Hey everyone, I'm back!
Here's the next chapter of Polter Hills. This one will be based on the Gravity Falls episode "Legend of the Gobblewonker" only less comical.
On a side note, I re-uploaded the previous chapter, this time improved and without any mistakes.
Now, onto the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama.
Warning: Rated T for strong language, violence, and some mature content
Song of The Mermaid
A blistering heat wave had fallen over Polter Hills, making it unbearable for everyone. With temperatures already climbing up into the hundreds, most residents of the town tried to stay inside to beat the heat, though that tactic of didn't always work, especially in places that didn't have the luxury of air conditioning. Which is why everyone took the alternative: the lake.
Polter Hills Lake, while not the largest lake in the world, was still fairly sizable, stretching several miles wide and quite deep in many places. Its murky cerulean surface shimmered radiantly in the mid-morning sunshine, as the towering waterfall spilled into it far across from its shore. Considering the ongoing heat wave, Polter Hills' Lake was quite crowded. Many of the townsfolk turned out for a day at the lake to escape the heat.
"Well, people say that Polter Hills is a real hot spot, and now that we're in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave, I guess they weren't kidding," Noah narrates.
Many of the residents are seen enjoying this beautifully hot day of sunshine by the lake. There are kids playing in the water, teenagers playing volleyball, hot chicks sunbathing (some of them even tanning topless, to the enjoyment of the guys); and adults relaxing in their reclining chairs.
Our favorite trio, Noah, Kevin and Jenny, had set themselves up on the beach just above the tideline, blankets spread out and sharing the shade of a single large umbrella. Noah is seen wearing a pair of teal-blue swim trunks with a crimson Hawaiian flowers pattern, while Kevin is wearing lime-green ones. Jenny, meanwhile, is wearing a pink one-piece with a flower design on the chest.
Noah, who is reading a book, turns to the reader.
"Hi there. Well, it's been a week since I just moved to Polter Hills, probably my new home until my father finds a better job. After the encounter with Norse Gods, you'd think the rest of my week would be calmer, right? Wrong!"
Flashback
Wednesday
Noah and his friends became volunteers for taking care of babies at the nursery, where they facing baby vampires. One of them tried to bite Noah, who was holding the baby at a distance, while Kevin and Jenny were running away from other two babies.
Thursday
Noah, Kevin and Jenny walked their way to school, when they saw a Sasquatch mailman, who was seen about to eat a dog. The Sasquatch roared at them, and the trio started running away from the snarling beast.
Friday (yesterday)
Noah and his pals got out of school, when an alien spaceship hovered above them. The spaceship used a traction ship to trap the trio. Inside the ship, Noah, Kevin and Jenny were strapped to an operation table, and cringed when they saw three green aliens pulling out a probe. Kevin yelped in fear.
End of Flashback
"It's been pretty hectic, to say the least, and that has only opened my interest in the supernatural occurrences this town has to offer." Noah concludes. "I just wonder what we're going to encounter this time."
"It's so hot out there!" Kevin exclaims as he waves a hand in front of his face.
"No kidding," Jenny agrees using a fan to wave some wind to her face.
"Let's go get some refreshments," Noah suggests, getting up as puts on a T-shirt. He then walks away, as his friends soon follow him.
The three teens walk up to a burger restaurant at the dock, called the Burger Genie. Once they enter, they all feel alleviated from being away from the scorching heatwave, as they embrace the establishment's freezy environment.
"Ah, sweet!" Kevin sighs relieved.
Jenny also sighs in sweet relief "Ah, God bless the guy who invented AC."
"That goes double for the dude who invented ice cream!" Kevin adds as they walk to the register to order.
"Welcome to Burger Genie, where your wish is my command." the bored-looking cashier says in a flat tone of voice.
Kevin looks at the menu from above, analyzing every single ice cream flavor there, yet he can't decide which one he wants. "Hmm. Mango Mondo Madness, no wait. Rocking Nutty Nugget. No, no, no."
Jenny is also having the same issue "The Sundae that Lasts to Monday. Hmmm, Triple Turbo Tangerine." she mutters indecisively.
Seeing that his friends are taking forever, Noah steps forward handing over a two-dollar bill, which the cashier takes "I'll have-"
"A chocolate shake." both Kevin and Jenny say dryly.
"Whoa, you guys are psychic!" Noah says feigning surprise.
"Dude, ever since you arrived to this town, that's all we see you buy after classes!" Kevin replies.
"I can't believe a guy who's gone toe-to-toe with a Bigfoot mailman, and summoned a Norse God, is afraid to try a scoop of Rip Van Wrinkle Melon." Jenny comments.
"Nothing wrong with consistency." Noah says.
The cashier soon comes back with Noah's order "One Number One, no frills."
"Thanks." Noah says as he takes his beverage and starts drinking it "Besides, it's the only thing you can order without being forced to talk baby-talk." he says to the reader.
To emphasize his point, Kevin is talking in 'baby talk' while he's making his order.
"One Super-Doo-Duper Bingy Bangy Bongo Bye-Bye with Extra Binky Bits, please." he says rubbing his hands.
After all three teens got their orders, they sat down at one of the tables. While Noah is enjoying his milkshake and Jenny is having a few spoonfuls of her ice cream, Kevin is devouring his. Jenny scoops a spoonful and shoves it in Noah's face, yet he won't budge. He is busy reading a magazine he had been leafing through.
"Come on, Noah, live a little! Set your taste buds free!" she insists, but it appears that the bookworm won't have a bite.
Kevin scoffs "Forget it, Jen, he'll be chugging plain old chocolate shakes when we're their age." he says pointing to a group of old people enjoying their ice cream cones.
"And you'll still be razing me about it, right?" Noah asks dryly.
"Like you said bro: nothing wrong with consistency." Kevin replies as Noah turns his attention back to the magazine.
"Whoa, no way!" he exclaims with interest as a certain ad caught his attention. The page in question advertises a monthly monster photo contest, with the previous month's winning entry being a photo of a monster that looks anything but intimidating. However, what really attracted Noah's attention is the fact that it promotes a one thousand dollar prize for the winning photo. "Guys, check this out. If we can snag a photo of it, then we can split that prize."
"What prize?" Kevin asks curiously.
"This one," Noah says with a daring grin as he holds up the magazine he had brought with him, showing his friends the page that details the monster photography contest. "The winner of this contest gets one thousand dollars. And if we win it, then each of us would get about three hundred a piece!"
Kevin lets out a huge grin as dollar signs appear on his eyes. He starts imagining what he could do with that money.
Jenny, on the other hand, rolls her eyes "Oh please Noah, that ad is nothing but a scam. I'm pretty sure this 'lake monster' doesn't even exist." she says skeptically.
"I don't know Jen, we see weirder stuff than this every day, and all that happened in my first week here." Noah says. "We didn't happen to get any pictures of Thor? Or the vampire babies? Or the Bigfoot mailman?"
"Nope, just awful memories. I'm still getting gravel out of my hair since the encounter with the Bigfoot mailman." Jenny replies, shuddering at remembering how close she was to being ripped to shreds by that beast.
Kevin just finished eating his ice cream "And I'm getting my next ice cream. Still have to get tons of sugar running through my veins since those vampire babies sucked me dry the other day." he says getting up to buy another ice cream.
"And I haven't finished my ice cream yet." Jenny complains, noting that her ice cream is still intact.
"That's the beauty of a chocolate shake: portability." Noah says smugly as he rises from his seat and walks away, slurping his drink. Jenny huffs in annoyance.
After having their meal, Noah and his friends are back on the lake.
"Let's get going! I wanna practice my cannonball!" Kevin exclaims as he prepares to run to the lake.
"Kevin, we just ate, you're going to get cramps if you go too deep into the lake." Jenny reminds him.
"Besides, I don't think you'll be able to do your famous cannonball, not with the lifeguard watching your every move." Noah, who is reading his book, adds pointing to the high chair where the bodyguard is watching, binoculars on his eyes. He looks rather stern and intimidating.
"Well, in that case, who wants to play frisbee?" Kevin suggests as he goes to where Noah and Jenny are standing and ruffles among his stuff in his duffle bag. He pulls out a red frisbee.
"Pass, sports aren't my forte, remember?" Noah says.
"C'mon, Noah buddy, lighten up a little!" Kevin insists.
"You could at least try," Jenny also insists. "I mean, your brothers can do it without problem,"
Noah looks up from his book upon hearing that, and he sees to his right where his older brothers are. Ajit and Deepak are currently playing with some of their classmates in a volleyball match, and appear to be excelling at it.
Seeing them like that reminds Noah of how his siblings used to overshadow him, and always got praised by their parents, while Noah was left on the background. Not even having excellent grades got his parents to notice him, because they were busy praising, or more likely, sucking up to his siblings for their triumphs. For a while, Noah came to resent his siblings.
Of course, all of that was before... the incident, which apparently changed him and his remaining family in a way. His father now has less expectations and is trying his hardest to be an actual father, and his remaining siblings actually treat him like a brother. Their grandfather is the only one who changed for the worse, but that's another story for another day.
Frowning, he puts his book down and stands up "Fine, if I'm doing this, it's to prove to you two that I can be just as good as my stupid brothers," he declares.
"Game on then!" Kevin shouts as their three way game of frisbee begins. He throws his frisbee towards Noah's direction. The bookworm panics as he runs backwards in an attempt to catch the flying object, but ends up bumping into someone, sending them both to the ground. Both Kevin and Jenny wince upon seeing that.
"Oops, I guess I don't know my own strength," Kevin says sheepishly.
"Or maybe your throwing ability is just lousy." she says dryly.
"Sorry about that," Noah apologizes as he gets up, and gets a better look at the person he just clashed with.
The person in the ground is a teenage boy with scruffy brown hair using a metal detector. Upon a closer look, you can see that he is wearing a tuque on top his head, a camouflage T-shirt, camo pants, army boots, and a trenchcoat, despite the fact that it is hot as hell.
He gets up, glaring at Noah. "Watch where you're going! You almost broke my metal detector!" he yells as he picks up his metal detector.
"Again, sorry about that." Noah apologizes again "Uh, and you are...?"
"Hey Sean." Kevin and Jenny greet.
"You two know this guy?" Noah asks.
"Yeah, he's the town's nutjob. Claims to be a paranormal investigator, but to everyone he's crazy." Kevin explains making a 'cuckoo crazy' sign.
"Of course they'd say I'm crazy! They say the same thing about visionaries!" Sean responds.
"What is it this time, Sean? Aliens?" Jenny asks snarkily.
"Exactly what they want us to believe!" Sean replies before going on a rant "I'm actually searching for probes that were hidden by an unscrupulous government that is planning to send hypnotic sound waves that will subtly implant subliminal messages into the feeble minds of the people, all in order to recruit them into the army under the pretense of defending humanity from-"
"Aliens." Both Jenny and Kenny finish for him. Noah simply stares at Sean like he is mentally insane.
"Uh, what's this guy's deal?" Noah asks.
"He's always on conspiracy mode." Jenny answers.
"Fascinating." Noah says sarcastically before pulling out the magazine he had earlier "Anyway, me and my friends just saw this ad on a magazine. It advertises a contest about taking a picture of the mysterious Polter Hills Lake Monster. The winner wins $1000 in cash."
Sean brusquely takes the magazine away from Noah "This ad is nothing but a scam!" he exclaims.
"Wow, that's the first logical thing you've said in your life!" Jenny says surprised.
"This is clearly false advertising created by a secret society that adores the ancient Chinese sea demon Ao Guang; a devious trap devised to lure unsuspecting tourists into the mouth of this ancient monster like an angler fish lures its unsuspecting preys to their doom with its light!" Sean rants. Jenny is no impressed.
"I stand corrected." She says deadpan.
Noah also looks at Sean with a deadpan stare. "Okay, I'd like to point out a few holes in your theory. For starters, like you said, Ao Guang is a sea demon, which makes it virtually impossible for it to inhabit a lake. Second, even if it somehow manages to live in the lake, it would be way too small to accommodate the monster's humungous size." he explains.
"Exactly what they want us to believe!" Sean replies. "I've been monitoring this lake for weeks now, and I've been looking for proof that indicates where Ao Guang is hiding, along with his followers!"
"And how's that progress going so far?" Noah asks dryly.
"Sorry, that's classified."
"Hey! Hey!" the lifeguard exclaims as he comes after Sean. "Now what did I tell you about using metal detectors in the lake? This is your last warning, kid!"
Sean panics "Oh no, they found me! I know too much! You never heard it from me." he mutters to the trio before running off, with the lifeguard in hot pursuit.
The three teens simply watch the scene, and no one knows what to say.
Until Noah decides to break the silence.
"Um, let me ask you a question, guys: was he dropped on his head when he was a baby?" he asks.
"Nope, he just got his first taste of alien movies when we were in first grade." Kevin explains.
"Since then, he's been all about aliens and ancient conspiracies. It was funny at first, but now, it's just sad and pathetic." Jenny comments.
"I wonder if we should've told him that we had encountered actual aliens yesterday," Noah thinks before dismissing that thought, thinking that Sean would pester him and his friends with questions about whether the aliens wanted to take over the planet, or they came in peace.
Short answer: neither. They were just curious scientists.
"You know, he reminds me of an old classmate I knew back at home, named Shawn. He was also paranoid and crazy, only he was focused on zombies, and the fact that we would be facing a zombie apocalypse." Noah tells his friends.
"Zombie apocalypse?" Kevin asks.
"Now that sounds rather crazy." Jenny comments.
Noah nods "Yeah, and I learned long ago that trying to reason with a paranoid conspiracy nut like that is not worth the headache. Just let them live in their own delusional world, because even the best psychologists won't be able to get them to listen. Trust me, the last school counselor who dealt with Shawn ended up having a nervous breakdown, to the point that he retired and moved to Nepal."
"This Shawn guy was really that delusional?" Kevin asks.
"You have no idea." Noah says, then decides to change the subject "Anyway, anyone up for some monster hunting?" he asks showing the magazine's ad.
"So, to be clear, we're checking this out?" Jenny rhetorically asks, before getting a nod as an answer. She sighs, "So much for a relaxing day at the lake."
"Come on Jen, this could be our chance to become famous!" Kevin says "I say we go monster hunting!"
"Kevin, we need a boat for that, and we don't have enough money to rent one." Jenny replies.
As if her prayers were answered, a sudden honking noise breaks through. The trio run to the dock to see what is happening. After reaching the bridge, they see a meager, leaky wooden boat the size of a yatch pull up to the dock. They all cringe upon seeing the decaying fossil in front of them, which looks like it has been around for decades. From the moss-covered wood, to the leaking holes, the boat looks like it could sink at any minute. While the boat itself isn't familiar to any of them, its captain is.
"Ahoy, maties! Who's up for some monster hunting?" says the captain, who the teens recognize as-
"Mr. Silver?" Noah asks in surprise upon seeing the school bus driver. "What are you doing here?"
Mr Silver jumps off of his boat and walks up to the teens "I've heard that there's a contest to hunt down the creature of the lake," he says as he holds the same ad in Noah's magazine.
"So, you also think there's a creature in the lake?"
"Aye," the old marine says pointing to a small cliff on the other side of the lake "There, in the cove beyond that hill in Scuttlebutt Island, the beast lays dormant. Legend says that many brave fishermen attempted to capture this creature, but none returned... alive." he tells in a portentous tone of voice.
"Ominous," Noah says interested while Kevin and Jenny look frightened.
Mr. Silver laughs tauntingly "But I ain't scared of that beast! It'll take more than a few rumors and legends to scare Captain Jonah Silver!" he boasts.
Noah then takes a look at Mr. Silver's dingy old boat, and after putting two and two together, an idea comes to him. He turns to the captain "Hey Mr. Silver, I was wondering if we could come with you."
"What?" his friends say flatly, looking at him like he grew a second head.
Mr. Silver scratches his chin in thought "Hmm, I don't know, lad. 'Tis a very perilous trip for youngsters like you."
"A captain needs a crew, and you look like you could need one. There's no way you can capture the creature all on your own." Noah remarks.
The captain scoffs, spitting at the side "That's a load of barnacles, boyo. I have plenty of energy to capture-" he gets interrupted by a crack on his back. "Arrgh! Me back!" he moans in pain as he rubs his back. "Arrgh, maybe I'm no longer so energetic like when I was a young lad. Alright maties, you are me crew for today."
"Great, just let us go for our stuff," Noah says as he and Kevin go to their spot, but Jenny places a hand on their shoulders.
"Now hold up, guys. Before we get involved in more crazy supernatural shenanigans, let's analyze the situation. There's the distinct probability that this 'lake monster' is just a hoax." she rationalizes.
"We'll never know until we find out, Jen" Noah says. "Besides, you, of all people, should know that there are supernatural creatures."
"Yeah Jenny, how can you explain the fact that Noah summoned a god, or that those babies were vampires, or that we were abducted by aliens? Huh? Huh?" Kevin asks.
Jenny opens her mouth to reply, but shuts it when asked about that. As much as it pains her to admit it, her friends have a point: there is no rational way to explain away the supernatural encounters they had with those creatures. How can you explain that you summoned a Norse God rationally? Short answer: you can't.
"Okay, I can see your point," she says begrudgingly.
"Well, let's not waste any more time. Let's go change our clothes and prepare our supplies." Noah states.
"Should we get your brothers involved, Noah?" Jenny asks.
The bookworm turns to watch his brothers from afar, and sees them celebrating their victory at volleball "Nah, I think we'll do fine without them. Besides, if we divide the prize money with them, we'll only get $200 each. I'll just tell them I'm going on a fishing trip with you two and Mr. Silver."
"Do you think we should share the money with Mr. Silver?"
"I care not for the loot, lassie." Mr. Silver replies "All I care about is capturing the beast and mounting its head on me trophy wall!"
That statement makes Jenny feel a little uneasy. Even if she doesn't believe there exists a monster in the lake, she still believes it is wrong to hunt a living creature.
"Uh, Mr. Silver, I'm pretty sure that this 'lake creature', if it exists, is an endangered species." Jenny says, but the old sailor ignores her.
"So, whaddya say, maties?" Mr. Silver asks with an expectant grin.
"We're in!" Noah and Kevin answer excitedly, while Jenny just sighs in resignation.
One hour later...
Mr. Silver's boat speeds away from the dock with himself at the helm (after Jenny and Noah solved his back problem with a yoga move), while Noah, Kevin and Jenny are on board. The three teens, wearing their normal clothes with orange life vests over their chests, are seen testing their captain's equipment. Kevin is handling the harpoon, Jenny is untangling the fishing net (even though she still has her doubts about harming a living being, no matter how imaginary it may be), and Noah is looking at a map of the lake, and is guiding Mr. Silver with it. Mr. Silver, meanwhile, is using a compass to know where to sail.
"Okay, now we're going to North, then we must turn to North East," Noah indicates as he is looking at the map.
"North to northeast, and hold it close to the wind!" Mr. Silver exclaims steering the boat to the designated path. He turns to Kevin "Hey boyo, three sheets to the wind, and hold tightly!"
Kevin just stares confused, not understanding the sailor's nautical language.
"He means the rope line, Kevin." Noah explains. Having understood that, Kevin holds the rope line.
"Man, imagine all the things we can buy with the prize money!" Kevin says as he is fantasizing about having a huge boombox and playing rap music as he performs in front of a crowd of squealing fangirls.
Alas, Jenny rains on his parade.
"Remember you're not the only one doing this, Kev," she reminds him "Although I'm not inclined to doing this whole thing."
"Why not? Scared?" Kevin asks mockingly.
Jenny scoffs. "Scared? No. I'm just concerned that we'll end up hurting a poor, innocent animal for some shallow prize money."
"Didn't you say this lake monster doesn't exist?"
"Yeah, but my point is that I refuse to harm an innocent creature. Imaginary or not, all animals deserve to be treated as equals, not as victims of brutal, mindless violence disguised as a sport made by insecure alpha males who have the need to prove their "masculinity" by-" she lectures, much to Kevin's boredom, before gets interrupted by a creaking noise, to her confusion.
"Thank God that shut you up," Kevin says snarkily.
"What was that?" Jenny asks as she looks around.
"You think it was the lake creature?" Kevin also asks as the creaking sound occurs again.
"Maybe it's just the decaying wood of the boat," Jenny rationalizes trying to not get spooked out. The creaking sound happens again, this time accompanied by a knocking sound.
"I think it's below the boat," Noah notes.
"Arrgh, methinks we have a stowaway, maties!" Mr. Silver exclaims as he leaves the helm and walks to the source of the noise. Noah panics as he takes the helm.
The old sailor picks up his harpoon and goes to the edge of his boat. He starts looking around, then holds up his right ear to listen. He hears the creaking sound again, and looks down, only to gasp when he sees a figure clinging onto the boat. It appears to be covered from head to toe in seaweed and driftwood.
"Avast, the lake creature!" Mr. Silver shouts, which catches Noah, Kevin and Jenny's attention. After Noah stops the boat, they all run up to where Mr. Silver is standing, and gasp when they see the figure.
"Well, that was quick," Kevin comments "Prize money, here we come!"
"Is that the lake creature? I expected it to be bigger," Noah says, looking a little disappointed.
"No matter how big or small, this beast shan't threaten me on me boat!" Mr. Silver declares as he raises his harpoon and plunges it onto the creature, managing to hit it with the pointy end.
"Ow!" the creature, for some odd reason, yells in a human voice, much to the crew's confusion.
"Our ears must be playing tricks on us. That yell sounded a little too... human." Noah comments, wanting to make sure that he heard right.
Mr. Silver lowers his harpoon, but this time uses the sharp end to hook the creature by the seaweed. Raising the figure, the old sailor manages to get it onto the boat, and then drops it. Everyone gathers around to take a better look at what they have in front of them. Needless to say, they only get even more confused.
Rather than the lake monster, the being in front of them is actually Sean, who is wearing a scuba diving suit and is covered in seaweed.
"Sean?" Kevin and Jenny ask.
"You again?" Noah also asks.
"Arrgh, you better explain why you were clinging to me boat before you walk down the plank!" Mr. Silver threatens pointing his harpoon to the paranormal enthusiast, who pushes the harpoon away from his persona.
"Sorry, I can't reveal my reasons, that's classified," Sean replies. Both Kevin and Jenny roll their eyes, already knowing his intentions.
"You're here to try to take a picture of the lake monster, aren't you?" Jenny asks dryly.
Sean gasps "How did you know that?! Are you a mind reader?! I knew it!" he exclaims pointing to her.
"Nope, female intuition."
"Sean, I thought you said earlier that this contest was a scam to you." Noah says.
"I did say that the contest was a scam, yes, but I never said that the lake monster wasn't real. You should learn to listen." Sean clarifies. Noah rolls his eyes.
"So you want to take photos of the lake creature, big whoop," Jenny comments "How do we know you're not going to fail like in so many of your previous 'paranormal crusades'" she asks, air-quoting "paranormal crusades".
"Because I'm ultra-prepared for this." Sean replies confidently "As sole protector of humanity, it's my duty to ensure that all paranormal mysteries are revealed so the people can better prepare themselves for any eventuality. It's obvious that you need someone with my knowledge on the paranormal to be prepared for Ao Guang. And as such, I declare myself captain of this trip."
"Uh, Sean, we already have a captain, Mr. Silver." Noah says pointing to the older sailor. Kevin and Jenny exchange a look.
"Pass," Jenny declines, wanting nothing to do with the paranormal nutjob.
"No way, Sean." Kevin also refuses "Nothing good ever comes out of hanging out with you. I'm still picking gravel out of my scalp from the time you talked me into testing your anti-gravity generator."
This piques Noah's interest "Wait, you invented an anti-gravity generator?" he asks Sean.
"It's still in beta..." Sean admits.
"An invention like that could make you rich! Have you thought of patenting it?"
"No! I fear that it will fall into the wrong hands, mainly in the hands of evil, sociopathic aliens who are disguising themselves as government officials who could use my anti-gravity generator to destroy the Earth's magnetic fields, thus ensuring that their invasion of Earth runs smoothly! I can't take that risk!" Sean rambles in paranoid fervor.
"Oh, that's too bad. I guess you'll have to continue living in poverty." Noah comments nonchalantly, secretly unhappy that Sean is wasting all of his potential in paranormal pursuits instead of using it to benefit humanity. Then again, his former classmate Shawn had that same problem, so Noah isn't really surprised. After all, guys like that tend to ruin themselves because they're too paranoid and untrusting of people around them.
"A small price to pay for ensuring the salvation of humanity. Anyway, my point still stands: I'm coming with you to get evidence of Ao Guang and you can't talk me out of it."
"The answer's still no, Sean," Jenny flatly replies.
"Yeah, go away, dude," Kevin adds.
"I'm the only true expert on the paranormal who can help you track down Ao Guang! You need me!" Sean insists angrily.
"Right, like we need skin rash." Jenny says sarcastically.
Fed up with their arguing, Mr. Silver points his harpoon to the teens "Argh, I'm the captain of this vessel, and my orders are to be obeyed!" he exclaims "Now, all of you scallywags pipe down, or yer all walking down the plank!"
"Yes, Mr. Silver," all the teens reply, scared by his threat.
"That's Captain Silver to you, sailors!" he exclaims.
"So, I guess Sean is staying, huh?" Noah asks.
"Afraid so, lad. Besides, he don't look like the kind who can swim back to dry land, now does he?"
Before anyone can answer, the old sailor goes back to the helm and starts sailing again. While Mr. Silver is busy sailing the boat, Sean is instructing the trio, much to their dismay.
"Alright," Sean begins, his tone formal and serious as he paces before Noah, Kevin, and Jenny, all of whom look bored. "If we want to get evidence of Ao Guang, we have to do it right. So, think; what's the number one problem with most monster hunts?"
"When your equipment malfunctions?" Noah asks.
"Or if you're a side character," Kevin suggests "Then you die within the first five minutes of the movie. I just hope it ain't me, man. I hate it when the black guy is the first one to die."
"Or having to deal with a rambling lunatic?" Jenny asks sarcastically, making Sean glare at her.
"No, no and no," he says, shooting down the trio's suggestions. "Camera trouble!" he clarifies before going into an example. "Say Bigfoot shows up. Kevin, be Bigfoot." he says pointing to the Cuban boy.
"Dude, why would I wanna-"
"Do it!"
"Fine." Kevin grumbles, deciding to play along as he strikes what he assumes to be a Bigfoot-like pose, complete with a leg up and his arms held up in a somewhat menacing position. As soon as Kevin is in position, Sean continues with his example.
"There he is! Bigfoot!" he exclaimed, playing his acting up for the sake of the made-up scenario. "Uh oh! No camera!" he said as he patted down his life vest in search of one, before pulling a disposable camera out with a clever smile. "Oh wait, here's one! But, aw… no film! You see? You see what I'm doing here?" he asks, his tone serious once more as he hoped his point was getting across to the others.
"I see," Noah replies.
"Oh, yeah," Kevin says as both Noah and Jenny nod in agreement. "Dude's got a point."
"That's why I brought seventeen disposable cameras," Sean says confidently, before running through his stock. "Two on my ankle," he says as he pulls up his pant legs to reveal the two cameras tied around his ankles. "Two in my diving suit, three for each of you," he says as he hands three cameras to everyone on board. "And one…" he trails off as he lifts his tuque to reveal the final camera resting atop his head. "Under my hat! There's no way we're gonna miss this."
"Wow, you came prepared for everything," Jenny says in amazement.
"Thank you," Sean smiles proudly.
"And you couldn't just use your phone to take pictures because…?" Noah asks, as he and his friends set their stuff down on the boat.
"Analog photos are harder to fake than digital ones," Sean explains, "Trust me, I learned that the hard way on all the forums I've frequented about the paranormal. This is something I don't trust higher tech for. I have the suspicion that they were created by an advanced alien species that plans to modify digital images to ensure that all evidence of their existence is dismissed as fake, thus ensuring that their cover doesn't get blown, so they can continue with their schemes of world domination uninterrupted."
"Sean, spare us the conspiracy theory just this once." Jenny says rubbing her eyes "I don't want a headache this early."
"Let him, Jen. Given that this boat trip's going to last a couple of hours until we get to the island, Sean could entertain us a little. He's the closest we have to the Sci-Fi Channel." Noah remarks.
"No thanks, I have my phone for that."
"Ok, everyone; let's test our cameras out!" Sean exclaims.
The entirety of the group began to do so in different ways, though to varying degrees of success. Kevin snaps a picture of himself, though he didn't anticipate the brightness and suddenness of its flash as it startles him and causes him to accidently drop the camera overboard.
"Aw, man!" he exclaims with dismay as he turns towards Sean with a sheepish grin, but thankfully, the paranormal enthusiast is not upset over its loss.
"You see? This is exactly why we need backup cameras," Sean says sternly, keeping his cool, though he hopes that no more cameras will be lost. "Don't lose them."
As he walks away, the teens continue testing their cameras. While Kevin is taking pictures of himself, this time being careful with the flash, Noah and Jenny are taking pictures of the shore and the lake.
"What are you doing, sailors?" Mr. Silver asks.
"Testing these cool cameras out!" Kevin replies before turning to the old sailor "Smile, Captain Silver!" he exclaims before snapping a picture.
The flash of the camera ends up blinding Mr. Silver, who groans in irritation. "Arrgh, me eyes!" He rubs his eyes with his hands, which proves to be a mistake, as the helm begins to spin, which makes the boat tumble on the water. Mr. Silver realizes this as he frantically holds the helm back, making the boat stable again.
"Damnation! That does it!" he declares as he stops the boat. He takes away Kevin's camera, and then takes away Noah and Jenny's cameras, though he struggles when Sean refuses to let go of his. After a couple minutes of struggling, Mr. Silver finally snatches Sean's cameras, then walks to the front of his boat.
"Mr. Silver, what are you doing?!" Sean exclaims panicking.
"It's Captain Silver to you, sailor, and I'm getting rid of these unnecessary flashing contraptions!" Mr. Silver replies as he throws all the cameras off his boat.
"NOOOOO!" Sean screams as he runs to the edge of the boat. He tries to jump overboard to retrieve them, but Noah, Kevin and Jenny hold him back. Watching helplessly as his cameras sink into the lake, he turns to glare at the captain "We need those cameras to get a picture of Ao Guang!"
"We don't need cameras where we're going!" Mr. Silver replies.
"But how are we supposed to get proof of the lake creature?" Kevin asks.
Mr. Silver sighs "Arrgh, so young, yet so naïve. The only proof we need is the beast itself! We'll capture it and exhibit it!"
"Good thing I still have the camera of my hat," Sean mutters bitterly as he clings onto the last remaining camera he has.
"So what's the plan?" Noah asks.
"Well, as the captain, our number one order of business is to lure the monster out with this," the old marine man says, motioning to the large barrel of fish foot resting on the far side of the boat. "Then, when the beast leaves its zone of comfort, we shall fire the net with the harpoon gun so we can capture it and bring it to deck."
"Sounds simple enough," Noah says sarcastically, thinking that this plan is bound to fail.
He has a bad feeling about all this.
And he's looking forward to it.
After a couple more hours navigating, the crew has finally reached the island.
The waters surrounding Scuttlebutt Island are engulfed in a thick fog, one that even the boat's spotlight cannot pierce through. Since the vessel is already on a guided course towards the island, Sean is positioned towards the back of the boat as he shovels the fish food over the side in the hopes that it would attract the lake creature. Everyone else stood towards the front of the boat, with Noah, Kevin, and Jenny at the railing keeping watch for the island through the fog.
"Man, this fog is so thick you can cut it through with a knife," Kevin remarks as he struggles to see anything amongst the foggy environment.
"No kidding, it's as thick as your head," Jenny chuckles sardonically.
"Hey, my head ain't thick!" Kevin replies angrily, not noticing as a pelican lands on the railing beside him. The pelican suddenly pecks him harshly on the side of his head with its large beak, startling Kevin and eliciting a cry of pain from him. Jenny giggles at this display "Ow! Hey! Stupid bird! Beat it!" he exclaims as he slaps the bird, much to Jenny's shock. The pelican lets out a squak of pain before flying away "And don't come back or I'll cook ya for dinner!" he threatens waving a fist.
Jenny shakes her head at his behavior "Kevin, it's just a pelican. There's no need to threaten its life, and slapping it was completely unnecessary," she scolds.
"He started it!" Kevin replies as he angrily points to the departing avian.
"I hate to interrupt your flirting, but aren't you guys supposed to be on lookout?" Noah asks them, still largely focused on their hunt for the monster.
The two of them give him blank stares for a moment, having completely forgotten about their lookout position in the midst of their argument. And yet they didn't really have any time to return to it as the boat suddenly jolts to a very abrupt stop upon meeting the shore of the island, its tip digs into the sand as everyone somehow manages to maintain their footing.
"Look out!" Kevin shouts, even if he is a bit late.
"Too little, too late, Einstein!" Jenny replies angrily.
"Status report, Mr. Noah!" Mr. Silver says.
"I think we must've reached dry land, Captain." Noah replies.
"Arrgh, we're marooned then. Our monster hunt will have to continue on foot." the old sailor says before leaping off the boat and onto the shore, with Noah, Jenny, Sean and Kevin following suit.
"So this is Scuttlebutt Island, huh?" Noah remarks as he observes his surroundings.
Mr. Silver, who is looking at his map, is speaking "According to the map, we're close to the landmark. Ensign Sean, which way is East?" Mr. Silver asks as Sean is holding the compass.
"Let's see..." the paranormal boy says as he looks at the compass, which marks to the East. "That way," he says pointing to the far side of the island."If there is something there, it shouldn't be too hard to find it and lure it out of its hiding place so we can take pictures of it."
"Then off we go, sailors!" Mr. Silver declares as they begin their journey.
The island isn't very large, consisting of only about a square mile of densely forested land, still enshrouded in the thick fog that rested upon the lake waters. There is a rather eerie silence to the place as the group disembarks the boat, only occasionally broken by the distant knocking of a woodpecker or the beating of a dragonfly's wings. As the group heads into the darkened forest, Mr. Silver and Sean lead the way with a lantern in hand to light the way, with Noah, Kevin, and Jenny following not too far behind. It isn't very long into their trek that they pass by a sign bearing the island's name on it, Scuttlebutt Island, which Noah, Jenny, and Kevin are quick to stop in front of.
"Dudes, check it out," Kevin says with a joking grin as he covers the part of the sign that reads "scuttle" with his hand. "Butt Island." he laughs, until Jenny hits him with an oar "Ow! What?" he complains while rubbing his head in pain.
"Grow up, Kev." Jenny says in disgust as she walks past him.
"This isn't the time for fooling around," Noah adds.
"C'mon, guys! Have a sense of humor!" Kevin exclaims.
"We do have a sense of humor, Kevin. We're just too mature for your juvenile jokes." Jenny replies snidely.
No one was really sure where or how they'd happen upon the lake monster, but Sean is confident that when they do happen to find the monster, they'll be more than ready to span the coveted picture of it. For the next few minutes, the crew has been looking around for any sign of the creature... and found nothing, except for sand and rocks. And not much else.
"No sign of the beast," Mr. Silver says.
"This is what we get for listening to an insane conspiracy nut." Jenny mutters, although Sean managed to hear her.
"Hey!" Sean replies indignant.
"Now that we've proven that this was a complete waste of time, can we go back to just enjoying ourselves now?" Jenny asks, but stops when a low growling noise is heard in the distance, bringing everyone to a stop as they all grow silent to listen to its intimidating snarl.
"Dude, did you guys hear that?" Kevin asks with a concerned frown.
"Yeah, I heard it," Jenny replies, feeling frightened as she hears the growl again.
"Pipe down, maties, the beast can smell your fear," Mr. Silver warns.
"Oh man, we're going to end up in the belly of the beast!" Kevin shouts in fear as he hugs Noah.
"Calm down, Kevin!" Noah replies annoyed as he pushes his friend away "That's your belly!"
Kevin stares blankly at the bookworm, until he hears the growling noise again. He lifts his shirt underneath his life vest and sees his stomach rumbling. He blushes in embarrassment.
"Oh man, I guess I haven't eaten in hours." he chuckles. His friends just facepalm at this, until their stomachs also rumble.
"I guess Kevin's right. We can't continue with empty stomachs," Noah says.
"Don't worry, I came prepared," Sean says as he pulls out wrapped up breakfast burritos from his backpack. "My mom made them," He says as he gives them to Noah, Kevin and Mr. Silver, all of whom start eating. Jenny also receives a burrito, but stares at it skeptically.
"What's in this burrito?" she asks Sean cautiously.
"Chicken, cheese and beans," he replies.
Jenny shakes her head before handing her burrito over "No thanks, I'm a vegetarian,"
Kevin gladly takes her burrito "More for me, then!" he exclaims before taking a bite from each burrito. "Gotta admit Sean, your mom cooks some killer burritos!" he says with his mouth full.
"Pig," Jenny mutters in disgust. She turns to Sean "Did you also bring a salad?"
After their small lunch break, the crew continues their journey throughout the island, with Mr. Silver holding a lantern to guide the teens through the woods.
"Hand over fist maties, we must not be too far from the beast," Mr. Silver says as he leads the teens using the compass and map to guide them.
"Does anyone have a nautical dictionary?" Jenny asks, feeling annoyed at Mr. Silver's dialogue.
"Hey, I'll have Captain Silver's nautical slang over Sean's paranoid ramblings any day," Kevin comments.
"Hey! My 'paranormal ramblings', as you call them, are actual useful information that will help humanity in the future," Sean defends.
Noah rolls his eyes "Right, because that's soooo much more logical than selling your anti-gravity generator to a space program," he says sarcastically.
"I told you I can't risk my inventions falling into the wrong hands!" Sean retorts "And it's still in beta!"
They stop in their tracks when they hear another growling noise, but this one is far more threatening.
"Shiver me timbers!" Mr. Silver yells.
"Dudes, did you hear that?" Kevin asks as he looks around.
Jenny scowls at him, unamused "Seriously? Kevin, I swear, if it's your stomach again…"
"No, I heard it too," Noah says, "and trust me when I say that it wasn't Kevin's stomach."
"Oh! I bet it was the monster!" Mr. Silver exclaims, but in his excitement fails to notice the possum that was scurrying towards the group from behind, that is, until it clamps its long jaw over the handle of the lantern lying on the ground and abruptly runs off with it. "Avast!" he calls out after the possum angrily, watching with dismay as it carries their only real source of light off. "Get back here with our lantern, you furry son of a gun! Arrgh, I can't see a damn thing!"
"Dude, I dunno…" Kevin says with an uncertain frown now that they are all in the creepy darkness of the forest. "Maybe this isn't worth it…"
"Not worth it?" Sean asks in disbelief, not about to let this minor setback deter him in his search. "Guys, imagine what would happen if we got that picture! It's not just about the money; it's about making the world open up their eyes to the truth; think about the fame, the notoriety, the respect…"
Noah shrugs indifferently "Meh, fame is overrated. You'd have to deal with scandals, the media and reporters breathing down your neck, controversial behavior that could tarnish your squeaky clean image, lawsuits from disgruntled ex wives or girlfriends, the list goes on. I prefer to be in the background, invisible as a ghost. That was one of the perks of not being noticed by my family: I could do whatever I wanted and they would be none the wiser. Unless my siblings caught me in the act and blackmailed me."
The entire group presses onward into the fog, eventually emerging out of the woods and on the opposite shore of the island, where they come across a cove. They all immediately come to a stop at the end of the path, all of them gaping with awe upon seeing a very monster-like silhouette resting afar in the water.
"Hey, what's that?" Kevin asks pointing to the foggy figure.
Not wanting to be spotted prematurely by the creature, they are all quick to take cover behind a large, nearby log, though Sean peers up over it with one of his cameras at the ready before urging everyone else to do the same.
"Everyone! Get your cameras ready!" Sean whispers as they all aim their cameras towards the silhouette on the lake. "Ready?" Sean asks, a determined grin on his face as he holds a finger over the camera's shutter, ready to snap that all-important photo at any second. "GO!"
At this command, Kevin is the first to let out a battle cry as he leaps over the log, rushing towards the water as he snaps a barrage of uncalculated photos. His friends are quick to follow after him, taking their own pictures of the silhouette as Mr. Silver is the last to come out of hiding, still clinging onto his weapon just in case. However, as the group nears the cove, what the silhouette actually was becomes clearer as the fog lightens a bit, revealing a sight that disappointed them all. The "monster" is nothing more than the battered remains of an old, wrecked boat sticking up out of the water, a group of beavers cavorting upon it as they chatter to themselves cheerfully.
"My mind is a blank," Noah says.
"Beavers? We came here to take pictures of the monster, not a bunch of dumb beavers!" Kevin exclaims, annoyed that he just wasted film on these critters.
"Well, was fun while it lasted. Can we go home now?" Jenny says sarcastically.
"But… I don't understand," Sean says with a frown as he lowers his camera. "What was that noise then? I know I heard a monster noise!"
Mr. Silver throws his harpoon to the ground in frustration "Arrgh! Tis nothin' but a load of barnacles! The beast doesn't exist! We've been deceived!"
"That's what happens for reading a magazine ad whose sole purpose is to sucker people into wasting their time and money on imaginary pursuits," Jenny says in an I-told-you-so tone of voice.
In a rage, Mr. Silver kicks a rock to some larger rocks. And then one of the larger "rocks" rolls away to reveal a large, pale gold-colored reptilian eye. Then the "ridge" bursts open to reveal a large, serpentine shape, which moves rapidly, giving the five people only enough time to see a glimpse of very large teeth. This movement makes the beavers stop in their tracks.
"Wait…" Noah says as he strains his eyes to get a better look at the mysterious shape. "Is that…?"
The five of them can only stare in silent shock for a moment, which was broken as the cove's waterline suddenly starts foaming, before bursting in a geyser as a massive dark shape emerged from beneath. This makes the beavers scatter in fear. The water disperses seconds later, revealing the lake serpent in all its glory — a green-black, red-eyed snake as tall as the school and at least as long as two back-to-back city buses, though its length disappeared into the water, so it was hard to say for sure. Plus, the mouthful of cabinet-sized teeth it is currently displaying as it roars down at them was rather distracting.
"…I think we're going to need a bigger net," Noah says meekly.
"I knew Ao Guang existed!" Sean exclaims excitedly, his hope renewed as the creature is standing in front of them in all its terrifying, monstrous glory. "It's the real thing this time! Come on! This is our chance!" he encourages as he pulls a camera out of his hat and begins to snap pictures at the approaching figure.
"Um, Sean, I think taking pictures at such close range would be suicide," Noah tries to say, but is ignored as the paranormal boy is taking pictures of the beast.
Mr. Silver also seems excited as he picks up his harpoon "Arrgh, now 'tis what I call a monster! Time to capture the beast and mount it on me wall!" he declares before charging towards the towering serpent.
"Sean, Mr. Silver…?" Jenny whispers worriedly as she watches the monstrous figure begin to rise out of the lake.
"Dudes…" Kevin breathes in obvious shock, his jaw drops nearly to the ground.
They are both ignored as the conspiracy nut and the old sailor approach the creature to try to take pictures of it and pierce the harpoon through its skin, respectively.
"It's not that hard, you guys," Sean says, clearly unaware of the danger right behind him. "All you gotta do is point and shoot. Like this!" he says before flashing the camera at the creature. Unfortunately, the flash of Sean's camera ends up disturbing the beast. In response, it lets out a monstrous roar that can be heard all throughout the lake. Sean yelps.
"Arrgh, now I shall capture ya and mount ya on me wall!" Mr. Silver exclaims as he throws his harpoon at the monster.
Sadly, the attack has no effect, as the weapon breaks upon contact. It still manages to piss the beast off, though, as it lowers its long-necked head to glare at our heroes (and Sean), before letting out another mighty roar.
"Run!" Noah yells in fright.
"Thar she blows!" Mr. Silver shouts.
He and the teens drop their equipment and immediately bolt back the way they came, barely managing to avoid being devoured as its head slams into the space they'd just been inhabiting, inadvertently consuming everything they'd dropped. Rearing back and spitting out a mouthful of sand and smashed machinery, the sea serpent roars again and starts slithering across the shoreline after them. The sea serpent roars as it rounds the cliff, smashing some of the rock face away as it does so, not even noticing it as it rears up over the group. All five of them end up cornered as they face the beast, which seems ready to eat them alive.
"I want my Momma," Kevin whimpers.
"We could've just had one normal day at the docks, enjoy the lake like everyone else, but nooooo, we just had to get roped into another supernatural shenanigans!" Jenny complains angrily, not wanting to admit that she is scared shitless.
"Welp, this seems to be end for me, maties," Mr. Silver says solemnly as he takes off his hat "About to be devoured by the lake monster. The ideal death for a sailor."
"If I die, tell my brothers to not browse my embarrassing Internet history," Noah tells his friends as he watches the serpent open its jaws to devour them all. Everyone prepares for their untimely demise when...
"Enough, my pet!" a female voice commands, which makes the monster stop. There was a moment of silence as the serpent stood there perfectly still, a look of almost comical surprise of its face. The crew also looks confused.
"Who said that?" Noah asks as he looks around.
"I did." the female voice speaks once again, and our heroes (and Sean) look up to see the source of that voice. They all gasp at the sight before them.
Standing on a rock from the cove, is a mermaid with a nice shade of pink salmon color from her tail. To say that Mother Nature has been unordinarily kind to her would be an understatement, as she is, to put it plainly, a thing of beauty. She has long, curly brown hair tied in a long ponytail that reaches down her waist, and pretty brown eyes that match her hair. She has a beautiful and cute face, and the BIGGEST pair of mammaries they ever saw, covered by a pair of pink shells that just barely cover her nipples.
The guys in the group are practically drooling at such marvelous sight, while Jenny looks on in jealousy and repulse at both the mermaid's beauty and the guys' reaction.
"Mother of Pearl!" Mr. Silver exclaims, feeling like he's about to have a heart attack "She's… she's…"
"Beautiful!" Noah says awestruck.
"Gorgeous!" Sean adds in a lovesick trance.
"Hot damn! Look at those hooters!" Kevin exclaims as he stares pervertedly at the mermaid's huge... tracts of land.
Jenny just scoffs in disgust "Men."
"My name is Mavis," the mermaid introduces herself. "And I apologize if my pet tried to eat you. She thought you were intruders or something like that,"
"She? That thing is a girl?" Kevin asks dumbfounded.
Once they got over the shock of seeing Mavis, the teens and their captain walk up to her.
"Well, I'll be a sea monkey's uncle," Mr. Silver comments in amazement "There really are mermaids."
"So, tell us, Mavis, how can you live here in a lake? Aren't mermaids supposed to be sea creatures?" Jenny asks her.
"Well, actually, I'm a fresh water mermaid." Mavis explains. "Not all mermaids live in the sea, you know."
"So there's more like you?" Noah asks, intrigued.
"Yeah, you could say that."
"So, you live here all by yourself? No family or friends?" Noah asks.
"Not even a boyfriend?" Kevin asks as well.
Mavis then puts on a sad face "Let's just say, most of them died when we got here during a thunderstorm. You think the ocean is a cruel mistress? Mother Nature is overall a really cruel mother, especially to those who are... different." she says in melancholy.
"Oh, sorry to hear about that," Noah says sympathetically. He somehow understands where the mermaid is coming from, considering that the same thing happened to his family before moving to Polter Hills.
Sean, however, doesn't have much sympathy, as he rudely shoves Noah and Jenny aside "Enough small talk. Tell us how you control Ao Guang." he demands, referring to the serpent that tried to eat them a while ago.
Mavis raises an eyebrow "Ao Guang? That's a stupid name. Her name is Missi." she says before the serpent lowers its head, and Mavis pets it "She's my best friend, my only friend, in fact."
"Sooo, the lake monster is like your pet or something?" Kevin asks.
"Now now, don't call Missi a monster; she's just misunderstood, like me." Mavis says while she's petting Missi. "You know, this is the first time in ages that we get visitors who intend to do no harm." Then her tone becomes bitter "Generally, we only get visited by greedy hunters and fishermen who think arrogantly that they can capture my pet like some animal to then exhibit her like a trophy."
The crew members chuckle nervously at how spot on the mermaid is about their intentions.
"Yeah, only a real jerk would do something like that," Noah replies uneasily.
"Yeah babe, we're so totally not trying to take pictures to win some dumb contest." Kevin chuckles sheepishly, before Jenny nudges him.
"Kevin, shut up!" she hisses.
"What contest?" Mavis asks confused.
Kevin stammers "Uh, nothin', babe, we're totally not taking pictures of your pet to win a monster hunt contest!"
"Kevin, clam it!" Jenny snaps.
"I can't help it! Her boobies are distracting me, and compelling me to tell the truth!"
"That's still no excuse to be a pervert!"
While they are arguing, Mavis narrows her eyes at the five persons in front of her. They all notice this, and shift nervously at her glare. No one says anything for the next few minutes for fear of saying the wrong thing and invoking her wrath; then she changes to a cheerful smile, to their confusion.
"Can I see that camera for a sec?" Mavis asks in an innocent tone of voice. When the crew isn't responding, she resorts to using the most powerful weapon known to womankind: the puppy dog eyes "Pleeeaaaase?" she says in a more pleading tone.
Kevin, who gets smitten, is about to walk and give the camera to her, when Sean stops him.
"No! Don't give it to her! She's onto us, and she'll probably destroy it to ensure that we never get evidence of her existence, and she'll order her monster to eat us alive!"
"I would listen if I were you, boyo. Mermaids are known to be deceitful harpies who lure men with their beautiful melodies, before sending you to sleep with the fishes!" Mr. Silver exclaims.
Kevin shakes his head "Sean, you're being paranoid, well more than usual. And Mr. Silver, no offense, but I think old age's getting to ya. I'm pretty sure she's never seen a camera before," he replies before he hands over the camera to the mermaid, who smiles.
"Thank you," she says corteously as she observes the device for a few minutes before placing it on one of the rocks. To the surprise of the others, she grabs her oversized breasts and lifts them over the camera, before slamming them on the camera, which ends up being shattered into several pieces upon impact, all of them falling into the water as the crew stares in shock at what just happened. Sean, in particular, bursts into tears.
"Nooooo!" Sean wails in despair "I warned you not to give it to her!" he yells at Kevin.
"I knew it, you can't trust a mermaid!" Mr. Silver exclaims.
"Why did you do that?" Kevin asks in shock.
"So, you are just like the others who came here." Mavis mutters darkly, which puts all of them on edge.
"Others who came here?" Noah asks in fear.
"Yes, there they are." the mermaid replies pointing to a part of the shore, where a lot of shipwrecked boats and yatchs can be seen. To the horror o the teens and the old sailor, there are also skeletons, which appear to have been pierced by pikes. "Or at least, their corpses. They were the same greedy hunters and fishermen I told you about, the ones who tried to capture Missi, and guess what: they all failed." She lets out a sadistic smirk "But at least Missi gets to eat every once in a while. And now it appears you'll be her next meal." she says sinisterly.
The teens and the captain pale at such a threat. If they don't get out of there fast, the last thing they'll see is the insides of the serpent, or as Kevin put it, the 'belly of the beast'. Out of everyone, Jenny steps up and decides to try and convince Mavis to let them go.
"Listen, Mavis, I know you're furious that we entered your turf without permission, and that we were invading your privacy. But believe me when I say that we truly mean no harm, we were just going to take pictures of Missi and leave. There's no need to resort to such drastic measures." Jenny speaks, hoping that she has reached Mavis' heart.
Alas, the mermaid doesn't seem convinced in the slightest.
"I think you don't understand; then again, when have surface-dwellers ever used their brains? Do you have any idea of what will happen if Missi's existence is revealed? She will be hunted down like some animal! Maybe she'll be captured and sold to a zoo, to be used as entertainment for the surface-dwellers! Is that what you intend to do with my pet and companion? Huh? Huh?!" she rants in a rabid frenzy, which further disturbs our heroes (and Sean).
"Actually, I was going to kill the beast and mount it on me wall." Mr. Silver admits.
"Mr. Silver, not helping." Jenny hisses through her teeth.
Too late, as this just pisses Mavis off further.
"That does it! Missi, it's supper time!" she commands.
The beast lets out a bone-chilling, ravenous roar, one that startled everyone present. Sean stares at the serpent in frozen fear, before both Noah and Kevin thankfully bring him back to his senses as they begin to drag him away as fast as they can.
"Get back to the boat, sailors!" Mr. Silver calls in a panic as they run. "Hurry!"
"Missi, after them!" Mavis commands. Her pet complies as it slithers away from the cove and goes after the crew.
Jenny lets out a fearful yelp as the lake serpent snaps its massive maw at her, narrowingly missing her. Mr. Silver, despite his old age, is trying his best not to trip over his own two feet as he tries to keep apace with the teens, who were infinitely faster than he was, wheezing as he does so. At the same time, Sean turns and tries to run backwards, his camera poised to snap what would certainly be a great picture of the monster, considering its proximity to them. However, what he failed to see in doing so was the root sticking up out of the ground, that is, until it trips him up and causes the camera to fall out of his hands.
"The picture!" he exclaims as he quickly picks himself up off the ground and races to reclaim the camera, before Noah ultimately grabs his hand for his own safety. "Let go of me, Noah!" Sean protests as the bookworm takes him away. "I need to take a picture of the monster!"
"Forget it, Sean! This is suicide!" Noah yells as they continue running.
Thankfully, the other end of the island soon came into view and with it, so did Mr. Silver's boat still nestled into the sandy shore. No one hesitates to hop on board and as soon as everyone had, Mr. Silver, with help from Noah and Kevin, quickly shoves the boat back into the water before jumping on themselves and starting the engine. The boat lurches backwards as everyone clings tightly onto the railing, watching with baited breath as Missi leaps into the water and swims after them.
"All right!" Sean exclaims as he pulls out another camera and aims it towards the monster. "Here we go." However, as he looks through the viewfinder, he lets out a dismayed gasp at what he saw. "Cracked lens!? Kevin, Jenny! Quick, get a photo!"
"With what?! Mr. Silver threw away all the cameras you brought!" Jenny exclaims, annoyed.
"I have some spares in my backpack!"
The two teens stare at Sean in confusion, before they take his backpack and start rummaging through his stuff. They are shocked to see that there are, indeed, more spare cameras, just like he said.
"You gotta be kidding me." Jenny mutters.
"It never hurts to be prepared, now take a picture!" Sean orders them.
He gets shocked when he sees that Kevin and Jenny are, in fact, doing quite the opposite of that, as while Mr. Silver continues to steer the boat backwards, they toss their cameras at the creature in the hopes that one will strike her enough to stun her.
"What are you guys doing!?" Sean shouts angrily "You should be using your cameras to get a photo of the monster!"
"Photo, schmoto! I ain't risking my life just for one lousy picture!" Kevin replies just as angrily.
"Yeah, no amount of money is worth this!" Jenny adds, having had enough for today "And besides, we should just leave the poor creature alone!"
"How the hell can you expect me to do that when that thing's trying to fucking eat us?!" Sean yells at the top of his lungs.
Kevin throws another one of the cameras, actually managing to hit the monster in her snout, only enraging her more.
"Yeah, that's right!" Kevin shouted at the monster challengingly as he does a goofy victory dance. "Who's bad, who's bad, who's bad!"
His taunting, however, only enrages the beast even more. Missi lets out a huge roar, making Kevin scream like a little girl as he holds onto Jenny. She only rolls her eyes at his cowardice.
The serpent was clearly tired of playing games with her prey as she dives down into the water, going deep enough so that she can no longer be easily seen. As Mr. Silver continues to push the boat as fast as it would go, the teens all keep close to the railing as they peer into the water, keeping a close lookout for the monster that could easily swallow the boat whole if it manages to catch up with them.
Missi throws her head back once more as she roars loudly, before she rushes forward and swipes at the boat, knocking its control cabin clean off. Seeing that she has the upper hand, the monster snaps once more, this time at the group gathered towards its back end. Kevin and Jenny are narrowly able to leap out of its path, but Noah and Sean get entrapped in the monster's massive maw.
"Noah, Sean!" Kevin and Jenny yell fearfully.
"Avast!" Mr. Silver shouts.
Clinging onto the creature's sharp teeth, Noah notices that Sean's backpack is also dangling from one of Missi's fangs. He turns to Sean "Sean, still got those burritos your mom cooked?"
"How can you think of eating at a time like this?!" Sean exclaims incredulous.
"Oh trust me, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Throw your backpack to me," Noah replies as Sean struggles to reach his backpack. Once he finally manages to grab it, the paranormal enthusiast tosses it at Noah "Time for this snake to have a little snack." he says as he prepares to throw the entire backpack into the monster's mouth.
Sean's eyes widen when he suddenly remembered something "Wait, I have my portfolio with all my evidence there!"
The bookworm doesn't listen to him as he throws the backpack with the burritos down Missi's throat. This has the desired effect of making the serpent stop in her tracks as she begins choking. Noah and Sean take the opportunity of jumping off her mouth and towards the water. After they both resurface, they inflate their life vests and swim towards the boat. Kevin and Jenny help them up.
"Are you guys ok?" Jenny asks concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine," Noah replies.
"Im not!" Sean exclaims furious "My portfolio was in there, with all the evidence I gathered from the lake monster! And now it's gone!"
Jenny rolls her eyes "Oh shut your trap, you ungrateful jackass,"
To their dismay, Missi recovers from her choking fit, having spat Sean's backpack which lands on the boat. To Sean's horror, his backpack is now completely ruined and covered in saliva. He then sighs in relief when he sees that his portfolio is somewhat safe. However, there was no time to do anything about what had just happened as the lake serpent comes in for a third attack, though it fortunately misses this time. But all the same, several holes had been torn in the wooden side of the vessel, and it is clear that it won't last for much longer as it propels straightforward to a dead end. While this is happening, Mavis swims by the side of their boat and gives them an evil smirk.
"Well, well, well, looks like you luck has run out, surface-dwellers," Mavis says smugly. "You will share the same fate as all the others,"
"What do we do?!" Jenny proclaims.
"I don't know!" Sean replies back.
"Dude, where do we go!?" Kevin exclaims, seeing that they are speeding straight towards the waterfall with nowhere else to really go.
"Um… uh…" Noah says with uncertainty, before he narrows his eyes at the waterfall, and sees something behind the curtain of water. He points over there " Mr. Silver, go into the falls! I think there might be a cave back there!"
"Might be?!" Jenny exclaims incredulous.
"I have a plan, when we reach the waterfall, Mr. Silver will make a U-turn." Noah instructs.
"You think it'll work?" Kevin asks, to which the bookworm shrugs.
"It wouldn't hurt to try."
The teens all let out panicked screams as they cover their eyes to avoid having to see their inevitable impact. However, instead striking the waterfall and whatever might be behind it, be it a cave or a wall, Mr. Silver spins the helm and makes his boat take a U-turn, while Missi passes through the entrance of the cave, its maw snapping angrily at all five of them. That is, until her large body gets stuck inside the narrow entryway halfway through. Mavis stares in shock.
"MISSI!" Mavis exclaims as she swims to where her pet is stuck. She waves furiously at the departing boat. "This isn't over, surface-dwellers!"
Mr. Silver lets out a defeated sigh as he steers his boat back to shore, feeling that this whole trip ended up being pointless; after all, he failed to capture the beast and nearly got killed in the process. Not to mention the kids surely must be feeling traumatized by today's events. He should have never involved them in the first place.
Speaking of, Noah, Kevin, Jenny and Sean stare at the lake from the back of the boat. Well, actually, Noah is the only one doing that, as Sean is arguing with Kevin and Jenny.
"Well, that was an... interesting experience." Noah comments, until he hears the argument breaking out behind him.
"YOU DESTROYED ALL OF MY CAMERAS!" Sean explodes "Do you have any idea how much they cost me?!"
"Dude, stop blaming us! That monster was going to fucking eat us! We were panicking, ok?!" Kevin argues back.
"So what?! Those photos were going to prove to everyone that I was right about the lake monster!"
"We were about to die inside the stomach of a monster, and all you care about was some stupid pictures?!" Jenny yells back.
"I would've gotten those pictures if it wasn't for your incompetence and that evil mermaid! In fact, I'm pretty sure you were her collaborators and you sabotaged me on purpose!" Sean accuses pointing his finger at the trio.
Noah shakes his head, deciding to give his two cents "Sean, face the facts, we were the invaders, she was just protecting her home."
Sean scoffs "A likely story."
"Oh my God, will you shut the fuck up, Sean?!" Jenny snaps, being at her wits' end "See, this is precisely why no one likes to hang out with you! You're a complete asshole who thinks he knows better than everyone, when the truth is, you've never come across any real paranormal occurrence!"
Sean gasps "You take that back! I so have encounters with the supernatural, and today proves it!"
"And we nearly died because of you!"
"Yeah man, you're a total laughinstock! No wonder you ain't got no friends!" Kevin adds.
"That's not true! I'm cool!" Sean reclaims in denial "People just can't recognize my genius!"
"You mean the same genius who never thought of selling his anti-gravity generator?" Noah asks dryly.
"It's still in beta!"
Jenny rubs her forehead in frustration, but then smirks as she turns to the captain "Mr. Silver, I think someone here deserves to walk down the plank, don't you think?" she says slyly.
Mr. Silver, catching on what she is suggesting, grins "Arrgh, methinks you're correct, lassie,"
Sean stammers "W-w-wait, what are you doing?" he asks fearfully as he backs away. Next thing he knew, he is picked up by Noah, Kevin and Jenny, all of whom throw him overboard. Sean struggles on the lake after being thrown, before glaring at the teens, who are just laughing at his misfortune.
Their laughter is cut short when the boat arrives to the dock. They see Noah's brothers standing there with the rest of the beachgoers, some of which are their classmates.
"Hey Noah, whassup?" Ajit asks.
"How did the fishing trip go, lil' bro?" Deepak also asks.
"It was... average." Noah answers, not willing to tell his brothers how the whole thing went.
This fails to convince them, though.
"Now don't lie, baby bro. Tell us the truth!" Ajit insists.
Noah shrugs "Ok, but you won't believe it."
"Try us." Deepak says daringly.
"Come with us. We're roasting marshmallows with all the others at the bonfire!" one of the beachgoers says.
"I brought chocolate and crackers to make s'mores!" another one says holding the aforementioned snacks.
Noah, Kevin and Jenny look at each other, then smile, deciding to take a small break from their adventure.
"Wanna come with us, Mr. Silver?" Noah asks the old sailor.
I don't know, lad. This time of merriment is for young people, not for an old fossil like me." he replies.
"Nonsense, there's room for everyone." Kevin says. "Especially our beloved captain."
Mr. Silver smiles, touched that these youngsters invite him for a bonfire. So he decides to join them.
Sean walks out of the water, dripping wet as he holds his portfolio to his chest.
"At least my portfolio is safe, and it has all the evidence I need about the lake monster to show it to the world! Soon everyone will see the truth!" he declares before walking away from the trio, who simply stare at him departing.
"He does know his portfolio is empty, right?" Jenny asks Noah. "There's no way his papers could've survived being in the throat of that beast."
"Let him enjoy his delusional fantasies. Reality will hit him hard later." Noah tells her before joining his brothers in the bonfire. Kevin, Jenny and Mr. Silver follow suit as they all roast marshmallows.
Later that night...
At downtown, there is a medium-sized building that, at first, looks unassuming, but upon a closer look, you can tell that it hides something.
As it turns out, inside the building there is a conference for a secret society Sean is a part of, called the Paranormal Eye Network, or PEN for short. According to him, this is a secret network dedicated to paranormal studies and investigation of supernatural occurrences around the world.
Kinda like the Men In Black, but with supernatural creatures.
Sean walks confidently with his briefcase at hand, on stage to the PEN meeting chamber. Two monitor screens show an eyeball insignia. Sean walks up to a podium. the audience is filled with guys that look just like a bunch of private detectives from the early 20th century. Sean is feeling really excited that he finally gets to expose the truth about his encounter to his fellow colleagues. Sean gets behind the podium and adjusts the microphone before he starts speaking.
"My fellow Eyeballs. I won't make you wait any longer." he says before opening his briefcase "What you are about to hear and see will... um... will..."
He trails off when he sees to his horror that his portfolio is empty. Sean glances around and then stares, slack-jawed.
Cut to the waterfall cave, where Mavis and Missi, who somehow freed herself from the narrow cave, are laughing as they mess with Sean's documents about them As it turns out, those papers had been stuck inside Missi's throat after she spat out Sean's backpack, and now they are being used for their entertainment. Mavis crumbles some of the documents into balls and throws them in the air, then Missi uses her tail to hit the balls, which skip across the surface of the lake.
We cut back to the Paranormal Eye Meeting chamber, where Sean is sweating bullets as he realizes that he has nothing to make the presentation.
"Uh... Could we reschedule this?" he asks nervously as he gives a sheepish smile. He can feel how hundreds of eyes are looking at him, all of them expecting an answer or at least an explanation.
Bonus scene
Noah is in his bedroom, looking at his computer screen.
"It's interesting how certain concepts that are well-know today actually have a much deeper background." he says before clicking at an image of a mermaid "Take the mermaid, for instance. In Greek mythology, they were originally named sirens, and they were actually depicted as harpy-like creatures, before they were eventually reinterpreted as fish-tailed women." He then writes 'Odysseus' and images of the man appear "Did you know that the famous Greek hero Odysseus encountered these creatures during his crusade? Well, he and his crew found themselves at the mercy of these beings because the sirens could hypnotize them with their beautiful melody." He then plays a video of Odysseus' plan "So, in order to prevent this, Odysseus stuffed his ears with wax, as did his entire crew, and tied himself to the mast of his ship in order to resist the sirens' singing. He succedeed, but unfortunately he overlooked one crucial detail: by the time they passed the sirens, he ordered his men to release him, but they couldn't hear him because their ears were stuffed, and so he was stuck up there for the whole sea trip. Should've thought that one through more, huh Odysseus?"
And that's a wrap. I know this chapter was longer than the previous one, but that's because there was so much to put in this. I wanted to make sure that it was good enough.
This chapter has introduced another OC of mine, Sean. He'll be like an older, more paranoid version of Dib Membrane and Dipper Pines, and he'll serve as a foil to Noah's cool-headed, down-to-earth personality.
Speaking of Noah, this will be the beginning of Noah's random bits of information, kinda like what was done in Moville Mysteries, where Mo did the same.
On a side note, by the end of the chapter you may have noticed that I put emphasis on Kevin and Jenny's interactions. Well, I realized that too while I was writing this chapter and decided, what the hell, I'm keeping it. Kevin and Jenny's relationship (goofball male and serious female) is based on that of characters with a similar dynamic, like Tucker Foley and Sam Manson from Danny Phantom, or Beast Boy and Raven from Teen Titans, or even Mulder and Scully from The X-Files (ok, maybe Mulder isn't so goofy, but his belief in everything supernatural contrasts with Scully's skepticism).
Next chapter will push the rating to M. Be warned.