"A Night on Hawthorne Beach" by Catriona Mowat

A Night on Hawthorne Beach

by Catriona Mowat

The waves lapped over the sand as she stood in the dying twilight. The night was calm, an eerie peace that her soul could not reconcile. With a sigh, she slowly walked into the water, despair etched on her face as clearly as the lines from laughter that had long-since died. Her tears mingled with the spray of the sea—salt on salt—as she thought of the child. He was gone, and she would never be at peace until he was found. 

***

Tim, Julia, Kevin, and Darla made their way across the golden sand as the evening chill began to set in. The last of the tourists had disappeared for the day, and they had the beach to themselves to celebrate their graduation. A cooler full of booze, a supply of hotdogs, burgers, and coleslaw, blankets, and a disposable barbeque. They were set. Darla and Julia had grown up with Kevin and Tim, friends since they were drawing pictures in chalk on the sidewalk outside Darla and Julia’s house. 

“How have I never been to this beach before, this place is perfect!” Darla said as she sat down on a blanket, her feet straight out in front of her. Her sandals lay discarded beside her as she rolled up the hems of her cropped trousers, exposing tanned lags. 

Tim finished digging a sand pit for the barbeque and set it alight, the glow from the embers lighting his face with an unearthly glow as he said quietly, “Not many people come here after dark, not with the stories.” 

“What stories?” Kevin said, passing out beers to Tim and Darla. Julia grabbed one for herself as she sat down beside Darla. She looked at Tim, her eyes glistening with curiosity.

“Have none of you heard the story of Hawthorne Beach? Sixty years ago, this place was the one place that every came to for their evening walks, make-out sessions, and parties. But then one day, a little boy called Caleb disappeared. He was walking with his mom, and ran up the beach to play. He was never seen again. His mom never recovered. She drowned herself a year later. Just walked in to the sea right from this beach.”

“No one saw what happened to him? He just disappeared?” Julia said, invested in the story but not quite buying it. 

“There was a party going on, drunk frat boys. There was a rumour that they did something to him, but no one could ever prove it. And Caleb was never found.”

“So why did people stop coming here if that happened sixty years ago?” Kevin asked. 

“Legend is that the mom’s spirit still stalks the beach, looking for her boy. And she doesn’t like it when people get in her way.”

The group was silent for a moment.

“Well, cool story, fuck. Isn’t it a bit early for bullshit ghost stories?” Kevin sneered. “I’m making dogs, who wants one?”

“I’ll have one, but gimme another beer first,” Darla said with a bright smile. 

It was after they had eaten their fill and the evening had begun to deepen that they began to feel a change in the air. The world felt heavy, as if a storm was coming, and the chill turned to ice on their skin. Julia shivered as she wrapped a blanket around herself. Then she heard it.

A small giggle in the darkness beyond the light of the coals. It sounded like a child. 

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Hear what, sis?”

“Sshhh.” The group fell silent. The noise came again.

“Fuck, I heard that!” Tim said, jumping to his feet.

“Hello?” Darla called into the darkness.

“Help me. I’m lost.” The little voice said.

“Where are you? Can you come to the light?” Julia called out. There was no reply.

“I’m going to look for them, are any of you coming?” Tim looked at the group.

“Let’s all go, I’ve seen this movie. We’re not splitting up, said Julia, standing to join Tim. Reluctantly, Darla got to her feet with Kevin. They headed into the night in search of the lost child. They found him a short way away, a small boy lost in the night.

“Come with us, we’ll get you help.” Julia took the boy’s hand as they led him back across the beach towards their truck.

“I’ve been lost for so long,” said the boy, a strange and sad expression on his face. 

The woman in the water watched the group as they walked across the sand with the child in tow. They had him. They had her boy.

“Thieves… Murderers…” she hissed, the rotten skin sliding from her bones as she pointed an accusing finger at them. 

“We’ve been walking too long, where is the truck? We should have reached it by now,” Kevin said, a hint of fear in his voice. 

“She won’t let you leave,” the boy said quietly, holding Julia’s hand. He was around six, with black hair, bright eyes and old-fashioned clothing.

“Who won’t let us leave?” Darla said, but there was no need. The woman appeared. Grey skin, exposed bone clicking as she walked towards them, her hand outstretched to the child. Her eyes glowed green, her hair matted with seaweed and salt. Bloodless lips receded on her face, revealing blackened teeth that gnashed together with rage.

“It’s not so bad here, you know. You’ll like it eventually,” Caleb said. 

“We’ll be a family forever.”