“Take a deep breath.”

She did so, looking up at the strange man. He looked human enough, unlike her. Her mousy features were more than just features and that wasn’t meant in a shy way or from a dull brown hair color. Her hair was a blue grey, curling despite anything she did to it, except for the hair which crew on her ears, which had come in much darker. Her eyes were reddish, no sclera to be seen, at least by the usual standards. She’d hated it, since coming to move to the city. No one had cared out in the country. No one at all.

“My name is Jay, I’m a private investigator.”

“Vlora.” She took another deep breath. “I saw a monster.”

“You don’t need to speak until you’re ready,” Jay assured her. She wondered just how quietly she had spoken. She focused on her trembling arms and closed her eyes for a few moments. “When you’re ready, you can tell me what you meant by monster.”

Vlora swallowed more air, finally feeling Jay’s coat around her and the cold of the water she had recently been submerged in. “In the water. After that strange person pushed me in.” She brought her hands up to her face to brush away droplets from near her eyes. “It wasn’t a fish. It wasn’t human. I-I don’t know what it was. It glew.”

Jay rubbed her hands with his own and some warmth felt like it was returning to her.“What do you mean?”

“Not it’s eyes or nothing like that. All of it. This… green glow? I think it was green. It was so dark in the water, I only seen it because of the light.”

He nodded, pulling the coat further around her. “Do you remember anything else about it? Other than the fact it glowed.”

As hard as Vlora tried, she could not. She shook her head. “No, I… I just remember thinking that it was a monster. I don’t remember why. I’m sorry.”

“That’s all right.”

He continued to assure her of this as she heard the ambulance come. Only later did she wonder why he had stayed with her, instead of going to do whatever else he needed to do after getting the information from her. She would wonder that until he came to see her again.