Based on the picture "Sand Squid" by Synthean
Thanks to Todger 65 for the edit.
Bernard Heuvelmans
(10 October 1916 -- 22 August 2001)
, "The Father of Cryptozoology," pioneered the modern study of cryptids, animals considered myths by the majority of his colleagues. Such studies were cause for great derision, and the destruction of his professional reputation among the scientific community.
The body of work and literature,
On the Track of Unknown Animals, In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents,
are akin to the Bible for his followers.
Upon his death in 2001, assertions arose among his fans of unfinished work and research. An unprinted chapter from his book on colossal squid; rumors of an unpublished book detailing creatures far fetched even by the standards of his most fervent believers.
Searches of his papers produced few results, most of which were dismissed as forgeries or pranks, perhaps by Heuvelmans himself. A few brief notes concerning a creature referred to as the Pacific Sand Squid were among the scoffed.
The events said to have befallen the individuals described in this record, are alleged to have occurred during the summer of 199__. Some of the record might be considered rumor and conspiracy theory, the rest pure speculation . . . or not, depending on the fervency of the reader's beliefs.
****
"Sue! Get your ass in here and help with the luggage!"
"Good grief Aunt Ethel! Why'd you have to bring all that?!"
"What? An old broad like me ain't allowed to get some exercise?"
Susan Brown sighed, half exasperated, half amused. Her aunt was only 43, just under a decade older than herself. That may as well be 30 these days. She was more big sister than aunt.
"An eccentric, crazy big sis,"
she smiled,
"Only she would bring barbells on vacation."
It was good, though, Aunt Ethel could come to Boracay Malit. Sue loved her aunt. She was tough, boisterous, outgoing, and earthy; not a person to be messed with.
Ethel Martha Brown lived the crazy life Sue's father would envy, if he weren't so dull. His little sister was the black sheep of his straight-laced, conservative family. In her lifetime, her professions included roller derby star (Martha "The Mauler" using her middle name), wrestling ("Brunhilde Brown), and bodybuilding. Susan idolized her.
Susan never tried to copy her aunt's eccentricities but did take inspiration from her life. It manifested in her childhood and teen years as a form of adventurism, and some assertiveness in college.
Aunt Ethel rarely visited during Sue's early childhood. Her parents were quiet and evasive when Sue first asked about the large, loud girl who stormed through the door one day, twirled through the house like a tornado, and left the next morning, leaving an exasperated Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and an awestruck Susan.
When Sue was twelve, her grandmother asked her parents to store some old, and some not so old, junk in their attic. Sue couldn't resist rummaging while her parents were out. She found a box full of fliers and clippings.
The coltish, skin-kneed, tomboy read through the clippings with growing fascination. Aunt Ethel was in her roller derby phase, "Martha the Mauler," young but already a star. Sue convinced, actually badgered, her dad to take her to one of Aunt Ethel's tournaments. She went to the stadium a curious girl, and left with a new idol.
A few years of teenage problems tempered the idol worship. Her admiration for the tough, earthy, bawdy Amazon never waned, however.
Sue's staid parents tried to steer their daughter away from her aunt's influence, limiting her visits, forbidding Sue from pursuing roller derby, to partial success. While she didn't exactly follow her aunt's path, Sue did enthusiastically pursue athletics, mostly volleyball and swimming, excelling at both.
A problem, two actually, appeared in her late teens when her breasts, formerly B-cup and manageable, blew up to double D pillows. Her breast expansion was further complicated by her ass plumping to two round bubbles, and a thickening of her torso.
The body changes caused some insecurity. Sue began a phase of dieting which got out of control. Her aunt's intervention put her back on the right track.
"Fuck starving!" she yelled to Sue in her blunt, earthy manner. "Put some grub in ya, and lift some weights girl. Look at me. You think I worry about my looks? You think I give a fuck what some supermodel wannabe thinks on some PC? I told myself not to be a stick, and you damn well won't be either."
Susan went back to swimming, and began to lift weights like her aunt. She never became a muscle Amazon but her regimen allowed Sue to maintain a curvy, toned body.
The older and freer Sue grew, the more she hung with her aunt; often attending her wrestling and bodybuilding competitions. She would help her aunt train, spotting for her on weights. Her work as a production assistant allowed her to cast Aunt Ethel as an extra in a few movies and TV shows.
While Aunt Ethel did well on the roller derby, wrestling, and bodybuilding circuits, she displayed no real desire for major fame. It was adventure which interested her. She took the occasional acting role as a favor to her niece. Some agents did take notice, and she scored a few more roles but barely rose above C-level status, appearing as an extra here, a henchwoman to a secondary villain there. The extra money was good, at least.
Extra money especially came in handy for bargain vacations. Cheap resorts or spas abounded on the web. The difficulty came from separating the bad from the good, whose affordability stemmed from lesser amenities than the high end places.
Susan heard of Boracay Malcit from a co-worker who'd spent a nice, quiet vacation on the island with her husband. "It's quiet, out of the way. You can rent a small bungalow on the beach. Not many go there so you have tons of privacy. It's the best kept secret in the Philippines. The beach is clothing optional though, so it pays to keep an open mind."
Open mindedness wasn't a problem for Aunt Ethel. Susan, initially more reserved in her youth, opened up under her aunt's influence.
A few more checks brought up no red flags except one, which Sue skimmed briefly before laughing. Some anonymous reviewer with a story best described as, "UFO's, Bigfoot, and conspiracy crap."
Sue and her aunt prepared for the trip with new bikinis and a trip to the salon for hair removal.
"Let's go full smooth," Ethel suggested, "I'll spring for the laser."
Sue usually liked to keep a little landing strip but decided to follow her aunt's lead for this trip. A fifteen hour flight to Manila, a short hop to Boracay Resorts, followed by a short ferry ride to the smaller, cheaper island, and they were in the bungalow, arguing over barbells.
"We're here to relax Aunt, not lift weights."
"Hey! You relax your way, I'll relax mine."
Susan blew another exasperated sigh and helped her aunt with the luggage. The bungalow turned out to be well-kept and maintained. The resort, for all its economy, kept good standards.
The women were less concerned with immediate enjoyment; between unpacking and jet lag, they agreed dinner and sleep were the best options for the first day.
The small bistro at the main building served excellent Filipino cuisine. The decided on a chicken adobo, pancit, and lumpia. They ate, and chatted with the other guests at the bistro.
The other guests present were a couple of pensioners from Glasgow, the Campbells, a jolly red-faced couple enjoying a cheap vacation like them. A married couple and their teenage son from St. Paul, Minnesota, the Maitlands. The kid gaped in wonder at Ethel. The parents recognized her from her wrestling years. Sue hid a chuckle at the boy's fascination. Aunt Ethel always impressed with her size.
The final couple were a pair of surfers from Brisbane, Barrett Winford and Rob Drummond, college grads celebrating with a windsurfing trip. They were cute. Sue glanced suggestively at Ethel. "Some possibilities here," hovered in the air, unspoken. The boys were just starting their vacations too. Sue and Ethel were pleased. They had two weeks to explore those possibilities. Tonight, for now, was for food and sleep.
Sue yawned, "Yep, that jet lag's hitting me pretty hard."
"I'm feeling it too," Ethel agreed, "Later boys?"
"We'll be doing some windsurfing 'tween here and the main island," the tow-haired one, Barrett, grinned, "but we can hook up later this week?"
"I'd like that," Sue smiled back.
The two women settled into bed. Sue just had time to anticipate the coming days before the jet lag took over. The women were out for twelve hours.
****
The creature glided through the ocean. Its motion exemplified all the strength and grace evolution gave it and its kind. Its appearance would send orgasms through the scientists, Teuthologists who specialized in its study.
The creature's species, by no means rare, spent the bulk of their lives in deep, dark places, barely accessible to humans, if at all.
Only a few knew of these creatures; fewer still could claim they saw one. None were believed.
Its purpose was an act according to its nature. It happened among its kind only rarely but with biological clockwork. The time window for what it needed was narrow, only a week or two.
The island had changed since its last visit. New dwellings dotted the shore. The new development didn't please the creature, as it meant more of the apes lived on the island. It increased the danger of discovery.
It chose a deserted stretch of beach. The creature liked this area. It used this place before. The apes, in times past, used to beach their fishing logs here. It was perfect, reasonably isolated. The increased number of dwellings, while dangerous, meant an ape was more like to wander by.
The creature swam to a position close to the shoreline and used its tentacles to burrow into the sand.
The creature dug until most of its body was concealed, leaving its eyes just above the water. It extended its tentacles under the sand to the shore.
The tentacles, honed by millions of years of evolution, moved with an ease akin to flowing through liquid. Observers would be stunned; a study of the tentacles would revolutionize drilling, if ever such a creature were captured.
Chromatophoric camouflage allowed the creature to blend effortlessly into the sand. Tiny hairs on its body acted as motion detectors. All it needed was to settle in for a light sleep . . . and wait.
****
"So Sue, what'd you think of the towhead?"
"Kind of cute but I like the red-haired guy better."
"I like him too and don't Aussies have the best accents?"
"It was fun listening to them talk."
The women walked along Pearl Beach, an isolated area, and talked about last night. The sleep did them good. They'd woken, showered, exercised (at Ethel's insistence. Some curls on her part, Pilates crunches for both), and breakfasted in the main building. The surfers were off on their trip. The pensioners and the family left for the larger island.
"I guess we have the island to ourselves for the day," Ethel said.
