The Kraken

The growl of thunder awakens you from your slumber, and you sit up from your cozy bed. Winds batter the walls of your seaside hut, and a flash of lightning briefly illuminates the room through the small window.

Never one to fear a storm, you rise from your bed and slip on your sturdy boots and long coat. You stride out into the night.

The weather has been sultry lately, and the cool breeze that now flows from the wine-dark sea feels good against your face, a relief from days under the tropical sun. The rain has yet to fall, but you can smell it on the air. Lightning flashes again, and you count the seconds until the thunder.

The storm is close now.

You scan the beach before you. Your hut is on a hill above the bay which curves gently before ending in a tall cliff of black stone. Your eye is drawn to this cliff. Against the swirling black clouds flickers a strange glow. There are no homes, no buildings there, and the weird purple light does not appear to be that of fire nor any heavenly body you've ever observed before. Curious, you pull your collar up around your face and begin the walk up the winding path to the cliff's summit.  

A strange energy crackles against your skin.

The wind grows louder, moaning now, its cold fingers trying to pry your coat from your body. You quicken your pace, determined to discover the source of the odd light. Finally you reach the summit and stare down into a restless sea. Black clouds churn above as waves pound the rocky cliffs beneath you. The water is black and bubbling. You've never seen the oceans like this, and though common sense and caution shout at you to flee to the safety of your home, you can't help but watch.

A long, suckered arm breaks the surface, as broad as the trunk of a tree and as long as a ship's mast. You stagger back a step, gaping as tentacle after tentacle bursts free of the water, waving and writhing. A being rises, water sliding from its slippery skin. A massive eye blinks at you from the depths. Heart in your throat, you blink at this ancient being. The wind dies around you as if nature itself holds this monster in deference. You hug yourself to keep from trembling, and feel something in your coat's breast pocket. It's a single candle and a small box of matches. The gargantuan creature's eyes follow your movement as you withdraw these from your coat and hold them aloft. The tip of its nearest tentacle curls and uncurls.

Seeing that you've provoked its curiosity, you strike a match on the side of the box. The flame hisses to life, sputtering for a moment before meeting with the wick of the candle. A faint light glows. The Kraken reaches out and takes the candle from your hand. It brings it right up to its giant eye, seemingly transfixed by the flickering flame. You hold your breath. Then another tentacle arises and lays a small object at your feet. It's a shell filled with a dozen glinting pearls of many different colors, black, white, and even rosy pink. You hesitate before picking it up. You hold it out, looking for reassurance that this is, indeed for you. The creature does not respond but slips silently under the waves, taking the candle with it.   

The sea calms, and the wind dies. The strange light is gone, but now the clouds part revealing a ripe, full moon that shines silver upon the sea. You draw in a long breath of bracing sea air and return home. This is a night you will never forget.