Creepy Hollow Fae: Kelpie

Year of study:  fifth
Assignment type: solo





The girl laughs, tucks a strand of hair behind one ear, and leans back on her hands. The boy stretches out on the grass beside her, accidentally-on-purpose brushing her arm with his. He makes a bad joke, and she laughs as though he’s the world’s greatest comedian.

Ugh. Do I really have to watch this?

I cross my arms, my eyes flitting around the clearing: Trees thick enough for someone to hide behind, and a pond deep enough for a creature to submerge itself. This boy obviously needs help when it comes to choosing romantic settings. The girl picks up a small, flat stone and plays with it. The boy takes it from her and, idiot that he clearly is, tries to skip it across the water.

That’s right. There’s a dark and mysteriously motionless body of water, so let’s throw something into it. Moron. The water, black like a pool of ink, ripples in a way that seems unnaturally slow. I’m about to chuck a branch at the boy to scare him away from the pond when a head breaks the surface of the water. It’s a horse’s head, black as night, its dripping mane tangled with reeds. The boy and girl are about to share their first kiss, so of course neither of them notices the unglamoured kelpie gliding toward them.

My bow and arrow tingle beneath my fingers. I take aim and let an arrow loose. The moment it pierces the kelpie’s neck a shrill howl tears through the night. Water churns and froths, and the girl and boy scramble away in terror. The kelpie tosses its head, flinging droplets of water in all directions. It finds me. Narrowing its eyes, it charges out of the water, heading straight for me. But I’ve already opened a doorway on the nearest tree. I wave politely as I step into it.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.