Black Water

When a body of a teen boy washes up on shore with a strange wound in his foot and slash mark in his chest wall, Eccentrics Gazette writer, Clovey Alms becomes haunted by the sight. She had come to Black Water to be close to her brother, Blake, who was incarcerated for vehicular Manslaughter. Sid Smeyth, her editor and owner of the magazine hadn’t minded that she was a little rough around the edges, so the town seemed like the perfect fit.

She sets out to see if this has happened before, it becomes more frightening when her research turns up several drowning deaths that have occurred in the same area. Max Witwer, a well-known investigative reporter from Florida has also stumbled on to the deaths along the coast. When they compare notes a mutual interest begins, not only in the story, but with each other as well.

After Blake disappears on the beach like the other boy’s along the coast, Clovey and Max figure a night on the beach will hopefully turn up some answers. What does turn up on the beach is completely unbelievable.
A woman with long blonde hair and completely nude, swims nearly silently up on shore. Her eyes glow gold and her poignant song that she sings is able to lull the boy lying on the beach into a trance. This allows her to slice deep slashes into his chest wall without much of a fight and pull him into the ocean.

Every attempt is made to tell the police chief, Fred Matline what they had seen. He refuses to accept the story and accuses Clovey of filing a false report. Instead of investigating what he‘s been told, he warns her to drop it. She turns the tables and begins investigating him. Which turn up a son sent to live with his sister in Michigan. Her investigation wasn’t limited to the sheriff, it also turns up another long term town council member with two son’s that abruptly moved out of Black Water to settle in Indiana.

Having that gut feeling again Clovey takes an impromptu trip to talk with the departed council member and to see if she can get a look at the Sheriff’s son. Her trip fuels her suspicions, leading her to conclude that she and Max are going to have to do some ocean dives during the night.

Looking for a glow in the water that is rumored to be the spot where the mythical maids can be found. Clovey, Max and Luc, the newly recovered town drunk, head out on to the water. After an hour or so, they locate the glow and dive to see what they can find.
Not only do they find mermaids, but young males, deep in a trance and tied to a piece of boat wreckage by braided sea kelp threaded through their feet. They also locate a graveyard of bodies, in varying degrees of decomposition. When one of the maid swims into view with another male being dragged by a kelp rope, Clovey recognizes him, it’s Blake.
It’s not long till they are detected by the now enraged mermaids and a battle ensues. Clovey grabs Blake as Max battles the ocean witches, giving Clovey time to get Blake back to the boat.
Blake and Clovey return to the boat, followed by a slightly injured Max. They begin to head for home, when a splash at the back of the boat catches Clovey’s attention. Two of the maids jump onto the boat behind Blake and pull him back into the ocean. Every attempt is made to rescue him, but he is gone. Clovey is angry and heartbroken.

A second dive, the next day, proves unfruitful. Max and Clovey file a report with the State troopers in Perkins Cove about the graveyard on the ocean floor, leaving out the part of the mermaids. Choosing instead to write about it.

With no reason to stay in Black Water, Clovey decides that this will be her last article for the Eccentrics Gazette. She and Max are going hunting for the mermaids. Her final written words are “HOLD ON BLAKE, I’M COMING FOR YOU!”
* Clovey’s story continues in Black Water, change of venue. 2015