"They say she walk only by the light 'o the moon, like some sorta' spirit, like.  She be wearin' a flowing white gown 'n 'as long brown hair to shield 'er sad, 'n lonesome eyes."

It was never unusual to hear these sorts of stories in my small town, hell; it wasn't even big enough to be called a town.  More like a village.  Being the busboy at the local bar gave me plenty of time to hear the old wives-tales from all of the 'crazies'.  This particular story seemed to be a favorite among the mentally challenged sailors who frequented this old pub.  "Aye! I seen 'er, beautiful young thing.  I seen 'er wading in the sea, like some lost mermaid waitin' for 'er kin to return."  I chuckled quietly to myself. It was always the same.  A slender, young, always beautiful girl, wearing a white dress, with long, flowing brunette hair, and longing eyes.  I was abruptly pulled down to one elderly man in particular's eye level by my collar "Boy! She been waitin', lookin' 'or some'un.  'Or some'un to take 'er home!"  Mr. adrews tended to have troubles with the letter 'F'.  "Mhmm…" I simply smiled and nodded; the best way to cope with the unstable of the mind.

"Eli, would you mind getting' me the trap from down yonda' the crick, hun?"  Irene's voice was always an interesting thing to hear, its thick southern drawl stood out against the sailors dropped letters and incorrect grammar.  I struggled a bit to escape the sailors when Irene came, swatting my captor with a rolled up menu.  "Now you boys listen here, don' be harpin' on poor Eli, he's got enough to do 'round here without yall messin' with him!" I slipped away as she argued with the sailors.

The creek was cool and refreshing in the hot, muggy night.  The night was clear with twinkling stars scattered across the night sky, and the moon's luminescence glowing over the mucky water.  Just as I turned to leave, trap in hand, I heard the water move.  I turned to look:  nothing.  I turned once again to leave when I started to hear a female voice singing.  I whipped back around to scan the water, still hearing the voice.  Dock, lily pad, tree, and a patch of moss.  No girl.  I scanned back over the water.  Patch of moss, tree, lily pad, girl, dock.  Wait.  My eyes shot back to the space between the dock and the pad.  There, thigh high in water, stood a beautiful young girl dressed in white.  The erotic way her dress clung to her slim body due to the water; the way you could see a bit more than intended on her flawless skin.  My heart nearly stopped.  Mindlessly I waded out to where she was, touching her shoulder.  She stopped singing and slowly turned to me, looking as though she was scared and about to cry.  She turned and walked further into the water until she was straining to keep her head above the water.  With a few gasps of air, followed by bubbles, she was gone underneath the water, her long brown hair slowly disappearing from the surface as she sank.  I treaded water to where she went under and dove for her.  The water was dark, save for the moonlight that shone over the spot I was diving in.  It was dark and cold but I kept swimming down, lightheadedness hitting me hard.  Finally I saw her angelic face.  I grasped her hand then, nothing.  The darkness in the water enclosed me in a blanket of suffocating sleep.  The world disappeared, then I saw nothing but white.  Blinding, angelic, white.

 I grasped her hand then, nothing.  The darkness in the water enclosed me in a blanket of suffocating sleep.  The world disappeared, then I saw nothing but white.  Blinding, angelic, white.

"Eli…ELI!!" I sat bolt upright, choking on water from the sea beside us.  Irene held me up, patting my back to rid my lungs of the muck.  "Aye, what 'appen 'ere boy" I looked out to the sea, a dazed expression on my face "I…I don't know" a gruff looking old sailor knelt down beside me and lowered his voice "you seen 'er, aye?" I looked up to him, horrified.  I wasn't sure myself what exactly I'd seen.  "I'm sorry, but I have to go…" I handed the trap to Irene and began to walk home when Irene hollered to me "Hun, 'dun worry 'bout workin' 'marrow.  We'll take care of it, baby cakes."  I nodded slowly and continued home.  I didn't sleep well, I couldn't.  All I could do is stare absent-mindedly out of the window to watch the waves wash over the shore, then run away just as quickly as it came.  I couldn't sleep until the sun began peeking over the horizon.  I walked out to the lake I'd seen her at, and sat on the sandy shore.  Absentmindedly I stared out into the fog the hung over the lake.  Before I realized it, I was fast asleep.  I dreamt of the fair lake maiden yelling my name; shouting for my help.  But the further I waded into the water to help her, the further away she seemed to get.  I finally woke up when she was pulled under the water, nothing left but bubbles from her gasps for air.

CRASH!  I heard Irene let out a shout of terror as the glass hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces.  I was jolted back to reality as I realized that the glass I'd been previously drying, was now in a million shards all over the floor at my feet.  I went to pick up the pieces; Irene stopped me "Go home, Eli." she began picking up the glass "We can't afford you breakin' all our dishes."  I nodded silently and punched out, hanging my apron on the door as I left.  Instead of going home, I headed to the lake.  On the shore I saw a form.  Could it really be her again?!  I shouted out to her. She turned away, heading back into the water.  I shouted to her again.  She hesitated, turning slightly to look at me.  "Wait" I whispered to her, now within earshot.  She shook her head solemnly.  "I can't…" then she was gone, disappeared into the mist.  I didn't move until the sun peeked over the horizon. Instead of going to work, I headed home, tired and disappointed, in hopes of getting some rest.

I looked over at the clock.  2 A.M..  I sighed heavily, and dragged myself out of bed.  I headed to the lake again; maybe the rocking of the sea could put me to sleep.  I brought a rental boat off the shore to the dock and hopped in.  Laying down I could feel the swaying affecting me.  Whether it was making me sleepy or seasick I wasn't too sure:  possibly a little of both.  I was finally swept into sleep once the boat had drifted to the center.

I awoke to a pair of brightly shining blue eyes.  "Am I dreaming again?"  I asked, still half asleep.  She turned and headed back into the lake.  Then I noticed the boat I was in had been dragged unto the shore.  I reached forward, grabbing her wrist.  "What's your name?" she looked to the lake, contemplating whether to answer or not.  "Serenity Faith…" I released her wrist, satisfied with the knowledge of her name.  I watched as she walked further and further into the mist, until there was nothing left to see, save for a faint luminescence of the moonlight reflecting off the lake onto her body.  Then, she was gone.

It had been almost three months since the last time I'd seen that beautifully mysterious young girl: Serenity Faith.  I repeated her name over and over again in my mind, afraid that if I thought of something else for even a moment, I would loose it.  Within the last week, though, I hadn't bothered to go back to the lake.  I'd been there every day for two weeks with no sign of her what so ever.  None-the-less, I promised myself that I would go back tonight to find her.  Even if it killed me.

I'd been there every day for two weeks with no sign of her what so ever.  None-the-less, I promised myself that I would go back tonight to find her.  Evan if it killed me.

I laid in the boat, one arm slung lazily over the edge, letting the waves lull me into a daze as they lapped at the skin on my arm and rocked the boat to and fro.  By now, it has been a full three months since I'd last seen Serenity.  The small restaurant where I worked had been shut down for health violations.  We all blamed the scurvy sailors.  My father's dead, mother fell ill shortly after, and I was evicted for not paying my rent.  I blame the sailors for this too.  So I'm left to share a three-bedroom cabin with a former co-worker, the former fry-boy where we once worked.  My weight has dropped significantly.  I just haven't had the ambition, or the apatite, to eat.  All I do is sleep, or sit at the window in my room and watch the moon glowing over the lake.  There isn't a time that I don't think of Serenity.  I often find myself thinking that the only way for me to be together with a girl like her was to remove myself from my current lively state.  I think about that whenever I watch the lake, or the moon.  I'm thinking it now.

I jumped up from my seat by the window, at a full sprint I ran to the bathroom.  Stripping as I went.  Once I'd taken a shower I dressed and headed for the door.  "Dude, you know I don' like to meddle an' nuttin…but you 'aight?"  I nodded and left without a word.

The moon was bright, almost as if it was shining just to light my path to the lake.  I took the well-acquainted boat, shoving off from shore.  "Serenity…Serenity Faith!" I yelled into the fog-covered night.  I soon gave up my vain attempts, muttering to myself.  "I love you Serenity, and I swear I'll be by your side soon…” as hot tears streaked my face, I reached into my coat, pulling out my pocketknife: a gift from my late father.  I drew in a deep breath, pulling out the blade.  "I'm coming for you, my love."  I whispered as I let the sharp blade kiss the pale flesh of my right wrist.  I watched the blood pool over the cut thinking, not deep enough… harder, and with more vigor I dug the blade into my skin, dragging it across to draw fast-running blood falls from my wrist.  I felt faint at the loss of life from my body and dropped the knife, falling to the side.  Though, as my vision blurred, I saw Serenity.  I reached up, touching her flawless cheek, my blood dripping onto her crisp, white, translucent dress. My thumb caressed her pale flesh, a stark red streak smearing across it from the blood on my hands.  She smiled at me, holding her hand over mine, the blood now running down her hand and arm as well as my own while I continued to bleed out; with my last breath I gave my life to her in three simple words "I love you…” with my last breathe gone on the wings of sweet nothings, I felt my soul leave me behind.

"………This really is quite the epic here out on the lake….” I could hear a woman's voice droning from somewhere in the room "…young boy at the peak of his time…” I strained my eyes to adjust to the bright morning light "…identified as Eli Joseph, a local laid off from a nearby…." I looked about the room and found the radio the voice was coming from beside the bed. "…When it was shut down about two months ago due to…." Eli?  Why are they reporting about me?  "…The young boy was found early this morning by a local fisherman who saw the blood coming from the boat…" I jumped out of bed, tuning the T.V. to the local news where they had the same report playing.  While the reporter spoke, a small picture was in the upper right hand corner of the screen.  Eli Joseph?  That was me, but the boy in the picture wasn't me at all.  "…Roommate claims Eli had a dry spell since being laid off, and was staying with him until…” the same life as me, but not me?  I heard a load beep, and turned to see a red light flash on the intercom.  Why wasn't I at Chip's?  I had been evicted from this place a month ago… the buzzer rang again, followed by a female voice "C'mon Eli, we're going to be late for our classes…" for a moment the entire world froze around me.  That voice couldn't be… I dashed over, pressing the button to speak back to her "who…who are you?" I let go of the button and heard her press in, humor edging her voice "It's me silly, Serenity…you know, your girl…" my heart skipped a beat and I pressed the button, cutting her off "wha, what…why are you here……what's going on?!" I waited frantically for her reply "have you been hitting the bottles again?  Just let me in, would'ya?"  I waited a moment.  Could this be real?  I was supposed to be dead, not talking to the girl from the lake I'd become so in love with.  I buzzed her in.  I was only about three minutes, not nearly enough time to compose myself, for her to get to my door.  She poked her head in and flushed,  covering her eyes as she giggled "you know I love you but you could at least wait till you've courted me before stripping!"  she stepped into the room, hand still over her eyes.  I looked down, seeing that I had apparently slept in the nude the previous night; something I did often.  I scrambled to find a pair of pants to put on.  Once I'd successfully put on pants and a shirt I looked at the girl.  Her long black hair fell over her shoulders elegantly.  A flowing white dress that stopped just above her knees clinging delicately onto her tiny frame.  She turned her dark eyes on me, books clutched in her tiny hands.  "Are you ready?"  I took a step towards her, timidly, as if she where going to disappear any moment.  "Serenity…Faith?" she looked surprised "Well yea, who else would I be?" I took another step, embracing her and whispering a soft "I love you" in her ear.  I felt her smile against my chest.  "I love you too Eli…" her arms wrapped around me, holding me close to her.  As we stayed there, embracing, I looked over her shoulder at the millions of pictures cluttering my dresser.  They were of her, some of us together.  There was a collage of photos from various dances, high school graduation, birthdays.  We were together in them, so happy.  I'd never been without her: she was here all along.  Maybe I was going insane, or maybe it was all just a dream?  Either way, I had her now and I wasn't going to ever let her go… "uhm, Eli…I love all this attention you're giving me but…we're going to be late, and I can't breath…" I released her, taking a step back.  Okay, so I had to let her go in the literal sense, but I was never going to leave her again.  Not even in my scariest dreams.