The moment he hit the water, everything snapped into focus.
Cold. Not freezing. Not like he was expecting. Just… cool. Crisp. It wrapped around him, swallowing the world above.
For a moment, everything was quiet. There was no screaming, no laughter—just the deep, muffled sound of the water settling around him.
Then he surfaced, flicking the water from his hair. “It’s not bad.”
The group exhaled in unison.
“That’s it?!” Benny called out.
“You look fine!” Margo added, arms crossed.
Cleo grinned. “Swim out further, adventurer boy. Or is that all you got?”
Cooper smirked.
With an easy stroke, he started swimming further into the lake. The water was eerily smooth, his movements barely making ripples. The lake stretched on and on, its black surface reflecting the moons above.
After a few moments, he turned back. “Alright, enough proving my bravery for one night.” He kicked forward, swimming back to the dock, grabbing the edge, and pulling himself up.
The moment Cooper was back on the dock, Jory rolled his shoulders. “Well, if he’s not dead…”
SPLASH.
Jory dove in headfirst.
Then Garrick.
Then Benny—with a scream that sounded way too much like a dying goat.
Mimsy lingered at the edge for a moment, muttering what sounded like a prayer, before taking the world’s most pathetic belly flop.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The lake exploded with movement as the boys splashed, dunked each other, and turned what was meant to be a test of courage into a full-on water war.
The girls remained on the dock, watching with varying degrees of amusement.
“So,” Daisy raised an eyebrow at Cooper. “You’re really leaving, huh?”
Cooper leaned back on his hands, dripping onto the dock. “Yeah.”
Hazel tilted her head. “Why?”
He exhaled, looking out over the lake. “Because this world is SO big. It’s full of insane things, and I can't justify spending my whole life in one spot. I have to see them for myself.”
And just as the words left his mouth—
A scream shattered the moment.
“HE’S GOT ME!”
Benny was flailing, thrashing against something unseen beneath the surface.
“Benny?!” Jory and Garrick immediately swam toward him, grabbing his arms, trying to drag him back to shore. But something was pulling him down.
The girls on the dock shot to their feet.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” Sasha shrieked.
Mimsy didn’t wait to find out—he was already paddling for shore.
THUD.
Cooper was already mid-air, jumping from the dock, slicing into the water like a spear.
He swam hard, fast, reaching the others just as Benny’s head dipped beneath the surface.
“Pull!” Jory yelled as Cooper grabbed Benny’s other arm.
Together, the three of them kicked, paddled, and fought whatever force was trying to drag him under.
Suddenly—Benny came loose.
They swam like hell.
The moment their feet hit shallow ground, they half-dragged half-carried Benny onto the bank, where he collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily.
Silence.
Everyone stood there, panting, drenched, trying to process what had happened.
Then Benny wheezed out—“I feel funny.”
His leg was covered in glowing green goop.
“Benny, your leg!”
The group stumbled back as a low, bubbling noise rose from the lake. The water started to glow, pulsing with a green light.
The surface burst open.
A figure rose from the depths.
An old fisherman, his form ghostly and shifting. His whole body was glowing with a bright green light. His face was weathered, twisted in what could have been anger—or something worse.
When he spoke, his voice was like wind howling through dead trees.
"You dare disturb my peace… all you scoundrels at Loop Lake…”
Everyone froze.
The ghost’s glowing eyes flickered across them like he was weighing something.
Then, his mouth curled into a knowing smirk.
"Tell me, land-walkers…" His voice hissed like wind through broken sails. "Are you clever enough to escape the fate of the fools before you?"
The lake bubbled harder. The air felt wrong.
And then—
Everything went dark.
