Marissa and I arrived late, just as we always did. To my regular annoyance, and despite my best efforts, Mari couldn't seem to get anywhere on schedule. I thought even our wedding day would be delayed until she showed up right on time with a smile that gently mocked, “told you I’d make it.” This wasn’t our wedding, though; this was a vacation. Specifically, a Labor Day weekend spent at our friend’s lake house, or, more ac...

We woke a little late the next morning; almost everyone did. Shy, awkward smiles all around were the order of the day as we made our way downstairs and were later joined by the previous night’s foursome. Shmi had started working on breakfast and seemed to be in a better mood. Ty had gone out back; I heard the ping of an aluminum bat hitting a ball every so often. Kyle and Blake set the table that morning while I relaxed,...

Everyone screamed. Some screamed louder or longer than others, but we all cried out. Eventually, only a few sounds remained: Heather’s keening wail in the kitchen, Mari’s sobs, Tyler’s stream of profanities, and Lakshmi’s renewed, desolate moans. The heartbeat pounding in my ears threatened to drown them all out. Kyle and Blake had bolted from the room to check on their significant others, knocking over a couple of smalle...

The inevitable never came. After what felt like hours but was probably closer to a minute, I unclenched just a bit and opened one eye. The bright light was still there; it hadn’t been a flash after all. Trying to locate the source, I peered over my shoulder and found the light at the end of the dock, which had hung overhead as we made love, had flared back to life. Sitting up, I looked back at the house, then towards the...