Mystery Lake
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[Mystery Lake - Arc] [Storyline - Washed Away]
This is the sixth book. This is not going to be as heavy or lore-connected as Yuri Worlds. Granted, I thought Yuri Worlds was gonna be a relaxing narrative, so you never know. This started as one of my first ideas in the story sequence. It's loosely inspired by a novel I read a couple years ago. You're going to see appearances by familiar figures and some connected themes and events.
The first couple of chapters are a little on the shorter side because I hadn't quite figured out the style and format for the series when I originally composed them. I don't really have a lot of expectations for this book in particular. I am really leaning on the interactivity this time. Bring out all your suggestions about where this can go. You can keep them light, or you can make them spooky, or whatever floats your boat. The main concept I have going on is a bunch of people thrown together because of a weird lake. One gimmick I have is that I am thinking of doing occasional POV chapters focusing on certain characters as interest arises in following them.
This book arc is entitled Mystery Lake, and the subtitle I gave it is Washed Away, but I'll just call it Mystery Lake in general. Keep it simple. I can modify the names if I don't like them. There are mature adult elements, language, nudity, sexual content, and violence. All characters in adult situations are 18+. For visual and info references to the character here and the entire series of stories, please check out the detailed Glossary.
Mysteries await, just beneath the surface. How deep are you willing to dive?...
65948700-b491-4021-8354-974e174c8ef3 by majorkerina [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/c602d4e0-ec06-47d2-8f4b-d922938123e0/dg4bdur-890e543c-c5f4-4254-9040-bf9c95d73986.png/v1/fill/w_707,h_1129,q_70,strp/65948700_b491_4021_8354_974e174c8ef3_by_majorkerina_dg4bdur-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MjA0MyIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2M2MDJkNGUwLWVjMDYtNDdkMi04ZjRiLWQ5MjI5MzgxMjNlMFwvZGc0YmR1ci04OTBlNTQzYy1jNWY0LTQyNTQtOTA0MC1iZjljOTVkNzM5ODYucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEyODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.Sf1FuLPMaTsYevKdU8yn8x89V2i56xMA3DYjP6kdOIQ]
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Mystery Lake
Washed Away
[1] Take the Plunge
"We have a tantalizing share of local folklore. I’m sure you all recall accounts of women in white with long dark hair by the side of the old, winding roads, whispers of curious cryptids like Mothman portending danger, sightings of Skinwalkers, and myths of the legendary fae folk. But I have a story about the most interesting mystery on this end of the state. It’s a take on a little lake most people try to avoid.”
Ms. Clifton, the folklore teacher at Ferris University, held her class in rapt attention, and it wasn’t just because of the way her cleavage was pressed up like a soft, alluring mountain range by the tight grayish-purple suit she wore. She adjusted her black, round glasses, brushed back her short black hair, and smirked.
“I find it suspicious how the authorities often close campgrounds in a certain area right at the peak of the season, when they should be open. There's always such a fuss and so many wild stories. Local tribes, including one that no longer exists but for some elders, have passed down legends, and I shall share just a little with you. You see, there's a special place... A mystery lake with strange, magical properties. I hear tell that it gave rise to stories of fountains of youth in Florida and elsewhere in America. But that’s not all. Spirits inhabit these waters, making the lake and its surroundings their domain. They change the lives of all who dare to approach them. A young, rugged virile man might wash and emerge a gorgeous goddess of rippling curves, luscious locks, and an insatiable appetite.”
It was impossible not to notice that each physical reference was emphasized by Ms. Clifton moving her hands along her own features, settling her hands on her hips with a wink before biting the tip of her glasses. The men, and quite a few of the women, leaned forward in their seats with coats around their laps and blushes on their cheeks.
Stepping lightly in her red heels, Miss Clifton‘s mountain range bounded adventurously as she walked to the marker board and wrote a series of numbers. Coordinates. She tittered lightly, “This could be the location to anything. But if you’re feeling truly adventurous this spring break, you might have an interesting time finding what there is at this latitude and longitude. It will literally change your life…”
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“So, that’s what this is about? I thought we were going to some water park.” Joel laid a beefy, tanned arm across his head and yawned. He was in the backseat of the car with his girlfriend, Jess.
Jess adjusted her glasses, wiggled her eyebrows, and chimed in, “You thought there’s a water park in the middle of a forest?” In response, Joel gave a quick pout and poked her with his elbow. She poked him right back and snorted with a smirk.
In front of them, in the middle seat, sat Alyssa and Layla. Alyssa was one of the last additions to this strange little expedition, and Layla said she tagged along because she was bored. Barry had the wheel while Duncan had the copilot seat and explained things.
Duncan chimed in, "A lake is kind of like a water park, if you think about it."
Joel counted on his fingers, "Water parks don't have brain-eating little critters, unseen rocks you can crack your head on, and leeches."
Duncan acknowledged all that but reminded him that this was a special, supernatural lake. Joel pointed out, "It could still have all of those things." Duncan rubbed his forehead and didn't have an answer. They drove on.
It was a gorgeous spring day at the start of break. Term papers were all complete, and tests were finally in the rearview mirror. Joel didn’t have any real plans but to chill with Jess as she caught up on all sorts of streaming shows she said she wanted to watch together. He wasn't into most of them but couldn’t complain about the company. Then Duncan came over and asked if they wanted to visit a “magical lake”.
The guy was an unabashed part of the geek squad, but he made their Wi-Fi work better on more than one occasion. Barry was Joel's roommate, and he activated his prankster side because he was so willing to believe anything he said. Nothing too crazy or mean. He once made him think there was a hot girl in his bed with an anime poster and some perfectly positioned pillows. They kept 'Himiko' around for the rest of that semester. It was a running joke that she was always unexplainably sticky.
Another good one was turning all his phone alerts into ladies saying how hot he was. Joel was particularly proud of getting that to work because of how far it stretched his limited tech knowledge. It did cause a little embarrassment in math class, but Barry should've had his phone off at the time anyway. Otherwise, it was just innocent stuff like starling him with disembodied voices or getting him to believe they were giving away video games on the other side of campus when it was just a buddy of his who had hilariously bad one-dollar titles to get rid of. Although some of them actually became cult classics among their group.
Nothing intended to hurt the poor guy was the code Joel kept. He was never malicious, and he eased off when it looked like Barry was having a really bad day. All he really wanted to do was toughen him up a bit so he wouldn’t be quite so gullible. And if anyone out there actually tried to hurt Barry, Joel would come down on them with fire, brimstone, and whatever else he had.
He didn’t really know the girls in front of him. Joel gathered they were some kind of sociology or psychology majors, but he hadn’t asked. Jess knew both of them better than he did, and Duncan apparently knew them pretty well too. Alyssa hadn’t really said much the whole drive. To Joel, she kind of had a horror movie actress thing going on. Pale skin, thready eyebrows, a massive forehead, and immense, dark eyes. He was sure that Jess could think of some appropriate book word for what she looked like, but he understood that asking would leave her annoyed.
Jess was like the Yin to his Yang. At least, he liked to say that to everyone. She had the smarts. He had the muscles. They did match up in that his pecks were hard-chiseled from months straight working out in the college gym, and she had a pretty toned body. He deeply appreciated the roundness of her boobs, even though he knew he shouldn’t bring it up so much. She had the most going on of any of the girls in the car, and that gave him a little flash of pride.
This day, she had on a nice gray top with a fashionable black vest that neither hugged nor hid her breasts. There was also plenty of cleavage for him to steal glances at. He thought of it like a young teacher who dressed with just a little edge and who he had no problem taking independent study with. The ink on her arm of the Alaskan wilderness also oddly turned him on. She told him it was based on a painting of where she grew up. He never got any tattoos of his own because he thought his body was fine as it was. His natural bronze tans were the only decoration he needed, but he really dug women with tats.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
He rubbed his eye and glanced out at the forest passing beyond the window. Alyssa looked out with her head down and her arms crossed. Maybe she was tired too. They woke up for this was around four, before the sun even came up. Joel was feeling the early hour.
For the trip, he knew everyone had packed several tents, a big mess of supplies, a GPS, and a satellite phone for emergencies since their regular phones were unlikely to get any kind of coverage out here.
So far, Duncan had been regaling them with the story he heard in his folklore class. Joel knew about the woman who taught it, Miss Clifton. She was truly mysterious. Just randomly applied to be an adjunct one day and then started teaching soon after. A few of the sociology professors vanished and were never heard from again. Naturally, Joel assumed she’d gone black widow, and parts of them were buried in her basement. With how she looked, Joel once admitted that if she invited him over, he might actually take the chance.
Joel scrutinized the parts he could understand against the things that went over his head. Apparently, this lake had special powers to liberate your best self. A transformative experience if you soak in the waters. It was on public land and had several routes in, but most were inaccessible or closed. Because it was some revitalization thing, Joel surmised, all the rich folks in the state wanted to keep it for themselves.
Excitedly, Layla put a finger to her chin and pondered whether they could borrow some of the water and take it with them to sell, like a drop of the fountain of youth. Duncan actually had a similar idea, but he couched it by saying that he wanted to make sure he had a sample to take back with him to analyze so that they could move beyond legends and rumors and native folklore about this place and actually get a firm grasp on what it was and did. Barry chimed in about the constellations and how this had actually been near several strange astronomical rituals. So, aliens.
Joel had to fight the swimming desire to point out the window and yell that he actually saw a gray dude standing in the trees, but he couldn’t be sure that Barry wouldn’t slam on the brakes and possibly roll the car. After about three hours of looping, dipping, rising, and slow-curving roads, they came to the right signage that Duncan had mentioned.
The entrance was not only blocked, but there were several large logs in the way. Fortunately, they were no match for Joel and his muscles. They had just enough space to jog around on the side through a clearing and then move the other obstacles out of the way.
Barry got a little nervous about how illegal this might be, but drove them onward without complaint.
Arriving at the actual lake, they made their way slowly around the perimeter to check for anyone who might be watching. It was about a mile and a half to circle all the way around. Some areas had been cut for camping nearby, and there was a pier over the water, but otherwise, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of amenities. Generally, Joel wasn’t very impressed at first glance. If this place was supposed to be some sort of special lake, then he figured that they would’ve been swiftly surrounded by drones, guys in black helicopters, and jeeps the moment they got to it. Nothing so far.
They parked the car a little bit off in the dirt and swung it around to easily unpack their stuff. The girls immediately started taking photos with their phones, and Duncan even got a few snaps.
Settling in felt pretty normal as Joel hauled the big items out to put around in a circle. They cleared a pit with some rocks, and Barry took the ax out to the tree line to chop some firewood and whatever else he could find. Joel quipped that he better be back soon and without a hockey mask.
Barry overreacted at first, declaring that he would never do anything like that. He soon put together the joke but made the wrong horror movie music reference. Duncan surveyed the water but didn’t get too close to it. He also warned the others not to jump in quite yet because he still had more to reveal. Joel didn’t quite like the sound of that; in fact, it sounded exactly like what a serial killer might say, having brought them all here. He kept an eye on Duncan as they set everything up.
Once they had everything unpacked and assembled and Barry brought back enough firewood to keep a fire going overnight, Duncan filled in the missing details.
“This is indeed supposed to be a magical lake. All that is true, but here’s the thing: Miss Clifton alluded to this when she gave her presentation, and, ultimately, I was able to confirm through the legends and stories of the area as having a historical basis at least. This lake imbues those who take a dip in it or otherwise partake of it with spiritual energy to invigorate and transform their lives. By changing their sex…”
Joel bent forward and glanced around. The others were doing the same. Even Alyssa seemed to perk up and gaze at Duncan. They all appeared to be waiting for the punchline. Duncan cleared his throat and emphasized, “I wasn’t sure what to believe, but that’s just what I’ve been able to piece together. Anyone who takes a dip in the water has their physical sex transformed. I can’t say I’m not curious.“
Joel broke the ice. He gave a boisterous chuckle and turned up his hands. “Seriously, dude? Oh man, you got trolled by a teacher prank? I didn’t know Miss Clifton had a sense of humor like that. Classic.”
Duncan sighed through his nose and responded, “The events of this location are diligently researched and extensively documented. Miss Clifton‘s own admissions that strange things happen at this place add reliable credence to all that.“
Slapping his knees, Joel asked, “So, are you gonna prove it with us? Ask for volunteers to take a dip?“
Duncan rubbed his chin and shook his head. “It would be easiest to have a test subject. But I wouldn’t ask that of any of you. I mainly just wanted to take samples and…” He faded off.
Joel rocked his head. “Well, that’s a load. We wouldn’t all be here if you didn’t think one of us might go for a dip.”
Duncan cleared his throat and waved his hands. “Forget it. I don’t want anyone to have to, even for purely scientific reasons.”
Shaking his head, Joel stretched his legs and smiled. “Don’t you worry about it. We’re gonna settle this right now. Hey, Barry… You like science, right? Let’s do an experiment together.”
Barry crouched and looked around. His blonde hair sat in little tufts like a buzz cut on a TV show from decades ago. He appeared balding most of his life, with a high forehead and cloaked patterns of fuzz against his pink skin, with a slight mustache only visible when the light caught it. His eyebrows looked like uneven punctuation marks trying to get away from his face. His mottled blue tropical shirt looked rather out of place in the woods. His pants carried flakes of firewood that he hadn’t yet shaken off. He was a bit doughy, but not much shorter than Joel.
Before Barry could ask what he meant by that, Joel had him in a wrestling hold from behind. He’d got him like this once before and knew that he couldn’t get out of it.
Yelling in confusion, Barry begged him to let him go, and he almost did. Drop him in front of the sand before the water and have a good laugh about the whole thing. Joel‘s main concern, aside from how much he was kicking and struggling, was all the stuff that Jess warned him about before they left about brain parasites in pond water. Plus, he knew the water was sure to be shallow, this close to the edge, so he had to make sure he threw Barry in where he wouldn’t get a bleeding concussion with no hospital nearby. No worries about the leeches, at least. Fortunately, he had more experience than he would’ve liked to admit roughhousing with his brothers, as they each threw each other into basically pond water worse than this.
Barry dragged his feet and tried to get out of his grasp, but Joel gripped him harder. The others seemed like they wanted to intervene. That Layla girl stepped sideways and back a few times, but not forward. Jess was flailing with her hands high above her head, even though he couldn’t hear her above everyone else. Duncan seemed to be yelling something. To no surprise for Joel, the quiet girl, Alyssa, was being quiet and doing basically nothing but watching.
When he was in position, Joel heaved Barry in a sideways motion instead of chucking him with his head down. To his relief, Barry landed on his legs with a tumble in just a few feet of water. In an instant, he was up and sloshing toward the shore. No limps, wounds, or bruises.
Sliding his hands across his pants, Joel gestured and proclaimed, “Science! Like that Archimedes guy. And myth, folklore, or whatever totally busted. So, can we, uhh...” Joel scrunched his eyes up and watched as Barry made his way out of the water. Something was weird about him though.
Somehow, Barry no longer had a thin scrabble of balding blonde hair. Instead, thick, flowing bands of water-slicked locks matted over his back. His face retained a subtle pinkness, but his large nose receded into a pert, slender shape. His bushy eyebrows, with their chaotic texture, became a sharp, groomed oval above his wide eyes. The changes were enough to make Joel wonder if the group had somehow pulled a switcheroo on him and the real Barry was hiding in the shoals while whoever this was took his place.
His pants slid off as he stumbled over the rise onto the shore, and his boxers soon followed. From behind, Joel got a pretty darn good look. A supple, curvy posterior shook as she got to her feet. Between her thighs, he could glimpse a cleft, sensitive skin, and absolutely no balls. Walking back around in front, he shook his head in shock as Layla came over and quickly offered a towel to wrap around the blonde girl. Barry’s top was loose on her otherwise, but the drenched cloth clung to her chest. She had a defined, broad, and rounded slope to clearly challenge Jess.
There was no way for him to deny it. Barry had been turned into this blonde chick. Heck, it was real! He had no idea what to say to that.