The Achiever

by John W. Steele

Part 1 appears
in this issue.

conclusion

He owned the lake now and his powerful arms and legs propelled him through the water like a paddle wheeler. Soon the rock shelf of the shore appeared a few feet below him and he felt a rush of triumph. Another victory... it’s all about mind... confidence... the guts to be the best...

He settled on ledge and turned to look for Diane. She was floundering a dozen yards from shore.

Todd cupped his mouth and cried, “You’re home, babe. Just a little more focus and you win!”

Diane’s arms and legs felt like they were made of lead, and she wheezed and coughed in the icy water.

Her voice quivered and she screamed. “Help me, Todd! Please help me!”

Todd’s face lost all expression, like a slab of cold marble. An angry blue vein inflated on his forehead and he swam out to her. He knew what people needed to be the best. He knew what it takes to emerge from a pathetic nobody to a master achiever.

Todd knew what happens to quitters... to losers. His years of mental conditioning kicked in and he focused on Diane’s victory. His voice boomed like thunder and he yelled at her like a student in one of his training seminars.

“You can do this, Diane! Just a few more yards, babe! Be all you can be, Diane. Be all you can be!”

Diane’s arms slapped the surface as she struggled to keep her head above the merciless waves. Todd bullied her like a drill sergeant. “Ten more yards, Diane, just ten more yards. Winners never quit, Diane, quitters never win!”

“I can do this!” Diane screamed.

“That’s my girl. Never give up.”

Todd could tell by the look of determination on Diane’s face that she’d broken through the barrier that all those that know victory must face. She was unconquerable now; and she’d emerge from this trial as one of the best... one of the very very best.

“Confidence is the key to success, Diane. Winners aren’t born, they’re made!”

He knew Diane had won and he rolled in the water, and swam to shore. Todd touched down on the ledge. A proud smile erupted on his face, and he turned to celebrate with Diane her victory over herself.

He gazed through the whitecaps that rolled mindlessly on the surface and looked for Diane, but he couldn’t see her. His mind grew clear and sharp and it seemed as if the world stopped spinning.

“Diane, where are you?”

Terror uncoiled like a viper in his chest. He paddled frantically to the area where he thought he had last seen Diane and dove beneath the surface; but the deep blue water gave way to yawning black abyss, and the visibility grew dim. When he surfaced the waves all looked the same and he felt disoriented.

Todd shuddered. “Oh my God, what have I done?” But the lake did not respond. The only sound was the wind whistling through the swells and the waves crashing on the shore.

He searched until his strength gave out, then climbed out of the water... defeated. He stumbled down a dirt road and called the sheriff from a cottage.

The rescue divers found Diane’s body on a rock ledge in one hundred and twenty feet of water. The paramedics worked on her for an hour but she was gone.

* * *

The days and weeks after Diane’s death were hard for Todd. His heart was heavy with a sense of defeat and a nagging doubt about his abilities as a master achiever made him feel weak and insecure. The fact that he failed to instill in Diane the confidence she needed to conquer the lake tormented him. I failed... I failed as a man.

The curse of being a loser chewed at his guts like a worm gnawing out the core of an apple, and he began to drink heavily. He lost his edge and the great confidence that had been his mantle dwindled until he felt he was merely a shadow of his former self.

In time, his reputation as a dynamic motivational guru lost its luster and his seminars suffered. He decided to take some time to try and understand where he lost his influence over others and he quit his career in sales.

Tonight, it had been a year since Diane drowned. Todd lay on his bed and gazed at an 8x10 photo that had been taken of them when they were at the drag races. Diane’s arm was draped across his powerful shoulders as if she couldn’t support herself without him.

Her memory flowed through his mind and he tried to forget what he could never change. But the photograph seemed alive and Diane appeared to stare at him. She was so beautiful... and so vulnerable. He sighed, turned the picture frame over, and laid it face down on the nightstand. He laid back, stared at the ceiling and fell asleep.

* * *

Now he swam submerged in an ocean of emerald light. A gentle current carried him along in the shimmering depths and he felt intoxicated by the rapture of the luminous aqua sea. But Todd dared not breathe for fear of drowning in this mysterious underwater world.

He gazed into the void and it seemed as if he was looking into eternity. In the distance he saw a gaping black hole that appeared like the mouth of a cave. He swam nearer to the cave, and noticed that there were words scrawled over the entrance.

Todd squinted his eyes in an attempt to identify the letters, but they were blurred. The mystery of the words bewildered him, and he studied them intently. He sensed if he could understand the message over the portal a long forgotten truth would be revealed. He swam nearer; the letters became words and the message flashed like a neon beacon.

Winners Never Quit. Quitters Never Win.

The sea trembled as if seized by an underwater earthquake and the ocean of light transformed into a quagmire of murky frigid water. The mouth of the cave began to swirl like an enormous whirlpool and the powerful vortex drew him into its cavernous maw.

Todd struggled with all his might against the enormous force of the tide. Air hunger tore through his body and scorched the tissues of his lungs until they burned like they were filled with acid. When he could no longer endure the suffocation, he inhaled deeply and the freezing water flooded into his head and poured into his lungs.

* * *

Todd awoke panting in a pool of sweat. His body trembled, and he sat up on the edge of the bed. He held his head in his hands and began to weep. Why won’t she leave me alone?

The house now seemed as cold as a tomb and a heavy silence filled the darkness. Todd glanced at the crimson numbers on the alarm clock; it was 3 a.m. From somewhere in the house he heard a voice that sounded like a hollow whisper. The voice seemed near, and yet far away. He strained his ears. Is it real or a hallucination?

He flicked on the light in the hallway and walked into the living room. Colored lights danced on the tuner of his elaborate stereo. This puzzled Todd, he hadn’t remembered listening to the sound system since Diane drowned.

He approached the tuner and focused on the voice that drifted through the tower speaker. The voice sounded familiar, like the border of a forgotten memory. In time the words took shape in his mind and the haunting melody untangled in his head... A long and winding road... that leads to your door...

A bubble rose to the surface of his mind. The melody surrounded him like a gentle breeze and a single silver tear trickled down his cheek. He felt as if Diane were saying goodbye... It’s time to let her go completely and forever.

He stared at the speakers and in a shallow voice he spoke into the darkness.

“What’s done is done, Diane. The pity party is over... It’s time for me to move on. In the game of life everybody gets knocked over. It’s the man that stands back up that emerges victorious. It’s time for me to get back up, that’s what makes a winner, Diane, that’s what separates the winners from the losers... Goodbye, Diane.”

Todd sniffled, a wry smile formed on his face and a chill ran down his spine. He knew the worst was over and that it was time to get back in the game. At last I’ve conquered my doubt.

He reached out and snapped the off button on the amplifier with his finger but the song only grew louder. The blue and orange lights danced madly and the volume of sound increased until the walls of the condo began to vibrate. Pictures crashed to the floor and the song pierced his ears like a siren screaming in his head.

Todd cupped his ears and cried, “It’s over, Diane, you quit, you lost, now give it up! If you’d shown this much fortitude on the lake you’d still be alive. You’re a loser, Diane; it’s your karma!”

A trickle of blood drained from Todd’s ears. With a grimace he drew back his leg, and drove his foot through the speaker demolishing the giant woofer. The music died and for a moment, all was silent.

Todd walked over to the bar and poured a stiff drink. I’m so sick of her I could scream. She thinks I’m made of the same stuff as her. If she had shown some guts that day I wouldn’t have had to go through this hell.

He raised his fists over his head, looked up and yelled at the ceiling. “I’m Todd, and I rule. My will is indomitable and I’m on the comeback trail. I pity anybody that tries to stand in my way. I’ll annihilate anyone that defies me. You hear me, gutless sons ’a bitches?”

He threw back his head, laughed loud and deep and drained the glass.

The air in the room seemed to grow thick and stagnant as if an unnatural pressure had suddenly permeated the atmosphere. A pitter-patter sound like a leaky pipe echoed in the silence and drops of water dripped from the sills of the windows. Water flowed in a steady stream at the threshold of the door and Todd stared at a pool that had formed at his feet. What the...?

With a terrifying crash the door exploded and the windows shattered; torrents of icy black water surged into the house. In the blink of an eye the water rose to the ceiling and surrounded Todd in its murky embrace. Once again, Todd heard a voice, only this time it was Diane’s voice and it seemed to be coming from the direction of the door. He focused on the sound of her words.

“Winners never quit, my darling. Quitters never win.”

Diane repeated the phrase over and over followed by a piercing laugh that cut like a razor through the stifling ocean of darkness.

Todd’s lungs burned like lava and screamed for air as he fought madly against the excruciating suffocation. He focused on the sound of Diane’s mantra and a blazing fixation smoldered in the tissues of his mind.

You think you’ve beaten me, Diane, do you? I can hold my breath forever if I have too. Winners never quit. Todd clenched his jaws... and he swam and swam...

Open Challenge 298...