Mother of the Deep
A young boy sat across a fire pit from his father. The faint glow of the fire gleamed on his olive-colored skin. The fire burned wood inside the hearth. The young boy's father's silhouette covered part of the left wall. It crackled and snapped as it ate away at the bark of a log.
"I spoke to Sakari this morning, she said she found you at the beach again. Why were you there, Tapak?" Tapak's father questioned him.
"I wasn't there, Dad. I was playing guards and thieves with everyone. The beach was a good place to hide," replied Tapak.
Tapak's father Tuvaak sighed. Every time someone told him his son was on the beach again. He recounted the origins of the Sinaa Agnak. It was used as a form of lecture to his son. Although it hasn't worked as of late, he believed his son grew out of it and the monster no longer frightened him.
Tuvaak gazed into the eyes of his son and sighed again, "I'm going to tell you a story that your grandparents told me when I was a boy. The origins of the Sinaa Agnak, she's known to prowl the shoreline in Aagiak. She's taken plenty of children in her time."
"Dad–" Tapak paused. He continued, "No. You tell me this story over and over again. I don't believe in the Sinaa Agnak."
"A woman named Kigluktuk lived all alone in a small cabin in the South Pole with her son Imak near a pond," began Tuvaak.
A tall slim woman with silky smooth black hair named Kigluktuk minced out of her cabin. The smell of damp pine cones filled the air while heavy snowfall from the evening before blanketed the ground of a small cottage. The trees were heavy with snow on their tips, and the cabin's eaves had dagger-like icicles. The cold air bit at her skin and the tip of her nose reddened as the blood swelled.
The door of the cabin slightly creaked open and a small child stepped out. In the meantime, his mother pulled out a blade made of a turtle seal's jaw from a crate where she kept her tools. The medium-sized dagger was serrated with jagged teeth. Her cabin was too tiny to be crammed full of clutter. Although it was big enough for herself, her son, and some furniture.
The boy remained silent and closed the cottage door. His name was Imak and he relished in observation as his mother put together their daily meals. Today he was curious about the frozen pond behind their home. The once still waters were now solidified into ice. The boy wandered off toward the frozen pool. He touched it with a gloved hand. The ice was as smooth as glass and chill to the touch. With one foot forward, he swung his left foot next and soon he toddled across the pond's hard surface.
Her serrated dagger effortlessly split the raw flesh. Kigluktuk discerned the quietness of her surroundings. Usually, Imak was inside his home while he played with his toys. She set down her knife and peeped inside the cabin. It was empty. She gasped. Anxiety filled her and she caught on to the laughter in the distance. She jogged to the left of the cabin and her son was nowhere to be seen. Kigluktuk followed the happy boy's giggles.
Her heart sank, she wasn't unaware of how long the pool had been solid. The anger settled inside her. However, it was minuscule compared to the fear which overwhelmed her. Imak knew not to go to ever go near the pond without her supervision.
She shouted his name, "Imak!"
The startled child choked on air as he panicked. His mother busted him in the act. Imak fell on his rear unmindful of the cracks forming underneath him. What should've been a thick layer of ice broke instead of supporting his weight. The fractures branched out as they traveled further through the ice. His mother neared the edge of the pool. She carefully stepped on the ice, and with each step, she slid a bit toward her son. Kigluktuk inched closer and closer with every breath until a loud rupture rang in her ears. She shrieked.
Imak panted as he witnessed the surface of the pond split. Dread set in for both the boy and his mother. When water emerged between two sheets of ice Kigluktuk made a run for it and jumped from one ice floe onto another. Imak too bolted as fast as his tiny legs took him. Fissures became visible, and the once-frozen exterior formed into more ice floes. The gaps grew larger as the sheets of ice separated him and his mother apart.
Kigluktuk wailed, "NO!"
Despite Kigluktuk being educated in the dangers of the chilling waters she dove into them anyway. She needed to rescue her son. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy because Kigluktuk wasn't a waterbender. She fought with chunks of ice as she overcame and dodged a few of them. Imak trembled with overwhelming fear on a thin layer of ice. The layer couldn't hold him, as the water thrashed with the ice. The edges broke off and it got smaller by the minute. She frantically rushed toward her son; the layer underneath him collapsed and he plunged into the waters below.
He flailed about helplessly, he hadn't yet learned how to swim. Imak exhausted himself and sank. An ice floe slammed into her and marooned Kigluktuk onto its surface. She heaved for air and yowled for her boy. Kigluktuk frantically dove underwater, the chilling waters shocked her body she felt the sensation of thousands of needles poking her body. The pond's bottom remained obscured but she briefly made out a small hand as it descended deeper into the water.
Soon she needed air, so she swam back to the surface to catch her breath. Half-drowning she couldn't help herself. The frigid pond's waves took her breath away when they slapped her across the face. She was left gasping for air and within seconds her toes went numb. The deep pool taunted her the waves overwhelmed Kigluktuk their icy fingers tried to pull her under. She held her breath and returned below once more. As she dove to where she last saw her son the freezing temperatures of the pond; the cold seeped into her bones and chilled her to the core–
Tapak interrupted his father's story; under his breath, he said, "I know how it ends."
Tuvaak placed a single braid behind his ear and responded, "Apparently you don't because I have to repeatedly tell you to stay away from the beach." He exhaled air from his mouth and further prodded his son, "Where were you earlier?"
The ten-winters-old child stayed disingenuous to his father, "I already told you. I was playing with Onartok."
"That's not what you told me. You said you were playing with everyone, now you've changed who you were with. Also I spoke to his mother before I came here. Onartok is ill," disgruntled Tuvaak.
He continued to stare at the floor then responded, "Onartok is part of everyone, Dad." He lied again, "She's deceiving you, Onartok and I were with the others playing guards and thieves."
Tapak rested his mind back to the moment he came into contact with the ghost of his brother. He remembered the frigid air reddened the tip of his nose. It was sharp like his father's as many have said he was the spitting image of Tuvaak. The thick exterior lining of the hood of his parka protected his cheeks from the unforgivable cold.
His village of Kalluk where Tapak resided was only a stone's throw away from the beach. It was the largest of the settlements in the South Pole's Aagiak region. He believed the village to have over three hundred villagers. The coast remained unfrozen despite the chilled temperature of the season. The waves proceeded harmoniously as they battered the sand. Several streps away from the water began the encrusted bleak landscape of white that enveloped his world. Rocks sprawled around the seashore.
"If you were telling me the truth you'd look into my eyes and repeat what you just said," beseeched Tuvaak.
Tapak took a quick breath and clenched his jaw then met the gaze of his father's wizened eyes. Tuvaak was a middle-aged perhaps a quadragenarian man. His face was weather-beaten as he experienced many winters in the South Pole. His hair was medium-long in length, wavy and black. One small braid adorned both sides of his head fastened tight with dark blue hair ties. His diamond-shaped head was narrow from top to bottom. His cheekbones were the widest part of his face.
Tapak met his father's glance he looked into Tuvaak's wide monolid eyes. They've seen much pain: the death of both his twin brother and his mother soon after. Tapak knew he deluded his father. It bothered him that Tuvaak's overprotection kept him from experiencing the dangers of the world. This morning's encounter distracted him from his father's lecture.
Tapak did his best to avoid the waters nearby, although he couldn't help himself to wet his boots. He figured as long as nothing happened he could venture into the water soon. He knew this could've caused a danger he would've regretted. A faint odor similar to the smell of the community compost outside of town invaded his nostrils. He thought maybe the waterbenders hadn't buried the trash in snow yet. Unless the snow already hardened into ice but the stench persisted. As he neared the shore the smell grew stronger. It was similar to the fermented Arctic hen eggs.
His father's downturned mouth moved again and repeated, "If you were telling me the truth you'd look me in the eye and repeat what you said."
He looked at his father's hooked and rectangular nose longer than he needed to. Tapak finally conceded, "I'm sorry, I lied to you. I wasn't with Onartok or the others. They think I'm too weird. I was near the shoreline again."
Tuvaak furrowed his brow with vexation and ready to punish his son. However, the light punishments haven't worked. Tapak shuddered, "Dad I don't think I want to be close to the waters anymore." Tapak added, "I know you've told me to stay away for years and I know when I disobey you it hurts. But that's not the reason I ever went back. I just wanted to feel closer to Atsak." The boy lowered his head in sadness and finally revealed his intentions.
Tuvaak curled his right index finger and lifted his son's chin. Tears welled up in Tapak's eyes and his lips quivered. Tuvaak whispered, "Atsak is gone, my son."
Tapak frowned, "I wish Anguta didn't take him, now I'll never experience what growing up with my brother will be like."
Tuvaak corrected his son Tapak, "Anguta didn't take him, he was stolen from us by the Sinaa Agnak." Tuvaak choked on his words with emotion and he contested his point, "This is why I consistently tell you to stay away."
The loss of his youngest twin son still fresh on his mind. Tapak released a tear from his eyes and sobbed, "Why did aakaga have to go so soon?"
"Your mother couldn't handle the loss of your brother," sniffled Tuvaak. He wiped the tears that streamed down his son's cheeks with his thumbs. Tuvaak hugged his son. Tapak buried his face into his father's parka. The softness of the exterior lining's fur always made him regain his composure.
Tapak recalled from this morning while his father returned from the night before with the other hunters. With only the two as the remaining survivors of their family. Tuvaak had no one to look after his son while he spent days with others hunting for food. Tapak understood he needed to stay home and not wander off. His only responsibilities were to his education and being home where he abided his time.
This morning, however, he wandered off to the beach. It wasn't the hum that he heard or some vision. Only the dreams of his little brother persisted in his mind. Usually, they entered his head near the anniversary of Atsak's disappearance from Kalluk. It was the same recurrent vision where Tapak found Atsak aimlessly walking where he disappeared. He felt closer to his brother when he traversed the foreshore.
Tapak sort of felt his brother's presence, it was a loving and warm sensation that filled him to his very core. He often thought it was not only his brother but also the spirit of his mother. His mother abruptly ended her own life. She couldn't handle the absence of his brother. She visited the beach right outside of town where his family was convinced he disappeared. She'd shriek on her knees and wailed until she couldn't every day. After some time, she waded in the freezing water and intentionally drowned herself. Tapak meandered about the coastline in remembrance of his mother and brother.
This time when the peaceful presence filled the air, a hum rang through the wind. It was soft and feminine, it reached his ears with love. He was filled with warmth, the singing was familiar. It was louder than usual. Almost hypnotized Tapak stood in the snow as the humming resumed. He observed the waves as they covered the black sandy beach in front of him. The waters washed at the verglas that enfolded some of the rocks in the sand.
The stench and the ice-cold water held him back, the breeze picked up with slight intensity. The cold air irritated his nostrils which caused them to flare and secrete mucus. He wiped away clear ooze with the sleeve of his parka. Tapak decided to tell his father what he encountered this time while near the shore.
Tapak professed, "I saw him today." He continued, "I saw him and heard a hum."
Tuvaak separated himself from his son then stared into the boy's eyes and inquired, "Who did you see?"
Tapak looked back at his memories from earlier this morning, the soft hum resumed as the foul smell recommenced and pervaded his nose. The far-off croon mesmerized him. He remembered being entranced. A fog rolled into a remote section of the beach still within the scope of his eyes. A larger shadow transformed into a smaller one as it emerged from the distant mist.
He contemplated on the figure that appeared, nevertheless, while he and the little shade were a long way away from one another. Tapak still kept an eye on this figure, it encroached closer between the stretch of him and itself. Features began to distinguish themselves from the face of the shadow. He saw a very young child.
He called out to the little boy, "Hey! What are you doing out here all alone?"
The small boy halted and stayed closed-mouthed, a lot closer than before but he still eluded the older boy. Tapak recognized the facial features of the stranger who stopped. The kid's face looked recognizable, similar to his face. Although it was a tad bit different. Tapak felt an immediate gut feeling, this thing was not his brother. He soon fled the beach and went back to town.
"You heard a hum?" Tuvaak questioned Tapak.
Tapak wiped a tear from his left eye with the sleeve of his parka. He held a sullen face and nodded, "I heard the hum of a woman and that's when I saw him."
"What else did you experience?" Tuvaak inquired further.
"That stench returned, it was in the distance. Faraway singing is what enticed me to get close. What made me stay away was that smell," responded Tapak. He resumed, "Before I left I saw a large shadow that transformed into a smaller figure. It stayed out of reach from me but slowly made its way near me. I tried to make out his or its face." He dilly-dallied on it as he twiddled his thumbs. He was conscious of the loss of his twin brother Atsak withal devastated his father.
Tuvaak assumed and finished his son's story, "...you recognized him."
"You said it yourself, Dad. It wasn't Atsak," concurred Tapak. Tapak distressed further, "The fog came around when the murmur started...I thought it was aakaga, it's what enthralled me to remain."
Tuvaak asked Tapak, "Have you been pondering on the memory of your mother recently?"
Tapak frowned and nodded.
"You've spent too much time outside of Kalluk. The Sinaa Agnak has studied you, my son," mentioned Tuvaak.
That night Tapak was sound asleep in his cot. His body was entwined with fur pelts that kept him warm. The hearth's fire weakened throughout the night. The charred wood was grayed out with a few areas faintly glowed orange. The wood smoldered wisps of smoke out of the chimney of their hut. Tuvaak hadn't made it to bed, he slumped silently on his chair in the corner of his home. His head rested on the nape of his neck, his mouth agape as he snored.
An unnatural gentle wind entered their home and extinguished the fire pit. Tapak turned to his left within his cot. At the same time, he heard a loving song being sung to him sweetly. Almost like the lullabies, his mother sang to him and his twin brother Atsak when they were toddlers. A tear fell from his eye as he dreamt of himself in his mother's arms. She rocked him back and forth. He missed the tender and comforting voice his mother had. Her night sky-colored eyes watched him as he slumbered in her arms.
His mother placed him down on the family bedding area to the left of where his twin sibling slept. Tapak smiled as the soft voice resumed to echo in his dreams. His eyes fluttered open to a somber-lit room. Tapak turned his head to his right as his father snorted in his sleep. Almost like a wild polar bear. Tapak rubbed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep when suddenly the sweet sound of his mother's voice called out to him and another song began. Tapak's eyes opened briefly as he perceived a murmur outside his door that was gently carried away by the wind. He quietly unwrapped the furs from his person and slipped out of bed. Tapak lurched around his home and grabbed his parka and thick fur boots.
Moments later, he slipped his clothing on put his boots on, and gently opened the door. A whiff of cold air blew into his hut although he cared not. The boy was hypnotized almost as he wandered off from his home in the middle of the night to follow the voice of his mother. He saw another hooded child that ran off out of the village. He gleefully giggled without a care in the world. He shed a tear as if he knew the boy. He felt kindhearted and full of affection as he chased after the familiar boy.
A guardsman strolled by as he made his rounds around his assigned area of Kalluk. He spotted a child alone as he observed him set off eastward. It was strange, a boy was all alone especially this late. It was two hours past midnight and the weather was unforgivably cold. There was still only a few weeks before the spring rolled through. At the same time, Tuvaak jerked awake. His eyes scanned the room and Tapak was nowhere to be seen.
The guard observed as the boy stepped toward the beach. He walked at a faster pace and stopped the enthralled Tapak with his hand on the boy's shoulder to snap him out of it. Tapak jerked his head to his left and screamed. He fell on his rear and imprinted the snow. The sentry broke the trance that influenced him.
The sweet melody that echoed from the beach no longer entered his ears. In the general confusion, he questioned the man, "Where'd he go?"
"Where'd who go?" the guard returned an echo question.
"The boy!" exclaimed Tapak.
The sentry stared at the boy perplexed, "I saw no one else, but you. You should go home, it's freezing!"
His father exited their home when he saw that Tapak was near the far end of the street. Near the beach, they happened to live close by. A guardsman stood next to his son, he thought Tapak got in trouble for being out past curfew. Covered in his parka and cloak Tuvaak rested his arms inside his sleeves. He called out his son's name, "Tapak!"
"Dad!" shouted Tapak when he heard his name he rose to his feet and ran over.
"Son, what are you doing out here?" stressed Tuvaak, he was worried sick over his son's absence from his cot.
Tapak eyed the floor he only saw his footsteps and that of the guard. No other footprints in his frontal view. He felt addled, the sentry replied, "I'm glad I saw him in time. I awoke him from his sleepwalking episode."
Tuvaak held onto the retainer's right forearm and slightly bowed his head and thanked him, "Thank you."
Tapak and his father returned to their home, and Tuvaak sealed the door with a wooden bar. He removed his hood and turned to his face his son who sat on his cot still bewildered while his legs dangled from the bed. He lowered his head while he tried to remember why he was outside.
"What happened out there?!" prodded Tuvaak, he needed answers from his son. At least before he decided how to discipline him. This was the first time Tapak left their home in the middle of the night.
"I dreamt of aakaga again. This time I visualized sleeping in her arms. While Atsak was in yours. She sang our – my favorite lullaby.." claimed Tapak. He wiped the tears from his eyes as they streamed down his face.
Tuvaak understood it was normal for his son to miss his mother and brother. Lately, it's been more intrusive. He knew Tapak wasn't this emotional, even though the remembrance day of their family neared. It was something Tuvaak took notice of this year. Concerned Tuvaak thought about the necessary steps needed to be taken for his so to be protected. Perhaps if Tapak recounted his experiences to the local shaman? They offered blessings and protection from evil spirits and/or gave advice that comforted the grief-stricken. Tuvaak wasn't sure if leave in a few weeks for another hunt was the best choice either. As one of the local hunters it was his duty to keep the village fed.
Tuvaak lowered his chin and sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"
"This is consuming you and now its bothering me because I'm unsure if I should leave you and come back to find you're gone or stay home and not bring any food to the table," reprimanded Tuvaak.
Tears streamed down Tapak's face it wasn't his fault that his late family's voices rang in his ears. The hallucinations he witnessed were random and not something he's fabricated. Tapak answered, "I don't remember leaving our house. I followed a kid down our street–"
"Let them go! I had to let them go too! You don't think it hurt me?" Tuvaak fumed while burst out of anger momentarily. He attempted to keep his cool. Tuvaak went on, "I lost my wife and my youngest son too – but I'm not letting their passing debilitate my life. I still have to provide for you! I have to grow old knowing you grew up to be a strong man."
Tapak laid down on his cot and covered his ears, while his father carried on and scolded him. He only wanted silence, his dad didn't understand. It hasn't been his choice to leave the house especially that late at night. As the night went on, Tapak cried himself to sleep.
Several hours went by, and Tuvaak jolted awake from his rest. His eyes surveyed the room and everything was in order including Tapak sleeping. Drum beats echoed outside. The guards alerted the town, and most of the adults answered the call of the village alarm. Tuvaak dressed himself quickly and roused his son. Tapak's eyes fluttered.
"What's wrong?" worried his son.
"The village's alarm is going off, wait here. Lock the door behind me," commanded Tuvaak.
Tapak got up in his loincloth and dropped the wooden latch after his father left their hut. Tuvaak placed his arms into his pockets and jogged toward the town square where the others gathered. The wailing of a woman came from behind when he glanced to see it was someone he knew. Onartok's mother.
The village elder walked in from up the street where he resided. He raised a platform of ice to be at an elevated level for all to see. He raised both arms up and gently lowered them twice, "Settle down everyone. I have news to share."
"A mother woke up this morning to find her son missing, he's about five heads tall. Slightly chubby, olive-colored skin, medium-length black hair, and has a birthmark on his right cheek," reported the village elder. Tuvaak gasped, he recollected when his son Tapak claimed he followed another boy last night.
"If you'd like to help us we're going to assign everyone to four search parties," added the village elder. Tuvaak raised his hand and volunteered to lead one of the parties.
"I'll lead the search group that searches the beach, I need a moment to gather weapons and some armor in case they're needed," offered Tuvaak.
Three other men raised their hands and approached Tuvaak, "We'll join the beach group," the men said in unison. The four men split ways to ready themselves while the other adults remained to be assigned to other groups.
Tuvaak knocked on his door, "Tapak we need to talk," he called out from the outside. Tapak removed the wooden bar and let his father inside.
Tapak wondered, "Dad what's going on?"
"Your friend Onartok went missing last night," stated his father. Tapak gasped then his father questioned him, "You said you trailed behind another boy last night. Did you make out if it was your friend?"
Tapak thought about the moments from yesterevening, however, it was sort of a blur. It felt like a dream. He remembered, "I vaguely recall, I didn't see his face I just saw his parka and that he giggled and ran east to the beach."
Tuvaak rummaged around his home while his son retold him about his encounter yesterday. He clutched onto a sharpening stone and a spear. He plopped down on his favorite chair and began to sharpen the tip of the spearhead.
"She's out there isn't she?" Tapak's voice trembled with fear.
"We don't know what it is," doubted Tuvaak. Tuvaak ordered his son, "Stay here, lock the door behind me. I'm going out to search for your friend."
Tapak nodded at his father. The middle-aged man clipped on shoulder armor. He wore his parka over some leather armor that he used for his hunting trips. He carried his spear clenched in his right hand and walked out the door. Tapak repeated the same routine and locked the door after his dad left.
The small group of men left the village as they headed eastward to the beach. All of them clad in a mix of leather armor and furs. They set up a perimeter and scouted the large expanse of the beach. It was about two ying li in length.
One of the four men, Birak, found small footprints imprinted in the black sand. The ocean waves washed away at the evidence. A clear direction of where the boy wandered off was now truly a mystery. Either he ran further down the beach or into the water. The trail ran cold at the shoreline. He further examined the footsteps when he got a whiff of something foul although it wasn't the brine of the beach air. It smelled of decay, he thought nothing of it.
Another of the four caught on, his face shrunk in disgust, "Ugh it smells nasty out here!"
Tuvaak wandered off a bit further from the other three and he too sniffed the stench in the air. He knew the smell too well, it smothered everything nearby. The day Atsak vanished, the beach and outskirts of the village stunk like dead fish. He whispered to himself, "Maybe Tapak was right." Tuvaak guessed, "Maybe it was the Sinaa Agnak, who took his friend." Although they'd need strong evidence that suggested the ghost was what caused the disappearance of Onartok.
He pondered on it for a while before he mentioned it to his companions, "What if.."
"What if what?" Birak faced the man after he looked over the shoulder of the warrior who examined the sand.
"You're going to call me crazy," the man hesitated.
"You've already got an insane look in your eye, Poaloq," frowned Birak.
Tuvaak returned from the distance he traversed alone.
Poaloq continued, "The Sinaa Agnak – we're near the water. If the boy's footsteps end here. And the guard from last night mentioned he ran to the east. Then what's stopping us from accepting the truth that she kidnapped him?"
"The Sinaa Agnak isn't real, it was just an old tale our parents used to tell us to avoid the water. Not everyone can swim," denied the other man still crouched down, he shook his head in disagreement.
Poaloq glimpsed over at the returning Tuvaak, "What do you accept as truth, Tuvaak?"
"I-I don't know..." uttered their leader.
Birak stared off toward the water then he cast his mind back and spoke briefly, "Wait – weren't you the one whose kid vanished out here too?"
Tuvaak lowered his head and sighed, "Aye that was five winters ago."
"Was there any evidence behind his disappearance?" inquired Birak.
"Search and rescue never found his body, I theorized that he was pulled into the water by a riptide. It's the closure I gave myself," revealed Tuvaak. "There's a cave five ying li south of here if you guys are willing to check it out," Tuvaak brought up.
Poaloq placed his hands on his hips, "I'm truly sorry about your loss, Tuvaak. I know you have the surviving twin at home." Poaloq added, "The only reason I'm bringing up the Sinaa Agnak is that I smelt the stench of dead fish. I don't see any animals nearby that could've left a carcass behind."
Tuvaak gazed at Poaloq for a moment as he had second thoughts about what he encountered. He made it known, "You're not alone."
The man behind Poaloq peeked from behind his right shoulder and nodded and disclosed, "Me too, but it could just be the brine of the seawater in front of us. Beaches smell salty." He extended his arms out to Tuvaak, "My name is Tormo, I came from a smaller remote village in the deeper north of Aagiak."
Tuvaak clutched onto his forearms, "Nice to meet you, welcome to Kalluk."
"Shall we?" Tormo suggested they move to the cave.
Tuvaak, Poaloq, and Birak all nodded in agreement. After some time, Tuvaak, Poaloq, Tormo, and Birak reached the sea cave. They entered with their weapons clenched tightly as they were mindful if anything called the cave it's home.
Tormo lit a torch from his pack, the cave was tiny and empty and didn't go so far in. There were puddles here and there. The cave likely filled with water at night because of high tide; the sand was dampened. Not a sound within other than their echoing voices, all four of them left the cave.
Concurrently, Tapak turned off the hearth fire, he set down his steaming bowl of sea prune stew. Still fully clothed he lifted the door's latch and exited his home. A sweet hum rang louder than ever in his head. A faint smell of rotten eggs permeated the air. Tapak headed out of his street as he went east toward the beach. Once again, he disobeyed his father's orders. Despite this fact, his will was not his own. He was hypnotized once again as he drew near the shoreline.
Giggles reverberated through the black sanded beach, a boy crashed into Tapak and startled him. The boy glanced back at Tapak and he noticed it was the boy who vanished yesterevening, Onartok.
He chased after his friend, he hoped he'd apprehend him in time. A thick mist settled on the foreshore of the beach. When Onartok came closer he faded within. Tapak ended his chase, and a sense of dread filled his being. The smell of decay returned more rancid than when at home. His mother's lullabies made him eager to venture into the fog, and the dense haze slowly spread.
At the same time, Tuvaak and the others came back to where they first began to comb through. They wanted to make sure they left no stone unturned. They inched closer when Tormo noticed a young man off in the distance. Opaque mist crawled on the sands near the water. He pointed out to the boy over yonder, and Tuvaak perceived the gait of the boy. It was his Tapak.
"Birak! You're the fastest runner out of us, my son is near that fog. You've got to stop him!" shouted Tuvaak. Tuvaak darted to the north. While Birak sped off behind him. He surpassed his elder and hastened over.
Tapak's vision was obscured by the light that emanated through the playful and malicious mist. That's when he saw her. He froze not in horror but in awe, he hadn't met his mother's gaze in years. Tears welled in his eyes, her loving aura radiated from her figure. Oddly enough her dark brown skin seemed clammy. Like if she went out for a swim, although her amauti appeared dry and not wet.
His aakaga dropped down on one knee and extended her arms out to her beloved son. She called out to him in a soft and sincere voice, "Tapak."
Tapak wiped tears from his eyes as he ran to his mother and finally reunited with her.
As Birak closed the gap between him and Tuvaak's son. He saw that she was a short, large, and paunchy fiend. This thing, this monster hobbled out of the thick haze. It had a hunchback with slimy green scaly skin. This was one of its most obvious attributes. From afar its outline seemed feminine. Although up close it was very much the opposite, it had long claws and oily, flat, and brittle hair. Birak eyed the beast with disgust, the most horrid thing he ever laid his eyes on.
The reunion was intercepted, spikes of ice blocked Tapak's path to his mother. He screamed and his mother gave an ungodly hiss from behind the spiked wall of ice. Tapak witnessed in horror as this stranger targeted his mother. He screamed and attempted to impede the assault.
A stranger split the wall into smaller icicles. She shrieked at the top of her lungs but Birak was determined to kill this thing.
Tuvaak dashed picked up his son and darted off to a safe distance.
The other two caught up, Tormo pulled out his club, while Poaloq raced toward the coastline to assist Birak.
Frustrated, Tapak slammed his fists on his father and bellowed, "How could you?!"
"Son! It's not your mother!" Tuvaak argued, and he shook his son, "It's the Sinaa Agnak! It's not your aakaga! I need you to see for yourself!"
As the icicles struck her and cut her skin, they caused damage to her disguise.
Tapak was horrified by the true manifestation of what he thought was his mother. He viewed from where he and Tuvaak stood, the three men battled some vile fiend. This evil spirit was responsible not only for the abduction of his twin brother and most recently his friend, Onartok.
Birak shoved a wave of water at the monstrosity and knocked it onshore. While Birak pulled some water and directed it to his new friend Poaloq. The monster used its claws and swiped at Birak. His armor protected him from its sharp claws. Poaloq wrapped the torrent of water around himself and fired it at the monster. The force knocked the fiend onto its back. Tormo saw an opening and swiped his club at the Sinaa Agnak, from an angle and smacked the demon's jaw.
The spirit yowled in pain, it dispersed into a cloud of mist. It molded itself behind Tormo. The monster's claws slammed him onto the ground. Its ear-splitting shriek horrified Birak and Poaloq. The men ran off and left Tormo to die, Tuvaak stared at his spear, it was lodged into the snow. He raced toward the spear and grabbed it. He then hurried over to Tormo and the fiend. As she took another swipe for the killing blow on her next victim. Tuvaak chucked his spear at her. She fell dead and her body slid down the spear's length. The fiend that tormented Tapak for months was being slain by the brave men. Once slain they ended its reign of terror on Kalluk.
Tapak watched as the men killed the spirit known as the Sinaa Agnak. Tuvaak reached his hand out to Tormo. Tormo held onto Tuvaak's hand and lifted himself to his feet. Birak and Poaloq poked their heads out from behind a wall of snow. When the four men gathered around the corpse of Sinaa Agnak. They watched as she suddenly fell apart and became a huge pile of seaweed.
To which Tormo lit his torch again and tossed it onto the pile. When the coast was clear Tapak returned to where the men stood. Tapak laid his eyes on it as it burned.
While all of them were preoccupied, something coughed behind them. They all screamed and turned; a small boy weakly pulled himself out of the water. Poaloq used his bending and removed the dampness from the boy's attire and any excess water from his mouth and nose.
Tapak exclaimed at the sight of his friend, "Onartok!"
While the Sinaa Agnak took the boy underneath the tides she hadn't devoured him whole yet. Whatever enchantment was broken after she was slain returned Onartok to the surface.
Tormo and Birak held onto the boy and carried him back home. The sunset came and the other parties returned empty-handed from their mission. Tapak and Tuvaak went back to their hut after Tormo and Birak rushed the boy to a healer's den in town. Poaloq retrieved the village elder to report the slaying of the monster and rescue the missing boy.
Meanwhile, the village gathered once more in front of the elder where he announced, "The boy has been found by four brave men. And they slew the evil spirit known as the Sinaa Agnak, she's been targeting our children. But we can now say they're safe! We have one of our local hunters Tuvaak, Birak the Younger, a scribe named Poaloq, and a newcomer named Tormo to thank!"
The crowd cheered for the four men and some of them screamed in horror that the Sinaa Agnak was a true story. At the same time, Tapak reheated the stew on the fire pit, while his father looked fixedly at the paintings of his wife and son Atsak. He admired his late family with a smile on his face.
"How's Onartok doing, Dad?" Tapak pondered.
"He's doing well, thank Akna," beamed Tuvaak.
