night_creature_08//orphan_river_serpent

“There was a time of the year when this part of the river turned into a rapid”, said the old woman, filling a tiny vial with water. “That’s when we knew they were here. From dusk till dawn the waters raced, a current so loud you could find your way to its shores even during the darkest of nights. It was during one of those nights that my siblings and I came to try and catch one. We had heard stories from our wards, of beings magical that granted wishes and cured the deceased.” She shook the vial of brown water, which turned darker. “None spoke about it, as if not to jinx it, but we all had our wishes ready. We had built nets and rods that we hid under our beds and after grabbing our equipment we left our home and hurried to the river. We were there for hours, tried everything, but nothing seemed to work.” We were walking along the shore and from time to time she would lean to fill another vial with water. “Some started doubting, saying water was just water, that nothing was moving aside from the river itself.” She turned to face the water. “I was climbing that stone you see over there when I fell. I swallowed water immediately. Found myself surrounded by complete darkness. I could only feel myself spinning and spinning… But then it stopped. The whole river stayed still. For a second I just floated. I did not know if I was alive or dead. Then I felt it drag me to the shore.” We stood there for a while. She had her eyes fixed on the water, on the bubbles that traveled slowly in front of us. For a second it occurred to me that I was talking with a ghost. “We came back after that night, many many times. But with no nets. None had seen the serpents, but now we were sure. We just wanted to see them once…” She looked into my eyes. There was rage in her look. “None of my siblings made it past that summer. Neither did the serpents''