The Creature from Lake Superior

The sun shined bright on Charlotte and George as they splashed flirtatiously in Lake Superior. Charlotte's father, Jim watched the two from his lawn-chair on shore. While George and Charlotte had never admitted their feelings to each other, it was blatantly clear by the way they acted. This didn't please Jim. He raised his beer to his lips as he surveyed the water.

"Hey, stop!" Charlotte giggled as George doused her with an icy splash. She glanced at her father watching them. "Why don't we head out a little farther? I want to do some actual swimming, not just stand near the shore."

"Okay," he said.

"Careful," Jim called as the two began swimming. "The Superior monster picks off those in deep waters." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"You mean the monster from those cheesy stories you used to tell me as a kid?" she chuckled.

"The very same, although I don't consider the truth to be 'cheesy.'" Jim shifted in his chair and turned towards the pale boy treading in the water. "Your folks ever tell you about the Superior monster, George?" The boy shook his head. Jim smiled; now he could tell his story. "Some sailors say that it was an old ship captain in the 1800's who refused to go down with his ship but died anyway, but no one knows. Everyone who spends some time on Lake Superior seems to have their own story, and that can range from looking over the dock only to see eyes staring back at you, to 'my son went under the water and never resurfaced.' I have heard the stories countless times, and here's what I know: In the deep waters of Lake Superior waits a fish-man. He has webbed hands and feet, is paler than an albino, and has only a few long, black strands of hair hanging from his skull. He has long, jagged teeth, but from what I've heard, his eyes are the worst parts. Imagine a face with no muscle, no fat, just skin over skull. The eyes are holes just the same as a human skull, but in the back of the dark holes lie white eyes that glow for no reason. They say he lurks in the deep, waiting for someone to swim overhead so he has the chance to drag them under and drain their life. By the time a victim rises back to the surface, they have no feeling, no emotion. They can't appreciate art and they never laugh. Those who look the creature in the eyes often commit suicide days later. Be wary of the Superior monster, for they say he takes your very soul."

"Okay, dad," Charlotte said, "Can we go back to swimming now?"

"Go ahead, but be careful." Charlotte was still laughing at her father's tale when a webbed hand yanked her beneath the water's surface.