“Yes. Yes we are. Was Liam your brother?” Wilson asked as gently as he could.
Shelby nodded.
“Do you know what happened?”
Again Shelby nodded, but this time more slowly and with hesitation. “You can’t help him. You know that. Not now.”
“No, I can’t, but I can help you and the others.”
“You can’t help. No one can help.”
“Maybe not,” said he, “but I would like to try. You know this is true, which is why you are talking to me. You heard me and my friend talking about it, didn’t you?”
Shelby drew back, her eyes darting about nervously.
“It is all right; you did nothing wrong. You were curious about us. That is all. A person can’t be blamed for hearing something which is spoken publicly.”
“You can’t help. No one can help!” She spoke sharply but quietly.
“Why is that?”
“Because God has judged this world and has set a plague upon it. As me mum said.”
“What? Why do you say this?”
“Because that is what happened!” Shelby said this with the conviction found only in children. “The cities work against His creation and the natural way of things, and so He set demons to possess the beasts of the sea and turned them against his intended stewards.”
Wilson did not respond but held her gaze. Her eyes were innocent and filled with a desire that pleaded for him to understand a thing of the greatest possible importance.
“We have failed to care for His creation,” said Shelby, “and so He set a plague upon us. The Kraken have been released, and they will devour the flesh of the righteous and the unrighteous alike. It is a sign that the last days are coming.”
Wilson knelt down and took the girl by the shoulders, careful to be gentle and not make her feel trapped. “Who has told you this? Your Mum?”
“Ya. And me Da.”
Wilson waited for a moment before continuing. “Shelby, did you see the Kraken?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes wide in terror.
Nearly overwhelmed with compassion, Wilson said, “You poor child!”
Shelby began to cry. Her tears were thick, but her sobs were silent. She heaved slightly with each gasping breath. Wilson embraced her, and she melted into his comforting arms. It was some time later that she was able to speak once more.
“I was at the docks, waiting for my Liam to come in for the day—we were very close, Liam and me. When his boat came in, he tethered it like normal. Then he and the crew did as they done before, they started pulling in the fish and handing the baskets up to the dock …” She trailed off and then squeezed her eyes shut.
Wilson gave her a gentle pat. “It is all right, Shelby. You can tell me.”
“At first I didn’t know what I was seeing. Liam started to shake his leg and then there was yelling and … and … When I could see what was what … They was clawing up the side of the boat. They musta followed it in from the deep waters, and they started to climb out of the water and grab at the boys, and at the fish. They was after the men, but they took the fish also. They just started clawing up from the water, grabbing onto the legs and biting in on them.”
“What did they look like?”
“They was long, like this.” She held her arms out to indicate a length of more than a meter. “They had sharp beaks, like a bird, and long jelly arms with circles all over … and big black eyes. And they was the small ones. There was bigger ones in the water what pulled Isaac McDougal down in. The water was alive with them. It was like the scripture says, ‘and the seas boiled.’”
“What happened then?”
“Liam started hitting at them with an oar. He started getting ’em good, but they was turning and came at him particular. They clawed up his legs and pulled him to the deck. He was screaming something terrible.”
“How do you know what they looked like?”
“Crew from other boats and men on the docks came over and started doing as Liam done. They was able to drive the beasts away, but they done harm. Liam died on the boat. Some of the others, they died that night. They was poisoned by the devil. It got inside their blood and turned their skin black where they was bitten. The blackness spread up their legs and arms along the veins. Their faces was dark too, and their eyes was blacked like they was brawling.”
“But the kraken, Shelby, how do you know how big they were?”
“Because some of them was killed. They got beaten on the dock and the deck. When the swarm moved on and the dead was dead, we gathered up the monsters and brought them in to shore. They was all different sizes, but one of them was longer than I am tall, and was this big round,” said she, gesturing once more with her arms.
“Are there any specimens remaining?” Wilson paused and smiled again. “I am sorry, I can tell by the look that you are giving me that you not understand the question. What happened to the kraken that were taken from the dock? Might I be able to look at one myself?”
“No, sir. They was burnt in a fire after the others fell sick with the poison.”
Wilson picked a stick off of the ground and deftly drew a picture in the soft dirt. As he did so, Shelby watched, her eyes getting bigger and her face whiter as he progressed. “Did it look anything like this?” asked he as he finished the picture.
Shelby did not speak but nodded her head slowly, fearfully.
Wilson swept the picture away with his foot, which seemed to break a spell on the young girl, who had, until then, been unable to look away from that spot on the ground. “Thank you, Shelby. You have been most helpful. Your brother was a brave man, and you are no less brave for sharing this story with me.” He spent some short minutes then reassuring the young girl that she would be safe before leading his colleague back to the pub.
Entry Four
The sun began to fall in the sky and dusk was soon to set upon the coastal village when the two Fellows returned to the pub. Rufus had been inquisitive as they walked through the darkening streets, but Wilson had postponed his questions with assurances that he would cover everything shortly.
“I wish to give a full account,” were his final words on the matter. “Speaking of the matter presently may interfere with that desire. Should I tell you a thing now, then I may forget to include it in my report to the others.”
Thus, Rufus was in a tender mood when they finally entered the pub. While he showed no outward indication, the anticipation of his questions had begun to gnaw away at his patience.
“Ahoy!” called out a slightly inebriated Niles, who had raised a pint high in the air as the two stepped through the door. His position facing said door had given him an advantage over his peers in first seeing their colleagues enter, but he was quickly joined by the remaining Fellows, who had apparently passed the day with varying degrees of imbibition. Wilson frowned at the spectacle but continued in.
As the evening had deepened, a small number of locals had joined the travelers—or more accurately, they sat apart within the same room and made no attempt to hide the suspicious and even contemptuous looks that they directed at the gentlemen. They continued to do so as the two physicians joined their Fellows at the rather conspicuous table which stood within the center of the room.
Niles’ brief moment of elation was quickly replaced by the stiff lip of the aristocracy. “I know that you find it enlightening to be among the rabble, but I tire of the swill that passes for a quality beverage in this place. When we leave here—which I hope will be soon—we shall journey to Dublin. I have an associate who can introduce us to a proper club. It will do us well to take efforts to remember proper things, and of course, to reacquaint ourselves with a dram or twelve of fine Irish whiskey!”
Friedrich shook his head. “Do be silent, Niles. The locals are upset enough by our continued presence. I do not wish to be witness to a repeat of your previous encounter, which is bound to occur if you keep speaking as you are. You are less sober now than you were then, and you will not possess th
e moral high-ground of defending your family’s honor.”
“If these swine wish to fight me, then let them,” said Niles, as he cast a measured glance at a particularly surly local.
“If you provoke an encounter then you will be legally liable, and we will have little cause to back you.”
“Please, gentlemen,” interjected Wilson, “let us set aside this issue for I have news which I wish to share.” He instantly gained the full attention of his counterparts. Upon doing so, he lowered his voice and said, “First, we must depart our present company. For reasons you will soon see, it is best that we speak with a sense of privacy.”
Agreeing to this course of action, the Fellows rose from their seats and sought the seclusion of their rented room. It was then that the extent of Niles’ libation was made clear, for as he wavered slightly on feet, he called out with a numb tongue, “Colleen! Where is that sweet Irish lass? Colleen, ah, there you are. Don’t let anyone take our seats … we shall return.” He said this last bit with a gesture which was at once dignified, and yet expressed the true measure of his intoxication.
The Fellows then shuffled their companion to the stairs, and he had but one occasion to reprimand Friedrich for placing a hand upon his back, insisting upon the integrity of his legs and blaming instead a loose board for the shakiness of his step.
When the Fellows had collected within the confines of the narrowly furnished bed chamber, Wilson finally released them of their suspense. “Does the name Sidmouth mean anything to you?”
There was a moment of silence as each of the Fellows considered this name.
“I thought not.” Wilson smiled. “It was an obscure occurrence. Rufus and I were fortunate enough to speak with a young girl who had witnessed the event at the docks and shared with us her account.”
Rufus shook his head. “You give me too much credit. The success was all yours. The child did not speak with me. Nor would any others.”
“Regardless,” said Wilson, “she provided an account of the event, and based upon that account I am certain of what transpired.”
“Bravo, dear boy!” said Weyland, hoisting his mug.
Very nearly at the same time, Niles said “And?”—his question revealing the interest which his tone refused to acknowledge.
“And … Sidmouth,” replied Wilson energetically. He quickly held up a hand against protest as he continued. “A few years back, there was a very similar event in Sidmouth. It was not exactly well known, but it was printed in a number of papers. I took an interest in the subject, as you might recall, and set about the task of corresponding with certain authorities on the subject. The culprit of that particular affair was Haploteuthis ferox.”
Niles leaned in, cupping a hand around his ear. “Say that again my dear boy, I do not think that I followed.”
“Haploteuthis Ferox. It is a form of squid. Rather large, in fact. It has been attested to mostly by inference only. There have been many known cases of suggestive remains which have been discovered along certain beaches. But given the odd intervals of discovery, attempts to identify the source have been non-predictive. When you factor in as well the relative lack of specimens, there has been precious little evidence with which naturalists could interact. That is, until Sidmouth.
“What happened there correlates strongly with the event reported to have occurred here in Ballybrack. The short of it is that several people were attacked while swimming. They were able to collect specimens of the giant squid, which were submitted to the Royal Society. Unfortunately, we will not be able to confirm this hypothesis with a specimen as they were all set to the fire, but I believe that a well-positioned paper to the Royal Society will evidence the high degree of likelihood that these events are related.”
Friedrich steepled his fingers and tapped them against his lips. “And you are positive of this?”
Wilson nodded. “I drew for the child a picture of the creature, and she confirmed that it matched what came to these shores. I considered doing the same for some of the adults, but such may not be wise. They are less than responsive.” He then lowered his voice slightly as he stated, “The locals have fixated upon an apocalyptic perception of events. They have associated this attack with events from the Revelation, and I suspect that it may be best to leave such things lie. There is no need to arouse their concerns and to grant them a target, namely us, for their fear.”
“What do you mean?” asked Niles.
“What I mean is this. We have already received a hostile response from the local population. If we press the matter in a secular sense, then they may turn their apocalyptic anxiety against us as agents of the Adversary.”
“That would be ridiculous!” said Weyland. “Only a fool would use faith to oppose the evident truths of science.”
Friedrich raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I wish that I could agree with you. I am of a mind with Wilson on this. Aside from the evidence that some do precisely that which you suppose to be foolish, the more important matter to consider is the context of an apocalyptic perspective. Such a perspective would reasonably change what is, and is not, rational. Therefore, what you and I consider to be rational may not hold. If a person believes that these are the final days, then they will prioritize a different set of criteria for evaluation. Whether they are correct or incorrect in their conclusions does not matter. They will act upon Justified Belief regardless of any truth value. In short, should we oppose their beliefs, we may find ourselves upon a pyre.”
“What does that have to do with us?” asked Weyland. Wilson shook his head. Weyland was too optimistic, a value that they appreciated from their friend, but which upon occasion interfered with powers of perception and deduction.
“What they are trying to say,” said Niles with a slight slur, “is that a person or people might see our efforts to provide scientific explanations as an effort of dark forces to subvert and deceive the righteous for the purpose of supporting the rise and reign of the antichrist.”
Wilson nodded sadly. “More or less, that is indeed my point. It does not matter what our true intentions are. These people are afraid. They are afraid of what they have seen, and they choose to interpret these events in apocalyptic tones. We are already mistrusted and disliked. In light of their interpretation of the events, it is entirely possible that a wrong word can set us at the receiving end of pitch forks. Because emotions are still high, I fear that continuing this investigation with the adult population may result in some unfortunate and potentially unhealthy interactions.”
Weyland frowned. “What then do you suggest?”
“I suggest that we conclude our investigation as it is,” said Wilson. “We have gathered enough evidence to propose a hypothesis.”
“Which is?” asked Niles, pressing the issue.
Wilson folded his hands on the edge of the table. “Having collated the data from other events, I am of the opinion that Haploteuthis Ferox is a migratory creature with a three year spawning and migration cycle. I suspected something of the kind previously; but this event, when coupled with the Sidmouth incident, grants us a more sound set of data for establishing a timeline. I shall therefore, with the approval of the Fellowship, draft a correspondence containing our findings and our hypothesis to be delivered to the Royal Society. They will have greater access to the evidence and will possess the means to follow upon our investigation with one which has a better chance of proving the hypothesis than we presently possess.”
Friedrich nodded. “I approve.”
“Are there any protests?" Niles surveyed the Fellows.
“I feel as if we must continue our investigation,” said Rufus with a slight frown. “Bear with me for a moment. But it is necessary that we find evidential proof that it was indeed your Haploteuthis ferox that committed the deed upon those unfortunate souls. We must have proof when we make our submission to the Society, not mere speculation.”
“What are you proposing?” Friedrich did not know why, but there was something in the way that Ruf
us spoke which inspired within him a sense of caution.
“There remains but one avenue of investigation that we have yet to attempt.” Rufus leaned forward, conspiratorially.
“You cannot possibly—” Weyland began, looking decidedly squeamish.
Rufus continued unabated, “Unfortunately it is the only way to ascertain the truth. The bodies …”
After a long pause, Wilson sighed and ran a hand across his face. “He’s right, you know. We must undertake this course of action.”
“I thought you were afraid of incensing the locals.” Niles noted this point sardonically around the rim of his mug. “If you lot are saying what I think you are, don’t you think that would … as you said, incense them?”
“If my estimation is correct, they will remain inside during the night.” Replied Wilson, “The fear of such creatures will lead them to seek the shelter of their homes, no matter that they might not be nocturnal in nature. Simple people such as these will always find comfort in their homes when fear abounds without. It will be the perfect time, and should we find the proof we seek, then we can be quit of Ballybrack with the rise of the sun.”
“Then we are agreed on this course of action?” asked Friedrich, meeting each man’s gaze.
Wilson and Rufus nodded decisively. Niles rolled his eyes and nodded, downing the remainder of his drink. Weyland swallowed nervously and then nodded. “I suppose we have little choice, if we are to truly investigate.”
“Very well then. I suppose all we have to do now is wait for midnight.” Rufus nodded, and folded his arms.
“Must we do it at midnight?” asked Weyland.
“It only makes sense,” said Wilson. “When else can we be sure that no one will interrupt us?”
“But, at midnight? What is this, a Rymer serial?”
Entry Five
Midnight had struck and gone by the time the Fellows crept stealthily from the inn and located their cart within the stable. By the light of a hooded lantern secured from the wall and lit stealthily, they examined the contents of the cart.
“Are you sure we have them?” inquired Niles, leaning against the stable wall. With a small dose of his Physic, and a few hours off the cups, Wilson had been able to bring him to a state more befitting this midnight adventure.
The Dandy Boys Mysteries (Vengeance Book 0) Page 14