The Darkness Under Clear Lake: A Sunken Relic Possesses a Missing Swimmer

Brian vanishes beneath clear lake and returns hours later, water logged, silent and clutching a carved object he cannot release. Then he grabs his wife and drags her toward the water. Whatever waited at the bottom has taken hold of him. And you what's that? You want to be scared? He come with me. You will experience tales over our roam, ghosts and death. He is not recommended for the week at art Listeners in the dark. It's more fun at that way. Wait, this is Weekly Speaking. Hello, my spooks. It's Wednesday, and you know what that means. It's time for a little spooky in your weekly.

I'm your host and narrator, Henrique Couto, and tonight we have a nice little trip as summer begins to shut down the beaches, so to speak. But before we get to that, I want to say thank you all so much for joining me here tonight. As summer is waning, it's still the time when all the true blue spookies need a little help keeping it scary, and I am proud and happy to provide. Because Halloween isn't just a date on a calendar. It's a way of life, you know. It and I know it. So make sure you're subscribed on your favorite podcast, and while you're at it, send this story to a spooky friend who really appreciates a good scare regardless of the season.

And if you love what we're doing here and want to support us in a very direct way, you can head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join for as little as one dollar a month. You get two bonus shows every single month, and of course my undying gratitude, it really makes a big difference. That's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. But now, as for tonight. At the end of the summer, a quiet lake can feel like the perfect place to forget the world, but still water has a way of hiding what moves beneath it. Michelle comes to clear Lake looking for rest, only to watch her husband vanish during an afternoon swim.

Hours later, Brian walks out of the darkness. He's soaked, silent, and holding something carved with cymbals no one can recognize. He looks like the man she loves, but whatever returned from the bottom of the lake is stronger, colder, and determined to take her back into the water. Some things are lost in a lake others are waiting to be found. So get ready, spookies, We're heading on a lake trip that turns a bit dark. The Darkness under Clear Lake by Bruce Haney. Samantha stared out at the still water of the lake, but could no longer achieve the calmness that it had once given her.

How could it and how could the lake be so calm? Intellectually she understood that a lake, unlike a river or ocean, had less flowing water into it, thus less movement. But what had happened in that lake had been so violent and rotten that she felt like the lake mocked her in its stillness. She stared at the lake until the sun rose and reflected off its mirror like surface. It was such a beautiful place. She watched as the ducks began their day quacking and looking for campers or day use lakegoers who fed them bread, despite the numerous signs that claimed how unhealthy it was for the waterfowl.

She tried her hardest to take in all the beauty of the place. This had been her happy place, but she couldn't feel it anymore and suspected that she never would again. All she could think of was the events that led to this very moment. Brian and Michelle arrived at clear Lake late Thursday afternoon. She had the day off, but she had to wait for Brian to get off work. He had to go in for a half day for an important meeting, which meant Michelle had the pleasure of doing the packing. Of course, he offered to help once he got home, but she planned on having their vehicle packed and ready to go.

She was ready to get out of town. Work had been so stressful lately. While many people were getting their hours cut, she was working extra to keep everything moving. Hard to get everything done when all your staff have a twenty percent reduction in hours. It made her both thankful and bummed that she was a salaried employee. It did mean that, unlike most, she was getting her full paycheck, but she was also working so much that it was driving her mad. So she needed this camping trip to work its magic, as it always had five days without answering questions, five days of hanging out by the lake and reading it would help calm her back down.

It had to. Before Brian got home, she had the car packed as planned and marked off everything on her list to bring, making sure to grab the things that Brian would typically forget, like his toothbrush and razor. He grew facial hair so rapidly, and she wasn't going to deal with five days of stubble after a long drive. All she wanted to do was relax, but there was work to do. She dug out their cooler, set up their camping table, and sink. We should set up the tent before we pull anything else out of the car.

She said, I got it. Brian replied, yeah right. Seriously, babe, you did all the packing. What kind of jerk would I be if I didn't at least offer to set up the tent. You're the best, She said, one more thing. He grabbed his backpack. I ordered you something from your wishless to help you relax. From his bag, he pulled out a book and handed it to her. She looked at it for a moment, then chuckled. I do love my smut books, she said, and then hugged him and kissed him on the cheek before heading to her chair and cracking it open.

Bases Overloaded a baseball Romance. The first crack in her relaxation came just after Brian set up the tent and was making a trip back to the car to grab their cots. That's when he noticed something about the campers in the next spot over. I can't believe it, he said. Michele turned to look, and when she saw it was Kristin, Haley, and Bella, her heart sank. It wasn't that she disliked the three women. No, they were her best friends a few years ago, but they had drifted apart when Michelle slowed down on her drinking and her job began to take its toll.

She just didn't have much time or energy to hang out anymore. There was also the fact that Haley had hit on Brian, going as far as grabbing his crotch one drunken night, which made things a bit awkward. Everybody loved Hailey, so getting the two to hang out without her wasn't typically an option. She brought the party with her personality. It was sad they had been so close at one time, Michelle. Haley yelled from her campsite, I didn't think you were coming this year. Haley ran over to Michelle and gave her a big hug. She accepted it.

It was hard not to love Haley despite all of her numerous flaws. Michelle Bella yelled and ran over to her. Kristin followed, and they all hugged so much for peace and relaxation. She thought, what are the odds? Michelle asked, pretty good. You knew we were coming up, Haley said, I did. It's the last week of August. We always come up here the last week of August. Bella said, one last hurrah before the kiddos go back to school. Kristin added, but you know, without the kids, Haley laughed, I had to get my brother and his wife to watch DJ.

Kristin said, how could I have forgotten? Well, you have been avoiding us since work became so important to you. Bella quipped she was always the most straightforward. I mean, we get it. Money is important. Kristen said she was always trying to soften Bella's frankness. Within an hour, the girls had Hailey's signature cocktails in their hands, pineapple juice, club soda, lots of ice, and lots of booze. Haley always was a heavy poorer, a trait that got her great tips at the bar she worked at. Brian tried not to engage, though he had done nothing wrong that night, He never felt at ease in front of them after the Haley incident, because Michel did question him if he had led Haley on.

He hadn't, and it hurt him that she didn't trust him. The hangovers across the board were rough, they all still got up and on the lake by noon as they had planned. Yes, five drunk people made plans while drinking, and they actually kept them. Even though they were well into their thirties, Kristin and Haley were still boy crazy and wore the kind of bikinis that would get them the attention they craved. Haley's being the wildest, a tan two piece that was nearly the perfect tint to match her skin tone. Everyone looked at her as she walked down the lake, thinking for a moment she was naked.

Bella and Michelle were a little heavier. Michelle wore a more conservative bathing suit because of that, but Bella still wore a two piece despite being the largest one in the group. Her fuckham attitude was admired by the other women. They all had relaxation and hanging out on their minds, and each had mixed drinks and sprite bottles to keep the party going. Brian had goals. He brought his snorkel and was looking for rocks, even though it was a lake, which wasn't the best place to rock hound, but he enjoyed the search, hoping to find a gates, but he was just as excited finding snagged hooks, lost, go pro cameras, or whatever it was about the search and the discovery.

In the hour that Brian had been searching for rocks, Kristin and Haley had been checked out by six guys, ten if you counted the four gawking teenagers. Kristin ignored their attention, while Haley dropped her phone on the beach to give them a better look as she bent over to grab it. Michelle and Bella laughed at the other as they made poses for attention. How have you been, Bella asked Michelle. I've been good, just busy. Work has been a struggle lately. Hear that me too, Bella said, we miss you. I know I miss you all too, even Haley, with her bubbly personality.

She is hard to hate, isn't she? Did you hear she fucked Todd Todd as in Steven Todd. Michelle asked, yeah, Bella answered, but he was gold star gay. Michelle said he had never been with a woman, not anymore. Haley does love a challenge. Bella laughed. How does she do it? I don't know. She just uses sexuality. If she were a guy, she would not get away with her behavior. Michelle said, I know. Poor Todd had to go into therapy. After the experience. They looked over to see that she and Kristin were talking to a younger guy.

Yeah, so are you camping for the weekend? Kristin asked, just up here for the day, The boy said, while running his hand through his hair. Oh, Haley replied why. He asked. We thought you could come by our sight tonight for cocktails and music. Oh, I can't. My parents are leaving around four. How old are you, Haley asked, nineteen, he lied. Kristin and Haley shared a glance that said too young. Okay, Well, it was nice meeting you, Haley said, Oh. He replied, yeah, bye bye, Kristen added. The boy walked away, thinking to himself, I should have said twenty one.

He was only sixteen. Brian at this time was down on the bottom of the lake where he had picked up and discarded many rocks that weren't cool enough. He also found a quarter saw a crawdad, and was now entering an area of the lake that wasn't used as much because it was full of tall grass. He was about to turn back because the water was too dark, which made the likelihood of finding anything low, but then he spotted something that looked like petrified wood. It wasn't. He had to move a few bigger rocks to free the object, and once he picked it up and held it in his hand, it's evil took hold of him, and no matter how hard he struggled, it held him there.

He couldn't let go, and he couldn't swim back up. Twenty minutes later, the women noticed that they hadn't seen Brian for a while. They all yelled for him. Then they went back to camp, hoping that he had simply wandered back. The fact that his backpack and phone were left behind made that seem less likely. Not finding him there, Bella drove off to a spot where they got reception, while Haley went to the ranger station. Kristin and Michelle went back to the lake and took turns walking around and looking for him and diving into the water.

The rangers search and rescue and the other campers even searched in the woods and water, but had no luck. Michelle was lost and didn't know what to do. Her relaxing camping trip was for sure over now, but did she go home or stay in case he was found. Kristin, Bella and Haley convinced her to stay and even joined her for one last look at eleven pm. After a while, Haley brought out a bottle of booze. Michelle looked at her with disdain. Laney understood it, but she had wanted to bring the bottle out hours ago. She felt good about herself that she was able to resist for as long as she did.

She took a big swig of the peppermint schnapps and then handed it to Michelle, who stared at her for a long while before grabbing it and taking a long drink. Kristin and Bella drank next. Then they took turns taking gulps until the bottle was empty and they were all feeling a bit buzzed. That is when they saw the first bubbles, followed by something popping out to the surface. It wasn't until its shoulders and chest were exposed that they realized it was Brian. Are you all seeing this? Hailey said, while pointing at him. When he arrived on shore, he stopped and stared at the four women.

Brian, Michelle said as she ran to him. Kristin and Bella exchanged looks. Bella glanced at the empty bottle of booze, questioning whether what was happening was real or not. Where have you been? Michelle asked? He didn't respond, Were you lost? Are you okay? By the time the other women had made their way to them, Haley was the first to notice that something was off and put her arm around Michelle to pull her away from her water logged husband. It was impossible he wasn't lost on some trail. She could tell by looking at his skin that he had been in the water this whole time.

All of his skin looked loose and pruney, like your hands do after you spend too much time in the bathtub. His eyes were faded from their usual bright green to nearly white, and she saw no personality behind those eyes. How did Michelle not notice any of this, Haley wondered as she pulled back on her one more time. But Michelle shifted her body away from Haley's grip. We were so worried Brian, Michelle said, and then stared waiting for a response. Are you okay? He didn't respond. Something is majorly wrong with him, Bella said. Brian snapped his head in her direction.

I'm going to get the car. We need to get him to the hospital. Kristin added, I'm going to get him a blanket. Bella said, she just wanted to get away from him. What are you holding, Haley asked. He didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed his wife by the hair and began to drag her towards the water. All three women jumped into action and grabbed Michelle to get her back. The three of them together were quite strong, but so was he. Suddenly no longer the weak armed Brian, Michelle was the strong one. She was the picklejar opener in their household.

Michelle began to shriek as the large chunk of hair he was holding onto ripped from her skull, causing the rest of her blonde hair around it to turn crimson. Haley let go of her and looked around, grabbing the first large raw she saw and slammed it into the side of his head. The puncture in his skin led to a bloody wound, but it was all wrong. The consistency and color were way off. It looked like red tinted water instead of actual blood. This stopped him from going back after Michelle. Instead, he grabbed Haley and threw her into the lake.

The other three women stood in shock at his supernatural strength. It wasn't like he just threw her in by the shore. No, Haley landed fifteen feet out. The women instinctively widened their stance and all put up their fists, ready to fight. As Haley began to swim back to shore, he reached for his wife and the punching and kicking began. They all fought with great skill and purpose, but he seemed unaffected by the assault, and because of his water logged body, it sounded like they were punching jello. That's when he got hold of Michelle again, this time by the arm.

They tried to pull him away, but he was too strong and it wasn't like her arm was going to yank off her body like her hair did. All they could do was punch, kick, and follow as he dragged her into the leg Before entering the water, Bella grabbed the rock Haley had. Then she swam to catch up and bashed him over the head with it. Brian let go of Michelle, and on her next swing of the rock, he grabbed it and smashed it into Bella's nose with superhuman strength. The pain was tremendous, as her nose didn't just break, the whole structure broke away from the rest of her skull.

If it weren't for the skin and connective tissue, it would have fallen right off her face. Bella swam backward to get out of reach, so he took the rock and smashed it against Christen's head. She wasn't as quick to retreat, so he kept hitting her until her unconscious body slipped under the water. Hayley, seeing the attacks, swam back towards the danger. Michelle began punching him in the head. What is wrong with you? Brian held up the object and showed it to her. It just looked like petrified wood with carvings all over it, but the symbols were nothing like she had ever seen before, and she had been a teenage Wicken, so she was aware of runs and cymbals.

Brian rubbed his finger along a symbol that was a half circle connected with a triangle and a wavy line. When he did this, the object opened, but there was nothing inside. But everything changed. The sky turned green and was filled with large, unfamiliar stars. Michelle went to turn and swim towards shore, but it was no longer there. She spun around in a full three sixty and saw that in every direction she looked there was just water, water that was no longer still. It was like they had been plucked from the lake and dropped in the middle of the ocean.

What the hell is going on, Haley yelled as a wave hit her. I don't know, Michelle screamed, then swam to her. On again, off again, friend, your husband is psycho, Bella yelled, still holding the remains of her nose to her face. I think there's a bit more going on than psychosis, Michelle said. Either way, we need to get the fuck away from him. Bella offered true. Michelle agreed and began swimming away, and the two women followed. Bella still held her nose, it felt too weird to let it bounce around as she moved through the water.

She quickly fell far behind the other two as she was using only one arm to swim. It wasn't long before Brian caught up with her. Then Haley felt something grab her as well. She was pulled under the water. It stung her eyes, but she forced herself to keep them open to see what had done the grabbing. It was a creature that was mostly humanoid in appearance, except for its solid green eyes and lack of hair. Its bottom half was much like a walrus, but instead of one fin at the end, it had a pair of malformed feet.

Hailey was lost in taking in its appearance, that is, until it opened its mouth and revealed its razor sharp teeth. Haley snapped out of her amazement and struggled, trying to pull her leg back, but once she saw the other two surrounding her, she knew there was nothing she could do. Under the water, she was eaten alive. They were worse than a romero zombie. They were like piranhas, biting and ripping her to shreds. Above the water, Michelle saw the result of the chaos below, all her blood bubbling up to the surface and tinting the water. Bella was still too busy fighting off Brian to notice the blood or that Haley was gone.

Michelle had always been the strongest in her friend group and the best problem solver. That was how she had got and to where she was in the company she had worked for. She knew getting the box away from him was the first step, but then, what just close it? She thought, No, that wouldn't work because he had gone crazy before it had been opened. I can't touch it. That's probably how it took hold of him. So I need to get it out of his hand and close it. But I can't touch it. How the fuck do I do that?

Then it hit her. Bella grabbed the box. Bella, who hadn't thought about the consequences, put her head under the water. As she did, he started biting her leg. The pain was intense. She fought to get his mouth off her. He kept attacking her during the struggle, pulling her hair, biting her wrist, which would prove to be fatal. He bit deeper into her wrist than how deeply she used to cut it when she was a teenager, when she was still depressed about her size and hadn't found the confidence she gained as an adult. But she had a bit of time before she bled out completely.

She thought, and she used those moments to bite him back, and during his shock, she grabbed the open box to try to restore him. In the moment it left his hands, he turned back into the real Brian. He came back panicked and swam to the surface, screaming. Without being possessed, he felt all the damage that had been done to him popped up next. I got it, she said, Then her face froze as she began to change quick closet. Michelle yelled, but the now evil Bella just laughed. Fuck, Michelle yelled. Then she felt something pull on her leg.

She fought to stay afloat, but eventually was pulled under the surface, where she met with one of the creatures that had attacked Hayley. You've got to be kidding me, she thought. When its friends appeared, she figured that that was the end. But then Brian went under the surface, and when the leader looked at him and saw what poor shape he was in, they swam over and went for the easier meal. Michelle didn't stick around to see her husband. Consumed, she swam back up to face her bigger problem, the now evil Bella. She only had one plan.

Swim fast at her and then smack at the box to push it back together. It almost worked, then Bella slapped at her with the arm Brian had bitten, blood flew all over in the process. If she hadn't been possessed, she surely would have been dead by now from lack of blood. Michelle attempted to hit her again, but this time when Bella swung, she ducked, then grabbed the wide open wound on her wrist and pulled the exposed veins and tendons. The next thing she knew, Bella was using her other arm that held the object to smash her over the head with it.

The moment that the object made a connection with her, she saw visions of a dark world with creatures unlike any she had seen upon the ground, and the vision were hundreds of dead humans of all sizes and genders. Michelle acted desperately and attacked the arm that held the object. She punched and bit until Bella lost grip and it fell into the water. Michelle watched for a moment to see if she had changed back. Her face softened, and she went through a series of emotions from fear, happiness to sadness before dying from the lack of blood.

She grabbed her friend as she was beginning to sink into the water. Please not you two, I've lost everybody I love. Michelle knew what she needed to do. She needed to swim down and find the object. Maybe she could use a rock to close it, she thought. She felt the tugging at her leg again. Fuck, but suddenly it stopped. Then the sky turned from green to black, and the water turned to its original color and became still. Her first smile and hours appeared on her face when she saw that the shore had returned. As she swam to one, she wondered how things had returned to normal.

Once on shore, she sat and stared out at the water. Her best guess was that the momentum of the object hitting the bottom of the lake was enough to close it. She thought about that and many things as she stared out at the still lake that hid so many secrets. How long until somebody else finds that wretched thing? She thought? How long until that image of hundreds of dead humans becomes a reality. She planned on spending much time in the future searching for that object so that she could hide it from the world, but not today.

All she had the energy to do was stare out at the still lake and hope that it stayed that way. Well, my Spooky's clear lake may look peaceful in the moonlight, but after tonight, I think we can all agree on one rule. If you find something carved with strange symbols at the bottom of a lake, just leave it there, because no souvenir is worth getting water logged, possessed, and dragging your friends into a nightmare. I know I'd rather not have my friends drag me into a horror story full of pale eyed monsters and very hungry things beneath the surface, but hey, maybe that's just me, And honestly, maybe that could really spice up a boring summer.

Thank you very much to Bruce Haney for another great spooky story to share with you all. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. And I want to say a big thank you to everyone who's supporting us over at Weeklyspooky dot com. Slash Join really helps us keep the show going and growing. And I want to say an extra special thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters. Those are folks who pay just a little bit more every month to hear their names at the end of the show, and they are Johnny Nix, Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Escuey, Jenny Green, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen.

Thank you all so much for your support. It really does mean a lot to me. And if you want to hear your name at the end of every episode of Weekly Spooky, just go to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join and sign up at the fifteen dollars a month or higher tier. You'll not only hear your name at the end of the show, but get two bonus shows every single month and over six years of creepy pasta readings and exclusive audiobooks at Weeklyspooky dot com slash joy. Well, my Spooky's time for me to get back to work because tomorrow we have a Thursday thrill just for you, So make sure you're subscribed and YadA YadA, and while you're at it, also just avoid the lake all around.

Trust me, it's probably for the best for myself, for my executive producers Rob Fields and Babbletopia dot com, my producer Dan Wilder, and my creepy composer Ray Maddis. I'll talk at you tomorrow. Thank you for listening. Make sure to find your way back next week week, but for now you are safe. Trust me.