"She really is a beauty", I said as The Catalina cleaved through the azure waters of Marina Bay.

" She's okay I guess. Can do around 20 knots", my son said as a breeze ruffled the sails of the catamaran.

It was a fine day to be out sailing. The midday Sun was high in the sky dappling the ocean in it's golden rays. A cool breeze blew intermittently bringing relief, and we often spotted schools of fish or even a stray dolphin or two.

It was my sixtieth birthday today—the age when a man finally starts to embrace his mortality. And to celebrate this metaphorical 'last hurrah' of mine, my son had asked me to join him for lunch aboard his new sailboat.

Not much of a party, but to be honest, it was not like I had much else to do. A sixty year old bachelor with no family or close friends, didn't have many guests to invite to his birthday soiree. So I was glad that my son had invited me on this outing.

Despite his young age he had accomplished much, and although I was proud of him sometimes he could be too tightly wound. Even now also, although we were in the middle of the ocean miles from the coast, he was dressed in a fine three piece suit, I sighed.

A few hours later, with the boundless blue ocean all around us and the coast long since rendered invisible, we anchored the catamaran in a secluded stretch of water to have our lunch.

I opened the picnic basket we had brought with us, and started laying out the food. There were ham and cheese sandwiches crafted masterfully by Mrs. Smith my ancient housekeeper accompanied by slices of meringue pie, and a thermos filled with hot coffee to wash it all down— Simple but delicious, just how I liked it.

As I sat down to take a bite of my sandwich my son stopped me.

"Um, Dad that's my vegan sandwich"

" Since, when did you become vegan?" I asked, returning him his sandwich and taking the one he offered instead.

"Only recently, it's a healthier way of life."

"Hmm.... I read in today's newspaper about an Eclipse of some sort, reckon we'll see it from here?" I said, changing the subject. Eating healthy, was one thing I never wanted to do.

"Yes, I think we should be able to see it from here", he said biting into his vegan abomination.

As we chewed in silence, I noticed that he was sweating a lot, in spite of the ocean breeze.

So I asked him, "What are you so nervous about? You're literally sweating bullets."

He looked at me blankly for a few moments before forcing a faint smile, "It's n–nothing much, just s–stress from work."

As I started to reply, I suddenly felt a sharp pain rack my entire body.

Sputtering and coughing I keeled over, as I felt my arms and legs lose sensation. After a while of thrashing around, the blinding, all consuming pain, had receded to a dull throb. But so had my ability to control my limbs, they had become rigid, immovable hunks of flesh.

I watched as my son stood up slowly. "Resistance is useless", he said, " You have ingested a powerful neurotoxin but don't worry it's not fatal, it will only paralyse you. And now that I have your attention, I have some questions to ask you."

"What did you do to my real parents? And don't you dare lie to me", he said, the apprehension in his voice replaced by rage and determination.

Breathing heavily, I managed to stammer out, " W–What are you t–talking about? I am your father, boy!"

The reply sounded weak even to my ears, as face contorted in rage, he screamed,

"Lies! Lies! You have always fed me lies. But not anymore. I know everything, 'Dad'. You tried really hard to make sure I never learned the truth. Changed countries, even names, but the truth cannot be buried forever, one day it will see the light of day.

It took me a while but I finally tracked down my origins. You're not my father. My parents were David and Maria Carlisle.

But that's not all. This is where things get interesting.

There's no records of them since the year 1982. They are classified as missing in the government records. So, thirty years ago they just suddenly up and disappeared, suspicious won't you say?" My nephew breathed down my face, as he said,

"Do you know what I think? I think, you murdered my parents!"

He swung his fist, and I doubled over in pain, as it drove deep into my gut. Gasping, trying to recover my breath, I yelled at him.

"How dare you! I spent my whole life raising you and this is what I get in return. Baseless lies and stupid accusations! I didn't kill your parents fool. Your mother was my sister, I am your uncle boy.

I told you the truth when I said, your mother died in childbirth. And the reason I lied about your father was so that you didn't have to bear the burden of being the son of a monster. He got what he deserved when he broke his neck plummeting down that stairwell.

But there's no way in hell, I killed your parents. Your lunatic father attacked me, and in the ensuing scuffle he tripped and fell to his death. His death was an accident, I didn't kill him. Though God knows I should have."

My nephew looked at me blankly for a while but then his expression hardened as he said, "You've lied to me too many times for me to trust you anymore. I'm sorry."

He dragged out a heavy metal wheelchair from the cabin and as I watched helpless, he propped me up on the wheelchair and started tying me to it with a thick nylon rope. He would probably toss me overboard, I realized. And with me being paralysed, the weight from the wheelchair would drag me down to my death.

I sighed, accepting my fate, as I looked towards the horizon. The Eclipse had begun. Soon the crimson rays dying the evening sky would be shrouded in darkness. I wondered whether I would die in that darkness.

Preparations done, my nephew led the wheelchair to the stern of the boat. And as the light disappeared, in the descending darkness of the Eclipse he whispered to me,

"I am sorry Dad, but this is goodbye."

I looked up at him and slowly said, "You're making a big mistake."

In reply, he pushed me over, and as I splashed into the ocean, the cold, chilling water rushed to me, and I started to panic.

I tried to move but my limbs wouldn't respond, my screams only made me swallow more of the salty water.

Under the weight of the wheelchair, I was sinking into the limitless depths of the dark ocean. As water flooded my nostrils, I sputtered and coughed, trying to hold my breath. But it was futile, as soon, the water pressure crushed my lungs wringing out the last of my air.

The last thing I remembered as the darkness closed in on me, was the agonizing pain my chest, and the weight of the pitch black ocean pressing down on me.