The Secrets of Pimsim Cove - Prologue. Prologue

Darkness filled the empty space. It wasn’t the kind of darkness that was just dim, where you could still make out the outlines of the objects around you. Not the murky with just enough light to make you guess if those were your cute leather Skechers or if they were your suede Rocket Dog boots laying in the middle of the floor. This was the kind of inky darkness that was a total pitch black, gobbling up everything around it.

I held my hand out in front of my face, just to be sure that I couldn’t see and when I accidently poked myself in my eye, I was sure.

CRACK!

“What was that?” The words tumbled from my trembling lips as my eyes shot to the left, still unable to see the slightest movement. Okay, I need to just keep calm. If I can’t see it, then whatever it was wouldn’t be able to see me either...right?

Suddenly something brushed up against my arm and I screamed. Not like a high pitched, girly scream, like one of those dumb cheerleader types at school would belt out whenever they saw a tiny little spider, but more like a frightened yelp.

“Back away,” I told my feet, but they chose that particular moment to ignore me and all sense of rationality and decided to stay right where they were. At least my toes listened and wiggled around in the dirt. Oh crap, why was I bare foot?

“Annaaaaaaaa!” The hiss snaked from the darkness and curled around me.

“Who’s there?” I wanted to shout at the horrible voice, but I was too afraid to ask so the words just bounced around inside my head instead of reaching my lips. Who was that? More important, how did it know my name?

The darkness lifted like a fog. Squinting through the night, I could almost make out the shapes of trees. They were all around me, in every direction, and then another movement made me return to my previous argument with my feet. Where they going to listen to me and run, or just stand here while that nasty round blob inched closer and closer to us?

Well it didn’t actually move like a person, more like, it kind of slithered over top of the rocks and dirt. It snapped a twig that was lying on the ground as it got closer to me. “Run feet run!” I swear if I get out of this alive, they are both so dead!

“Annaaaaaaaa!” It hissed again as it got closer. Was it a person? The clouds had rolled completely away from the moon, letting its silvery light shine through the treetops, but the thicker limbs below still blocked out most of the night.

It must be a person. It was walking...kind of! And it was talking...kind of! It looked like blue jeans...and maybe a t-shirt…so it must be a person. But who was it and where in the world where we?

I held my breath when it stopped right in front of me. I tried to make out anything distinctive about him. This close, I could tell that it was a man and oh my gosh, he hadn’t been slithering, but crawling on his hands and knees. He was covered in strange tattoos. They were unique shades of blues and greens that sparkled in the pale moonlight. The artwork not only covered both of his arms, straining to hold him up, but it crept up his neck to cover his entire face. They almost looked like...scales! His short pale hair was matted and dirty and stuck out in every direction.

“Annaaaaaaaa!” His face jerked up and I found myself staring into the most amazing green eyes. They were brilliant emeralds shining in the night. They were familiar. They were unforgettable. They’re my father’s!