The moon hung in the sky, a day yet from its full-state zenith and already tired in its orbit. The sickly yellow luminosity seeped through a blanket of mottled, undulating cloud with an oily halo, proclaiming the body to be the lone sentinel of the heavens. No stars could be seen through the uneven backdrop; none would dare be bold enough to try. No breeze stirred and the air was heavy.
Were it not for the muted glittering of the waves below, looking upon this scene would be akin to staring at a backlit painting, slowly feeling imprisoned in its absolute stillness where even breathing feels like giving away one's position. The shoreline a distant memory, fates coalesced and now was the time.
Such was the apprehensive tranquillity of the night that the gradual breaking of the waves was almost unnoticeable to the eye, unless one were already trained upon that spot. Groping tentacles first slid flatly onto the surface, themselves wetly reflecting the pallid glare from above. Silently, more appeared around them. And more. Too many to be a single creature surely, but too intertwined to count and impossible to tell apart. The activity spread outward like an ink blot on black paper until all that could be seen to each horizon was a writhing mass of uncanny, sub-aquatic intelligence.
As thick tendrils began to reach upward, almost in supplication to their lunar sovereign, eyes began to open between them. A great many eyes; malevolent, turquoise orbs bulging in the wan light and roving wildly as their owners bobbed upon the sea. They appeared to blink as their vision was blocked momentarily by the swaying, outstretched feelers of others. Slowly, they gained their bearing as if coming to unspoken agreement, and focused on the reason they had been called from their slimy bed.
The ocean itself seemed to sag when, as one, they swarmed into the ship...
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• Short stories © WorldOfBlackout.co.uk, all entries are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Y'know, mostly.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
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