by Van Thomas
think you’d sink the ship though.”
Fear gripped Davey by the throat and squeezed.
“Why don’t you go in the pool, Davey?” his girlfriend, Hallie, asked when he’d gone over to meet her parents.
“I just . . . just don’t like water,” he mumbled, looking up to see if she’d reject him because of it. Hallie, with her doll’s face, long legs, and smile that radiated goodness, it was with her he felt safe.
“It’s ok, Davey, my parents don’t care if you don’t swim. And, I want you all to myself anyway, so let’s make the introductions, ditch the parents, and I’ll take you to my room so I can have my way with you.”
Davey grinned shyly and nodded.
“Just keep my door cracked, could you?” Hallie asked. “My parents’ rule,” she said rolling her eyes.
Hallie put on a mixed cd and they both plopped down on the floor.
“My Uncle Eric tried to drown me when I was a kid,” Davey whispered softly.
“Oh, my God,” Hallie said, taking her fingers and brushing Davey’s long bangs out of his eyes. “What happened?”
“We were all vacationing together that summer. It was like a Price caravan. Mom and me and my sisters, Kerstin was just a baby. My grandma and Uncle Eric and my grandma’s brother and his family. They were the ones with the camper. You know those campers that are like hotels on wheels?”
“Yeah,” Hallie laughed. “I always think it’s funny when people say they’re camping and then they set off in one of those. That’s not camping. Some of them even have satellite dishes so they can still have their cable fix.”
“It’s crazy, I know,” Davey agreed. “During the day, we’d hang out and eat and stuff in there with them, then at night we’d head back to our tents we’d brought.”
“What happened with your Uncle?” Hallie asked seriously.
“One campsite we were in, it was in the Smokey Mountains somewhere, it had a pool. We’d all been in there swimming for hours and Mom and them went to make dinner. Me and Uncle Eric stayed.”
“How old were you?”
“I was pretty little, maybe five or six. No wait,” Davey thought, “I was six ‘cause Mom and Dad split up when I was in first grade and it was after that summer.”
“How old was your Uncle?”
“Oh, he’s a lot older than me. He must have been sixteen or seventeen at least.” Davey was quiet for a minute, then he continued. “Mom said Uncle Eric could keep an eye on me. It was just the two of us in there, no lifeguards, no nothing. First, he just started dunking me, but I’d pop right back up ‘cause of the floaties Mom always put on me. Then, he started playing real rough. I remember being scared, but liking it, too. I mean, I trusted him. He’s my uncle, right?”
Hallie nodded.
“Only Uncle Eric’s idea of rough meant holding me under and keeping me under. I remember trying to get away from him, kicking and pulling my arms as hard as I could to get out of his grasp, but he was too strong.” Davey looked at Hallie and gave a sad shrug. “I don’t know why he did it. But, the times between him keeping me under and letting me back up for air got longer and longer. When he did let me up, I’d swallowed so much water I was choking and couldn’t breathe to get air before he pushed me back under again. Honestly, I think I blacked out ‘cause the next thing I remember is being out of the water, laying on my side on the hot cement, and my dad beating the shit out of Uncle Eric.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing to my kid?” Dad bellowed before punching Eric in the face. “You think you’re a big man, you son-of-a-bitch? I swear to God I’ll kill you, Eric, if you ever lay a hand on my kid again.” Dad had Uncle Eric by his t-shirt and he had his fist just hanging in the air, daring Uncle Eric to say anything.
“Jesus, Davey,” Hallie said, reaching over and giving him a kiss on his cheek. “You’re so lucky your dad was there to save you.”
“I know,” Davey nodded. “But, after Mom and Dad split up, Dad wasn’t there to protect me anymore. And Mom didn’t know who to believe. I mean Eric’s always been out of control, but his story about what happened was so different from mine and what Dad told her he’d seen, she just couldn’t, or wouldn’t, believe her baby brother was capable of something so horrible, so unspeakable. But, he is. No matter what Eric says, he and I both know the truth. Mom said he’s never allowed to be with me around water ever again. Never. But, that can’t undo what’s been done. I can’t even go near water without getting that tight feeling in my throat again. That I’m all filled up with water and I can’t breathe. That I’m going to die.”
“Davey, man, don’t just sit there,” Vince yelled from in front of him, “Cup your hands and use them to get some of this water out.”
Davey leaned over and a wave of nausea hit him so hard he vomited right into the water that was seeping in and around his feet.
“Jesus, Davey,” Vince whispered. “Forget it, I’ll do it.” Vince kept at it, but the water was coming in faster than Vince or Pat could scoop it out.
Suddenly, Davey felt Uncle Eric’s eyes on him, baring down hard, boring holes in him until he became so porous, the moon’s light shone through him, illuminating the futility of the scene.
Uncle Eric was smiling at him, a smile so confident that Davey realized immediately this had been Eric’s plan all along. Davey’s blue eyes widened in horror. When he raised his leaden lids and looked in his uncle’s eyes for the last time, all Davey saw was muddy water, darkness, and death.