I looked out over the horizon to see a slowly setting sun dip into the cold ocean. The rays reflected over the water’s surface, making it sparkle like thousands of precious crystals. Purple clouds swirled across the sky, contrasting the fiery sunset. This picturesque scene was absolutely magnificent, but despite how beautiful it may have seemed, this beach was actually very dangerous. I turned my head to the left to see a large white sign just inches away from me.

“DANGER!” it stated in bold red letters. “This section of the beach contains a high capacity of electric eels. DO NOT go in the water!”

Next to the text was a silhouette of a person with water reaching up to their chest, surrounded by electric eels. This sign did a superb job of explaining how this place got its nickname: “Eel Beach.” Its official name is actually “Sailor’s Cove,” but due to the large volume electric eels, it’s more common for locals to refer to it by a more fitting title. While it may currently be in hazardous condition, Eel Beach didn’t always use to be this way. When I was younger, my family would often come here on nice afternoons and swim in the water. Soon enough, our carefree summer days at Eel Beach were put on hold when a foreign trading plan was conducted a few years back, which introduced electric eels to our area. Once the invasive species arrived, they couldn’t be stopped. The population spiked and caused a heaping pile of various problems. Now, no one dares to swim in the waters near our town due to the

fear of electrocution. I’ve never actually seen an electric eel slithering in the ocean, but sometimes I find dead ones washed up on the beach, making me well aware of their presence.

I gazed over the beach to see gentle waves rolling onto the shore. Smiling, I took a few steps forward into the water. The seafoam tickled my bare feet, and I squealed in delight. Standing at this spot, I felt safe and content, but I would never think about venturing any farther forward, knowing of the menaces that lurked beneath the water’s surface.

I was then suddenly broken out of my peaceful trance when I felt a vibration in my pocket. It was my phone alarm, notifying me of the time. I had to be home by 7:10, and it was currently 7:00, meaning that I had to leave immediately if I didn’t want to face my mother’s wrath. I began trotting up the beach towards the parking lot, where my pink bike lay vacant along with my sandals. I slipped on the brightly colored shoes, which resembled cheap Styrofoam more than anything else, and boarded my bike. Before riding home, I cast a look back at the beach for a final moment, aching to stay there longer. Something strange about Eel Beach made the location eerie, yet intriguing. Maybe it was the strong vibe it emitted or an aroma in the air perhaps? These were things to ponder later, for I couldn’t be late for dinner.

When I arrived at my house, I parked my bike in the garage and walked inside. Once I stepped through the door, I flung my sandals off of my feet and ran into the kitchen until I reached our dining room table. My little sister Tammy was sitting in a chair working on a homework assignment. She was ten years old, and despite our age gap, we treated each other as if we were best friends.

I plopped down in a seat next to her and said, “Hey there.”

She glanced up from her paper and grinned.

“Hi Terry!” she beamed, then resumed from where she had left off. I leaned over to view her process so far.

“What are you working on?” I asked curiously.

Without bothering to look up, Tammy replied, “I’m writing an essay. The topic is bad habits, and how we’re going to break one that we have. Mine’s sleepwalking.”

“Oh,” I said, as a sour feeling in my mouth arose from the multiple memories of Tammy sleepwalking into hazardous situations. “Well, that’s a good habit to break! You’ve really given Mom and me a scare several times.”

“I know!” said Tammy, eyes still locked on the sheet in front of her. “I really want to stop doing it! I just have to find a good method to keep myself in bed.”

The stench of our dinner became more distinct as my mother brought two large plates, each topped with a flounder filet, over to the table. She carefully set them down and said, “Dinner’s ready! Eat up,” then made her way back to the stove to serve herself. As my mother made the short journey back, she asked me a question that I’ve always hated hearing.

“Terry, where were you for the past hour?”

I don’t get punished for leaving the house, as long as I obtain permission and stay in the neighborhood, but I never tell anyone where I’m going, especially in this case.

“Um, you know. Just around…” It was a dumb response, but what else could I say?

My mother reached for the spatula and flopped a flounder filet on her plate. “Well, I sure hope it wasn’t anywhere near Eel Beach…”

I froze in terror and slight irritation when the words reached my ears. My secret scheme had been discovered, and there was no way I could weasel out of it. Instead, I was upfront with my mother, hoping I could lessen the blow of the punishment.

“Mom, Eel Beach isn’t dangerous!” I proclaimed. “As long as you don’t get in the water-“

“Teresa Glimcher!” she shouted, an angry sting in her voice. “I am very disappointed with you! How many times have I told you not to go there, and yet you still disobey me!”

There was an awkward moment of silence, then a distressed sigh from my mother.

“Honey,” she began. “This is the last time I’m going to warn you, so you’d better make sure you’re listening. Never go to that beach again, especially without my consent. Got it?”

I looked over at her and mumbled a barely audible, “Yes.”

A satisfied smile took shape on my mother’s lips.

“Good,” she replied. “Now, eat your dinner. Your fish is getting cold!”

...

It was about 11:00 when I first heard the noise. I noticed an unnerving creaking sound coming from the hallway. At first, I assumed it was an intruder, so I threw on my slippers and hurried out of my bedroom. Creeping silently into the hallway, I cautiously scanned the area for any suspicious sights. Suddenly, a small shadowy figure appeared to my left. Startled, I whipped around ready to attack, but to my relief, I only saw my sister stumbling her way over to the stairs. I was thankful that my house wasn’t going to be robbed, but the calm feeling only lasted a short moment when it dawned upon me that my sister wasn’t up for a glass of water. She was sleepwalking, and I needed to get help.

Racing downstairs, I ran to my mother’s bedroom to get her assistance. It was extremely risky to wake up a sleepwalker, so I’d be an idiot to disturb Tammy in this condition. Just before walking into the room, I heard the click of our front door unlocking. Pleading that it was just my imagination, I turned around and saw Tammy step out of our house, heading towards the street. Cursing under my breath, I quickly followed after her into the open night air, my slippers still attached to my feet. The dim light of the full moon barely provided enough light for me to see  Tammy heading straight towards the open road! Horrified, I rushed over to catch up with my sister, but instead of ambling into instant death, Tammy turned the other direction and started walking along the sidewalk. I clenched my chest and exhaled a long breath of relief, grateful that my sister was alive. Sure, Tammy was sleepwalking across the neighborhood putting herself in imminent jeopardy, but she was alive nonetheless.

My sister continued to make her way down the sidewalk at breakneck speed, and I followed behind her from a distance, praying that she would stop. To my dismay, my wishes weren’t granted, as Tammy made a sharp turn left and hastily walked towards the direction of the ocean. About three minutes later, she approached the shore and strolled through an entrance leading to a beach; the same beach that was infested with thousands of electric eels! I picked up my pace and also made my way onto Eel Beach, all while trying to remain calm. As I reached closer to Tammy, I quickly formulated a plan to step in front of my sister in an attempt to lead her back to our house. Yes, touching a sleepwalker was chancy, but it was my only hope. Unfortunately, that shoddy plan was crushed when I clumsily tripped and fell onto the sand, thanks to my faulty slippers. Ripping them off, I stood up and ran as fast as possible to catch up with my sister, whose bare feet had made their way across the sand and into the water. I crashed

into the waves and used my arms to propel myself to Tammy. The shock of the chilly water almost made me freeze in place; how in the world could my sister still be sleeping in these icy conditions? Mustering up any and all strength that I had, I inched my way closer and closer to Tammy. Just as I was about a foot away from grabbing her shoulder, a giant wave knocked me over like a domino. Screaming with agony, I tried reaching the surface of the water again, but it was a good eight seconds until the wave released me from its grip. When I was able to regain control, I frantically looked around for my sister, struggling to keep my eyes open from the salt burning within them.

“Tammy!” I shrieked, my voice hoarse. “Tammy, where are you!?”

No matter where I turned, I couldn’t see or hear any trace of my sister. After what felt like forever, my throat couldn’t handle anymore yelling, but only choking sobs. Countless tears streamed down my face as my mind raced, trying to think of something, anything, that would fix this situation. How could I explain this to my mother? She would be hysterical…but above all, she would remain right. This beach really was a dangerous place, and I had to lose my sister in order to see that. I stood there for the longest time, engulfed in the waters of Eel Beach. I’m not sure what caused me to leave, but I finally began moving towards the shoreline, almost dropping over from pure exhaustion. I had only moved a couple of feet when I felt something slippery slide across my leg. I ignored it at first, but as I took another step forward, I noticed the same sensation surrounding my other leg. Petrified at the thought of what it might be, I slowly tilted my head towards the water. In the murky black shadows, my eyes could barely make out the two electric eels wrapping their rubbery bodies around my ankles. Before I could even make some sort of decision on escaping, a thousand volts of electricity shot throughout me, sending my paralyzed body into the deep water below. As I drifted into unconsciousness, it occurred to me that my sister and I will both share the same resting place; a place I had once loved.