R.A. Andrade's Blog, page 5

Moonlight

If one ever needed to run through the woods at night to rescue a fair maiden, doing so with a clear sky and full moon would be the right choice. (If unclear about the “fair maiden” definition, there is an earlier post on that topic.) The light of a full moon can be amazing…although the sun is about 450,000 times brighter than a full moon; a full-moonlit night is 10 times brighter than that of a half-moon. Interestingly, in spite of appearing so white when we look up at it, the moon reflects only about 11 % of the sunlight reaching its surface because the surface is dark, pulverized dust.

Moonlight Walk by Sophia Schmierer

Standing outside during a full moon can be both enrapturing and eerie at the same time. A bright moonlit night presents a world of grays and dark shadows. Although moonlit nights can be exceedingly bright by average nighttime lighting conditions, they aren’t bright enough to stimulate cone cells in the eyes of most people. The retina’s cone cells give detail and color vision. Rod cells come into play for dim conditions. They are very sensitive to light but lack the ability to see color and detail. If we imagine returning to the “running in the woods to rescue a fair maiden” scenario, the ability to see by the light of a full moon will help avoiding running into large trees, but the ability to discern the difference between a German Shepard and Big Foot or the Dogman of Michigan will be impaired.

Moonlight Folklore

Those that are werewolves transform into that form on a full moon—This has become a belief as a result of movies and fiction writers that depict those creatures that way. There is no scientific evidence to indicate that the transformation to werewolf only occurs on a full moon.

People are more likely to go crazy on a full moon—The word “crazy” is a cruel, demeaning term…“aberrant behavior” is the better descriptive choice. An example of aberrant behavior: Charles Hyde of London committed a series of crimes at the time of a full moon. That case inspired author, Robert Louis Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
Crabbing, shrimping, and clamming are best when the moon is full—Less likely to fall into the water when you can see.
Dig your horseradish in the full moon for the best flavor—And I thought it came in a bottle.
The fifth day after a full moon is the perfect time to try to conceive a child—No comment.
Divination, scrying, seeing, prophesying, etc. is best done on the night of a full moon.

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Free Book Giveaway

Anyone guessing the theme of the posts on this site wins a free print copy of either “The Field Trip” or “Darkness.” Winner’s choice of which book.

Just enter your guess on the Contact Form on last tab of this website. To assist with this challenge, these are the topics of all posts relating to this mysterious theme:

Long Trail in Vermont
Eastern Screech Owl
New England Proverbs
People Attracting Animals
Helicopters
Michigan Dogman
White Birch Trees
Dogs Playing Poker Art
Porcupines
Acid Rain
Imagining Life on Other Worlds When Looking Up at the Stars
Amazon Women
The Planet Jupiter
Handheld GPS Devices
Maple Syrup
Woolly Mammoths
Fair Maidens
Hot Chocolate
Crossing a River
Meteors
Green Mountain Boys
Monarch Butterfly

So that’s the list of all my posts relating to a common theme. What do those topics have in common? Give it a shot for fun and win a book.

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Green Mountain Boys and Their Flag

       General John Stark

This update for the post on the Green Mountain Boys is due to information provided by Stephen Perkins, Executive Director of the Vermont Historical Society. I appreciate his taking the time to send me a note on the subject. The flag typically associated with the Green Mountain Boys actually belonged to General John Stark of the New Hampshire militia. Stark created that flag from a captured box of generic flags, painting the stars on the blue field. Stark used the flag at the battle of Bennington leading his militia. Estimates of 250 to 350 Green Mountain Boys led by Seth Warner, reinforced Stark’s position when his militia faltered.

Stark’s flag was incorrectly linked to the Green Mountain Boys in the 20th century and has even been adopted by the Vermont National Guard who are known as the Green Mountain Boys.

The historic Green Mountain Boys did not have a flag. What remains of General John Stark’s flag resides at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont.

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Breaking News – Monarch Butterfly Extinction

I may be in the minority, but I had no idea that the Monarch Butterfly population has been in decline and a petition submitted to list this iconic butterfly on the endangered species list. I knew about the honeybee dwindling numbers, but not the Monarch. The Washington Post considered the topic newsworthy enough to publish a report on August 20th.  These beautiful orange and black butterfly numbers have fallen at estimates of 80 to 90 percent, although some population recover occurred in 2016 and forecasts are conflicted for 2017. One source indicated that February numbers down by nearly a third, yet independent local observations this summer suggest an increase.

Reason for the Decline?

Milkweed—Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants and that plant has been unintentionally decimated by increased use of herbicides by farmers. Genetically engineered crops which are resistant to herbicides enable more usages of those chemicals thereby destroying milkweed in fields frequented by Monarchs.

Why Should You Care?

Pollination and Food Chain—Monarch butterflies are major pollinator of plants just like bees, which are important to humans. Without these insects, reproduction of many plant species will decrease dramatically, thereby affecting both animals and humans. Monarchs are also an important source of food to other animals. Nearly two-thirds of all invertebrate animals can be connected to the butterfly on the food chain. Possible loss of Monarchs in conjunction with bees presents an ominous future for parts of our food supply.

        Hurry Up Please It’s Time Website

Monarch populations are found in North America, northern South America, Bermuda, Cook Islands, Hawaii, Cuba, other Caribbean Islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Australia, the Azores, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Philippines and North Africa. They sometimes appear in the U.K..

Addition information on the Monarch Butterfly available at Monarch-Butterfly website.

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A Little Piece of American History – Green Mountain Boys

A Piece of Early American History

About ten years prior to the American Revolution, an area which is now Vermont, was part of larger region, called the New Hampshire Grants. The British crown had given legal control of that land to New York, refusing to recognize New Hampshire titles for property. Many settlers in the sparsely populated frontier, including Ethan Allen, did not want to lose their land. After discussions at the Catamount Tavern in Bennington, men from what is today southeastern Vermont formed a militia of several hundred members, calling themselves the Green Mountain Boys. Led by Ethan Allen and based at the tavern, The Green Mountain Boys effectively controlled the New Hampshire Grants area by the 1770’s, preventing the “Yorkers” from exercising authority. New York officials and settlers with New York issued grants, were frequently beaten and driven away.

 

A story is told of Sam Adams, also a landowner in the New Hampshire Grant, who sided with the New Yorkers, being tried by the Green Mountain Boys at the Catamount Tavern. Judged guilty, they punished him by forcing him to sit in a chair tied to the tavern’s sign for hours.

 

A mob of protesters took over a Westminster (Vermont), courthouse to attempt foreclosure on their land. Records are unclear as to what happened there, but when a sheriff and his men tried chasing them away, a fight ensued and two of the protesters were killed. This incident became known as the Westminster Massacre. The next day, the Green Mountain Boys took back the courthouse, placing the sheriff in jail.

 

Fate of the Green Mountain Boys

       Ethan Allen Captures Fort Ticonderoga

When the American Revolution began in 1775, the Green Mountain Boys, still led by Ethan Allen, joined American forces to capture British military posts, Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort George in New York. They disbanded more than a year before Vermont avowed independent from Great Britain in 1777. The Vermont Republic operated for 14 years before joining the United States in 1791.

The Green Mountain Boys assembled again during the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, Vietnam War, Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War. The Green Mountain Boys now is the informal title of the Vermont Nation Guard, including both Army and Air National Guards.

More Information about the Green Mountain Boys available at the Vermont Historical Society.

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Are Meteors Cool?

This post references the treat one occasionally gets when looking at the night sky and a meteor flashes through the background of stars. Some people call it a “shooting star.”

Where do they come from and what are they? Most are a small piece rock from an asteroid. Asteroids orbit the sun, many in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Most meteors are very small and burn up in the atmosphere, which produces the familiar flash of light. Larger meteors can reach the ground, but rarely large enough to create any noticeable damage.

Meteor Video

 

Interesting Facts

An estimated 18,000 to 84,000 meteors that are larger than 10 grams (roughly half an ounce for those still in that system) hit the Earth’s surface each day
About 50 tons a day are added to the Earth’s mass from meteors striking the ground and oceans.
8% of meteors originate as pieces of asteroids.
The remaining 2% of meteors blasted from the surfaces of either the Earth’s moon or Mars.

Terminology (I tend to call everything a meteor)

Meteor—small piece of an asteroid that enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

Meteorite—meteor that reaches the Earth’s surface—it lands.

Asteroid—rocky body orbiting the sun, many of which are in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Although a meteor is described as a small, rocky piece of an asteroid, the craters formed by large objects striking the Earth throughout history frequently are called “meteor craters.” They were certainly large enough objects to be asteroids, but I will classify them meteors anyway for the next section of this post.

Five Largest Meteor Impacts on Earth

5) The Tunguska Explosion, Siberia, Russia—We only know that something big exploded near Russia’s Tunguska River in June, 1908 that flattened over 800 square miles of forest. Instruments as far away as Great Britain detected the event. No fragments of meteorite have ever been found leading some to believe that the object was a comet. And then there are those that contend that an alien spacecraft exploded there.

4) Manicouagan Crater, Canada—Manicouagan Reservoir, known as the “Eye of Quebec,” formed 212 million years ago when a 3 mile wide asteroid hit the Earth. The passing of glaciers and erosion wore away 62-mile diameter crater but what remains is very noticeable. A circular lake rings the dry center area, appearing as if a giant mote surrounds the impact area.

3) Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada—The 1.85 billion year old crater is home to over 160,000 people near Sudbury, Ontario. It is 40 miles long, 16 miles wide, and 9 miles deep. A number of mining companies discovered over a century ago that the bottom is rich in nickel from the asteroid. It provides about 10% of the world’s nickel.

2) Chicxulub Crater, Mexico—One of the largest meteor strikes in Earth’s history, the asteroid the size of a small city smashed into the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico near today’s village of Chicxulub. The force of the 65 million year old event equates to about one billion kilotons, compared to the Hiroshima bomb of 20 kilotons for reference. Leaving a 105-mile wide impact crater at that time, it created tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions around the world. It altered Earth’s climate, eliminating 75% of the planet’s animals, including the dinosaurs. A true extinction event that likely paved the way for human evolution.

1) Vredefort Dome, South Africa—Current record holder for largest impact crater on Earth, the six-mile-diameter asteroid hit South Africa over two billion years ago. The crater is 186 mile wide, mostly eroded, but still impressive when viewed from space. At a time prior to multi-celled life on the planet, no eyes witnessed this disaster early in the Earth’s history. We can hope that record is never broken.

The Next One?

 

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River Crossing For An Apocalypse

Most people would think knowing how to cross a river or wide stream in the woods is not of much usefulness in life unless you’re an avid backpacker. Before skipping this post, consider the following:

 

The Scenario

You’re on a walk on a nature, woods, or forest trail with another individual for companionship. Let’s say one of you is a guy and the other a woman (it allows me to write” he and she” rather than “she and she” or “he and he” which could be confusing.) You don’t know this walking companion very well (the “she” because I’m a guy and it’s easier for me to remember that way but the reader can reverse roles if you choose). You only recently met her in town at a store and accidentally come across her on the trail. You decide to tag along because you read traveling in twos is a good idea, although she may not be very enamored with the same concept. Approaching a river, you astutely notice the trail turns to the right, along the bank. She stops at the river’s edge and announces, “I’m going to cross here.” Looking at the river, maybe three car-lengths across, you see the rapid flowing water carrying branches and sticks. It looks deep at the center and is strewn with boulders and rocks under the surface. Studying your trail map, you explain to her that the trail crosses the river a half-mile downstream on a nice, safe footbridge. She tells you that a zombie apocalypse just broke out behind us and she wants to hurry across the river there. (Zombie Apocalypse can be replaced with many other possible urgent emergencies if the reader wishes). Against reason, you decide to follow her. (As it turns out I didn’t need to use the word “he”). The reader can certainly appreciate that the need to cross a river may be more likely than initially thought.

The Better Choice

 

How To Cross A River

Listed below are tips from hiking organizations on how to safely cross a river. Just so you are completely informed, some experts term this “fording a river.” I’ve added comments relative to the application of those tips for the common scenario outlined above.

Choose Your Crossing—Scout for the shallowest water that doesn’t go above knee level, look downstream for hazards, look at both banks, look for downstream hazards like waterfalls or rapids, see if there are floating hazards like branches and logs—For our scenario this step can be skipped. She wants to cross there regardless of hazards. Your choice is either to follow her or violate the travel in twos guideline. Choose follow her.
Get Gear Ready—Protect essential gear by putting important items in waterproof bags and place them in your backpack. Loosen your pack so you can get out of it if you fall.—No problem here. No waterproof bags available.
Bare Legs—Long pants increase drag in the water. Roll them up, wear nylon shorts, or cross in your underwear.—We happen to be wearing shorts so that’s good. She might get wrong impression if I asked her to remove her clothes.
Footwear–Keep your shoes on or wear sport sandals, water shoes or camp shoes.—I don’t usually carry sport sandals for river crossings unless I had a previous warning about a forthcoming apocalypse.
Bear Rope—Attach your bear rope to your pack.—Really? What is a bear rope?
Floatation Device—Wear a floatation device if deeper than knee level.—Really? I don’t usually carry those things around with me.—Really?
Face Upstream—Makes it easier to confront moving water and keep your balance.—Cool, I can do that.
Two Points of Contact—Shuffle both feet along the river bottom and use a trekking pole or hiking staff, or make one from a branch.—Good idea but don’t have time to find a stick since she’s already stepping into the river.
Prepare to Fall—If you fall get out of your pack as soon as possible but do not risk drowning to save it.—I am prepared to fall…check.
Don’t be Afraid to Turn Back—Crossings can deepen in the center of the river. If you can’t find a shallower path, turn back.—Are you kidding? And face a horde of flesh eating zombies.

This is a public service post but one in keeping with my theme for posts.

If you do plan a backpacking excursion, these are a few sites offering good information on river crossings:

TRAILSPACE

APPALACIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY

SECTION HIKER

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The Truth About Hot Chocolate

For many people around the world, and especially children, hot chocolate is a drink particularly suited to chilly nights or after a day in the cold. The first chocolate beverage is commonly attributed to the Mayans who ground cocoa seeds into a paste. They mixed the paste with water or wine, chili peppers, and spices, then drank it cold. Conquistadors brought cacao home to Spain where the drinks evolved to include sugar, cinnamon, and other spices. Cocoa spread to France, and eventually they brought it to England. The Dutch introduced a chocolate drink to North America in the seventeenth century.

Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa

There is the difference between Hot Chocolate and Hot Cocoa. Hot chocolate is made from bar chocolate, containing cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter, whereas hot cocoa is made from powder with the cocoa butter stripped from the ground beans. Hot cocoa is lower in fat.

Health Effects of Drinking Hot Chocolate (or Cocoa)

Twice the antioxidants contained in  wine and more than tea – reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
A natural antidepressant or mood enhancer.
Calcium and vitamins if made with milk.
There is no substantiating evidence for it being an aphrodisiac as some have claimed.
Hot chocolate is a high calorie drink because of its sugar and cocoa butter. Hot Cocoa is a better choice for lowering calories and fat, but read the label for specifics on any brand.

Best Tasting Hot Chocolates

Flavor preferences are personal, but trying to provide some guide for selecting a hot chocolate or cocoa that might delight your taste buds, I researched a multitude of “Hot Chocolate” taste tests. Below are the brands repeatedly rating high in multiple evaluations by different organizations in the past few years.

Land O Lakes – Cocoa Classic Chocolate Supreme
Swiss Miss – Dark Chocolate Sensation
Godiva – Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Starbucks – Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Mix
Ghirardelli – Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix

I plan on trying some of these on upcoming chilly end-of-summer nights.

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What is a “Fair Maiden” Anyway?

A question on most people’s mind this week is, “What is a Fair Maiden anyway?” A reference used in literature, movies, songs (at least one song) and in conversation, I thought it crucial that clarity be given about the topic.

Dictionary Definitions

Unmarried girl who is very pleasing to the eye. Nowadays mostly used in a humorous context.
A good loving woman. very hot, very loyal. looks out for you when you least expect it.
This simply means a beautiful young single lady with good characteristic and qualities.
A maiden is an old-fashioned term a girl or an unmarried young woman. If you see the words “Fair maiden!’ you’re probably reading a fairy tale.

Those are the definitions I could dig up, but I don’t believe they flesh out the true meaning of Fair Maiden.

Images

These are examples of images that approach the Fair Maiden representation but not quite. The image on the left is about the knight, not the women. She is just the supporting cast. The image on the right centers on a woman, and at least shows bruising from some unseen involvement in danger.

True “Fair Maiden” Defined

The header image for this post and the images here are originals contracted to artist Delilah to truly represent a Fair Maiden.

Fair Maidens by Delilah
Fair Maiden by Delilah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Fair Maiden is defined by the following characteristics:

Clothed in a beautiful, mid-evil gown, preferably with a cone shaped hat sporting a white veil at its tip that flows gently in the prevailing breeze.
Long, flowing hair, either natural or wig affixed to the cone shaped hat by means of hairpins or staples.
Immediately available for marriage, or could be so in the next hour if current spouse facing imminent doom.
Exceptional ability to scream discreetly as a lady should.
Facing impending danger, preferably provided by a dragon able to breathe fire. If a dragon is not available, danger provided by evil knights, demons, steam locomotives, or nasty throne-seeking princes would suffice.
Besides the occasion aforementioned scream, expertise in stiffed gasps with one hand placed gracefully on her lips. All other vocalizations are refrained upon, but ability for broad, teasing smiles is paramount.
Remarkable intelligence and courage, true level never to be revealed to others.
Walks with short, smooth strides, never to exceed 0.2 mph.

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A Myth

This post deviates from the theme of this blog. It is a short story inspired by time spent on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Manistee area.

A Myth

by

R. A. Andrade

© 2017

 

Amanda lazed in the bottom of the sixteen-foot open rental boat as the warmth of the sun washed over her skin. Feeling completely relaxed for the first time in weeks as the small waves on Lake Michigan gently rocked the boat side to side, she opened her eyes. Looking thoughtfully up at the clear blue sky, she said, “I needed this. It feels so good just to let go.” She picked up the open book lying across her chest and began to read.

Mark dropped his fishing line into the water, scanned the nearby shoreline of sandy Michigan beach, and then twisted to look at Amanda. “It’s such a beautiful lake. Shouldn’t you be enjoying it rather than having your face buried in book.” He cocked his head, examining the front cover. “Folklore of The Great Lakes Native American Tribes,” he read aloud, and then added, “Why do you insist on reading trash like that?”

Her eyes remaining focused on the page, Amanda responded, “And why do you insist on fishing when you never catch anything?”

Turning back to the water, his hands slipped on the pole. He watched in disbelief as his fishing pole and reel sank out of sight into the depths of Lake Michigan.

Hearing the splash, Amanda peeked above the top of the book, grinned, and then teased, “Trying a new technique?”

Ignoring her taunt, he asked, “Would you hand me the pole with the open reel, please?”

Laying her book on the bottom, Amanda stretched for the fishing pole, and then passed it to Mark.

After readying it with his favorite lure, he free-wheeled the reel and then flicked the line out into the lake.

“One of the stories in here tells of outsiders being cursed when they disparage the tribe’s beliefs,” she said and giggled.

Before Mark could react, the end of the pole yanked with such a force, he nearly lost a grip on the butt. Frantically, he pulled up on the pole to hook what he imagined to be a twenty-pound salmon. The resistance abruptly disappeared as he began to reel it in. A severed nylon line cleared the water. “Took my rig,” he called out and then explained, “Must have been huge to break the line like that.”

Smiling, Amanda joked, “I figure you caught the bottom of the boat or it was a sea monster?”

Still miffed about losing a good catch, Mark complained, “There’s no legend about a sea monster on Lake Michigan and I don’t know why you waste so much time reading about that kind of stuff anyway.”

 

Amanda sat up, hugged her knees and watched him attach a new rig to his line. “You know there is a little known legend about a creature called Mishi on the lakes.”

Mark dropped his line into the water, inserted the fishing rod in the holder on the side of the boat, and then turned back to Amanda. “I’ve been fishing on this lake since I was a kid and never heard about that one. You just trying to get a rise out of me?”

Amanda moved to the bench, and then explained, “It’s called the Mishipeshu by the Ojibwe. Some say it’s the real cause of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking on Lake Superior in 1975.”

His mouth opened to challenge her intelligence, but the words froze when a hiss, a loud cracking sound, and then a splashing noise came from behind. Spinning around, he saw that his pole, the holder and its attaching screws were gone.

Looking at the damaged side of the boat, appearing as if the screws were ripped out, Amanda asked, “Did you hear that sound?”

“My fishing pole! Son of a bitch. I should have checked to make sure the holder was OK.”

Staring at the damage, Amanda repeated, “Did you hear that sound?”

“Just the wind,” Mark answered, and then added, “Would you pass up your rod?”

“Why, isn’t two in the lake enough?” she answered, not a trace of humor on her face. “That sound. That’s exactly the description of the noise a Mishi makes. Like rushing water or …”

“My God Amanda. Stop it. It was just an accident. The screws were probably loose. Don’t start on your wild stories.” Upset, Mark moved to the stern and put his hand on the outboard. “I’m going to move to another spot. Maybe the big one that broke the line went to deeper water.”

Amanda’s eyes widened, seeing a row of dagger-like spikes surface in the lake a distance beyond Mark who was bent over fussing with the motor. Her arm shot out, she waved her finger, and then called, “Did you see that? Did you see that?”

 

The shiny black Mercury rumbled to life as Mark rolled his eyes. He twisted the throttle to a wide-open position, quickly bringing their small craft to its maximum speed of 20 knots.

Gripping the edge of the bench tightly, Amanda’s mind unearthed all she had learned about the mythical creature known as Mishi. Speeding out to deeper water, the boat jerked to the side as if something hit the hull. She looked at Mark but he seemed impervious to the movement. Wondering if it was her imagination, Amanda peered into the clear Lake Michigan water off the port side of the boat. Within minutes, a large dark shape flashed by just underneath the surface. She thought she could make out scales covering the body. “Mark!” she screamed. “Head back to shore. Now.”

Mark twisted the throttle, slowing their boat. “What’s wrong now?” he shouted to her.

“I … I … saw it,” she stuttered.

He brought the craft to a stop, turned off the engine, and then moved to the bench nearest her. Seeing her face contorted into fear, he put a hand on her shoulder and softly asked, “Saw what?”

Struggling for the proper words to describe what she imagined she witnessed, the one that finally emerged was, “Mishi.”

Withdrawing his hand from her shoulder, Mark laughed. “You think I’m going to fall for your act. You had me going for a while.” He shook his head and then said, “Pass me the pole.”

Anger overpowered Amanda’s fear as she grabbed the fishing pole. Glaring into Mark’s eyes, she shoved the pole into his hands. She felt the bow rise underneath her as a deafening splashing noise assaulted her ears from behind Mark. Tilting her head to look around him, she thought something was different about the rear of their boat.

Mark twisted to follow her gaze. “What the hell,” he shouted, shocked by the sight registering in his brain. “The motor.”

Connecting his utterance with the notion of a detail out of place, Amanda then comprehended the outboard was no longer there, replaced instead by a jagged open notch in the transom. “I told you, I told you,” she cried. “Mishi is here.”

“I don’t have time for your silliness right now,” he responded. “The engine is gone. Damn rentals. We’re going to have to call the Coast Guard station in Manistee for a tow. Look at this piece of junk, it just broke off. Do you have a signal on your phone?”

Amanda’s face flush with emotion, she swung her legs over the seat, scrambling to the bow to get her bag.

An earsplitting hiss, like the sound of a violent storm, caused both to lift their heads to the lake.

Mark watched in a haze of the surreal as an enormous scale-covered head rose from the water at the bow. Two green, cat-like eyes the size of a garbage can lids glowed at them. A pair of copper horns towered above the head.

Its jaws opened, water and slime pouring from gaps between saber-like teeth.

Mark blinked. His body trembled.

Amanda stared into its mouth and saw the black object within. Turning away, she opened the box the rental told them was for repairs.

Ooze dripping from the beast’s mouth coated Mark’s body as its head hovered above him, the demonic eyes clear on the intent.

Amanda withdrew an electronic device from the box.

Mark awaited his death.

Amanda pressed the red button.

Gurgling mingled with buzzing sounds escaped from the throat of Mishi. Moments later, blood gushed from the jaws of the great head, covering Mark in a sticky goo of red.

The monster fell back into the lake, sinking below the waves.

Mouth open in bewilderment and shock, Mark stared at Amanda.

“The outboard. A remote starter. Guess you were right about Mishi not existing.” Amanda laughed.

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