 The Menominee County and Marinette County Police Departments are officially calling off the search for 17-year-old Nancy Francor and 22-year-old Jeremy Springer after a two-week lakeside search if you have any information on the whereabouts. The man on the bar TV droned on about the two missing kids, just like he did every night for almost two weeks now. All hints of hope for the missing individuals had faded away from his face. Everyone knew that they drowned on the lake that night. Think they're going to find that boat there, Steve? Chad asked me without looking away from the TV. I couldn't tell you, man. I said after a sip from my bottle. I'm sure it's going to turn up eventually. Then again, there is a lot of lake out there. This wasn't the first case of people disappearing out on Lake Michigan this month. Out of the five people that had gone missing, none had been found yet. They ain't going to find shit. Muddered, greasy-looking man sitting on the stool right of me. His lips bulged out from the copious amounts of tobacco stuffed against his teeth. What do you mean by that? I asked curiously. I hear there's a good prize for any men who pull up their wrecked boat. I'm sure there's plenty of guys out there looking for it right now. The man turned to face me while he spoke. Any man smart enough to ride these waters knows to keep away from shipwrecks this time of year. His eyes widened, and he leaned closer. Emerald waves make their way through our lake. Emerald waves, Nick asked. He'd been silent up until now. Yeah, the man said. They signify the bad water. Ask anyone who lives on the lake about the Emerald waves, they'll know. They say the natives are the only ones who'd seen what lies below them waves. My two friends and I gave each other a look. Chad's lips curled into a giddy grin. Alrighty then, I said standing up. We gotta get going if we're gonna make it back before the sun sets. I grabbed my backpack and motioned for my two friends to follow suit. I wasn't gonna let some crazy ship captain ruin our night out on the boat. Before the sun sets, Chad tilted his head in confusion. Nick punched him in the arm. Yeah, dumbass, we don't want to be out on the bay all night. Oh, okay. I see. Chad said with a grin. We headed for the door. Hey, the old man yelled, steer clear from the green. I nodded while I held the door for my friends. Our boat was already packed for our all nighter on the waves, complete with old video games, new video games, snacks and sodas, a few quality brews as well. It was looking good. We set out to the spot we found. It was just a few miles offshore, but it still felt like the middle of nowhere. The spot was a big sandbar, wide enough to set up a game of volleyball in the middle if we felt like it. We anchored our boat about 50 yards from it, so we wouldn't hit any shallows. The boat wasn't some little dingy either. Think of the orca from Jaws, but taller and a nice living quarters below deck. The sunlight approached, Nick and I lit a cigarette while Chad started flipping burgers on the grill. It was looking to be a good night. We talked and gamed for hours, hidden away in our little world on our boat, far away from the rest of the world. Only one other boat had come near us all day, so we were sure nobody would disturb us at night. We were alone out here. After burgers and a few hours of video games, we went outside to enjoy the night. I think it must have been around 12.30. Damn, there's like no light pollution out here at all. Chad said, Honestly man, I wish it was like this in town. I almost wish I brought my camera with me. I replied, The water's like glass right now too. You can hardly tell the sky from the bay, Nick said. And he was right. The bay was the flattest I'd ever seen it. The three of us just sat there in silence, admiring the view. Our gaze dropped from the sky to the water where it stayed. It started to feel like we'd been staring at the water forever. Eventually, Chad broke the silence. I think I'm going to go for a dip. Chad said, starting to strip down. Yeah, good idea, man, Nick eagerly added as he stood up to start stripping down as well. I bet that water is going to look trippy as hell once I'm swimming in it. The water already looked trippy as hell. It was mesmerizing. And I was mesmerized. My shirt was already off before I stood up. I had to jump in that water. I felt a need to just dive in. All of a sudden, Chad let out a whimper and broke my gaze from the depths. I turned and faced him. Holy shit, dude, you okay? Chad was drenched in sweat. Drill flew from his lips and onto the deck while he wrestled with his sock. He looked like a feral animal, doing anything to get his clothes off so he could hop in that lake. Dude, take it easy, Nick said between breaths. Maybe you should just stay in the boat. Something didn't feel right. I realized then how heavy I felt on my legs before I plopped down on the lawn chair I'd set up. I looked down at my palms and they were soaked with sweat. Something doesn't feel right, Steve. Nick said. Yeah, I know, man. I feel it too. I said back. I couldn't fathom why I would have wanted to go swimming. The water must be freezing this time of year, not even counting that it's nearly one o'clock in the morning. We all stared at the water. The millions of stars reflected, and something seemed off, but I couldn't understand why. Everything started to feel so uncomfortable, like we'd been lulled into a trap. Nick ran his finger along his concealed carry. I think it's some sort of glock. I'd brought a gun as well. Hey, guys? Chad finally broke the silence. The water looks a little green, doesn't it? The air was silent. We looked into the starry abyss. It did seem green. Well, now that I'm looking, it's the reflection of the stars that seemed green. I looked up to the real stars, then their wavy counterparts. I looked to the moon. Maybe the moon could tell me what was going on. And then I looked back down, and I felt every hair on my body go straight. There was no reflection of the moon. Chad, go get the boat ready, I said, making the others jump. Now I made my way towards the emergency supply crate below the floor. After ripping the little way, I shuffled around the inside. I found a glow stick. I quickly tore off the wrapper and crunched it in every direction until it let off an emerald glow. You ready for me to start her up? Chad said from the cabin above. Not yet. I said, just keep it ready for now. Steve, Nick said, startling me this time. The anchor is still down. Shit, I started to panic. Can it be disconnected from the boat? Yeah, I think so. He replied, all right, well, get it disconnected, but don't drop the rest in yet. I had no idea what was down under our boat, but I wanted nothing to do with it. Okay, the anchor is ready. Nick said, popping out from below deck. Once we start going, it'll be pulled right out of the boat. I looked out at the millions of stars covering the water. They almost seemed to look back. I held my hand over the edge of the boat, hoping to cast a shadow and block out a few stars on the water lapping up the side of our boat. The stars remained. They were shining from below. Oh my God. Nick said, drawing his gun, I'd fixed the glow stick to a small but heavy anchor meant for a dinghy. I lifted it to the edge and rested it there. Nick looked me in the eyes and nodded. I dropped it and we watched it sink, glowing nearer to the mass of green lights below our boat. The stars below the anchor glowed brighter than the glow stick. We watched the emerald sky below our ship, pistol gripped hard in my hand, although I knew it offered no protection against this monstrosity. And then every emerald star in the water, blinked in unison. Our boat roared to life as something far bigger roared beneath us. Underwater currents veered our boat back and forth as something of unimaginable size moved below. The creature screamed. Through the white of the wake behind our boat, I could see the mass of green dots forming into one massive light. No, an eye that shined a beam of light illuminating the creature's prey. Us, what is that? Nick said over the boat engine. It lit up about a hundred yards of the lake. I could see it clearly now. The creature's massive eye had settled back into its jaw, resting behind rows of teeth that reminded me of an anglerfish. Two massive arms would come into view as they pulled the massive creature along the bottom of the lake. Streaks of green light danced along the side of the giant eel, revealing its true length of something like 500 yards. The creature began to open its jaw. Each of its teeth had a mind of its own. They danced like spider legs stretching out and swiping towards our boat, but we were just fast enough. It let out another roar that seemed to vibrate our boat. I gripped for dear life as I watched the creature begin to slow down. For something 500 yards long, it moved pretty quick, but we were just quick enough. We kept gaining more and more distance on the beast. Nick finally dropping his handgun to the floor. I think mine ended up in the water. It slowed to a stop, and it just stared at us with its emerald eye. It dimmed and dimmed as we neared the marina. Somehow Chad safely maneuvered us back to our port. Nick and I tied the boat down. Nobody spoke a word. We grabbed all of our shit and hiked it to my car and threw it in. Once we were all seated, Chad broke into tears. None of us said anything while he cried. Eventually, the adrenaline wore off, so I opened my car door to vomit. Nick just simply stared out into the lake. We sat for another 15 minutes before I started the car. I drove all three of us back to my apartment. When we made it back, it was three in the morning. The bottle of fireball I bought was empty when I woke up. My friends and I still haven't spoken a word to each other. It's been three days now. I still don't know what I saw. Maybe we hallucinated it. Who knows? I do know one thing, though. Don't sail on emerald waves.