Prologue: Sinking In

It was summer. A time often thought of as relief from the stress of school life, a time to relax and enjoy doing nothing. For me, however, it just meant two and a half months of boredom, with the occasional spot of mild entertainment. As nice as it was to not have to worry about my education, the extra eight hours a day left me with quite a bit of free time. Though I tried to fill the space as best I could, there were always too many minutes, too many moments where I found myself with nothing to do but think. And when I thought for too long, I always reached the same conclusions: People suck, fuck life, I hate everything. I was slowly driving myself into a state of depression and insanity, questioning reality at every turn. Only two months left to go.

Thankfully, this weekend was one of those specks of entertainment. My core group of good friends had gotten in touch with me, and together we had planned the ultimate boredom and angst reliever. An epic backpacking adventure to an out of the way lake. Three days and two nights of chilling, socializing, and exploring were just what I needed to pull myself out of the psychic hole I was digging.

We set off early in the morning, heavy mist obscuring the trail. However, this was a trip we often took together, and we made quick work of the steep downhill trail, the miles flying by as we hiked at a brisk pace. We reached the place that was our planned camping spot with no troubles at all.

What? You didn't really expect me to Silent Hill this, did you?

It was the second morning of our trip. The "adventure" of the day was cancelled, due to an unexpected shower of heavy rain. That's what you get for camping in a temperate rain forest. We all gathered around our single butane stove, waiting for the water to come to a boil. I could already tell it was going to be a miserable day.

I suppose I should take the time and tell you bit about the two of my friends that will be with me on my journey.

The first of my two friends is Ivan Lawrence. He was brilliant bastard, and based on I.Q., a bona fide genius. He was also anything but modest. Though he didn't flaunt his intelligence up front, you could always expect a sharp reminder of his genius whenever there was an opening. However, he was generally nice and helpful guy, as long as you didn't annoy him. He's also my only true brony friend, so I tended to hang out with him quite a bit.

The second one, Kai is a bit harder to describe. At first glance he looks quite unremarkable and forgettable but if you get to know him, he is anything but. He is a knowledgeable young man, with an uncanny knack for everything working out right around him. He also sticks in your head in a way that makes him impossible to forget, but only if he wants you too. You could almost say he had ambient magic.

Our water finally came to a rolling boil, and we poured the hot liquid into our packs of oatmeal. After we managed to choke down the tasteless semi-solid, I was struck by the sudden desire to go swimming. Because, you know, fuck lightning. Even if I got shocked, I'm sure it would be quite a rush.

Kai, Ivan, and I walked down to the lake, while the rest of my friends opted to remain at camp and play an intense game of Egyptian Rat Screw. Ivan was only with me because he was no longer allowed to play ERS with the rest of the gang. They didn't call him "Trollhands McGee" for nothing. He had reflexes like a god, and his sleight of hand was even better. Kai had come with me because his general philosophy on life was "Why the fuck not?"

We arrived at the lake with no trouble, and proceeded to wade into the water. Rain drops pelted the water around me, each one meaningless, simply adding to the ever-continuing process we call the water cycle. They reminded me of our lives in the course of human history. Each one accomplishing nothing more than pushing the timeline forward, leaving no lasting impression. I hated this. I wanted to be more than a raindrop. I wanted to be that random tennis-ball sized chunk of hail that smashes into the water, sending the lake's surface in turmoil and affecting it as a whole. Damn. Even out here in the wilderness my angst can find me.

My friends and I decided to swim to the center of the lake and see if we could dive to the bottom. Pretty much the only thing you can do in a lake without water toys or mud. As we reached the middle of the small body of water, I felt a slight vibration. It surrounded my whole body, flowing through it, causing my vision to blur slightly.

"Do you guys feel that?" I questioned, my voice slightly slurred from the slowly increasing shaking.

"Yeah," Ivan replied. "It almost feels like a small earthquake." Kai simply nodded and looked around slowly, before his eyes shot open, and he raised an arm.

"Guys, look over there!" he yelled. The vibration had slowly become more prominent, creating a sound similar to airplane noise. I looked where his arm was aimed, and saw what appeared to be a small hole in the lake. It almost looked like someone had pulled a plug on the lake, water rushing towards the dent in the lake. The hole was slowly growing, now the approximate diameter of a small saucer.

'Wait,' I thought to myself. 'Whirlpools shouldn't be able to do that in a lake. Then again, who am I to argue with nature?'

"SWIM AWAY!" I yelled. I began to paddle away as fast as I could, Kai and Ivan quickly catching on, and literally following in my wake. I may not be the most athletic kid, but damn me, if my life's in danger I may as well be Superman. I spared a quick glance behind me, only to be horrified by the fact that I had made next to no progress. In fact, the whirlpool had gained on us. I kept swimming, pulling water behind me by the gallon to propel my body forward. However, I could feel my arms slowly growing more and more tired, the initial adrenaline rush wearing off. This couldn't end well.

About a minute later, I heard a scream from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Ivan being sucked over the edge of the whirlpool, his body swirling closer to the center. In mere seconds, he was submerged, no trace of his body left. I gulped, but continued paddling. I could grieve later. A few moments later, another yell came from behind me. I didn't even spare a glance this time. Kai was gone. I was the only one left.

I began to feel a tugging at the tips of my toes, slowly creeping its way up my legs, wrenching me backward. I swam with all my might, kicking for my life. But my legs kept getting pulled back. Eventually, I couldn't even lift them out of the water. At this point, I abandoned hope. I was going to die here, on this unknown lake, with absolutely no legacy left behind. I was going to leave this world as less than a raindrop. I was a nothing but a speck of water vapor. My last thought as I was sucked into the gaping maw of the lake was 'Well fuck me sideways. I guess God really does hate me.' And with that, I was sucked under the turbulent water, pulled into the watery abyss.