Can You Catch the Kraken?

by Brandon Terrell

  “Most likely,” you reply. “But cryptozoologists are always ready to believe.”

  “Then start believing, friend!” Stavros points across the starboard bow.

  Giant oarfish can grow more than 50 feet (15 meters) long. It’s easy to see how sailors might have mistaken them for sea serpents. A short distance away, a large shadow slithers near the surface of the water. You quickly snap a few photos.

  “Should we pursue it?” Stavros asks. “I fear we would scare it away.”

  It’s a good question. You want to get great shots of the creature. But at what risk?

  To follow the shape, press here.

  To stay where you are, press here.

  You want to get closer to the shadow. You’re so excited that you bellow out, “Follow away, captain!”

  Stavros turns the boat toward the shape and speeds up while you ready your camera. You get a few photos, but then the shape is swallowed by the sea.

  “It’s gone!” you shout.

  “As I feared,” Stavros says, and joins you on the deck. Together you search for the shape.

  You spend most of the day looking for the shadowy shape but have no luck. As the sun is about to set, Stavros asks, “Well friend, the time grows late. Should we stay out here? Or head back to land?”

  To stay past nightfall, press here.

  To head back to shore, press here.

  It’s a hard decision. The later you stay out, the harder it will be to see anything in the water. But you’re not ready to give up yet.

  “Let’s stay out a while longer,” you decide.

  You stand alongside your camera, ready to get any images you can. You wait a long time, but there is nothing. The wind starts to blow stronger, and there is a chill in the air. The water begins to grow choppy again. Stavros has a small spotlight on the boat. He turns it on and scans the water with it.

  Small fishing boat pilots need a lot of skill to navigate on rough waters. “There!” he shouts. His keen eye has found a shape in the water.

  You see the shadowy shape, but just barely. Stavros tracks it with his spotlight, and you snap some images. The creature breaches the surface, and you can see the spiny ridge of its back. It appears to be a massive oarfish. Or could it be the legendary sea creature you’ve been searching for?

  You bring the camera to your eye. It’s hard to see the beast in the view screen.

  “I need a better view,” you say to yourself.

  The boat has a small area above the helm with a rail. A small ladder leads up to it.

  To climb the ladder for a better view, press here.

  To stay on the main deck, press here.

  You consider the blustery wind and choppy waves. With night coming on fast, the darkness could put you in danger. “Perhaps it’s best if we call it a day,” you suggest.

  “As you wish,” Stavros says. He begins to turn the small boat around.

  That’s when you see the shape in the water. It glides along the port side of the boat and swims off into the distance.

  “Wait a second!” You point at the shape. “I’d like to get some video footage of it!” You grab your camera.

  “Should I follow it?” Stavros asks.

  To follow the shape, press here.

  To set up your video camera, press here.

  You consider the options, then nod your head. “Let’s follow it,” you say, clutching your camera.

  Waves crash against the side of the boat as the waters grow even rougher. Stavros does his best to turn the boat in the direction of the shape. Meanwhile, you angle the spotlight to get a view of the creature.

  It’s still there, swimming to port. You hit “record” on the camera and hope the footage isn’t too blurry or grainy.

  “Heads up!” Stavros cries out, and a spray of water spills over the deck, dousing you.

  KRNNCH!

  Suddenly, there is a sickening crunch, and the boat lurches to one side. Then you notice the rocks that Stavros has accidentally steered the boat into. Your recording is forgotten as you drop the camera to hang on to the railing.

  You hear a bubbling sound from the small cargo hold beneath you. When you check it, you spot a hole in the hull. Sea water is gushing in.

  “We’re taking on water!” you call out.

  “Then we’re headed for shore!” Stavros does his best to control the boat. “Sorry your mission is at an end, friend. But our lives are more important.”

  You scoop up the camera and check the footage. Unfortunately, it’s blurry and doesn’t show much. It’s a disappointment, but there are more important things to consider right now. Mainly, making it to shore before the boat sinks!

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  The waves are growing in size, and steering away now could be dangerous. You shake your head. “Don’t follow it,” you say. “I’ll set up my camera here. Maybe we can get some solid video of it.”

  “Sounds good to me!” Stavros calls down.

  Water crashes over the side of the deck, dousing your boots. You stagger to the railing, where you’ve set up your tripod. You latch the camera onto it and hit “record.”

  The tripod wobbles, but you’ve secured it to the deck as best you can. With the camera set, you do your best to find the shape with the spotlight. Unfortunately, the shape in the water appears to have vanished.

  Maybe following it would have been the better option? you think. But then something crests in the whitecaps beyond the spotlight.

  “Is that your sea serpent?” Stavros calls out.

  It’s hard to tell from this distance. But capturing any footage of the large creature will be enough to entice the cryptid community. When you check the camera later, there is a brief moment when the creature is caught in the light. Is it enough to prove the existence of the legendary sea serpent? You hope so!

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  You decide to go to the upper deck. You hope to get better video of the creature up there. You detach the camera from the tripod and hang the strap around your neck. Then you climb the small ladder that leads to the upper area of the boat.

  “Be careful up there!” Stavros calls out from below you. The sea has grown rough, and waves are crashing against the boat’s side.

  The risk is worth it, though. The upper deck provides a much better view. You should be able to get a clear shot of the creature from up here.

  Click! Ca-click!

  You eagerly take photos as the dark shape swims around the front of the boat. But just as the creature draws close, a large wave strikes the boat and sends you off-balance. The camera slips from your hands and lands in the water.

  “Oh no!” You descend the ladder quickly. Stavros saw what happened and is acting fast. He grabs a net from the boat’s deck and fishes the waterproof camera from the sea before it sinks.

  “Thank you,” you say, checking the footage you’ve captured.

  The pictures are too grainy and blurry to make out anything clearly. But they’re still enough to show that something very mysterious lives in the ocean.

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  The small deck above the helm could hold you. But the waves are getting rougher, and night is upon you. You don’t want to risk it. You stay on the main deck with your camera. You should still get some good footage of the sea creature.

  It seems to have disappeared, though. You swing the spotlight around, but you find only choppy waves.

  SPLASH!

  Something breaches the water right in front of you. It’s hard to see what it is,
though. You lean over to get a better look. As you do, a large fish leaps out of the water, right at you!

  “Ahh!” you holler, completely taken by surprise.

  The shock makes you stumble backward. You crash into the tripod that holds your camera. It topples over the railing and splashes into the sea.

  “No!” you cry out, lunging after it.

  But you lunge too far and fall over the railing. You land in the cold, choppy water and immediately begin flailing your arms.

  “Help!” you cry out.

  Stavros hurries along the deck, grabbing a life preserver. But before he can throw it to you, you feel something graze against your legs. Is it the shape from earlier? It certainly seems large enough!

  You try to reach out for the camera, but it’s too far away. Grudgingly, you grab the life preserver as your camera sinks beneath the waves. You choose to live over completing your mission.

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  “Should I pursue it?” Stavros asks again.

  You look out at the waters, which have grown choppy. Then you shake your head. “Let’s stay here,” you suggest, hoping the shape slithering through the water will turn back toward you.

  You keep an eye on it as the sun dips below the horizon and night falls. Stavros does his best to fight the waves. They crash against the side of the boat, spraying water up at you.

  The shape seems to have disappeared, and you’re beginning to feel dejected.

  But then the creature reappears. A spiky hump breaches the surface near you. You’re not quick enough to snap any photos this time. But you prepare for it to show up again.

  Stavros appears next to you. “Should we try to slay the beast?” he asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  Stavros points to the side of the boat, where a harpoon cannon is mounted. Do you want to keep trying to take photos of the beast? Or would it be best to actually kill it?

  Harpoon cannons launch barbed spears to kill whales or other large ocean creatures. To use the harpoon, press here.

  To keep trying to take photos, press here.

  You traveled all this way to find proof of a cryptid. There’s a good chance that one is swimming beneath you right now. Catching it would be a big triumph. But it’s just the two of you on the boat. Will you even be able to pull the beast onto the boat if you do catch it?

  You decide it’s worth taking the chance. You nod. “Let’s try to catch it!”

  Stavros bustles along the deck as you fire up the spotlight near the boat’s edge. He readies the harpoon.

  With no one manning the helm, the boat rocks back and forth. The choppy waters have grown rougher, and it’s hard to maintain your balance.

  “There!” You swing the spotlight over and spy the shape near the starboard side of the boat. It’s near, and Stavros swings the harpoon toward it.

  The shape crashes against the side of the boat. Stavros stumbles just as he fires the harpoon.

  THWACK!

  Stavros’s shot has gone astray, and the harpoon bolt punctures your leg!

  “Aaghh!” you cry out, as pain courses through your body.

  “Oh no, friend!” Stavros races over as you fall to the deck in agony. “We must get you to a medic! Quickly!”

  Blackness overtakes you as you pass out from the pain. The last thing you think is that you should have stuck with shooting photos, instead of shooting harpoons at the beast.

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  “Well?” Stavros again nods in the direction of the harpoon. “How badly would you like to capture the creature?”

  You consider it, but you have no desire to harm the creature. Plus, the waves are crashing against the hull of the boat. Aiming a harpoon could be a dangerous situation.

  You shake your head. “Let’s stick with shooting video, Stavros, and not the beast.”

  “As you say.”

  Stavros returns to the helm and steers the boat in the direction you last saw the shape.

  As you continue scanning with the spotlight, you soon spy the large shape in the water again. You begin to record as it swims near the starboard side.

  The creature never truly surfaces to reveal what it is. But you’re determined to get it on video. Whether it’s an oarfish or a legendary sea serpent, at least you’ll have evidence.

  After a time, the shape disappears into the depths of the sea. You’re thrilled. In spite of the rough waves and the boat’s constant rocking, you’ve captured footage of something special. What it is will be guessed at for years to come.

  You and Stavros steer for shore. Your mission is a success!

  THE END

  To read another adventure, press here.

  To learn more about the kraken, press here.

  CHAPTER 4

  THE MIGHTY MEGALODON

  An expedition to find the kraken or a sea serpent sounds interesting. But the possibility of finding a megalodon has captured your imagination.

  Known as history’s largest shark, the Carcharocles megalodon, or “giant tooth,” prowled the oceans millions of years ago. It’s believed that the monstrous creatures were between 60 and 80 feet (18 and 24 meters) long. Their teeth were three times bigger than a modern great white shark’s.

  It’s hard to say when the massive beast went extinct. Scientists believe that megalodon died out well before humans evolved more than 2 million years ago.

  Megalodon lived between 2 and 15 million years ago. Some scientists believe the giant shark could grow up to 80 feet (24 m) long. It’s highly unlikely that the team of shark trackers saw something as big as a megalodon. But you want to see for yourself.

  Looks like you’re off to China!

  You book a plane ticket and contact the shark team to let them know you’ll be joining them. The woman in charge of the team, Lan Li, says she’ll meet you at the harbor when you arrive.

  “Were you among those who saw the large shark?” you ask her over the phone.

  “I was,” Lan replies. “We were near the Mariana Trench, studying tiger sharks. We’re heading back to that region again. We’ll wait for your arrival.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean. The bottom is more than 36,000 feet (10,900 m) deep. It’s the most likely place for something new and exciting to be discovered.

  Your travels take you through the bustling city of Hong Kong to a smaller port city where Lan Li’s team is based. When you arrive, you’re surprised by the large size of the team’s ship. They’re well prepared for their work.

  Research vessels are equipped with submersibles and a lot of high-tech gear to study the world’s oceans. As you cross the dock toward the ship, a woman with short black hair slides down a ladder and approaches you.

  “You must be the one who called about the shark,” she states, holding out her hand. “I’m Lan Li. It’s good to meet you.”

  You introduce yourself. Lan then gestures at the ship. “Welcome aboard,” she says.

  The ship launches a few hours later, taking you and the crew out to sea. Two days later, you reach your destination. After the ship drops anchor, Lan Li shows you their shark safety cage.

  “You’re free to use our safety cage, if you wish,” she says.

  You debate if the cage would be the best way to capture images of the large shark.

  To use the cage, press here.

  To remain on the ship, press here.

  “I think the cage will be a great way to see what’s down there,” you tell Lan.

  While the crew prepares the large metal cage, you change into the we
t suit you brought along. Lan’s team has an oxygen tank, regulator, and mask for you to use.

  When you’re dressed, you get out your underwater camera. Then you climb into the cage.

  “This is the area where we were tagging tiger sharks,” Lan explains. “The chance of other sharks, like great whites, being present is fairly high. Are you ready?”

  You nod and put in the oxygen mouthpiece. The team helps you into the cage, secures you, and gives you a thumbs-up.

  You are lowered into the crystal-blue water of the ocean. It takes time for the cage to rattle and shake its way under the water.

  When you’re finally beneath the surface, you’re amazed at the clearness of the water and how easy it is to see.

  You’re lowered a long way down until you can see the ocean floor. The water is teeming with sea life. Fish swim in schools, darting back and forth along a rocky reef. Several tiger sharks like the ones the team was tracking are nearby as well.

  You shoot photos and some video footage of it all. But as you do, a large shadow appears above you.

  It’s a great white shark.

  It’s nowhere near the size of a megalodon, but it’s still a huge and dangerous creature. It swims around the cage as if to size you up. You raise your camera and shoot images of the shark. It’s beautiful and sleek.

  Even when inside a protective cage, divers need to be cautious with great white sharks. They can grow up to 20 feet (6 m) long. But the great white turns out to be aggressive. It slams against the cage multiple times, causing you to lose your balance. You feel your camera slip from your hands. It drops through the cage bars and sinks to the ocean floor.