Chapter 8

Boulder Creek Starts Creeping Me Out

I looked over the rushing waters. "I've been here before," I said. "This place isn't dangerous at all."

"It's only dangerous to elves and their friends," Spindler explained. "And you two being with me, I'm afraid you'll have to experience the Elven curse for the first time."

"What's the Elven curse?" Raven asked.

"There are water spirits here called Reflektors. Once you enter the water, the Reflektors will attempt to drown you. Typically, three Reflektors will work together - representing your past, present, and future. The key to escaping with your life is to follow the correct Reflektor."

"So we'll all have to work together. Great," Raven said.

"No, actually. The three Reflektors can only be seen by their victim. Therefore, we will each have to defeat the Reflektors on our own."

"The Reflektors never come after me," Theodore said. "Another example of prejudice against bears."

"Let's get into the boats docked here," Spindler said, gesturing to the kayaks nearby. Spindler and Theodore jumped into one of the kayaks. I hopped into another and started paddling.

As I continued paddling, I noticed that a dense, circumambient mist had descended on the creek. I looked around, but couldn't see the other two kayaks. The shore had disappeared in the mist. I was lost, scared, and alone in the middle of the river.

Suddenly, three figures emerged from the water. They all were about the same height and wore a red T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers and had light brown hair, but there were subtle differences. The first Reflektor held a stack of books, the second had tousled hair and a scratch on her face, and the third had violet eyes.

Come with me, the first Reflektor begged.

No, the second argued. I am your true reflection.

No, no, the third said. These others are liars. I am what you seek. Come with me.

The Reflektors pointed in different directions of where I should go. I paused, not sure which one to trust. I began to paddle towards the first Reflektor when the fog began to clear. Through the clearing fog, I saw Raven being pushed into the river by an invisible force.

I jumped out of my boat and swam towards Raven.

The icy cold water began to consume me as I doggy-paddled towards my friend. Out of my peripheral vision I could see the Reflektors pursuing me. I grabbed Raven's arm and attempted to pull her away from her Reflektor.

"Get off me!" she exclaimed, gasping for air. She started swimming away from me, but she was quickly pushed underwater again. I kept treading water as I tried to decide what to do. I knew I wanted to save Raven, but how?

Suddenly, I saw the violet-eyed Reflektor plunging towards me. I tried to dodge her, but she grabbed me and threw me underwater.

"Help!" I screamed, trying to fight off the Reflektor. I kicked and struggled, but nobody would help me. The Reflektor was just too strong. I would need a miracle now.

I splashed the surface, hoping to get one last breath in before I went under. But the Reflektor continued to hold me down. I saw murky water flowing past me. Raven was probably dead by now. I kicked the Reflektor one last time before giving in. I never thought I would die that way, but I was.

I was drowning, and there was nothing I could do about it.