The murky water stung her eyes as she frantically searched the riverbed. She couldn’t go home empty-handed again. She had to find something, anything, and the light was fading fast. She spotted a clearer opening upriver. She swam to the head of the green Glass River, where the freshest water spilled down the mountainside and created a waterfall. She searched the river floor through squinted eyes; not a rock to be found. Blast it. She needed rocks. Where there were rocks, there was gold. And she needed gold desperately. When the light disappeared at last, Ravena pushed out of the soft river grasses and propelled her lean body up and above the surface of the icy river.
Her body pled for air. She’d pushed her lungs a little too far tonight. She grasped the tree roots that lined the river’s edge and pulled herself out of the water. She lay down on the bank, back pressed against the white, knuckled tree. Her flaxen horse, Maple, nickered and gently lipped her wet hair. Ravena smiled through panting breaths. Her hand searched the ground next to her and found her worn leather pouch. The thick darkness obscured her sight entirely. By feel, she sorted through the broken shards of pottery, sea glass, and a bright piece of jade she’d collected that day and found one, two, three, and maybe… no, only three nuggets of gold. Not enough… Not enough for even one loaf of bread at Haven’s Bakery. She slammed her fist on the ground. Mr. Haven didn’t deserve to be put out like this again.
The baker, Mr. Frances Haven, had a soft spot in his heart for her. Though now he worked independently, he’d once been a regular chess piece under the Queen’s employ as harbormaster, gardener, and cupbearer. He was well-respected by all, and used his sphere of influence to help those less fortunate. Though the prices of flour and salt had steadily risen, Ravena worked very hard in return for very little, and Mr. Haven knew this. He allowed her to purchase whatever bread she needed at impossibly low prices. Every day she promised she would make it up to him, and she intended to keep these promises. Mr. Haven had assured her that he would be all right as long as he was able to keep selling his cakes; beautiful, richly decorated cakes filled with fruits and nuts and draped in ribbons of white icing. Ravena’s mouth watered as she imagined them. She’d never be able to afford one, but it was a dream she held in her heart. She would be in Mr. Haven’s debt forever just for the small loaves he gifted her.
The sky had fully embraced the night, and the light of the stars freckled the dark sky. As she shifted her pack behind her to make the trek home, the pouch containing her one, two, three gold nuggets swung loose and, with a taunting plop, landed itself in the river. She let out a noise through clenched teeth and, throwing off her pack, hauled herself into the river after it. In this darkness, she’d be searching all night. She submerged herself deep into the black waters. Air escaped her lungs in surprise. She could see. The familiar landscape of the riverbed was illuminated by a faint, yellow glow. Was it the light of the moon? She snatched up her pouch, then pushed up out of the water. No, the moon was dark tonight. From the surface, she realized she could indeed see pale light emanating from under the waterfall a short way off. She tossed her gold in the direction of the tree and swam towards the falls.
The spray from the mountain waters blurred her vision. She inhaled deeply and plunged under the waters. The light was stronger here. She felt around until her hands found a small opening in the stone behind the waterfall. She pried her fingers inside, loosing a large sheet of stone. As it fell, it revealed a gap just large enough for her to swim through. She wedged her shoulders through the glowing gap and emerged into the most beautiful place she’d ever seen.
The sound of the waterfall echoed off the walls of a small lagoon, formed out of a dark granite cave. The waters rippled gently with movement from the waterfall. The water was warmer than she’d expected, and she felt her muscles relax. Stalactites like great, black icicles dripped with the pale water, bringing back to mind a memory she’d forgotten long ago. She’d dived in some of the smaller lagoons with her father when she was a child. By chance, one day, Father had learned from a local fisherman that lagoons were the best place to catch lobsters, and he’d taught her how to trap them. Her first day out, she’d trapped almost a dozen. They’d feasted that night, and he’d smiled and promised she’d never go hungry again.
Though she still lived in her family home, tucked deep in the White Forest, the little money Father had left her had dried up and food was harder and harder to come by. For almost a decade, Mr. Haven had left baskets of fruit, bread and vegetables on her doorstep every other week with little notes. She insisted he didn’t need to take care of her, but he would just say, “That’s what love does, dear girl.” She could almost hear his voice in her head. He reminded her of her own father, whose face grew hazier in her memory with each passing year.
Her salted tears mixed with the sweet water of the lagoon. She shook Father’s memory out of her head and peered below the surface. The bottom was so far below her that she couldn’t gauge how deep it was, but something faintly glimmered at her from the depths that piqued her curiosity. It couldn’t be gold, could it? She barely dared to hope. Filling her lungs with the humid air, she began her downward descent. She had to know how deep these blue waters went, and what awaited her at the bottom.
The light grew brighter the lower she swam. At last, there it was; the bottom of the lagoon. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Gold winked at her from every crevice. She reached for the nearest rock, and as her fingers closed around it, the gold disappeared. Perplexed, she lifted the rock and found herself face-to-face with a golden lobster. She recognized the species immediately—any citizen of the Glass City would. The golden lobsters were precious to the newly-crowned Queen Tressa, just as they’d been to each past generation of Glass Queen. She’d never expected to see one in the wild. She dropped the rock and lifted another. Three lobsters under that one. She checked another, and another, and another. Lobsters stared vacantly at her from underneath every single rock. What a find! She snatched one before realizing that she didn’t have a bag large enough to hold it. The lobster scrambled to get away, and an urgency lit within her. She kicked off the bottom of the lagoon and ascended as quickly as she could. She had to get it into her bag, and fast.
As she neared the surface, the lobster twisted around and pinched her. Ravena shot up into the cave and flung her hand with a yelp. The lobster swung free and, with a clank that sounded like a hammer on anvil, hit the wall of the cave and landed, dead, on the rocks. She plucked the lobster from his final resting place and examined it closely. To her amazement, she determined the lobster, was, indeed, plated in rich, authentic gold. Ravena couldn’t believe it. The golden lobsters had long been on the brink of extinction, and here she’d stumbled upon an incredible cache of them. She must be the only person that knew this lagoon, these lobsters, were here. Her stomach roared with hunger. She ignored the pinching she felt in her conscience. Near extinction or not, here was the solution to all her problems. She could eat them… and sell them! Eyes gleaming, she grabbed her pouch and catch and dove out into the river. She would return.
River of Glass is a lighthearted fantasy novelette about lies, loyalty, and the price of redemption, with a slow-burn romance beneath the current. This is a tonal departure from my usual work, written just for fun, and it will be shared here in eleven installments.
Chapter Two coming on January 13th, 2026.
© Sophie Alexander, 2026. All rights reserved. Do not repost without permission.
