“A naïve child and his damaged family are infiltrated by a lecherous water nymph.”

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It was just after midnight, and Jimmy’s parents were fighting again. He couldn’t lay in bed one more minute and listen to them argue about things he didn’t – or couldn’t – understand. So he slipped out of his room and passed their bedroom door, down the stairs to the front door, put on his coat & boots and left.
He ran to the other side of the street – making sure to look both ways – and skidded down the slippery, grassy knoll till he found his footing on the gravel trail that boarded the lakeside. During the summer months, the oceanfront town they lived in would keep the man-made lake stocked with fish, fed-in through an underground reservoir. But it was the middle of winter and the lake was as still as the undisturbed snow that lay at the boy’s feet. He loved the water: being close to it, in it… everything. He was an avid swimmer, when his parents could remember to take him to his lessons. But in the meantime he was contented with being so close to the park.
It was cold just standing still, so Jimmy rocked back-and-forth in his boots; the soles making a satisfying squish against the wet snow. Up and down, rhythmically, without even realizing he was doing it. A ripple. He had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was, far out in the water: like a fish swimming close to the surface. A really big fish! And it was coming straight towards him, clear as night under the bright November moon. It scared Jimmy, and he began to back away, until a voice stopped him dead in his tracks. A beautiful, lilting voice that came from nowhere in particular but filled him completely. Wait…
Who said that?
Wait… The ripple was now at the shoreline, and what started as a tall, dark shadow rising from the shallow wavelet took on human features under the twilight. Wonderful features. She looked like his mother but more benign, with softer features and longer hair; sort of how she looked in those old photo books that he looked through occasionally. The thought of her warmed him, and intensified the happening.
What are you?
You can call me Anemone. She walked right up to him; not much taller than him when she stood right beside him, making Jimmy even more at-ease than he was already. Never could anyone have been more relaxed. She placed her wet hand on Jimmy’s face and stroked his cheek gently. You are an exquisite creature.
What does exquisite mean?
It means, that you are heavenly. I couldn’t have waited any longer for someone better. She leaned down and kissed him very gently on the lips, and then again. It wasn’t until she had kneeled over that Jimmy had noticed her breasts. He had never seen a naked woman before, but it didn’t bother him. In fact, he was completely at-ease with it, which confused him. It was as confusing as what was happening in his pants. She took his hand. Come with me.
Where are we going?
I want to show you something. She started walking into the water. Jimmy hesitated.
Won’t I drown?
I won’t let anything happen to you, Jimmy. She gently put her hand back on his face. Trust me. He did, fully.

*

Jimmy couldn’t remember what happened next, or how he ended up back in his bed in the morning, but he did feel rested, and for once didn’t put up any fuss about going to school. His father had already left for work and his mother had breakfast all ready for him when he came downstairs. No tense silences, no stoic cleaning of the crime scene; just a bowl of his favourite cereal and a kiss on the cheek from his mother. She looked positively-glowing that morning, but Jimmy didn’t ask any questions. He knew better than to look a gift-horse in the mouth. And other than his usual pummeling at recess by the school bully, the rest of his day wasn’t so bad either: he got to keep his lunch intact, and an A on a surprise spelling pop-quiz.
But even though he knew this was far from his daily norm, as the sun passed overhead all of his good fortune evaporated from his brooding in favour of that pretty girl from the lake. It had to be a dream, didn’t it? He tried to remember her nude female figure; the details masked by her penumbra, but he couldn’t. It was a blur, just like a dream, and all he knew for sure was his parents were fighting again and that he had a hard time falling asleep. Guess he finally did.
The teacher pointed at him while he was looking out the window. “Jimmy? Jimmy!” But Jimmy didn’t listen. It was almost 3PM. From two rows over, the bully pulled one of his triple-A batteries out of his MP3 player and threw it at Jimmy’s head, leaving a bruise. Jimmy was shocked awake. The teacher tried to intervene but the damage was done: everyone was laughing at him & calling him stupid as the dismissal bell rang. He surmised it was the same kind of day it had always been.

That night, there was very little commotion at the house. Dad wasn’t home yet when Jimmy was put to bed, and Mom relished the opportunity to finish a bottle of wine to herself & read in the downstairs foyer. Midnight chimed on the old clock they kept there, and upstairs, Jimmy was asleep.
Jimmy…
A voice. An eerily-familiar voice. One that woke him with immediacy.
Jimmy, come to me…
He couldn’t place where he had heard that voice before, but it was almost as if the sound itself was guiding him, leading him, out of his bed and to the balcony that perched over the stairs to the first floor & just the lower two-thirds of the recliner that Mom was in now. He couldn’t see her wholly, but he could hear her snoring faintly over the rhythmical song in his head, with the book resting in her lap. He sneaked downstairs – passed the master bedroom where, presumably, his father had sidled in to – put his outside clothes on again and let himself out the front door.
It was snowing, and it was a sight underneath the lamplight. There was another light, however, shining in Jimmy’s face from afar: across the street and well into the park, possibly even from the water. Jimmy looked both ways before crossing the road, back to the spot where he was before. The light was brighter now, but not like a flashlight: more like a prism; a reflection from the ever-present moonlight, even with the harsh street lights backlighting it. And it was approaching him, just like the ripple did the night before. And the ripple was still there, just bright and effervescent, like the shiny scales of a fish. And when this time the ripple reached Jimmy and the naiad stepped out of the water, she was paler & her features more defined than the last time. In fact, she was more beautiful than she was the night before. The memory of the previous encounter came rushing back to Jimmy, and once again he was under her spell.
Hello, my handsome man.
Hi.
You heard my call. That’s good.
That’s good?
Very good. The naiad approached him, and, like before, her shape warped into one that Jimmy unconditionally-accepted: from a younger version of his mother, to a teenage version, with innocent eyes that betrayed the sadness & imprisonment he saw in her now. Do you like it when I change for you?
Yes. He remembered that same feeling, the one in his pants, the one he had now; it was the same feeling he had when Mom bathed him one night. That was a long time ago.
How do you like it?
It makes me feel safe.
Take my hand, Jimmy. She led him back into the lake, and this time, he didn’t resist.

*

The next morning was déjà-vu. Dad was gone early again. He never left early. In fact, it was a struggle to wake him up in time to get to work most days. And in place of cereal, Mom had a short-stack of pancakes prepared, with blueberry filling. Jimmy was awake & alert and hungry, so hungry. The food seemed to vanish from the plate faster than he could chew it. A kiss on the cheek. His mother, in an apron. “You know you’re my special little boy, right?”
I know, Mom. She started to stroke his hair.
“And you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, do you?”
Mom, you’re acting funny!
“I just want to make sure that you know, that I love you. She let her caress fall from his head to his neck, and then down his back, up and down, rubbing him. Time seemed to slow. Jimmy sipped the last of his juice.
I have to go now.
“So soon? I suppose it’s time. Hurry home though, okay? Mommy will miss you.”
Okay. Bye. He grabbed his knapsack sitting by the front door without looking behind him. What was wrong with her this morning? She was acting so funny. But he kind of liked it. It wasn’t her normal, but what was her normal? She had lived way longer than him; there must have been a point when she was happy. He could sense the happiness from her today. And her smell… something he couldn’t place, but she smelled different. Sweetly, like a honeysuckle. It made him want to skip school. Maybe Dad should spend all day away more often.

It was recess. Jimmy knew what was coming. Some days he would run as far away as he could, across the school field and into the bush that surrounded the property, and some days that worked. Other days he would just stand there and take it. But even though he dreaded the eventual encounter, he couldn’t stop thinking about his dream, the same one from the night before last, with the featureless woman from the lake. But as he thought about her, he also found himself thinking about his mother, and her smell, that lingering sensation that followed him. It drove him a little crazy, and he felt crazy too, smacking his head as he wandered the perimeter of the field. He couldn’t concentrate on anything except the smell, and the way it was making him feel. So right, but so wrong.
A rock hits him in the back of the head. “Hey faggot!” Behind him was Jesse, and not a minute late. Another rock, this time in his back. And another one. It hurt that time. “Faggot, I’m talking to you!” Jimmy turned around just as Jesse reached him, pushing him hard to the ground with both hands. “You’re a fucking loser, Jimmy! What are you going to do, huh?” He kept shoving him against the hard, worn ground. “You’re just going to lie there and take it? You’re a bigger homo than I thought!” Jimmy knew he would wear himself out eventually, he always did…
Jimmy…
That voice… “Aren’t you even going to say anything?”
Jimmy… go on…
Goading him, enraging him…
Go on Jimmy, you can do it…
“Say something, fag!” Jimmy punched Jesse square in the jaw, as hard as he could muster, throwing Jesse off of him. As he lay there writhing and holding his face, Jimmy stood up. And then he kicked him. Jimmy kicked him and kept kicking him, over and over again. The blows were getting harder, and harder… “Stop it! You’re hurting me! Help! Someone help me!” Arms clutch Jimmy from behind and pull him away. It was one of the teaching assistants.

After a talk with the principal and a very long wait in his empty office, he returned with Jimmy’s mom and told him that he was being suspended. “They had to call an ambulance for the other boy. Violence will not be tolerated.” Jimmy was livid. It was him! He bullied me every day and no one ever did anything about it. Why am I the one getting punished? The principal wasn’t hearing it. He only wanted the facts, and the fact was, that someone was watching this time, and saw another boy being kicked while he was down. Mom didn’t say much on the ride home, other than she would run him a hot bath and that they could talk later. That was good enough for him.
The bath was warm, and full of bubbles. Jimmy relished the opportunity to take an afternoon tub: Dad was always the one telling him not to: that it used hot water, that hot water wasn’t cheap; shouting & nagging at him and building up a resistance within Jimmy that he hadn’t realized until now. A resistance against listening to his father. Respecting him. He didn’t respect him, the way he spoke to Mom.
As he thought about her, so she appeared at the door. She was wearing a mauve v-neck tunic, that had been pulled at the hem as far down as it could go, so as to hide her pantless, pantiless, freshly-shaven legs.
“That was so brave of you: standing up for yourself like that. Who knew you could be such a strong man. Stronger than your father. The perfect vessel.
What are you talking about? She floated over to him and bent over towards the tub. Her bosom was heaving underneath the sweater, and Jimmy swore he could make the outline of her hard nipples underneath. His mother saw him looking, and smiled.
Do you like them?
Yes.
Do you want to see them?
Yes. The words just came automatically. She stretched the neckline down over her right breast, closest to him.
You do this to me, do you know that? She began to touch herself. Do you know how wet you make Mommy? There was something wrong. Something holding Jimmy back from touching, sucking… I know you want to suck on them, just like you did when you were a baby. Come on sweetie, please make Mommy happy. He was getting hard, and his mother was looking. His own mother!
Mom, I think I’m going to get out of the bathtub now. She pushed him back down into the water, and held him there.
Don’t you want me to get into the tub with you? Wash you? Her hand began to stray under the water. I’m sure you got dirty today, fighting that other boy, that loser…
I’m serious, Mom! Let me up! I want to get out! Something jostled. She blinked awake. It took her a minute to realize how much she was revealing, and she composed herself in embarrassment, her face beat-red.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry. Baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She helped him out of the tub and offered to towel him dry, but Jimmy grabbed it from her sheepishly. She let herself out. Jimmy didn’t believe her apology.

That night was another late one for Jimmy’s father. Late at the bar. He didn’t even want to go home sober anymore if it meant he had to spend another minute with that bitch. His car swerved all over the road as he approached the house, when he stopped. He could see a little boy walking across the street to the park. Was that Jimmy? Couldn’t be. Could it? He rolled down his window and drunkenly bellowed out, “Jimmy? Is that you?” The boy didn’t hear him, and disappeared into the foliage. Dad pulled the car over, threw it into Park and turned it off. Getting out of the car was a struggle, everything so blurry, he was so very intoxicated. “Jimmy? It’s Dad, Jimmy. Where are you, son?” He stumbled around the bend and could see the lake, and the boy standing before the water, all by himself. “Jimmy?”
He tripped over an exposed root, and fell onto his stomach. He looked up. The boy was walking into the water. He could see his face against the moonlight: it was Jimmy! “What are you doing?” Jimmy didn’t answer. He just kept walking, alone, into the water, now waist-deep as Dad rose haphazardly to his feet. “Jimmy!” He fell into the water. Cold. A sharp cold, that debilitated him. Jimmy was up to his shoulders now. He had to get up and go on. It was his boy! “Stay there, I’ll come get you!” Jimmy’s head disappeared under the water, as his dad paddled pathetically after him.

The sirens woke Jimmy the next morning. He looked out his window to see a crew fishing a body out of the lake across the street. It was a morbid sight, but it didn’t bother him to see it. In fact, he had a feeling that, whoever it was, it was for the best.
There was a knock at his door. His mom. She walked up behind Jimmy and put her hands on his shoulders. Everything’s going to be fine, isn’t it?
Everything will be fine. It’s you and me now. I’ll take care of you, Jimmy. Jimmy put his hands over his mom’s and clasped them. After a minute, she drew the curtains.

*

In the blink of an eye, it was Jimmy’s 14th birthday. The day had been idolized by Mom ever since Anemone had taken possession. Since that time, she had nursed him; loved him like most parents were afraid to. She continued to give him confidence, and Jimmy continued to grow. He grew bigger than any mother could have dreamed their son to be. Whatever he set his mind to, he got it. Offers from private schools flooded in faster than Mom could shred them. He wasn’t for them: he was for her.
But they had to see it in a different way. People would watch as Mom would stroke Jimmy’s hair in public, almost constantly within the range of her touch. And he wasn’t bothered by it. Like a babe. Some in the PTA joked that she still breast-fed him. But that was always the men: the women never questioned her devotion to her child. They would do the same, if they had the time. Hell, they would take a bullet for their own! So in this shape, that took the form of Jimmy’s Mom but who was completely and utterly consumed by the naiad from the lake, she had penetrated seamlessly into the life her vestige had before: that of a modern woman, a single mother, in an unsafe world. Jimmy didn’t question any of this himself: he loved his mother, and he was glad to finally see her happy. And if it made her happy to see him get good grades, or sleep naked next to her, then he was happy to do it. There was a primal connection between them now that was unbreakable.

That night, Jimmy’s mom drew a bath. She made sure the temperature was perfect, and then she got in first. Jimmy stood in the door, clad in his burgeoning manhood. It was a stressful time for a teenager. Mom reached out her hand and Jimmy got into the tub with her. The many fluttering candles around them made Jimmy think of the fireflies he would see at the park across the street. In fact, they hadn’t been to that park in a long time. I know we haven’t been. She rubbed the soapy water across his muscular chest. We haven’t had to. I haven’t had to. Do you know what you have done for me? Do you know how long I was in that lake waiting for you to come along? Jimmy was getting hard, but it was in a different way than it was that first time, all those years ago. He knew what it was for now. He knew what it was meant for. Only for. That’s right, it’s only for me. She embraced it with her hands, and began to stroke it. Nothing I can do can ever repay you for what you are going to give me. I love you more than I could ever love a man. Come to me now. She turned Jimmy around, and within a loving enfold she guided him through his first time. And when he was finally about to come, she clutched him with her thighs and accepted all the youth within her.
And again. And again. Again, until she was sure that she was pregnant. She didn’t know what it would feel like: she had never given birth before, not as naiad nor as a human. And nothing of what remained of Jimmy’s mother was helpful to Anemone; to prepare her for the experience. Some would say that hers was similar to a human pregnancy, but with a disconnect to the discomfort. She leaned on Jimmy, and kept him close for the nine months it took for the baby to be born, healthy & flawless. The cab drove them home from the hospital, and under the silhouette of the setting sun on the lake through the baby’s window, they put their new son to bed. Anemone looked over the cradle, and a shade fell over her face. She could never love anything more, than she could love her son, this son, in this whole world. She looked over her shoulder back at Jimmy and smiled.

*

And when some time had passed, and Anemone was sure that the baby would thrive, she took Jimmy back to the lake hand-in-hand: her other arm cradling the child. There was no need to sing, or to put on a big production like she did the first time: Jimmy would have gone anywhere with her, and she knew that. And connected as one, the three of them began to walk in to the water. It was cold, but Anemone held Jimmy’s hand tightly, and he felt safe in her grasp. The water continued to rise, up and up, to his waist, and then his shoulders. He didn’t remember ever going in to the water like this. To his head. The three of them were underwater. And Jimmy continued to hold the naiad’s hand as they swam through the dark, murky water of the lake, back to where she came from before. Her home under the lake. He could see it clear as day: like the inside of a genie’s lamp. The last air bubble left his body. But the child lived.

//jf 2.28.2021

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