CHAPTER 58: 58. TIME TO GO FISHING!

The three of them walked about an hour to the lake from Ferndale. Felix insisted on bringing the doll with him, carefully wrapping her in a blanket and carrying her like she was essential. Greg didn’t have the guts to ask him to leave her behind because he felt bad he didn’t fulfill his wish.

When they got there, the lake was beautiful. It was a giant body of clear water with tall grass and wildflowers all around it. The sun shone on the surface in the afternoon, and a light breeze carried the smell of water and plants growing. It was the kind of place that made you want to think.

They found a good place on the bank and put their fishing gear together. Greg taught Felix and Elwen the basics, but Elwen already knew some things from her time in Moonwood Grove. Soon, all three of them had their lines in the water and were sitting quietly together.

Felix had put the doll next to him and propped it up so that it looked like she was watching the water. It should have looked sad, but for some reason it looked hopeful.

"What do you like about fishing?" Greg said this after a while. "You can’t make it happen."

"You just need to wait and have faith that something will happen when it’s time."

"Is that a metaphor, Sensei?" Felix asked, but his voice was joyful.

Greg said, "Maybe. Alternatively, I might just be trying to engage in conversation with you. This is the first time I’ve ever fished in this life."

"Me too," Felix said. "In my old world, I always wanted to do it, but I never had anyone to go with. It looked like something you should do with friends."

Elwen said softly, "Well, you have friends now, Felix. You’re not alone, even if things didn’t go the way you wanted them to. You have all of us."

Felix was quiet for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was heavy. "Thanks, that means a lot."

"I know I get carried away with how much I want to be in love, but having friends like you guys means more to me than I can say."

They kept fishing, and to Greg’s surprise, they really did start to catch things. Nothing too big, just regular-sized fish that put up a good fight but weren’t so tough that they were difficult to catch. It was the kind of calm thing Greg had been wanting to do.

"I got another one!" Felix yelled as he pulled in a huge fish. "Wow, these rods are great, Sensei!"

"We’re going to have enough for a feast tonight!"

"Lylia will be happy," Elwen said, carefully removing her own catch from the hook.

"She said this morning that she wanted to try some new recipes."

...

By the end of the day, they had caught a lot of fish. The bucket next to them was almost full, and they were all relaxed in a way they hadn’t been in days.

Felix even seemed happier. He laughed at Greg’s bad fishing jokes and made his own references to anime fishing episodes that Greg didn’t get but still thought were funny.

At that point, Felix’s rod almost slipped out of his hands. "Whoa!"

Felix took it with both hands and opened his eyes wide. "Something big just hit!"

"Be careful," Greg said as he stood up. "Don’t push it."

"Let it get tired first."

But the thing on the other end of Felix’s line had other plans. The rod bent almost in half, and the line sang with tension as something big pulled on it. Felix dug his heels into the bank to keep his grip.

"What the hell did I catch?" Felix yelled. "This thing is really big!"

As something came up from the bottom, the water exploded outward. Greg’s blood ran cold when he saw it.

It had a head like a snake and was the size of a wagon, and what’s worse is that it’s covered in iridescent blue-green scales. Its eyes were like burning emeralds, and its mouth was full of teeth that were made to tear.

"Lake serpent," Elwen said, her face pale. "Those are supposed to exist in myth!"

"This myth is very fucking real!" Greg took hold of Felix’s arm. "Stop holding on to the rod!"

"We have to run!!!"

But Felix was staring at the doll next to him. With all the commotion caused by the snake’s appearance, she had begun to slide toward the water.

Felix lunged at her and let go of the fishing rod, but it was too late. The doll fell into the lake with a splash.

"NOOOO!!!" Felix jumped after her without thinking.

"Oi! Stop it, Felix!" Greg yelled, but the young man was already in the water, swimming hard to get to where the doll had fallen.

"Is he fucking insane!?"

The snake’s head turned to follow the movement. It opened its huge mouth wide, showing off rows of teeth and a throat that seemed to go on forever. As Greg watched it fall toward Felix and the doll, time seemed to slow down.

Then everything happened at once. The snake’s mouth closed around Felix and the doll, swallowing them both in one smooth motion. Felix’s scream stopped suddenly as he went under the water.

Greg heard himself yelling and felt his legs carrying him toward the water, even though he knew it was pointless. But the snake’s head came up again before he could jump in, and it was yelling.

Not roaring or hissing, but a high-pitched scream that sounded like pain or confusion. It thrashed around in the water, making waves crash against the shore. As the snake kept screaming, its mouth opened wide, and a golden light that pulsed and got brighter and brighter shone from inside its throat.

Then the snake dove down and made a huge splash as it disappeared below the surface. The water bubbled and churned for a moment before settling down, leaving only ripples on the lake’s surface.

"Felix!" Greg was in the water up to his waist when Elwen grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Greg!" she said in a hurry while pointing at something. "Look!"

Greg followed her finger and saw a shape rising up from where the snake had been. He thought it was the monster coming back at first, but when it broke the surface, he saw that it was something else.

It was a woman. She rose from the water like a goddess from old stories, moving smoothly and gracefully with water flowing off her body, catching the afternoon light and making a halo effect around her.

Her hair was long and flowing, just like the doll’s, and it was the same color. Her face had the same delicate features, with a carefully shaped nose, high cheekbones, and full lips.

But she was not a doll this time, except she was real. Her massive chest moved up and down with each breath. Her skin was warm and had color. And her eyes, those eyes, were open and aware and fully awake.

"What the fuck is this bullshit...?"