( Internal POV : Pandore )

After more than 10 hours of endless driving, we finally arrive at this summer camp, my school has saved a lot of money to allow us to come here, personally I'm quite happy to be here... It's a place I don't know, it's beautiful and the food will probably be delicious, but the problem is that I have no friends in my class, the girls avoid me or talk badly about me, and the boys spend their time to make fun of me whenever they get the chance.

I would have preferred not to go on this trip.

- You come Pandore, hurry up the bus must leave. An accompanying teacher urges me, I quickly grab my bag and get off the bus. I hear one of the girls snickering behind me, I sigh and move away from everyone while the teachers explain to us the course of the first week of vacation, we are going to start with a very long walk on the beach tomorrow but today we are just going to settle in our respective bungalows, luckily I was isolated from the others, no need for roommates, I could do what I want without anyone to bother me. .. Well, I hope.

I put all my things in my cupboards and dressers, put my products in the bathroom, my leftover food and drinks in the fridge, I just keep a cold bottle of soda in my bag with a small sandwich and I take my camera and my phone with me, plus my charger. As we have free time today, I really want to go explore the surroundings. I lock my bungalow and exit excitedly.

- Pandore ? A teacher calls out to me; where are you going like that? I take out my camera a little shy.

- Well... I want to take pictures of the forest over there, there is a small river that you can take in a boat, I would like to go for a walk. I explain to him.

- Already, but we've just arrived, wouldn't you rather rest a bit and enjoy camping with the others? He answers me, I shake my head.

- No, I want to go alone. The others are going to ruin everything again... I mumble, the professor looks at me with kindness.

- I know it's hard for you to get along with the other Pandore, but you'll have to do it one day or another, otherwise you're going to have a very bad holiday, it would be nice if you had a little fun.

- Please sir, just for today. On the map there is a site where there are caves and I really want to go see them, it seems it would be possible to find rock crystals if we are lucky. Please. I insist showing the plan, he emits a sigh.

- All right Pandore, on the other hand I'm coming with you. No question of leaving you alone and then, it's true that it must be a great place to take pictures, I take my things and I arrive. He tells me with a wink, I hop all excited to go. I see him going to warn the other teachers of his departure, then two of the four accompanying teachers want to join us, and will suggest that other students come.

But damn it !!!! And coincidentally the only ones who agree to come are the group of five worst boys in my class, those who annoy me all the time, I glare at the teacher.

- Go Pandore an effort please... He blows me, I emit a grunt and leave in front.

- Well then Pandore, you didn't want us to come ? You wanted to go there alone to be the teacher, huh ? Come and tell me Clément, namely the boy I hate the most, a tall dark-haired man who describes himself as a good-looking kid in the class and who enjoys flirting with all the girls he meets, I was the only one to reject and since then he hasn't stopped bothering me with his group of friends, each one more stupid than the other.

I decide to ignore it and we cross the forest.

It's really majestic, with the sun falling on the leaves of the tall trees, the bushes of wild blackberries with flowers, the birds in freedom which are posed on the branches, the flow of the river which one follows. It's such an amazing place that I can imagine myself coming here many times just to relax. I take some photos of what I see the entrance to the cave with the tourist welcome sign. The trip is not very expensive, and there is only one boat available.

- I only take 3 people per trip, but people can stay on site while I bring the other groups. Explains to us the old man in charge of transporting the tourists, he is an old gentleman with a big gray beard, very tanned skin, deep black eyes and a slightly grumpy look. I am the first to get into his boat, then two teachers get on with me, the last stays with the group of boys who make obscene gestures at me between me and the teacher, my teacher who is a man over 40 years old, a bit fat and with a bald head.

The gentleman starts rowing in the river, the sound of the water is soothing, I take the opportunity to take lots of pictures until I decide to take out my bottle of soda.

- You should be careful with your backpack Miss. Suddenly declares the gentleman to me.

- Oh ? So why what is happening ? I ask him curiously, he clears his throat and answers me.

- A lot of people have had their food stolen lately, even there are a lot of disappearances. You will need to be careful.

- The food has certainly been stolen by gulls, this happens a lot during the summer periods, these birds are great thieves, used to being fed by idiots and then attacking to steal. Explains my teacher, the other nods keeping his hands on his bag, the old man growls.

- Not just birds, also ocean demons. They too take malicious pleasure in stealing food from tourists, even making tourists their meals.

- Ocean demons ? I wonder, I'm passionate about it immediately, so I ask him for more details, the gentleman has a faint gleam in his eyes, as if he liked that we were interested in what he said.

- The demons of the ocean are much bigger fish than we think, they are half fish and half man, like mermaids. And their menu depends on the diet of the fish they represent, and they may even be able to swallow an entire human being. You should be careful.

- Come on sir, don't tell such stories. It might scare kids, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

- Have you ever seen one ? I ask him fascinated.

- I saw one hanging around, sometimes he goes up the river to get to the shelter, even though his species is one of those who live very deep in the ocean, this one is special, but I only saw part of him, I couldn't see his face. What is certain is that this one eats human beings, he ate a tourist who was a little too curious and also one of the guys who worked with me, his tail is imposing, white, black and yellow, he has claws and we see a light in the distance when he is there. I call it the Anglerfish. My eyes sparkle with intrigue, after I'm aware that he doesn't exist, we live in reality and reality is known to suck.

We finally arrive in the cave. It's very dark and beautiful, there are only a few rays of sunlight coming through the various holes in the cave. I love this place way too much. I get out of the boat with a bang, taking pictures.

- Pandore, please don't go too far. The accompanying teacher calls out to me, the old gentleman leaves to look for the others, I would like to do without the presence of these stupid guys.

- I'm going this way. I tell my teachers before leaving, the further I go, the quieter I will be.

I'm going to the darkest place in the cave, I'm sure I'll find crystals in that corner, I light up with my phone and explore the surroundings.

- Pandore where are you ? My teacher calls me from the other side of the rocks, they can't leave me alone for five minutes, I should have gone there alone, so nobody would bother me, I don't see anything at all here, the sun doesn't cross the rock here, and my phone doesn't light well, I can only get my bearings in the water, but there is a strong smell of sea shells here, the smell is not unpleasant. Maybe I'll find a nice seashell here, but first the rock crystals, I put my phone next to me to get the light, then I start digging in the water, there's some interesting stuff but nothing more, nothing to collect them, then at the bottom, I see like a cracked rock in the sand.

- Weird for a rock... I murmur while digging in the sand.

- Pandore !! The others have arrived, we're going to have lunch in the forest, where are you ? Calls me the teacher.

- I'M HERE !!! I scream with all my voice, suddenly I hear noise behind me, small stones moved and a dip in the water. I turn around abruptly, nothing.

What was that... ? A shiver runs through my spine as I continue to dig until I unearth the thing in question... It's a human skull. My blood suddenly freezes as I drop the skull in the water, I immediately back away and feel something prick my hand.

- Ouch... I moan holding my hand, I grab my phone to see what it is. Bones, a crumbled human skeleton with another skull.

- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I start screaming, I jump up, not knowing where to go, it's disgusting, the noise from earlier. There was something behind me and I didn't even notice it. A caiman? No there isn't, whatever, we're in a tropical country so there's this kind of thing, but these critters don't leave the bones almost intact like that, or worse a big bear. But no, bears don't dive.

- I need to go ! I declare while wanting to move, but hardly I have made a step, I hear something knocking against water. He is still there. My god I'm going to die...

" Ocean demons steal food from tourists when they have the chance, or else they eat humans directly " the old man's words come to mind, I grab my bag to take out the sandwich I took earlier, then I throw it in the dark where I heard noise.

- Here, eat this and leave me alone. I scream trying to be intimidating, noise again, and I didn't hear the sandwich fall any further, that means he's right in front of me and he caught it mid-flight, but I don't. can't see it, just a faint little light.

- Don't come near me, go away ! I yell at him, grab my bag and kick, I know I hit something, I heard a growl.

But at the same time, I feel something massive hit me in the stomach, I fall a few centimeters from the water, and again this sound of diving in the water. He dived, he's going to try to drag me underwater, I hurry to get up to go further, I feel someone suddenly grabbing my leg, there's something sharp sink into my calf, I kick with my other foot, he pulls me towards the water, he has too much strength, I can't see him very well despite this little light, but I see his very sharp teeth, I know where is his mouth. I get the idea to grab my bottle of soda and stick it in his mouth.

- Here, drink a little Cola, it will turn your belly up! I shout at him, the shadow lets go of me, letting go like a burp before plunging back into the water, I take the opportunity to get out of the darkness and join the others outside the cave.

- Well then Pandore, why all these screams ? What happened to your ankle? One of the teachers asks me, then I look at my ankle and see three big bloody scratches, I have cold sweats completely panicked.

- Something attacked me, I managed to scare it away but it was really going to kill me, it was terrifying. I explain, saw the way my ankle was bleeding, my teacher offered to take me back to the campsite while the others stay to explore the forest, I looked behind me one last time, and I thought I saw a shadow in the water watching me.

X

A few moments later, I was taken to the infirmary where they treated my ankle, the teacher asked me not to leave the campsite and to go and rest, but I did not want to stay locked up. I have to go do some shopping and I would like to visit the campsite bar. But on the way, I hear the teacher from the other group say.

- How did the picnics disappear ? Aren't they supposed to be ready for tomorrow noon already?

- We're sorry, our cooks are redoing them right now, right now we have a food thief hanging around, we'll fix it, don't worry. And don't hesitate to enjoy the welcome party tonight. Apologizes one of the animators of the campsite, strange. Does the old man say true?

It seems so unreal yet everything coincides, I have to be clear about it, the second part of the river which is not far from my bungalow, the old man says that he often passes by the river to go take shelter in the cave, if I leave food here, it might attract it... very thick meat, a pork chop, chicken cutlets, fish fillets not too expensive, with a bottle of water and some fruit. I put it all in a small shopping cart for rent that I leave on the side of the river with a towel to prevent the birds from touching it.

I immediately go and hide in my bungalow and stay near my window where I can see the basket. Nothing happens for several hours to the point that I give up, the welcome party will start soon, so I get ready by putting on a pretty black dress with my swimsuit underneath, I comb my hair properly, put on a towel bag in my backpack then leaves my bungalow to go party tonight.

X

(no point of view)

As Pandore leaves her bungalow in the direction of the party at the campsite bar, she does not see that behind her shelter, a clawed human hand comes to grab the basket that Pandore has left, a half-human, half-fish silhouette beating its imposing tail. fish, yellow, white and black against the water, devouring each element of the basket with gusto.

- ... It's not enough... Where is she ?

Here you go ^^ Here is my new story that I'm doing especially for an artist that I love and who made me want to do this story so much, she created a fantasy for me, it's about 

@ShadeTomlinson go follow her on Instagram, she deserves a lot of love ^^ Happy reading