Island

He is very afraid of drowning.

I know this, and so I do my best not to make him go near water. Makes sense right? Of course, my uncle knows all about this. As a matter of fact that's probably why he invited us to the lake house. I couldn't refuse, Brian loves my uncle: the two of them are great friends. Sort of.

I love Brian, but sometimes I forget how easily he believes in people. My uncle . . . well . . . let's just say that he can be a bit deceptive sometimes. That's why I was so reluctant to go. Nevertheless, despite my hesitation, Brian plowed ahead. That's why we're here. I'm lying on the cold leather couch, sinking into the cushions, trying to read a book. Cardinal Sin. Brian always makes fun of me for reading these "trashy romance novels," but there really isn't much else to do out here in the middle of nowhere. Brian's reading too, in the chair next to the fire. Secretly I wish he were on on the couch with me, but Brian's about as literate in women as I am in rocket science.

SLAM!

That'll be my uncle. He'd said that he'd gone to check on the motorboat, making sure that it was full of gas or whatever. He'd been unusually cordial this week, and all the tension that had built up over the week had slowly evaporated in the face of his easy hospitality. That and the distinct lack of any unusual behavior.

"Hey Brian, how's it going?" Brian was immediately drawn out of the magazine article by my uncle's voice, standing up quickly and stretching to compensate for his awkward stance. His stretching may have been for my uncle's benefit, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at least a little. The country air had been good to him. What little time we'd been up here Brian had spent hiking and hunting. I was never one for either, but I had gone on a short walk with him last night. The moon had been almost full, and its pale light had given everything, even Brian, a sort of angelic glow. Just thinking about the tender words he'd had for me made me blush, as I too stood up.

"What's the matter hon, is it too warm in here?" I shook my head and gave him a cautious smile.

"No, it's fine."

"So, I was thinking." My uncle rubbed his hands together and gave a friendly grin. "There's one place around here that has the best hunting on my entire property. Normally I wouldn't take visitors down there, but I have to say Brian, you're a much better hunter than your wife gives you credit for." Here he interjected a friendly wink, and Brian smiled broadly. "Now, we may be out for a bit longer than usual, so be sure you've got enough food and shells for, say, eight hours?" Brian nodded and smiled again, this time with genuine excitement.

I could see the nervous enthusiasm in his movements as he bustled around the house preparing for the trip. I glanced out the window and noted that the hot noon sun would be at it's peak in a couple of hours. Walking behind Brian I tentatively put my arm around his shoulders.

"Be careful babe."

"Don't worry Jess, I will." Bruskly he finished replacing his equipment in his backpack and hoisted it over his other shoulder. One short peck on the cheek later and he was gone. My uncle's feet tap-tap-tapped down the hardwood stairs, and I noticed that he had two rifles with him. At least, I think the other one was a rifle, it was much longer, with a larger barrel.

"Stay fresh J, we'll be back before you know it!" He waved his chapped hands at me, and then he too was gone. Sighing because I knew my spot on the couch had probably cooled at this point, I re-seated myself in Brian's chair by the fire, picking up the magazine he'd been reading. Cryptozoology For Amateurs. Weird, but my uncle had always been interested in this stuff. That was when I heard the motor. For a split second I thought it was the truck, but it didn't take long for me to hear splashing as well. My uncle was taking him on a boat!

I burst through the front door just in time to see them pull away from the dock, my uncle chatting amiably with the obviously vexed Brian. I tried to call out to them, but they were too far away. Brian couldn't do this, he couldn't be near water! For a moment I considered calling the police. This seemed to activate a switch in my head, and for the moment my hysteria eased. What a silly thing to be worried about. People go out in boats all the time and never even get wet, let alone fall out. Besides, my uncle was with him, he'd make sure nothing happened . . . wouldn't he? I was so anxious that I hardly even realized that I was still standing, shock still, on the shore of the lake. A stiff breeze cut through my thin jeans and I shivered briefly before wondering why it was so cold.

The thermometer said 42 degrees, but it was getting hard to read in the darkness. The sun that I had predicted, it seemed like an eternity ago, had been obscured by clouds, and the temperature had steadily dropped all day. Anxiously I slathered more mayonnaise than I would have liked over the fresh venison I had retrieved from the 'fridge. Again and again I found myself peering out into the darkness, hoping to see the vague shape of a motorboat. It was only after I had finished my sandwich that I realized I would probably hear the boat long before I would see it. Feeling slightly foolish, I decided that I needed to relax. This had been a good week, and my uncle had said that Brian and him would be gone for a while. Now would be a perfect time to finish my book . . .

* * *

"No James, I can't!"

"Why not Julia, you know how much I love you! Is it that fool Damien? Has he stolen you from me?"

"He didn't steal me, you let him have me! You could have-"

That was when I heard it.

I kept my thumb in my book as I sat, still as stone, listening for it again. Yes, there was definitely something unusual. Still holding my book and praying it was my imagination, I slunk towards the door. I've never been a very brave person, and the incessant splashing was beginning to phase my courage when I happened to glance out the window over the sink. There was . . . someone . . .

I squinted my eyes, and realized I wouldn't be able to see anything while I was still inside with the lights interfering with my vision. My fingers turned the knob with an agonizing slowness, and my heart could be clearly heard over the now-louder splashing. I realized I wouldn't be able to go through with this if I didn't move soon, so, in a moment of courage, I shouldered the heavy wooden door open and closed it behind me, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

There it was, a small, dark figure splashing out on the lake. If staring could turn someone to ice, the whole lake would have frozen over from my questioning eyes; and, although my eyes had mostly adjusted to the deep blackness, I could see no more than when the person had been farther out. Farther? I noticed then that the figure was significantly closer than it had been before. It seemed that it was heading towards the shore with great vigor, and the closer it got the harder it worked. Another chill wind cut into me, and my teeth rattled and felt as though they were coated in ice. Whatever was out there, it didn't stand a chance of surviving this cold while wet.

Then the heavens opened, and the moon shone forth in all its glory.

It was Brian.

* * *

Gasping like a fish, he'd managed to say one word. "Island." I couldn't understand at the time, and no amount of time I've devoted to trying to solve this riddle has ever presented a solution. I had dried him off, and called an ambulance immediately. They treated him for shock, but when I asked if he was OK I was perturbed by their answers.

Answers . . . I haven't been given any for thirty . . . maybe thirty-five years. Brian still goes for hikes, long ones. Sometimes he doesn't come back until the morning, sometimes for days. I used to get calls from his boss, asking where he was. I don't anymore. I don't know how he hasn't gotten fired, and I honestly don't know if I ever will. It's just another mystery . . . another mystery about Brian.