Distraction Island

It seemed that was exactly what they were going to do. Despite his constant side-eye glances at his mother and the silent message in his eyes as they stepped from the sand into the shallow water, she didn’t so much as look back at him once. As he watched, she reached the end of the shallow water. Still, she didn’t look back at him, and his glances were getting slightly more desperate. Mum! But she continued on, and began to swim out to the ocean. Oblivious to her son's distress. He came to a stop before the water was too high for him to touch the bottom. He felt it lap against his shoulders and shuddered as he looked at the clear reflection. It looked different in the day, but he would never forget the oppressive darkness waiting just beneath the surface.

He looked up again, watching with a sinking feeling as his mother continued further and further out, heading halfway to the island before she finally looked back. By then, it was too late. His fear had turned to annoyance. Normally, his mother was better at reading him than that, or so he had thought. He turned and headed out of the water as she began her u-turn and paddled back to him. He stood on the sandy shore, waiting a while in the cool wind for his mother to complete the swim back. “I’d rather stay with Selene.” He said, grumpy and frustrated with the situation. If she wasn’t picking up what he was putting down, he wasn’t going to spell it out for her. He pulled back from her touch as she reached a paw out towards him.


"Speech"