The Moon Tide Parade

“Ah yes, the moon tide parade. I did see it once as a young boy. What a night that was,” the old man mused. He rocked back and forth in his chair, stroking his snow-white beard.

The old man’s grandson sat on the floor before his grandfather, fidgeting in anticipation. When he couldn’t bear it anymore, he blurted, “Tell me about the moon tide parade, grandpa!”

The grandfather blinked. His eyes scanned the room till they found his grandson. “Ah, right,” he said, nodding. “Boys your age would be interested in that kind of thing, wouldn’t they? Well, then, how to begin? Wha…what do you want to know about the parade?”

“Everything!” the boy said. “Where did you see it? Did they try to eat you? How many dead people were there? Were they all slimy and nasty? Were—”

“Slow down. Slow down,” the grandfather said, holding up his hands. “I will get to all of that. How about I start at the beginning?” The grandson nodded and flopped onto his belly, propping his head up with his hands. He looked up at his grandfather with twinkling eyes and a grin stretching from ear to ear. The grandfather chuckled. “Alright. It happened on a hot summer night when I was just a boy.”

~ A hot summer night when he was just a boy ~

The beach after dark was strictly forbidden. Everyone knew that. Why was it strictly forbidden? Because a parade of drowned ghosts would snatch you up and drown you. Then they force you to join the parade too.

So stupid, Reg thought. He had been to the beach at night dozens of times without ever seeing a ghost, let alone being drowned by one. The beach was the best place to be on nights when the heat of the day wouldn’t disappear even long after the sun had gone down.

Just standing in the cool water and letting the waves wash over his feet was such a relief. The others didn’t know what they were missing. Full moon nights, like tonight, were especially nice. It made it a piece of cake getting to the beach and back. On the downside, if anyone came to the beach for some odd reason, they would spot him easily, but he didn’t worry about that. No one ever came to the beach at night, except him.

At least, that was what he always thought. Tonight, like always, the beach was deserted as far he could see. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. From the moment he arrived, he had the sense that he wasn’t alone.

But that couldn’t be. There was nowhere to hide on the beach. Someone could hide along the tree line, sure, but that was so far back, no one would be able to see him in the dim light from there.

Reg knew he was being ridiculous. It was the stories, that was all. Someone had leaked that he had been going to the beach at night, and the rumor had made it all the way to the village elders. They had given him a long and thorough talking to, even though he had denied everything.

His scolding had included all the ghost stories he already knew and even a few he had never heard before, but he couldn’t be fooled. If they wanted to stop him from going to the beach at night, they would have to do better than trying to scare him with made up stories.

A strong gust sent Reg’s salty hair flapping behind him. He shut his eyes and spread his arms wide, letting the waves and wind cool his overheated body and overactive imagination. Water rushed over his bare feet and ankles as air rushed past his head and arms.

Then it stopped. The wind stopped. The waves stopped. Water lapped at his ankles, but no waves came or went.

Reg opened his eyes. He was still standing in the ocean. Moonlight still glistened in the water. He glanced around and caught sight of the shore far behind him.

How had he gotten this far out? Or had the water come in? He was past the waves, but the water was only ankle deep? Was he on a sandbar?

He shuffled forward, but felt nothing. He snapped his tongue, realizing he would have to swim back. It would be hard covering up his trip to the beach if he showed up at home soaking wet. Maybe he could sneak inside and change clothes before anyone saw him?

Settling on his plan, he was just about to dive in when the light glimmering on the water’s surface caught his attention. The reflection he had first taken for moonlight seemed to be out of sync with the movement of the water. He leaned closer to the surface to get a better look.

Pale silver light reflected off the water’s surface, gently following the ebbing of the waves. He recognized it as moonlight, but separate from that light was another. This light didn’t move with the water, but remained fixed in place. As he inspected the light, he realized it was coming from beneath the surface.

He straightened up, considering the peculiar light. He thought he had once heard there were fish that could glow. Or was it squid? He didn’t care either way. As long as the thing left him alone, he was happy to leave it alone.

He looked down to check if it was gone. His body went rigid.

The light wasn’t a fish or squid. It was eyes. Right at his feet, just below the water’s surface, floated a sickly man’s face with sunken cheeks and sharp pursed lips. Two moon round eyes, glowed from the center of the hollow fishy face, staring, unblinking up at him.

Reg didn’t move, couldn’t move. He was petrified. The warm air was frigid. The wind was ice and the water was burning. Having his feet sawed off at the ankle would have been more pleasant than having them in the water right next to that thing.

Its mouth twitched open, revealing rows of needle like teeth. The thing's lips started moving as if it were speaking, but Reg heard nothing. He made no attempt to respond or any movement at all.

The creature started to rise. It rose straight up out of the water, it’s eyes never breaking contact with Reg’s. Water spilled from its mouth as it rose higher, spraying Reg across the legs then chest then face. As it rose and against his will, Reg’s head kept tilting farther and farther back till the creature was directly above him. Salty water spilled from its lips into Reg’s eyes, but still he couldn’t look away.

When the water pouring into Reg’s face slowed to a trickle, the creature’s lips started to move again.

At first, Reg couldn’t understand, then he started to smile as meaning came to his mind. The sound was unlike anything he had ever heard, and beyond anything he could describe. It knew it was a song, though he didn’t know how he knew. It was a song of despair and happiness and ever feeling that could ever be felt. It was beautiful and mysterious and incomprehensible.

The sound of crashing water came from behind Reg. The creature looked, and Reg did the same.

Mangled ships breached the ocean surface, forming a line stretching far beyond Reg’s sight. With the ships, more creatures rose. They were all unique, not one like another, yet they were also all the same. The newly risen creatures joined in the song of the first. As they sang, lights appeared along the ships, in the air, and under the sea. Greens, blues, reds, whites, and every color of the sea was represented.

All at once, the mass moved forward. The creatures marched and the ships lurched. The parade was underway.

The sea churned and foamed around Reg as the massive procession moved slowly by. Reg followed it with his eyes till he found himself again face to face with the first creature. Its body was turned away from him now, but its head still turned faced him. Its glowing eyes were locked on him, waiting for an answer.

Reg didn’t hesitate. He marched forward. He opened his mouth and the song of the sea filled his lungs.

Reg marched with the creatures and the ships, with the fish and the waves, with the moon and the sea. All the while, his voice rang out with the ocean’s song.

As the parade crossed the sea, watched by the full moon, more people joined the march. Some, like Reg, saw and understood and joined the parade willingly. Others were less willing and needed help understanding.

The parade went on for what seemed to Reg a long time and no time at all. The next thing he knew, he was standing on the beach, watching the sky grow brighter. He rushed home, reaching his bed before the sun crested the horizon.

~A hot summer night when he was an old man~

The grandson stared at his grandfather, eyes wide and mouth hung open. He threw himself to his feet and started bouncing around the room. “That was awesome! Was it really true, grandpa? Fish people and sunken ships! So cool! I want to see the parade too! Was it true? Can I see it?”

The grandfather held up his hands. “Slow down. Slow down,” he said. The boy returned to his spot on the floor. The grandfather checked the old wall clock. The sun had set. Tonight was a full moon. He smiled. Needle like teeth hidden behind his lips. “Yes, you can see the parade. We can go together.”