Date: 2018-08-21 07:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Horror
Description: Edger doesn't trust his new neighbor Miss Pez. There are strange noises and shadows lurking in her pool late into the night and it's creeping Edger out! He tried to warn his parents, but they aren't listening. Don't they notice or care that something right next door is mysteriously terrifying? It'll be up to Edger and his friend Alice to bravely face The Thing in the Pool for the good of the whole neighborhood. The Thing in the Pool is a lighthearted neighborhood romp that leads you straight into the unthinkable. Edger doesn't trust his new neighbor Miss Pez. There are strange noises and shado
Rights: All rights reserved (#516956534326776)

The Thing in the Pool

Carol James Marshall

Copyright © 2018 by Carol James Marshall

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Formatted by Marshall Author and Marketing Services

Edited by unexpectedpaths.com

Proof read by jennlyreads.com

Created with Vellum

To my son G who reminds me
of Edger in many ways.

Edger was a good kid. He didn’t lie, mostly did his chores, and often smiled at his mother’s lame attempts at humor. He was the kind of kid who gave his least-liked classmates a polite nod or wave when he saw them in public. Edger even smiled at his principle, Mr. Davis, when Edger was out mowing the lawn. Mr. Davis lived across the street and four houses to the left of Edger. He had too often seen Mr. Davis in tight running shorts doing laps around the neighborhood.

Edger never mentioned this to his classmates. He considered it gossipy and obscene, knowing his classmates would snicker and elbow each other while making crude remarks about Mr. Davis’s running shorts. Edger wanted to avoid that.

Unfortunately, the image of Mr. Davis in those running shorts was so engraved into his memories Edger was sure he’d remember Mr. Davis’s startling white legs on his death bed. The picture of them would pop into his head, he’d shudder then fall over dead, with no one knowing what truly killed him.

Edger considered it his misfortune to live in a teacher-heavy neighborhood. There was Mrs. Atwood, an English teacher who lived three houses over. Edger didn’t worry about her. He’d see how that went in high school, when he might have to avert his eyes when Mrs. Atwood was in her front yard with her pet poodles.

There was Mrs. Clive the drama teacher, whom, if Edger were forced to admit, he liked. The outside of her home looked was outrageously painted different color patterns everywhere. The left side of her house was painted a bright orange with a backdrop of daises. The right side of the house was covered in splashes of different color paints. Mrs. Clive’s garage door had a sloppy painted rainbow on it. None of this bothered Edger. For some reason he enjoyed the mess that was Mrs. Clive’s home, it made his ears tingle just to think about it.

Mrs. Clive also had a large metal dragon in her front yard. Around the holidays, she’d put festive hats on the dragon. Oh, and Mrs. Clive rode a motorcycle to work. On weekends, Edger saw her, dressed from head to toe in black leather, standing next to her motorcycle in her driveway, along with a dozen other bikers. Edger never bothered to wonder where Mr. Clive was. He had decided long ago that was probably a long story better told to him when he was an adult.

Edger fantasized about Mrs. Clive seeing him mowing the lawn, stopping her bike, and offering to let him take a spin while she finished his work. It never happened, but Edger never lost hope.

Standing at his bedroom window Edger watched someone move into the house next door to him. Edger had a perfect view of not only what was going in or out of the garage, but also of the backyard and pool.

When that house had gone up for sale Edger hoped a family with a kid his age would move in. A kid who was friendly enough, but not too friendly. Edger didn’t want the kid in his face all the time but would love it if he got invited over for a swim.

With a hopeful sigh, Edger watched a woman order the movers around. She stood a bit too straight and tall in her front yard. Edger supposed his new neighbor was tall for a woman. She had bright red hair, a lot of it, wore glasses, and had on what Edger considered a ridiculous

dress. It was a bit too tight and went almost all the way down to her ankles. How could she walk with that thing on?

The dress was pink in a pineapple print. That bothered Edger most of all, and he wasn’t sure why.

“She’s a new teacher at your school.”

Edger jumped; his mother had snuck up right behind him. He hated it when she did that. It was rude to sneak up on someone spying on someone else, but his mother didn’t consider such things.

“Miss Pez is her name. Weird name, huh?”

Edger’s mother hugged him from behind. He decided to not wince or act offended by his mother’s affection. He wasn’t much for affection, considering it below his intellect, but he had to admit she was a great mom. It wasn’t her fault she lacked decorum. Mother’s emotions often got in the way of it.

“Why are there so many teachers on this block?” Edger asked, giving his mother a pained expression. He hoped that this would work into those mother’s emotions. It might give him an advantage when he got around to lobbying for them to sell this house and move away. A house in the country with no neighbors would be Edger’s choice.

“Well, honey, it’s because we are so very close to the school. That’s why your father and I bought this place.”

Edger’s mother gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left the room. Edger often dodged kisses, but this time she caught him off guard.

Edger looked back out the window in time to see Miss Pez walk to her front door, her steps quick and tiny. Edger couldn’t help himself; he laughed loudly. That dress really was ridiculous.

Edger sat up in bed. Not being able to sleep because of the excitement over the first day of school and also angry because of the teacher next door to him. It didn’t look like she had any family or kids. Edger absentmindedly punched the bed. Damn it, he’d never get access to that pool.

Today, Edgar would start eighth grade; officially, the last year of middle school. He was itching to get out of middle school. Edger had big plans for himself, and none of those plans involved living in a neighborhood infected with teachers.

Maybe, he’d move to an island somewhere, start an internet business, spend his days typing away on a keyboard, in between going surfing. Edger had no idea how to surf, and if he were honest with himself he wasn’t much for the outdoors; he figured teachers didn’t surf much, so an island where he surfed was a safe place to be.

Edger got out of bed and stood at his bedroom window, pushing back the curtains. He wanted to take a good look at that pool. Looking down the block, Edger sighed. His neighborhood was quiet, peaceful. What else would it be with a bunch of boring teachers around.

What he wouldn’t give for a ruckus of some sort. Nothing dangerous, but maybe a rhino could escape the zoo and decide to loiter around Mr. Davis’s flower beds. That would be moderately interesting.

From the corner of his eye, Edger spotted something. The neighbor’s backyard was dark, there was a small amount of moonlight but he could just barely see that a spot of water was swirling on its own. NO, Edger pushed his face against the window glass to get a better look there was a shadow of something swirling under the water.

Edgar rubbed his eyes dismissing what he had just spied thinking it was nothing more than the moonlight and shadows from the clouds above. But it moved kind of quick, didn’t it? Edger backed away from his window, went to bed, and pulled his covers up to his forehead. That shadow was questionably creepy.

At school that morning Edger had made up his mind to try and be pleasant. He understood the basic concepts of establishing himself early on as the “pleasant” kid. He didn’t want to be popular. That required too much work as far as he was concerned, but he didn’t want to be hated. Being hated also required effort on his part. Edger had concluded early on being pleasant would give him a nice middle ground to be ignored in.

Walking up to the board Edger was eager to see who his eighth-grade homeroom teacher would be. Eager might not be the right word since it gives off an air of positivity that Edger did not possess. Edger was anxious to see who his eighth-grade teacher would be.

With his hands shoved in his pockets. Edger’s fingers were crossed. He didn’t want anybody noticing him participating in such superstition, but he was desperate. These were dangerous times for Edger the possibility that his new weirdo neighbor was his homeroom teacher was high. He would leave no stone unturned. Fingers crossed was the way he would go.

Edger Evans_________ Mrs. Oswald classroom 9.

Edger almost jumped for joy at this. His new neighbor was not his homeroom teacher. Things were looking up for him. He felt so much joy over this turn of fortunes Edger gave out a small yip of glee, but caught himself before he did a fist pump. He wouldn’t want to be seen doing a fist pump, those types of actions were for jocks.

“Please move dear.” Looking behind him Edger caught a glance of Mrs. Hills the school secretary. She was holding several pieces of paper in her hands. Edger felt a gulp land in his throat. Whatever was on those papers couldn’t be good news.

“Everyone…” Mrs. Hills looked exhausted. The school year had only been officially in session for less than an hour. Edger took this as a bad omen. “There have been some changes. Please double check your schedule before heading out.” At this Mrs. Hills nodded to everyone then scurried away.

Stepping forward Edger felt the cloud of doom surround him. This is was no good. No good at all.

Edger Evans ___________ Miss Pez Homeroom Classroom 6

Edger started sweating as if he’d run around the track and cursed at the floor a bit. He was doomed. Not merely doomed; cursed. Cursed to live among the teachers forever.

Heading to homeroom Edger, picturing himself moving away to college only to accidently get an apartment with an unbreakable lease next to his English professor.

He’d get married one day, buy a home, and realize that all his children’s teachers lived on that block as well. How could he do that to his children? Passing on the wicked curse.

Stepping into the classroom, Edger huffed, sat down, and took one good look at Miss Pez. She looked even crazier close up. Her hair was an impossible red, and Edger was sure she’d done that on purpose. Her glasses were unusually large for her face, and, of course, there was the dress.

Edger buried his face in his hands. Another ridiculous dress. Super tight, of course, going all the way down to her ankles, and she wore boots. The print on the dress looked like a cross between a Navajo blanket and train tracks.

Edger looked up and to his dismay Miss Pez met eyes with him. He sat straight up and tried his best to give her his “pleasant” grin. Miss Pez gave Edger a broad smile back at him. Were her teeth the whitest teeth he had ever seen? They were white to the point of gleaming. A gleam that hit Edger in the eye, and he was sure momentarily blinded him.

Oh, thought Edger, Miss Pez is unpleasant. Edger kicked the legs on his desk. This was the year he was supposed to be “pleasant.” Now she came along. This was going to be impossible.

“Hello, everyone. I am Miss Pez,” she said.

Edger sat up, pretending to pay attention. He had distracted himself hoping Miss Pez would develop some chafing from that tight dress that would keep her locked up in her home and unable to teach.

“I have just moved here from Florida. In fact, I’m your new neighbor, aren’t I, Edger.”

Hearing his name, Edger’s eyes bugged. He did what he his father usually did when he wasn’t paying attention to what his mother said. He smiled and nodded yes. Miss Pez smiled in return and Edger congratulated himself. He’d thank his father later. That smile and nod hack was handy.

Maybe Miss Pez wouldn’t be so bad. If Edger got lucky she might be the kind of neighbor who swooped straight into the garage after work and never ever came back out. Edger felt that maybe his curse would lift a bit if Miss Pez were like that.

On the bus ride home Edger mulled over his first day of school. Miss Pez didn’t seem all that horrible, but there was that smell. Everybody was kinda smelly the first weeks of school with the summer heat still blazing. Miss Pez’s smell was a special kind of funky. When she’d walked by his desk, the smell of unsupervised lobster tank nearly slapped him in the face. She smelled like a scummy pond on a hot day.

“Ack,” thought Edger. What if that smell seeped over the lawn and creepy crawled over to his bedroom window. What then?

Feeling defeated, exhausted, and condemned with the weight of his curse, Edger got off the bus, walked into his home and threw himself on the couch.

He added some moans for effect and waited for his mother to come find him. From the time he’d stood up from his bus seat to walking up his front steps, Edger had decided to beg, yes, beg his parents to once and for all sell this house and leave this teacher-contaminated hell.

Edger’s mother came to the couch, sighed, and sat on the coffee table, looking at him. She was a sweet woman; Edger had to admit that. Overly patient with him at times.

“Explain to me why your life has become unbearable again,” she said.

Edger opened his mouth to speak but his mother interrupted him.

“Because, if I’m not mistaken, it’s become unbearable for the seventeenth time this month.”

Edger sat up, afraid he’s mother would sneak a hug, if he didn’t keep up his guard. “That freaky lady next door is my teacher,” he said.

His mother’s eyebrows lifted. She was instantly interested, he could tell.

“She’s a big weirdo, Mom, and she smells like the shower room at dad’s gym.”

“Perhaps,” his mother said and took his hand gently, “she’s just eccentric.”

Edger moaned again and added a bit of a wail. His mother had to drop a bit of whimsy on everything. She could sprinkle fairy dust on a root canal.

Edger stood, giving up for now. He headed to the kitchen for a snack. He’d start his campaign at dinner with his father.

Edger’s father stood at his son’s bedroom window for several minutes. He shifted his feet, looked from side to side, and back at Edger. “So, she’s quite the character, right?”

Edger rolled his eyes. “Quite the character” was the adult, polite way of saying “She’s a freaky, freak, freak.”

Catching his son’s eye roll, Edger’s dad shoved his hands into his pockets and sat on his son’s bed, looking at him. “Okay, she’s an oddball. She smells like a turtle tank, and she lives right next door, and, oh yeah, she’s your teacher.” Edger’s father gave him a playful punch in the arm. “That’s not bad at all. It’s practically ideal.” Oh, he hated it when his father thought a smart-ass line would be funny to him.

Edger got up and walked over to the window, about to tell his father that oddballs bring property values down and they should get out while they can, but something in the pool glittered in the moonlight and sparkled in Edger’s eyes.

His father joined him at the window. Both saw the sparkle. Both stayed quiet and still waiting for it to happen again. It didn’t.

Alice snuck up behind Edger and plopped down at the lunch table next to him. She looked right at Edger, making eye contact, while she took out her lunch, and bit into her sandwich. Alice was known for being “eccentric,” as his mother put it. Edger assumed she was playing her own version of “Don’t Blink.”

In return Edger blinked quickly, and many times. He wanted to make it clear to her that he lost; she was the victor and now both could eat their lunches in peace. He was in no mood for conversation today. Miss Pez had spent first period walking around the classroom, and every time she walked by Edger’s desk her scent crawled up his nostrils and threw themselves a party.

“We need to talk,” Alice said, eyes still on Edger’s. Noticing Edger’s confusion, she leaned forward and loudly said, “I’m in your homeroom class.”

Edger gave Alice a small smile and nodded. “I knew that.” He didn’t know that. Edger didn’t bother to look to the side or behind him in class. School was a dreadful chore; mostly Edger waited for it to be over.

“I also live in your neighborhood.” She bit into her sandwich, leaned forward again, and continued, “I live right behind Miss Pez.” She swallowed and took another bite of her sandwich.

Edger was perplexed. Everything Alice had said was mildly interesting, but what kind of response did she expect from him?

“I live next door to her.” Edger blurted out. What else did he have to share?

Alice nodded. “I knew that. I see you looking out your window all the time.”

Edgar clapped a hand over his mouth to stop from spitting out his food and gave Alice the most alarmed look he could muster. She watched him looking out his window? This girl from his school knew he had a bedroom, with a window, and a house. Alice knew where he lived.

Alice tapped the table with her fingers. “Hey, wake up,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him. “I need your help. You’ve got that window with a view of the pool.” Shoving her lunch to the side Alice leaned even farther over the table as closely as she could to Edger’s face.

He found this disconcerting; how close did she need to be? If she got any closer he’d be forced to run off, and that might possibly cause a scene.

Edger was still muttering about her knowing where his bedroom was, when Alice snapped her fingers at him. “My bedroom window is downstairs and right by the connecting fence. There have been noises.”

“NOISES?” Edger said, loud enough for heads to turn.

Alice leaned back and gave Edger a look of disgust

He figured he should get used to such looks from women. He knew he could be pig-headed and annoying. His wife would probably give him the same dismayed look on a regular basis.

“Yes,” Alice said, “noises, really messed up noises.” Alice stood, picking up what was left of her lunch. She looked down at Edger. “We’ll talk on the bus.” She turned and walked away.

Edger remembering one of his father’s tricks nodded and smiled at Alice. He had no idea she was on the same bus. His head was spinning with all this new information. Alice was in the same class, the same neighborhood; she knew where he lived, knew where his bedroom was, and rode the bus with him. Edger gasped; had she seen him looking out the window without a shirt on?

Scrambling to his feet Edger tossed his lunch out. He was still hungry but wouldn’t eat. Instead, he hurried outside to get some air. The hot humid air blasted his face. It felt like it was
frying his eyebrows off, but outside he was far away from Alice and Miss Pez. Outside was what Edger needed for a few moments.

“What fresh hell is this?” Edger muttered, but a kid who happened to walk by overheard Edger.

He answered, “Eighth grade is tough, man, real tough.” He put a hand on Edger’s shoulder giving him a sympathetic pat and walked off towards the basketball hoops leaving Edger to do nothing but huff again and head back inside.

On the bus home Edger dutifully sat down near Alice but not next to her. He would be open enough to have her sit with him and explain these “noises” to him, but Edger was prideful and wasn’t about to just plop himself in the seat right next to her and grovel for attention.

He was grumpy and fed up with teachers. Miss Pez consistently went off topic in homeroom today. Instead of going over equations she’d tell the class about her dream to become a marine biologist. Fortune had not been her friend, and she was happy to be able to teach the children.

Miss Pez’s teaching style confused Edgar. In one breath, she spoke of the equation the class was working on; in another the importance of taking care of our oceans; in another she made it seem like teaching was the alternate prize. Edger hated her.

To make matters worse she had walked by his desk, and seeing her headed in his direction, Edgar had timed holding his breath. But then she’d lingered at this desk, casually dragging her long fingernails across it while smiling at him. He nearly passed out from lack of oxygen before she moved on.

Miss Pez’s long fingernails had left scratches on his desk, scratches that Edger would now associate with her smell. Scratches and a smell that he was stuck with for one whole school year.

“Seriously, stop moaning. You’ll scare the first graders,” Alice said.

Edger realized Alice now sat next to him. She eyed the front of the bus where the kindergarteners and first graders sat. He didn’t realize he was moaning.

“She left scratch marks on my desk today. So gross,” Edger blurted before he could think to censor himself. He made it a point to never tell anyone what was really on his mind. He thought this was a good thing to get a handle on at an early age. That way as an adult he wouldn’t lose jobs or incriminate himself by putting his foot in his mouth.

Alice shuddered a bit. “The smell,” she murmured. She took out a notebook and showed Edger a drawing of her home, where her bedroom window was and how close it was to the pool in Miss Pez’s backyard. “I can hear everything.” Alice frowned at this.

Edger felt bad for her. Maybe he wasn’t the only kid stuck in neighborhood hell.

“The last people that owned that home weren’t so bad,” Alice said. “They only swam in the early evening and mostly played island music, but Miss Pez is different. The noises wake me up at night, late at night, like three in the morning.” Alice scooted closer to Edger to whisper, “When I looked out my window through the slits in the fence, I don’t see anyone in the pool, but I can hear something in the pool.”

Both Edger and Alice sat in silence for several minutes. Edger wished he knew what to say to Alice. He wanted say something intelligent, something she might quote some other day in a group of his peers. He could picture Alice and a circle of friends. She’d smile and say, “And, then, Edger said blah, blah, and it all made sense…”

Alice bumped Edger with her elbow. She raised her eyebrows at him and pursed her lips. Edger supposed that was another reaction from a woman he should get used to as well.

After a little huff, Alice said, “Tonight, I want you to keep watch. I’m going to flash a light from my window when I hear the noises. When that happens, you watch the backyard for movement.”

Edger nodded eagerly, still unable to find the right words. Licking his lips Edger realized he was nodding yes and not no. He meant to nod “no” to Alice. “What kind of noises?” Edger blurted this out at Alice. He was a bit put off by his own voice. Did he always sound that high pitched?

Alice smirked at Edger and looked out the window, as if Miss Pez would appear at any moment clinging to the edges of the bus windows, growling and listening in on their conversation. “Unnatural noises” Alice then raised her eyebrows at Edger. As if she had said something that one made sense and two meant something after it made sense.

Edger was perplexed. What on earth could Alice think deemed “unnatural noises?” His mind raced from race cars to a can of soda being opened. What kind of unnatural noise?

The bus came to a stop. The jolt of it waking Edger up who was lost in his thoughts. Alice gathered her bookbag then made some very uncomfortable direct eye contact with Edger. “Remember, when my light flashes watch the pool. We’ll discuss it in the morning.”

When Alice walked away, Edgar’s face twitched. He couldn’t shake the feeling they were really on to something, and that something might be “not great.”

At home Edger forgot to moan and complain to his mother when he came home from school. He was too preoccupied with his impending night watch of Miss Pez’s pool. Could he handle staying up all night? He wasn’t sure he could. He’d never done such a thing before. Also, could he handle whatever Miss Pez was up to in her pool? After all he wouldn’t be able to un-see what he might see.

It was too complicated, and Edger wished he could crawl under the covers, sleep, and go to school tomorrow to a different homeroom teacher. A teacher who was interested in history, loved math, and did not care about marine biology. Most of all, Edger wished he’d lived in a normal neighborhood, a teacher-free zone.

Adding to Edger’s trouble, dinner would be coming along soon. His family had a sit-down dinner almost every night. How could he sit across from his parents and not tell them what was going down that night? That was impossible.

If Edger were honest with himself, which he was, he never had anything to lie about. He didn’t get into trouble. Getting into trouble seemed a waste of his time. After all, it took planning and energy to get into trouble, and Edger was happier reading a book and not bothering.

Edgar decided he would not tell his parents he planned to stay up all night watching Miss Pez’s pool That wasn’t lying after all; he was merely withholding information.

If asked what his plans where for that evening, he’d be honest and forthright. He’d give an account of everything that had happened at school that day. He’d moan a bit about how
horrible Miss Pez was for emphasis and hopefully his parents would be in on the deal. They could set up a watch schedule, each sitting there with a notepad while the others slept.

Edger would go down to dinner and hope his parents asked if he had any plans that night.

After dinner, Edger was in his bathroom brushing his teeth and trying not to cry. He hadn’t cried in years. Well, that was an approximation since he couldn’t remember the last time he actually cried. Probably infancy, but tonight Edger felt the urge to do so.

Dinner had not gone as planned. Both his parents discussed in length a greenhouse they were putting up in the backyard and not once had they asked Edger any questions about his plans for the night. To further Edger’s dismay, the plans for the greenhouse seemed to add even more permeance of living in this neighborhood.

There was nothing left for Edger to do but cry. Taking his toothbrush out of his mouth. Edger focused on crying. It didn’t happen. Maybe he needed to rinse the toothpaste out of his mouth. It seemed impossible to cry when his mouth felt so clean and minty.

Mouth rinsed, toothbrush dried and put away, Edger put his hands to his face and again focused on crying. Nothing came.

“Damn it,” he muttered. There was nothing left for Edger to do but go through with this night watch. He had hoped if he cried loud enough in his bathroom his parents would hear him and come to his rescue.

He went back into his room and grabbed his desk chair, positioning it at his bedroom window at the right angle to view the pool. He sat down and realized the fence was in the way. Cursing, Edger stood, exactly what he’d have to do all night.

Could his life get any worse?

Edger staggered with exhaustion. He had fallen asleep several times and was sure that at any moment he’d slam his head against the window. It was three a.m., and there were no flashes of light so far. How would he handle school tomorrow if he was so sleep deprived?

If he were tired and sleepy he’d probably let his guard down and that would open the window to all sorts of situations. Miss Pez could walk by him, and he’d forget to hold his breath. A 6th grader could initiate a conversation with him, and he’d feel too tired to walk away quickly.

Maybe, in the moments while he had dozed Alice had flashed the light, which would cause her to be angry when he had nothing to report. She might lean too close to him again, and he’d be too tired to act defensively enough to lean away.

Flash, Flash, Flash. There it was! A light flickering from Alice’s window. As he pushed back the curtains, Edger felt a rush of excitement. Throwing manners aside Edger peered into Miss Pez’s backyard.

Scrutinizing Edger willed himself to focus on the pool through his exhaustion. He could see it and not see it. Rubbing his eyes Edger wished he could get a closer look. There was something in the pool, but he couldn’t see exactly what. The thing swam in swirls like water going down a drain, but nothing came up. Whatever it was it looked like it kept underwater. Edger was kind of glad it kept underwater. He wasn’t sure he could emotionally handle whatever would pop out of the pool.

Frustrated that he couldn’t tell what the thing in the water was, Edger threw himself on his bed and promptly fell asleep.

Alice stood in front of Edger at the bus stop. Her expression jumping between excitement and impatience. She wore her hair curly today with a very large purple bow right in the center of her head. It reminded Edger of the Dumbo movie. At any moment, he expected Alice to take off and fly away.

With her impatient expression changing to anger, maybe her flying away would be in Edger’s best interest.

“What did you see?” Alice asked, stepping over to the side of Edger. She did this briskly and Edger could feel thorns growing out of her skin. If he didn’t answer soon she’d probably grow vines and impale him for the viewing pleasure of the kindergarteners.

Alice’s aggression put Edger off, but he remembered how his baby cousin got angry when tired. Maybe Alice was a grump when sleep deprived. So, he let it go. He also remembered his father telling him he should think before he spoke, especially when dealing with women.

“I saw stuff,” Edgar said.

Alice quickly tossed her hands up “What kind of stuff”

Edger winced; she was touchy today. “It’s so strange. I saw it, but I couldn’t see it. It’s like something got caught in the corner of your eye, but when you turn your head it’s no longer there.”

Alice shamelessly let out a loud huff. It amazed Edger that she could express her emotions so openly and loudly. Where all girls like this?

“You are going to have to go outside tonight and take a better look.” Alice took Edger’s arm and turned him to face her. “Our lives depend on figuring this thing out!”

The school bus came to a halt in front of them. Alice jumped on the bus while simultaneously nabbing her backpack as if it offended her then hissed at Edger. “I’m going to go take a nap…”

Edger put his hand on his chest, feeling his pounding heart. His breathing was quick. He could literally feel his heartbeat in his throat.

Putting his hands down on the bus seat Edger picked up his backpack and held it for comfort. He had come face to face with Alice and his only inclination was to touch that purple bow that seemed plopped on the top of her head what the hell was wrong with him?

Edger felt like vomiting. Did this mean he was girl crazy? He’d seen it happen to boys at school. They lose all sense of decorum, drooling over any girl in the classroom that giggled at them. Edger had sworn an oath to himself. He would not do such a thing.

He’d have some pride about himself when it came to puberty. Damn it.

“Wait.” Edger mumbled to himself putting his hand on his chest again. “Did she say he’d have to go outside? Outside where?”

“You look like you’re going to throw up.” A second-grade girl whose bow was equally as big as Alice’s and as purple looked at Edger. She nudged the girl sitting next to her. They both squinted at him and instantaneously decided to go to other seats.

In class Edger dozed off and face-planted on his desk. Miss Pez raised her eyebrows at him, and that was a sneer for sure. He thought things couldn’t get any worse when a note got passed to him.

“Keep watch at the fence tonight. Don’t be a wimp. Tomorrow is Saturday you can sleep then. Sincerely, Alice.” She drew a heart over the “i” in her name instead of a dot, and the ink smelled of bubble gum. At that point in his life Edger was certain he’d never understand girls.

* * *

“Hey, son… Edger…”

“He’s been asleep like this since he got home from school.”

“Yo, Buddy…wake up.”

Edgar opened one eye and both of his parents looking down at him with concerned faces. Looking around Edger was eye to eye with the sideboards in the hallway and realized he had fallen asleep in the middle of the upstairs hallway. How long had he been there?

His mom looked at him with concern but smiled at his father. “He used to do this as a baby. I’d find him sleeping in really weird places.”

His father laughed and said, “Yeah, remember when we found him asleep in the hall closet. He was using the vacuum as a pillow.”

Edger picked at this dinner. He felt the pull of sleep still on him. His parents chatted as usual, and Edger mentally checked out while he chewed some broccoli. Then Edger felt a hand on his. Turning Edger blinked once, then again. His father was smiling at him with one hand resting on his. Startled, Edger almost choked on the broccoli.

“Son, take a sip of water.” His father watched Edger gulp the glass of water with an amused look on his face. It was the look of bygone days where dads wore sweaters and ties while barbecuing and handing out wisdom to their children with the same slanted smile on their faces.

Edger’s father finally spoke up. “Son, is there anything. You need to discuss with us.” His mom then put her fork down and raised her eyebrows. Both parents looking eagerly towards their only child. Edger felt a lump in his throat. Should he confess it all?

Edger did, pushing his plate aside he related everything that had happened. He did notice that he went into great detail about Alice’s hair and large purple bow, but nevertheless he told his parents everything.

Both parents had raised eyebrows now. Not just his mother. They looked at Edger, their plates, and lastly the ceiling then in unison started laughing.

Sitting at this desk chair, Edger looked over his belongings and felt like bashing them against the wall. He wondered, is this what depressed feels like? To his knowledge, he’d never been “depressed” and wasn’t sure how it felt. Right now, Edger figured wanting to bash his collectibles and video games against his bedroom’s walls was it.

His parents didn’t believe everything he said; they “partially” believed him. To Edger that was the same as not believing him. Edger needed his parents to be “all in” with him. They weren’t, and Edger’s feelings were hurt.

Edger’s parents had been “all in” in every part of his life. From the most mundane kindergarten art work to his fourth-grade science project. Now, they decided to step away? The aggravation and resentment Edger felt boiled inside of him.

He was going to stay up late tonight, wait for Alice to flash that light, and he’d sneak out to see for himself what was in Miss Pez’s pool. Looking out his bedroom window Edger noticed that the sun was starting to set.

Edger went to bed, smart phone in hand. He set the timer for three hours, closed his eyes, and mumbled to himself about the injustice of his life.

Edger had been dreaming of Alice when his alarm went off. They were walking the hallways of their soon-to-be high school and holding hands. Rubbing his hands into his hair Edger did his best to erase that dream and the memory of it. Holding hands? In his dream, he had a big, dopey smile on his face as well. Edger shook his head at that.

He planned to spend his high school years as a scholar. Going in as a freshman, he’d do nothing but work towards valedictorian at graduation. Holding hands and acting like a dope wasn’t in the cards for him.

Edger went downstairs then. His parents were watching television. When they saw Edger they paused the show, smiling at him “come sit down and join us.” Edger purposely gave them a curt “no thanks” went into the kitchen took two water bottles from the fridge and gave his parents a polite nod on his way up the stairs. It was the same nod he gave to students at school that insisted on trying to be friendly with them.

Back in his bedroom Edger mulled over forgiving his parents for being jerks, but he wasn’t there yet. He wasn’t sure when he’d be ready to “get over” it. Opening a water bottle Edger took a long swig. He was hurt but took some satisfaction in the fact that just before he opened the fridge he turned off the house alarm.

He knew his parent’s nighttime routine well. After dinner and clean up, his parents would set the house alarm, grab a bottle of wine, flick on the TV, and there they would sit till they went to bed. Neither of his parents would bother to check the alarm again before bed.

Edger would start his watch now. Sooner or later, he’d have to stand so that he could see over the fence, but he knew it was too early for that yet. That thing in Miss Pez’s pool came out in the late-night hours before dawn.

When Edger saw the flash of light from Alice’s window it was 2:14 AM. Edger shoved his feet into his shoes but quickly took them off. He should only put his shoes on when he was outside. His parents’ bedroom was upstairs, and they might hear him walking the hallway. He’d have to tiptoe, very quietly. His mother was a light sleeper.

Once downstairs Edger slid open the sliding glass door and stepped outside into the night. He rarely went out at night. The feel of the dark sky, starlight, and being unsupervised washed over Edger. He liked the feeling and reminded himself to sneak about at night more often.

Shoes on, Edger got down on all fours and did a low crawl towards the side of his yard that had a small gap in the fence next to the pool. When he reached the fence, Edger could swear he felt every inch of skin on his body prickle. Was this terror? Edger wasn’t sure and caught himself smiling. If this was terror, it was exciting.

Both depression and terror in one day seemed a lot for Edger to take in. He decided to try and ignore the feeling, focus on the task at hand. Leaning into the fence Edger heard something.

Tilting himself over Edger pushed his ear into the fence. He could hear a small whir. Edger’s mind raced. What could the whir be? Did this thing have wings? Was it spinning its wings, preparing to fly and devour not only him but the whole town. Shaking, Edger sat back and nearly collapsed from fright when he saw Alice’s face in the dark staring back at him. He was relieved when he recognized her and equally relieved she’d taken off that massive purple bow.

Alice slapped her hand over his mouth, squatted down low and looked at Edger with the saddest expression on her face. Edger felt his heart fall to the floor. He didn’t like seeing her like that.

“Did you hear it?” Alice asked as Edger gulped down the scream that was stuck in his throat.

“I heard some whirring…” Edger replied.

Alice shook her head no then quickly said “That’s the pool filter…the noise is growl. A low constant growl. Almost like a dog, but it doesn’t stop.”

Sitting up a bit straighter Alice scooted closer to the fence. She whispered to Edger, “She or it is in there.”

Edger could clearly see Alice’s face in the moonlight. There were tears in her eyes. She looked angelic.

Alice blurted out, “I think it’s the devil.”

Edger was taken aback by what Alice said. He must have shown confusion on his face because Alice scooted right next to Edger their thighs touching. “It’s in a song my granddaddy listens to. The devil comes to Georgia, looking for a soul to steal.”

Alice delicately took Edger’s hand. “We live in Georgia. It’s coming for souls.” Edger said nothing but instead held Alice’s hand while wondering how long it had been since she had slept. By the look of exhaustion and fear in her eyes it had been several days at. She believed what she had just said.

Breaking out of her fog Alice scooted back away becoming terrifyingly alert of their situation. “We have to get a better look. We have to go next to the pool.” She then started to crawl away. Edger sat in place perplexed watching her. He had no idea what she was doing. Alice stopped crawling, looked over at Edger, waving a hand at him to follow.

Following, Edger was sure that at some point tonight he’d pee his pants. He wasn’t proud of that but did his best to mentally and emotionally prepare himself for it. He’d have to let his pride go for a night.

Alice stopped at Miss Pez’s back gate she flicked the latch open with a finger then shoved it open with her foot. The gate opened a bit too easily for Edger’s nerves to handle. Every creepy movie he’d ever seen had a front door, or gate, or secret wall compartment open easily while the killer eagerly waited on its prize. Edger wanted to yell “IT’S A SET UP” take Alice over his shoulder and run off, but instead he followed her in.

He should be in bed right now, sleeping, cozy, comfy. Instead he was about to pee his pants in fright in front of a girl he hardly knew but wanted to know. It was all so terrible.

If this is what being a teenager was about, Edger wanted none of it. He expected some moments of complete dumb-assery where he’d say something stupid or have a delusion of having fun at a school dance, but this? This was uncalled for.

When Edger sensed Alice leave his side, his hand shot out and caught her shoulder. He was going to go first. If he would be peeing his pants at some point tonight he might as well do it while attempting to be brave in front of a girl he had to admit he kind of liked.

Lying on his belly, Edger low-crawled towards the pool. He could see the water of the pool gently moving about in swirling patterns. His palms against the ground transmitted a low hum, and when he put his ear to the ground, it did sound like a growl.

This was unnerving, but there was no going back. He was almost there. Tentatively,

Edger gripped the edges of the pool, pulling himself forward. He was going to do it. Edger would look into the water. Inching his way forward Edger grew braver by the second. He was really doing this. This was him, doing…

The pain wasn’t pain at first, but an inclination that something unnatural was happening. Then, pain hit. Something bit down on one of his fingers.

Screaming, Edger tried to pull himself away, but he was caught fast. He felt a mouth on his finger, lips puckered around his knuckle, teeth slowly sawing at the bone. Whatever had his finger almost had the bone broken and off.

Alice screamed, too, a hair-raising squeal. It wasn’t a normal scream. It was a scream of pure terror. The fear in Alice’s scream was high-pitched and could shatter windows. Edger felt hands at his waist Alice was attempting to pull him away from the thing in the pool.

“IT’S PULLING ME IN!” Edger was in a panic; the pain was one thing but if he was pulled into the water he’d never see daylight again. Alice was pulling as hard she could. Just as Edger was certain he’d face certain death with peed on pants Alice was able to pull Edger free. His hand was still there, but his ring finger was a bloody stump.

Alice pulled on Edger’s arm. “We need the police! We need to call the police.”

Edger watched blood pour from where his finger had been and got dizzier by the second. Alice held Edger in a fierce embrace, keeping him from falling over. Alice yelled “The growling…the growling…it’s getting louder…WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!”

The earth under Edger shook, and with one loud whoosh, a creature jumped out of the pool, landing in front of Edger. Alice’s screams faded amid Edger’s thoughts. He knew he needed to get up and run, but he was also fascinated by what he saw.

Before him was Miss Pez. Dead Miss Pez. Monster Miss Pez. Zombie Miss Pez. Which one, Edger wasn’t sure. Her hair was loose, her glasses gone, and to Edger’s immediate dismay she was topless. This was not how he wanted to see a woman’s breasts for the first time.

In between her screams, Alice shook Edger’s arm muttering, “Her legs are stuck together!”

Edger could clearly see Miss Pez’s legs were fused all the way down stopping at her ankles.

Miss Pez spit out Edger’s finger. It landed not far away from him, giving a slight twitch when it popped down on the grass.

“STUPID KIDS! WHY COULDN’T YOU JUST LET ME SWIM!!!”

Miss Pez hobbled towards the kids. There were twinkling lights in front of Edger’s eyes and his head felt weightless. He tried to swipe them away, but got distracted by Miss Pez’s movements towards them.

“I SWEAR I’M GOING TO KILL--”

Edgar saw the baseball bat before Miss Pez did. A fast and mean swing connected with Miss Pez’s stomach, knocking her over.

Edger’s father picked him up, and Edger saw the bat in his mother’s hands. She had a smugly satisfied look on her face.

“Alice,” Edgar murmured, as his father half-carried, half-dragged him away, “where’s Alice?”

“She’s with your mom.” His father breathlessly replied.

Edger’s father left him by the fence and ran back toward the pool. When he tried to stand, Edger almost fell over, but he managed to crawl to see what was happening.

Edger’s mother had Alice behind her, and his mom gripped the bat like Aaron Judge about to hit a dinger.

“If you stand up,” his mother said to whatever Miss Pez was, “I swear I’ll knock your head off your body. Alice, call 911.”

Miss Pez growled and glowered at Edger’s mother but didn’t move. Edger saw Mr. Davis run by in pajamas. Another picture of his principal he wouldn’t be able to get out of his head. But Mr. Davis had a shotgun, and he pointed it at Miss Pez.

“Stop now, Agatha,” Mr. Davis said. “We had a deal.”

Mr. Davis’ hands shook, the barrel of the gun wiggling more than pointing. His pajamas had kittens printed all over them. Outrageous prints must be a teacher thing, Edgar thought.

“You won’t shoot that gun. I’m a union member. You can’t kill me.” Miss Pez stood up. Her white teeth flashed at all of them as she growled. Edger’s mom drew her bat back for a head strike.

Mrs. Atwood, wearing silky looking pajamas Edgar thought was called a kimono, stood at the pool gate. She strolled over and looked over Edger’s mother’s shoulder. She snorted and said, “Teaching really does bring in all types.”

Dizziness overcame him, and Edger dropped to his knees. He could hear sirens in the distance. Miss Pez let out a thundering growl, backed up slowly, and hobbled to her back door. With a crash of glass, she jumped inside her home.

The next day, Edger lay in his bed, fuzzy from pain killers, trying his best to digest all that had occurred. His mother had told him not long after Miss Pez jumped inside her house, the garage door opened, and she speed away. The police took off after her but she was never caught.

“Miss Pez,” his mother said, “will become the stuff of urban legends.”

Edger’s father was distraught over it all, and Edgar heard him on the phone with a realtor. Edger would finally get his wish to move from this neighborhood.

The wish had cost him most of one finger, but Edger almost believed it was worth it.

“Alice, where’s Alice?” he asked his mother.

“Oh, poor thing. She was delirious from lack of sleep. Maybe a little shock. Her mother said she’s curled up in bed, sound asleep.”

Edger sighed, thinking of Alice sleeping. He remembered despite having his finger chewed off by the mermaid from hell, he did not pee his pants after all, and that was enough to make him smile.

Epilogue

I hope you enjoyed The Thing in the Pool. The story concept has been bumping around my brain for a year. I am glad to finally get it out to the world. I tell my readers that my short stories are a way for me to purge after I've written a book. My books are much darker, creepier, and have an ominous feel. Please keep that in mind when you consider reading one, which I hope you do. My books are not for the faint of heart.

Also by Carol James Marshall

The Women of the Grey Trilogy

Starburst book 1 and Red Drug book 2 is science fiction and horror with a creepy vibe that will have you looking over your shoulder for weeks after your done reading them.

Stainless-Steel book 3 will be out fall 2018.

Women of the Grey on Amazon http://bit.ly/CJMZon

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Also by Carol James Marshall

If you love dark occult horror filled with truly despicable people The Demon Dealer is a book waiting for you.

The Demon Dealer on Amazon. http://bit.ly/CJMZon

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Where to find me.

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