It was early Spring when Pathos decided to go fishing, out on the sea surrounding the island of Rhodes. Deploying his nets into the the crystal clear water, Pathos lay back in his chair and dozed in the mid-morning sun. Hours passed and the sun swept across the sky as Pathos continued to sleep. It was mid-afternoon by the time he awoke, sweat dripping from his brow. He took a gulp of water from his canteen and ate some of the bread he had brought with him. Deciding it was time to recover his nets, Pathos began pulling them in. They were far heavier than normal, which made Pathos very exited. Today’s catch must be bountiful as it wasn’t even the right time of year for the larger fish to be in the area. As the net came up, he saw many fish of varying colors, however there in the center of the net was a huge tentacle. It was roughly 6 feet long and the width of Pathos’ shoulders, covered in barnacles and blood.
Suddenly the boat began to rock from side to side, and the tentacle began to move violently. Pathos was struck with horror and recoiled back, casting the net back into the sea. Whatever that tentacle had came from was obviously not friendly and was trying to sink the ship. Securing all the lose items on deck, Pathos attempted to make for port at Lindos. He could see the temple on the hill in the distance, and so aimed to reach it before the sea monster could sink the boat. He was too late though. With a mighty crash, a pillar – like tentacle smashed through the hull of Pathos’ trawler sending him flying overboard. Smashing into the ocean, Pathos was knocked unconscious by a piece of debris and was left floating in the ocean.
Pathos awakened in a bed at the doctors house with his head wrapped in a thick bandage. The doctor told him that a child had found him face down on the beach outside Lindos cove. They were amazed to find he was alive. Pathos told the doctor everything about the sea monster. He recounted all the events leading up to the attack whilst the doctor stood there with mixed look of horror and confusion on his face. After Pathos had told the tale, he waited for the doctor’s response, and what he got was not what he expected. The doctor smirked and called him crazy. “You must have crashed on the rocks,” he said. After that the doctor left, locking the door behind him. “They must think i’m crazy,” thought Pathos.
Doctor went up to the temple to talk to one of the priests about what had just happened. They stood together, staring out over the sea laughing about the crazy old man. Suddenly there was the cracking of timber and the shrieks of men coming from the ocean. The doctor and the priest scrambled to the edge of the cliff and looked on at the terrible events occurring below. One of the navy ships was smashed to pieces in the water, surrounded by bodies of dead or dying men. A pair of tentacles suddenly shot up from the depths, grabbing two sailors and yanking them down below the depths. Maybe the old man wasn’t so crazy after all…
ArchieHall Journalism 