This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words.
Everything went black on screen. Glen and Anita could be heard breathing fast. Mel presumed they were swimming hard back to the beach, and that was confirmed after he fast-forwarded the video. Glen was on camera, Anita still breathing hard as she filmed him.
“So, you will see something on this footage. I’m here to tell you I have no idea what it was, but it was like nothing I have ever seen before in my life. At least eight feet tall, floating in the water right behind me. I felt its presence, which made me turn around. We didn’t hang around after that, although it made no aggressive moves even as we swum right past it. Phew! I need to sit down”.
The view changed to Glen filming Anita, who was sitting on the beach still wearing her air tanks.
“I went past it so close, I could have touched it. It was floating upright in the water, and it looked at me as I went by. Tall, well-built, definitely covered in fur, with a face like a dog, but much larger eyes. The nearest thing I can equate it to is a sea otter, though huge by comparison to those. It had arms and hands, and large canine teeth. But you’re right to say it was not aggressive. It could easily have grabbed me or bitten me, but didn’t move. In a way, it seemed curious”.
That was the end of that card, so Mel put the next one in. Glen was drinking a hot drink from a tin mug, giving a talk to the camera in his presenter style.
“What we saw down there was defnitely a farm. An undersea farm for crustaceans and fish. That is undeniable to me. Whatever built those cages and fed the livestock had some skill, obvious intelligence, manual dexterity, and considerable strength. It can also breathe underwater, for how long I don’t know. I am in no doubt that the creature we saw was one of those who built this, and also in no doubt that they have been collecting and storing the old artifacts, and also exchanging them for things taken from our camp. This is huge!”
Pausing the video, Mel sat back, taking in what had been said so far. A new species, perviously unknown and undiscovered. Large Otter-like creatures, capable of complicated thought processes, farming their food, and realising that stuff from shipwrecks might have value for barter. It seemed incomprehensible that they could have gone undetected for so long. Never caught in trawler nets, never mentioned in folklore. Could they be all over the world, or was this the last colony remaining? Glen had been right about how huge this was.
The discovery had taken the film project to a new level.
This could be something like the missing link. A sea mammal larger than humans that had not transferred onto dry land. It could even be the origin of the mermaid myth. Mel was almost afraid to start the footage again, in case that had been the only sighting. But he knew Glen, and if he had spotted that once, he would be back to get better film of it, of that he was sure. When he resumed play, Glen was still being a presenter.
“Anita has had a wonderful idea. She’s sure that the noises in the sea cave were these Otter-type creatures, chattering to each other, and feeding. As they were harmless as far as we could tell, the plan is to go back into the sea cave tomorrow, and carry on inside until it opens out. If there are any creatures there, we will show them we are friendly. We won’t have any SCUBA gear on, so they can see our faces properly. If not, we may well find some clues as to their habits. This is very exciting indeed, perhaps the most important job we have ever done. If we can find a new species and interact with it, who knows where this could go?”
There was a jump-cut to Anita loading some items into a net bag, Glen was still speaking off camera.
“As you can see, we intend to take a bag of offerings with us. Some tinned food that we can show them how to open, and other things in jars that they may never have tried to eat. ‘Nita is also taking the digital voice recorder, in the hope of recording the sounds they make for experts to decide later if it is a structured language. I don’t think I am going to sleep much tonight, my brain is buzzing!”
Reaching across the desk, Mel was also thinking he wouldn’t get much sleep. He put the next card in.
This is exciting! I never expected the creature to be so harmless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really? I did.
(But then I knew they were. 🙂 )
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Reblogged this on OPENED HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
LikeLike
Otter man it is then..lets hope he likes the offerings of peace and hasn’t got some man-size cages ready and waiting 🙂 x
LikeLiked by 2 people
I forgot to check if Otters were cannibals! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dont worry, Pete! I doubt they like canned food. Lol xx Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
I keep thinking about the 70s or maybe 80s tv show ‘Man from Atlantis’ 🙂
You are certainly keeping the pages turning, roll on tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Patrick Duffy? No mate, nothing like him!
He wasn’t an ‘Otter-creature’!
Cheers, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are showing a lot of bravery Pete, no doubt lulled into feeling safe – to this point…we’ll see!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s such a big deal to discover a new species,I suspect they are throwing caution to the wind!
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLike
Gadzooks, no scuba gear….You cannot be serious!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems to me that Glen is very serious about that, Sue. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Silly boy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, this is very exciting. Showing them how to open tins a bit ambitious and keeping their masks off a bit risky…
LikeLike
So a new genre? Warmest regards, Theo
LikeLike
Ottermen! Well the Fishmen won’t be happy about that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
well that is some new discovery
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is indeed.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLike
It’s my long lost cousin….the aquatic Super-Yeti!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could be Yeti-ish, but obviously more Otter-ish!
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have begun a story so I have something to share with a peer at MWPA. So that it can be critiqued.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done, Pejj. I’m sure that criticism will be favourable!
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLike
Oh! You read it? Did it come across as the hurt opinion of the child within.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t read it, Pejj. There was no link. Send me one, and I will happily read it. 🙂
LikeLike
No link. it did not happen as a blog?
LikeLiked by 1 person
https://wordpress.com/post/anisettestudio.blog/2691
LikeLiked by 1 person
I found it on your blog and left a comment, Pejj.
(I had presumed it was on a site somewhere.)
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am seeing some things to up date.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am writing as if these are things that come up, I think later perhaps evolving it into a more clarified adult over all____understood for what it was conclusion. The goal is to have the reader identify with the feelings from a young persons point of view.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps it simply ok to simply let it be that raw reaction. We all tend to call upon the moment when we feel things, and relate to them our reality at the time. SO that the age can simply be noted. The voice does not have to reflect age.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They stumbled upon the Otter-Man’s kitchen cupboards!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I doubt he got them from Homebase, Stevie. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so good! Now I have to wait for the caves tomorrow! Sounds like tuna man is about to be revealed! đź’•C
LikeLiked by 1 person
Read it again. It’s Otter-Man at best, no Tuna involved! 🙂 🙂
‘Large Otter-like creatures…’
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But I’m so much more comfortable with the image of tuna, gigantic otters can be rather wicked looking!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, seeing as it’s you, you have permission to visualise tuna. But it might spoil the story! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bahaha, this is a fishy tale!
LikeLiked by 1 person