Remi was ecstatic as she raced home from school. She joyfully danced. Her parents were waiting for their only daughter to return home that day since the results of the students chosen for the Antarctica trip was going to be announced in Remi’s school. Remi was a resident of Te Waipounamu in New Zealand. Her father was a businessman and her mother was a teacher. Remi was a cheerful young girl with a large circle of friends. She was in her senior year of high school. She was an all-arounder who balanced her schoolwork and extracurricular interests effectively.

She returned home late from school and screamed in happiness, “Mommy, Daddy, I have been selected.” She giggled.

“That’s fantastic news. So, our little Remi is off to Antarctica”, Remi’s mother stated.

“Remi, you have a lot of packing to do,” Remi’s father remarked. 

He continued, “Just let me know what you’ll need for your expedition. We don’t have a lot of time. Probably a week would be enough to complete all of the packing.”

“Just a week and then I’ll be exploring the beauty of Antarctica,” Remi said excitedly. 

Remi continued, “Only two students from my school were chosen and one of them is me.”

Remi’s mother asked, “Who’s the other one?”

Remi responded, “Mommy, It’s Margaret.”

Remi’s mother said, “Oh! That silent kid. How is she selected? I don’t think she interacts with people.”

Remi replied, “Mommy she is an introvert but she is very brilliant. She has a lot of knowledge and maybe that’s why she was able to make a way to this expedition.”

Margaret was Remi’s classmate. She was a short girl with blue eyes that were always hidden behind spectacles. She had short hair which she always left open. Unlike Remi, Margaret was a book-oriented person. She was an encyclopedia on the go and she was an introvert. She didn’t have any friends in school.

Remi’s mother became concerned when she learned that no other students from Remi’s school had been chosen for the excursion except Remi and Margaret. For this expedition, a total of 48 students were chosen from all around New Zealand.

Remi’s mother expressed concern, saying, “Child, how will you manage alone? Margaret is not friends with you, if I am right?”

Remi grinned and replied, “Mommy, I’ll make it.” There will be a total of 46 new pupil. Don’t be concerned.”

The next day, she notified all of her pals. They were also looking forward to Remi’s trip to Antarctica. She purchased everything she would require for the Antarctic adventure.

Finally, the day has arrived for her to embark on the expedition to Antarctica. The cruise ship was docked in the Port of Bluff. The voyage would last four weeks, during this time the students would become intimately acquainted with Antarctica. All of the kids chosen for the expedition from around the country were present. They were all as excited as Remi. Margaret was also present. She and her parents stood apart from the crowd. The students boarded the cruise ship, one by one. She kissed goodbye to her parents and boarded the ship. Margaret too got into the ship. Both of them were waving goodbye to their parents.

Soon the cruise started sailing. All the students went to their cabins to drop off their belongings. The sail would be fairly long. It might take them seven days to reach Antarctica. They would also learn about the rich wildlife of Macquarie Island before heading to Antarctica. Remi attempted to converse with Margaret, but she expressed no desire to do so. The kids were all enjoying themselves as they gazed out at the blue sea water. Remi made other friends onboard. She was having a good time speaking with them.

On the journey, they learned of the wildlife-rich Macquarie Island, and after seven arduous days, they arrived at the Ross Sea. Remi’s eyes were beaming with joy. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she realised, she had finally arrived in Antarctica. It appeared to be hypnotic. Ice caps and glaciers blanketed the mountains and sea. She was stunned by the sight of surreal white glaciers. The vast sheets meeting the sea, the stunning fauna and some of the floating icebergs. Remi was really enthralled by the vista of Antarctica. They disembarked the ship and set up camp on Victoria Land. Victoria Land is an area in Eastern Antarctica bordered to the east by the Ross Sea, to the west by Wilkes Lake and to the north by the Ross Ice Shelf. Margaret and Remi were at the same camp with two other students.

The next day all the students dressed up and started exploring Antarctica. The teachers took the attendance of forty-eight students and warned them against any mischief. The students promised to abide by the rules. They were learning a lot of things. There were people showing them the rich biodiversity of Antarctica. They saw Emperor penguins which are quite rare on the planet. Every student looked happy. Apart from educational events, there were other activities like kayaking, hiking etc. They were also explained about the geology and history of Antarctica. The two teachers who had accompanied the students for the expedition checked that all the students walked in groups. Margaret always carried a notebook with her to jot down every detail that was revealed to them. Margaret did not participate in any other activities than scholastic ones. It was time for attendance at the conclusion of the day. The teachers began to count the kids, but to their shock, there were only forty-six. They counted again and again, but the result was the same.

They checked in every nearby place but the two students were nowhere to be found. This was totally unexpected. The teachers had no idea what to do. They were completely perplexed. They spoke with the organisers but the organisers refused to call off the expedition as it would bring a bad name to them. The students were in shock too. Remi and Margaret exchanged surprise glances. Nothing appeared suspicious to anyone. The day was ultimately called off in distress with a hope that the two students would return the next day. 

The next day, the teachers warned every student of the incident that took place yesterday and asked them not to go anywhere from the group. At the end of the day all forty- six students were present but the two lost students were not found. The expedition continued for the next two days and the forty-six students were present.

On the fifth day, while getting ready Margaret walked up to Remi. Margaret stood near Remi silently.

Remi looked at Margaret and asked, “Margaret, do you want to say something?”

Margaret softly whispered to Remi, “Yes, can we become friends?”

Remi was shocked because Remi had never even thought in her wildest dreams that introvert Margaret would ever like to become Remi’s friend.

Remi delightfully said, “Yes, Margaret. I shall be happy to be your friend.”

Margaret grabbed Remi’s hand and took her out of the camp. Remi silently walked. They sat at a spot a bit further away from the camp.

Remi asked, “What happened Margaret? Why did you bring me here?”

Margaret replied, “I want to show you something.” She pointed in a direction.

Remi looked in that direction. She saw a gush of blood falling from the white ice. She was terrified.

She turned to Margaret and asked, “What is this?”

Margaret replied, “Don’t worry, It’s “Blood Falls”. According to scientists, the deep red coloration is caused by oxidized iron in brine saltwater, the same process that gives iron a dark red hue when it rusts. When the iron containing saltwater comes into contact with oxygen the iron oxidizes and becomes red, dying the water a deep red colour but…

Remi asked, “But what?”

Margaret replied, “Something is fishy here. Yesterday night I was unable to sleep thinking about the two students who went missing. I was just walking. When I reached here, I heard feeble screams of animals and humans. I was scared and ran back to camp but felt someone following me.”

Remi listened to her patiently and replied, “It may be your illusion, nothing else.”

She continued, “And the two students who went missing may be out there exploring Antarctica alone. It may be because they didn’t want to come along with all of us. You see they will return once our expedition comes to an end.”

Margaret nodded. The two of them went back to camp. Their day continued. Remi was enjoying with her other pals but she was often glancing at Margaret and smiling. Margaret was also smiling back. The day was going to end. Remi looked around but she didn’t see Margaret. She thought Margaret may be busy somewhere. At the end of the day, the teachers were counting the students and to their surprise, there were two students missing. Everyone was shocked. Remi looked for Margaret and this time it was Margaret along with one more student who was missing. Remi was totally blank.

The teachers started looking for the students but they were not found. Finally, they decided to call off the expedition. Remi was totally disturbed and couldn’t sleep. She remembered Margaret’s words. She got up from her bed and went to the place where Margaret took her in the morning. She stood there silently. Margaret was right, Remi could hear feeble cries. She looked around and saw a notebook lying there. She opened it and understood that it was Margaret’s notebook which she was carrying everywhere.

Remi closed her eyes and dived into the Blood Falls without hesitation. She landed in a safe location. There was no ice to be found. When she glanced around, all she saw were mummified seals and penguins. She continued walking until she heard a faint scream. She took a step in that direction. She noticed a person sitting and weeping. Margaret was the one.

Remi called, “Margaret!”

Margaret looked up. She got up and hugged Remi.

Margaret said in a weeping tone, “Remi save me please. I knew you would come. Apart from me, you were the only one who knew about this place.”

Remi looked at her and asked, “But how did you end up here?”

Margaret pointed and said, “He abducted me and one more student.”

Remi looked in the direction pointed. There stood a creature with a head and torso in the shape of a man but with a huge head and a large mouth protruding out like that of a pig. The monster had a single crimson eye that blazed brightly. It had a man’s torso attached to a horse’s back but with long arms that could reach the ground. Remi was terrified. Behind him there was a swarm of dead creatures laying in a pool of blood. Their blood had already turned the surrounding areas a rich scarlet colour.

Remi quickly came beside Margaret and whispered in Margaret’s ears, “What is this creature? Blood falls is actually made up of blood?  Has he abducted the two students earlier too?”

Margaret whispered, “It is Nuckelavee. It lives in saltwater and preys on animals but humans remain their favourite food. He has preyed on so many animals and humans that their blood is scattered everywhere. He kills the animals near blood falls and when that blood falls on the ice, it pierces through it, giving deep red colour to the blood falls. The killings never stop so the blood falls remain blood-coloured.”

Remi shockingly looked at Margaret, “How do you know all this and why no one noticed that?”

Margaret replied, “I have read about Nuckelavee in one of the books but never expected to meet one. Do you remember, I tried telling you about Blood Falls but you stopped me? The night before I was carefully investigating near it when I felt someone watching me. I saw the shadow of Nuckelavee and ran to save my life. It would have killed me there but I managed to hide myself and it didn’t come near our camp.” 

Meanwhile the Nuckelavee was ripping a seal and eating its flesh. Nuckelavee noticed Remi and grinned at her.

Remi asked, “Is it going to kill us now? What do we do?”

Margaret replied, “Probably yes. Once he finishes that seal, he is going to prey on us.”

Remi took a deep breath and looked around. She saw a shoe lying nearby. She took Margaret and crawled near the shoe. She saw a boy who had fainted. They tried to wake him up. He got up terrified and screamed. They asked him to remain silent to avoid being noticed by the Nuckelavee. 

Remi said, “We have to get out of this place.”

Margaret responded, “We can’t. He is the sole owner of this valley. There is no way for us to go away.”

Remi looked at Margaret and remarked, “Margaret, you’ve always been a bookworm. Didn’t you learn how to save your own life in any of your books? How are we going to get rid of this monster?”

Margaret replied, “I don’t know. I read Nuckelavee cannot survive in freshwater but here it is salty water. It is only possible to kill Nuckelavee if we drag him in the freshwater.”

They were talking and suddenly someone pulled the boy from behind. It was the Nuckelavee. He hung the boy in the air through his neck. The boy was screaming his lungs out. Remi and Margaret watched helplessly. The Nuckelavee slit the boy’s throat with its sharp nails. The blood gushed out of his throat and in no time, he was dead. Remi and Margaret were shocked. They held each other’s hand and ran. The Nuckelavee was grinning and following them. 

Remi asked Margaret, “Margaret, what do we do now?”

Margaret replied, “Run till we find freshwater.”

They started running faster.

Margaret shouted, “Remi, Thank you.”

Remi replied, “For what?”

Margaret said, “Remi, I never thought you would put yourself into trouble for me. If I died today, I would not get time to say thanks to you.”

Remi smiled at Margaret and said, “You are not going to die until I am alive and being your friend, it is my duty to protect you. Now run faster so that we can find freshwater soon.”

The Nuckelavee had almost reached the girls. Remi looked around and saw an iceberg nearby. She understood that they were somewhere near fresh water. She covered Margaret and looked dead in Nuckelavee’s only eye. 

Remi whispered to Margaret, “Move backwards and jump into the water when I say.”

Margaret was moving backwards and Remi was making Nuckelavee come closer to them. When it was closer to the water area, Remi shouted, “Margaret, jump.”

Margaret fell in the water and Remi too followed her. The Nuckelavee didn’t realize that they had come near freshwater and jumped in water to prey on the girls. When the Nuckelavee jumped, he tried to come out of the water but the girls pulled him deeper in the water. Unable to survive freshwater, the Nuckelavee died. The seals around rejoiced. 

The water was freezing cold and Remi and Margaret couldn’t bear it anymore. The two were holding hands and looking at each other.

Remi said in a freezing tone, “Sorry Margaret. I didn’t think that we would be freezing like this.”

Margaret too replied in the freezing tone, “Thank you for saving me from the monster.”

Just when they thought that their life was going to end, a group of seals swam across and quickly brought them to the shore. Remi and Margaret were still breathless but they knew that they had come out of the freezing water. Margaret opened her eyes and looked around; they were near their camp. She called Remi. Remi was unable to open her eyes. Margaret called for help and all the students and teachers came out of camp. They helped Remi and Margaret. No one slept that night.

Next morning, they decided to return back and got into the cruise. Remi and Margaret had become really close friends now. They never left each other’s side. After a long sail, they finally reached Port of Bluff. Their parents were waiting for them. Remi and Margaret got down from the cruise and hugged their parents. The parents of the three students who had died in the expedition broke down and cried desperately. Remi and Margaret really felt bad for them.

Margaret came closer to Remi and hugged her and said, “I am really happy to have a friend like you.”

Their parents were shocked to see that the two girls had become such close friends. Remi and Margaret explained everything to their parents. They were happy knowing how both the girls helped each other. Remi and Margaret promised to be each other’s friend for life.