Forty Five Minutes
My family was very religious and strict, thus I grew up with being told "you shouldn't do this," "you shouldn't do that." There were times when it was hard, like if I had been reading magazines that had the most beautiful celebrities splattered all over the pages, wearing jewellery and make-up and showing flesh. So when I became a teenager, hormones were made masters and my rebellious side was unleashed. At school, I forged sick notes to spend my afternoons loitering around The Anxious Clown, hassling the people who used the drive-thru facility. My friends decided that I wasn't that nice after all and we all agreed to part company. I wasn't particularly saddened by this; eventually a different group of girls took me in. They were older and they were smokers! But my life wouldn't be changed until I met Ike.
Isaac Anwhistle was everything I aspired to be. He was tall, strong, goodlooking and dare I say it, sexy. To my gang, he was notorious for breaking the law. There was once a rumour that he stole the Mayor's limousine and set it on fire. The moment I first laid eyes on him I knew I would be his forever. He asked me out and from then on, we took part in all acts of vandalism and hooliganism together. And we made love in public places. That was my favourite part! My parents found out and they were furious. It was agreed that Ike and I would go to military school to stamp out our 'blasphemous behaviour'. Even that didn't stop us. We were thrown out of a few and Ike was held back a year – hence graduating at the age of nineteen. A few years later after that, we tied the knot.
Our marriage was a lot like our teen courtship though we never stole any vehicles. Instead, we channelled our energies in to doing daring and adventurous activities. We did mountain-climbing in New Zealand, kayaking in Kenya, tomb raiding in Egypt, skiing in Switzerland. It brought a spark to our marriage which we thrived on. But Ike's horseplay would soon have fatal consequences.
It was blazing hot that day, so we made up a picnic and drove down to the beach at Lake Lachrymose. It was packed. People, from the ages of eight months to eighty years, buzzed like bees swarming around a pot of honey. Ike set up an umbrella and I set up a couple of deckchairs in the quieter area of the beach, where we knew the children wouldn't bother us. It wasn't that we hated them; we just never saw the point in making the commitment. Well, anyway, I was trying to read my book but Ike had different ideas. He kissed my neck just behind the ear and caressed my cheek.
" Ike!" I cried, laughing quietly.
" What?" he asked innocently, his voice deep but gentle.
" Not here! There are children about," I hissed.
He kissed my chin. " They're not ours," he muttered, smiling.
He brought himself over to my chair and pressed his body against mine. He ran his fingers through my long, long, long, luscious blonde hair and continued to kiss me. Falling hard into ecstasy, my breath quickened and my heart pounded like a drum. He started to massage my shoulders, while his lips were still glued to my chin and neck. Slowly, he moved down to my breasts that were hidden behind my towel. He unwrapped it, so my chest would be out in the open and he began to lick and nibble them. Suddenly realising what this could lead to, I grabbed him by his curly white hair and pulled him off me. Disappointed, he crawled back to his chair but wore a suggestive smile.
" OK, if you don't wanna do it here, why don't we sneak up to Curdled Cave? No one would find us there," he suggested, raising his eyebrows.
Grinning from ear to ear, I gave in. I could never resist those beautiful dark brown eyes. " All right. Later."
Liking the plan, Ike nodded, looking out to the lake. After a brief pause, he piped up, " I'm gonna take a dip. Wanna come?"
" But you've just had lunch!" I cried, my gaze slipping to the basket we'd brought.
" That was about an hour ago!" he barked.
" Forty five minutes, Ike," I told him. " We had lunch at one. It's quarter to two now." I tapped my wristwatch.
" Nah, it'll be all right. I've swum after forty five minutes before," he mumbled casually.
" What about the-"
" I'll be fine."
He grabbed his towel and gave me a brief but loving kiss before running down to the water where children were playing with beachballs and inflatable lilos. I walked down behind him, not entirely convinced. Showing off as he always did, he did an elaborate swan dive. My heart did a somersault as his head disappeared underneath the water. A few seconds later, it reappeared. He was grinning and laughing.
" You see? I'm fine."
But just as the word 'fine' escaped my husband's mouth, I saw it. I saw them. The black mass under the surface, the carnivorous leeches marched towards the stench of cheese and cucumber sandwiches.
" Ike! The leeches!" I shrieked in terror. I pointed to them.
Ike turned around and gasped. Swimming frantically towards land, havoc broke out. Everyone was screaming and running away from the water's edge, terrified that they would be eaten too. I bolted back up the beach to where the lifeguard was sitting in his chair, looking over the residents and tourists of the town.
" My husband! The leeches are after him! Please help!" I pleaded.
The lifeguard didn't answer say a word. All he did was munch on his cheeseburger from The Anxious Clown. The adrenaline pumping through my body, I ran back down to Ike in order to save him myself. But the last thing I saw of Ike was the terror in his eyes as the creatures carried him away. In the shock, the blonde locks that had been cherished by many turned white. And I wandered home in a dazed stupor, not believing what I'd just seen. I went inside but everything looked different. The sofa, the TV, the telephone, the fridge. I feared them. I was afraid that these inanimate objects would harm or even kill me. I know it's silly to be afraid of such things – I'd do anything to get them to go away – but at least I learnt my lesson. So I went back to being a child, covered myself up and swore to never go out in daylight. And I became scared of everything, including myself.