A loud splash breaks Phill out of his distressed state. It’s his brother emerging from the depths after more than a minute has passed. A grin appears on Phill’s face; his heart can breathe easily; Even for a second.
“RALF,” announces Phill with excitement.
The expressions on Ralf’s face don’t match his brother’s. There is dread in his eyes; loss, pain, sorrow. His sclera, which was once white, is now red all over; his dark iris seems to have completely dilated and taken over the little blue of his pupils. Ant felt his heart sink as those eyes burned deep into his memories forever.
“SHE’S GONE.”
“I CAN’T FIND HER……..”
“SHE’S GONE…… HAAAH…. WHAT….WHAT… WHAT THE FUCK PHILL….”
“SHE’S FUCKING GONE……………”
