Snow
Creek Sacrifice
Every day since the new
year began, Janice lugged a saw, a bucket, her homemade fishing pole, fresh
bait and a thermos of coffee across the frozen lake. She looked down at the ice
beneath her. Hard. Thick. The icy wind hit her face. Thankfully her days were
numbered, and she was ready.
She watched the sun
rise and waited for the telltale tug from those creatures of the not so deep.
This torturous task wasn't for the faint of heart but what choice did she have?
It was the only way. Clouds and a north wind rolled in from the mountains. A
storm was a perfect distraction.
A group of teenagers
passed on their way to school. Janice had her sharp green eyes on a few. Today,
most passed quietly without giving her a second glance. Then there were three, a
stocky one, a tall lean one and short loud one. They all shouted and pointed at
her, calling her names, like they did every day. Today, the tall lean one threw
rocks, like little missiles in her direction, while the short loud one laughed.
Janice shook her head.
It was a shame some young people didn’t have manners. She always feared for their
souls.
The tug came, and she
checked her line. A perfect little ten pounder. She only needed two more before
she could go home and finish the last-minute details. The time for the
ritual was nearing, and she was almost ready.
The next morning, back
on the lake, she sat, waiting until the kids approached. The Wolf moon hung perched
in the sky. It was time. With three taps of her cane, the ice beneath her broke
and she plunged through the water. The scale had been set.
She flailed her arms,
making sure the crowd of kids heard her. Her screams echoed around the lake. Soon
sudden shouts of terror came from the crowd as they ran to her aid. Some pulled
out a phone to call for help, others peeled off clothing and considered going
in. All but three pitched into to help, the stocky one, the tall lean one, and
the short loud one.
As the rescuers
neared, Janice swam away, under the ice, moving quickly underwater. Snow Creek
was her home. Her father created this snow-capped mountain lake sanctuary, but
it required a sacrifice. Every 50 years.
Millenia ago when the Roman
gods fell, Janus the two-faced god, fled with his family to the mountains of
North America to hide. He created the lake to house one of his most beloved
mermaids, Lienia.
Her father kept the
lake stocked with a plentiful bounty of wildlife, which satisfied Lienia, at
first, but mermaids have tremendous appetites, often desiring the souls of humans
to keep them content. Lienia was no different, and when she wasn’t content, she
was pure evil and destructive. Centuries before, Lienia had entered feeding frenzies.
The town of Snow Creek had dried up once or twice. Over time, she’d learned to control
her appetite. Now, she agreed to be fed every 50 years.
Under the light of
first full moon in January, Lienia called for her meal, and bigger was always better.
However, she could be fickle. If her sacrifice was late or in any way
unacceptable, the people of Snow Creek would feel her wrath.
Janice hated the lost human
life, but she also knew she was all that stood between an unhappy mermaid and
an innocent town. Since Lienia preferred bad souls to good ones, Janice tried
to comply the only way she could deem fair: she created a heroic feat. There
was always at least one selfish human who wouldn’t participate, and that was
always the one she chose. Her system had yet to fail her.
She swam underneath the
three idle boys, tapped her cane three times. The ice underneath them collapsed
and they all fell in, right into her waiting hands. In one swift movement, she
pulled the struggling teenagers down into the depths of the lake. Their screams
drowning as they sank.
Janice chained her sacrifice
to a large rock and waited. It wasn’t long before Lienia appeared from a dark
cave and studied her offering. Satisfied, she pulled the boys into the cave.
Then returned, placed a delicate hand on Janice’s cheek. Finally retreating to
her cave, content for the time being.
Several days later, a
young woman with sharp green eyes, Janny, come to Snow Creek to mourn the drowning
death of her Grandma Janice. She took up residence in her grandmother’s cabin
on the lake. She would watch to make sure the monster in the lake only feasted
when she was supposed to. And in 50 years, another old woman would need help again
and another sacrifice would be made.
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