N-E-S-P

By Hannah Carter

“Of all the things we could do on your first trip as a Nightmare Hunter, you pick this.” Coppelia Potts carefully guided her submarine through the dark waters. Huge floodlights illuminated murky depths while her brother, Wolfgang, scanned the monitors for any signs of life.

Seth, their Nightmare Hunter trainee, leaned back in his seat, his legs propped up on the dashboard. “Yep.”

“You realize people have searched for Nessie for years and never found a scrap of evidence?” Coppelia flicked a few levers and guided the ship past a boulder. “Even as a Nightmare Hunter, I have a hard time believing the Loch Ness Monster exists.”

“Nessie can sense your disbelief. That’s why she doesn’t come.” Seth tapped his temple. “I should know. We’re already on the same wavelength. N-E-S-P, you might say. Nessie ESP.”

Coppelia rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“Mock if you must, but there’s only one guy in here who managed to tame a cockatrice without being able to see it.”

Seth smirked at the window, but Coppelia could sense it was directed at her.

Maybe she had S-E-S-P.

“Wolfy, see anything?” Coppelia swept the light around again.

Wolfgang shook his head. “Nope. You know, I think we should let Seth pick the missions more often. I prefer a relaxing submarine trip over doomed mummy quests any day of the year.”

“How many times do I have to apologize for almost getting you mummy-cursed?”

“When I stop needing therapy.”

Coppelia smiled—until she noticed Seth was out of his seat.

“Wait! What do you think you’re doing? Wolfy, take the wheel!” She scrambled out of her seat and lurched as the sub did. Seth grasped the stair railing as the craft shuddered; they both regained their footing when Wolfgang seized control of their craft.

At the cockpit exit, Seth reached out his hand for the hallway wall. His fingers trailed along the metal as he continued his journey. “I’m headed to the airlock.”

The airlock served as a waterproof vestibule for divers—just one of the unique features that made the submarine necessary for any aquatic-based nightmare hunting.

“You’re a rookie. I can’t let you go anywhere without me.” Coppelia raced to the door and situated herself in front of it. “And I say you can’t go out there.”

“Have you never dealt with animals? You can’t expect to catch Nessie in a heartless tin can. She has to sense a human connection. Animals are very intuitive, you know.” Guided by his sense of touch, Seth strode through the hallway and reached the door to the airlock.

Coppelia crossed her arms. “You’re going to go out there and… what? Hope that your N-E-S-P signals every Loch Ness monster in the area?”

“First of all, there’s only one Nessie. Second, yes. That would be why I’m wearing a wetsuit.” Seth patted her on the shoulder as he shoved past her. “I can hook up to a lifeline. I used to dive all the time.”

“Yeah, but—”

Seth shut the door behind him.

Coppelia stormed back to the cockpit. “Wolfy, I’ve got to find a wetsuit and go after Seth. He’s got some half-baked idea that he can just swim around and find Nessie.”

Wolfgang blanched. “Oh, no—I knew something was up!”

Coppelia paused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just… Something’s wrong. I dunno what. Sometimes he just seems mopey. He frowns and sighs a lot and wanders off alone,” Wolfgang replied. “I’m worried he’ll do something stupid.”

Coppelia swam alongside Seth’s lifeline. Maybe she was catastrophizing, but she could easily imagine Seth coming unhooked and getting lost.

None of her scenarios prepared her for what she saw.

Seth floated in the water, his back to her. His arms swept back and forth to keep him in place. Coppelia flipped her transducer radio on and heard Seth’s tinny voice.

“…and after the car accident, I felt so lonely. I didn’t think anyone could understand what I was going through. Doing stuff with my friends became hard, so I shut them all out.”

He sounded so dejected. Was Wolfgang right?

She swam closer and brushed against his arm. “Seth? Are you okay?”

Seth yelped. “Wha—?! Oh—geez, Coppelia. Yeah, I’m fine. Just having a heart-to-heart with Nessie.”

“About what?”

Seth turned his head in her direction; the floodlights illuminated his shadowy figure. “Just that I know what she’s going through. The only people that come out here are cold-hearted scientists or grubby paparazzi looking to exploit her for her differences. I wanted her to know that she’s not alone.” His voice hitched on the last word.

“And you feel alone?”

When Seth spoke again, his voice cracked. “It’s hard being blind when everyone else can see. Nobody… understands. You feel isolated.”

Coppelia swallowed. “That’s why you picked Nessie.”

Seth stared at the sandy lake bottom. “She knows what it’s like to be different.”

Two glowing yellow eyes peeked out from behind a rock—a big fish, maybe?

“So do I. It’s not the same, but I’ve hunted monsters all my life. That’s not a typical 9-to-5.” Coppelia reached for his shoulder. “So it’s nice to talk to you about it. Maybe… you can talk to me, too.”

A long dark neck slid into view.

“Uh, Coppelia, are you seeing this?” Wolfgang asked over her inner-ear monitor.

Coppelia grinned. “Yep. Hey, Seth.”

“What?”

Nessie nudged Seth’s face—which split into a wide grin. “Nessie!”

Coppelia wrapped both arms around Nessie’s thick neck—and caught Seth’s hand so they could both hug Nessie. The “monster” felt slick and smooth, how Coppelia imagined a wet elephant might feel.

Nessie clicked at them like a dolphin and lowered her head.

“I knew it.” Seth’s voice was tight with emotion.

“You were right. She did want someone who understood her. Guess we’re all not so different after all.” Coppelia squeezed Seth’s hand. “And we can all help each other.”

It only took some sympathy… and some N-E-S-P.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Carter is just a girl who wakes up every day hoping it will be the day she discovers she’s secretly a mermaid. Her work has been included in several anthologies: Whispers From Before, The Depths We’ll Go, Havok’s Prismatic, and Finding God in Anime. Her short story, “Lara,” won a competition, and she has two published novellas, “Amir and the Moon” and “Seashells.”

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