Tentacles

Three ribbon like tentacles retreated from the clear waters right by the shore, vanishing under a wave that broke white water over the surface and obscuring the sand below. Mia paused, watching. When the wave cleared, the next one already beginning to form, there was no sign of movement.

Perhaps she had knocked her head in the fall, knocked her head after reading too much Lovecraft. Mia paused to consider. She wasn’t sure.

It was terribly hot under the pink sky. The sun looked orange, not a solid orange but an oily swirl of oranges. There wasn’t a wisp of cloud cover. It wasn’t just curiosity that had driven Mia to step into the seawater. She was **** to cool down.

The beach stretched on as far as the eye could see to the left and to the right. Mia knew she could turn back, head over the dunes to the south and back to the clearing. The only other landmark she could make out was a large, black, outcrop of rocks that stood tall on the sands, that looked to be about ten minutes walk east down the beach.

Was that someone sunbathing on the black rocks? The heat must be playing tricks with air distortions, causing mirages and other illusions. Mia squinted at the rocky outcrop again and shook her head. That couldn’t be anyone. Sure, at a distance it looked like a muscled guy sunbathing but it also looked like he was dark green and had a really long flat head.

Mia stood on the edge of the shore, letting the waves break against her feet. She was certain there wasn’t some weird crocodile guy sunbathing on the rocks over there now even if it looked like it but that didn’t help. She still had to decide whether she’d risk cooling off in a quick swim now, whether she’d try elsewhere on the beach or simply turn back.