delivered his quiet message. He sank below the surface, joining the girl.
“You’ll become like us,” Another child whispered in his ear. “And you’ll never be able to go back.”
“Go,” whispered the chant that grew as hundreds of children bobbed up to deliver their message.
“How, how can I reach her? I’m down here!” Lenny squinted up at the sky and his hijacked body. “I mean, I’m up there, but I can’t do anything.” He looked around, but the whispering children had disappeared. He was alone. “I don’t know what to do!” he shouted into the ocean. He smacked the surface of the water with a fist, staring up at Miss Kellaway as she smirked back from his dining room.
The water began to bubble and boil around him. He twisted to the left, to the right. The transparent children had abandoned him, and some horror was swimming to him, fast. Maybe there were sharks or sea monsters in the ocean. The others had been scared off – they’d know if something bad were coming. He swam a couple of strokes, but the frothing water followed him, guessing each movement as he made it.
Giving up, Lenny closed his eyes and held his breath as the bubbling became increasingly violent. He wondered how much it would hurt when his legs were bitten off, and pulled them up to his chest. He bobbed over so his back was up. He could open his eyes; maybe find out what was coming.
He never got the chance to look. The frothing reached a climax, and suddenly threw him into the sky. He flew up in the air, high up to where the clouds should be, and in the window. Lenny put his arms out, and dived through the piano. The journey was rough, like sandpaper rubbing over every inch of his skin. Then he was back, falling into himself, and each breath tasted sweet and dry.
For a moment, he continued to play. Lenny could still see inside the piano, and into that other world. The bubbles that had thrown him up were actually the girls and boys, shooting up to form the world’s biggest waterspout. They dived back to the water, wiggling as they fell, struggling for breath.
Miss Kellaway sat prim on her stool. She no longer held her fishy finger up in time to the music. Her foul breath suffocated him as she said, “Don’t you worry, I will send you back, and next time I will not allow you to escape.” She pursed her fat lips.
“Please let me stop,” Lenny said. He began to cry, and she grinned. Still unable to pull his hands away from the keys, his melodies rang out and kept the window open on the watery world.
The water began to froth again. In a burst, the transparent children leapt up to the sky. As the living spout grew, obscuring everything else, a large boy struggled to the top. Within a few beats of playing, the child filled the view to the other world. Watery green arms reached out for Miss Kellaway.
She fought, flapping her fins, and gulping frantically as the transparent boy grabbed onto her body. She glanced at Lenny, terrified.
“No!” she cried, and reached over.
Lenny shrunk away, his eyes wide as the boy perfected his hold and yanked Miss Kellaway off her seat. More children squeezed through, and with a funny squelching sound, squeezed the teacher through the small hole in the piano into the other world. In that same instant, Lenny’s view of the water disappeared, leaving him with a polished wood panel to stare at.
“You’ve been playing beautifully!” Audra walked into the dining room as Lenny’s hands fell to his sides. “Where’s Miss Kellaway?”
Lenny stared blankly for a moment, unable to form a complete thought. “She… she went home,” he said finally, reaching out with a finger as he debated touching the keys.
“But I didn’t pay her yet.” Audra turned and left the room. “I’ll see if I can catch her…” Lenny heard the sound of the front door as his mother ran out of the house.
He stared at the keys, his hand hovering, and with a quick flick, slammed the lid down with a musical bang. Wiping a few droplets of water from his shirt, he stood up, the strings inside the piano vibrating softly. Lenny stopped to listen. He thought he could make out words – something like, “Help me.” With a smile, he left, and closed the door firmly behind him.
Willow Bandersnap lives in an ivy covered house at the end of a lane and backing onto a small forest in the south of England. She spends most of her time down the end of the garden playing with the fairies. One day she plans on writing down her adventures.
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed this short story, please let me know at
[email protected] or leave a review on the book’s page.
Many thanks,
Willow
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