Ameri-Scares Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior

By Stephen Mark Rainey

On a hike along the shores of Lake Superior, thirteen-year-old Anna Hendrix sees a huge creature rise from the waters and—to her horror—sink a tour boat. Soon afterward, Jeff Griggs, also thirteen, encounters a similar but smaller creature in the woods around his parents' vacation house.

Unable to resist investigating, both Anna and Jeff venture into the nearby forests. They meet each other at a huge waterfall, where they discover a partially hidden cave. Inside it, to their surprise, they find a cave painting of a creature that resembles the ones they have seen. Suddenly, in a bizarre twist of time and space, the youngsters are transported to a strange, unknown land, vastly different from the Michigan they know. Here, they meet a strange but friendly young man who calls himself Skyhawk. He claims to be a member of a civilization that can only be reached by way of the cave.

In this strange land, huge monsters roam freely. Skyhawk and his people worship the beasts as gods. But while the people of this land appear friendly, Anna and Jeff discover they hide a deadly secret. And the two youngsters must somehow find their way back home before the passage between the two worlds closes forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crossroad Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463398746

Stephen Mark Rainey

The writer is not the infamous Stephen King antihero Mort Rainey, but the far more nefarious author of the novels Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (with Elizabeth Massie, HarperCollins, 1999), Balak (Wildside Books, 2000), The Lebo Coven (Thomson Gale/Five Star Books, 2004), The Nightmare Frontier (Sarob Press, 2006, and in e-book format by Crossroads Press, 2010), and Blue Devil Island (Thomson Gale/Five Star Books, 2007); three short story collections; and over 80 published works of short fiction (for a complete bibliography, click the button in the left-hand frame that says "Bibliography" and then run like hell).Those with long memories may recall that I edited Deathrealm magazine, from 1987 to 1997. In its decade-long history, Deathrealm won a bunch of nice awards and featured hundreds of short stories, poems, and essays by authors ranging from the most established professionals to young, aspiring first-timers, many of whom proceeded to carve out names for themselves in the horror/dark fantasy field. Note: Deathrealm has been dead, bereft of life, and pushing up daisies for roughly twelve years now, so please don't send me your submissions anymore. Really. Please.In 2004, I edited a new anthology for Delirium Books, titled Deathrealms, which features a wide selection of short stories from the magazine. I've edited a couple of other anthologies as well. The Song of Cthulhu (Chaosium, 2001) features 20 stories of Lovecraftian horror, and in 2006, I co-edited (with James Robert Smith) a new anthology for Arkham House titled Evermore, which features short stories about Edgar Allan Poe.In summer, 2008, Dark Regions Press released a new collection of my short fiction, titled Other Gods, featuring 16 of my tales, including one never-before-published story ("Antidotes"). Dark Regions is scheduled to release another collection of my short fiction, titled The Gaki & Other Hungry Spirits in late 2010.I have a number of dark and delightful tales coming down the pike, which I'll post about when details are available...."So what's this 'Damned Rodan' business plastered all over everything?" Well, I'll tell you. My one gaming vice is playing the World War II online combat flight simulator Aces High. I belong to the oldest organized (and arguably most respected) squadron of flight simmers: "The Damned." And being a diehard fan of giant Japanese monsters, my flight sim handle is Rodan—thus "Damned Rodan."I live in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a passle of Damned housecats, and over the past year have become an avid Damned geocacher. For updates on what's happening currently, visit The Blog Where Horror Dwells and/or the News page.

Book preview

ELIZABETH MASSIE’S AMERI-SCARES

MICHIGAN: THE DRAGON OF LAKE SUPERIOR

By Stephen Mark Rainey

A Wonderstruck Books Publication

Wonderstruck Books is an Imprint of Crossroad Press

Digital Edition published by Crossroad Press

Smashwords edition published at Smashwords by Crossroad Press

Digital Edition Copyright © 2019 Stephen Mark Rainey

Cover background image courtesy of Stephen Mark Rainey

LICENSE NOTES

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to the vendor of your choice and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Meet the Author

Stephen Mark Rainey is author of the novels Balak, The Lebo Coven, Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (with Elizabeth Massie), Blue Devil Island, The Nightmare Frontier, The Monarchs, and Young Blood (with Mat & Myron Smith, based on their screenplay); five short story collections; over 100 published works of short fiction; and the scripts to several Dark Shadows audio productions, which feature members of the original ABC-TV series cast. For ten years, he edited the award-winning Deathrealm magazine and has edited the anthologies Deathrealms, Song of Cthulhu, and Evermore (with James Robert Smith). Mark lives in Greensboro, NC, with a couple of precocious house cats, one of whom runs a home (r

e-

)decorating business.

Visit Mark’s website at www.stephenmarkrainey.com.

Books by Stephen Mark Rainey from Crossroad Press

Balak (audio only)

The Lebo Coven

The Nightmare Frontier

Blue Devil Island

The Monarchs

Intermusings (with David Niall Wilson and others)

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Thank you for your assistance and your support of the authors published by Crossroad Press.

This novel is dedicated to Kimberly, Delmar, and Fern, who introduced me to the beauty and wonders of the great state of Michigan.

Table of Contents

About Pressie, the Dragon of Lake Superior

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

About Pressie, the Dragon of Lake Superior

Most people have heard of the Loch Ness Monster. Loch Ness is a large lake in Scotland, and for centuries, countless people have reported seeing a huge creature in and around its waters. Some say the monster, commonly known as Nessie, is just a legend and doesn’t really exist. Others believe it may be a species of dinosaur—possibly a Plesiosaur—that has managed to survive while other prehistoric creatures have gone extinct.

But did you know there are reports of a similar creature living in Lake Superior, off the northern coast of Michigan? It was first sighted in 1894, and since then, many people claim to have seen it. Because the creature has appeared near the Presque Isle River Inlet, people have given it the nickname Pressie. According to witnesses, Pressie has a hump-backed body, a head like a horse, and a serpent-like neck. It appears to be black or dark green in color and may be more than 75 feet long.

However, long before Pressie made newspaper headlines, Native Americans living in the area that is now Michigan believed a powerful god called Mishipeshu (pronounced mi-shi-PEH-zhew) lived in Lake Superior. Mishipeshu means Underwater Wildcat (also Underwater Lynx or Underwater Panther). Some tribes described this being as a huge, catlike creature with a scale-covered body and dagger-like spikes on its back and tail. Others described it as a giant, feathered serpent with deer-like horns on its head.

In Canada, ancient cave paintings show a dragon-like beast accompanied by a pair of smaller serpents. Some believe these creatures represent Mishipeshu and its children. One painting also shows a canoe with several occupants, who are very small compared to the creatures.

What if Pressie actually does inhabit the depths of Lake Superior? Might it actually be a surviving species of dinosaur? Or perhaps something even more mysterious—such as the ancient god Mishipeshu—with powers beyond human understanding?

Chapter 1

From the towering cliffs above Lake Superior’s shores, Anna Hendricks could see for miles across the seemingly endless blue waters. She loved to hike here, along the coastline known as Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Over countless thousands of years, the Great Lake’s waters had sculpted cliffs, caves, and towers along the shore. Minerals and vegetation painted the stone formations brilliant shades of red, yellow, green, and white. Her hometown, Munising, nestled in a small bay on the northern coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. From the edge of town, the Lakeshore-North Country Trail snaked through dense forest that bordered the lake. Sometimes, she walked as far as the huge stone formation called Miners Castle, eight miles away.

Today looks like a good day to go at least that far.

Occasionally, Anna met other people on the trail, but not often. Most days, she could hike for hours and never see another living soul. But she didn’t mind walking by herself. Even at home, she found herself alone most of the time. And when she wasn’t, she usually wished she was.

Her father worked day and night. When he came home, he slept. Some days, even if she saw him, he barely noticed she was alive. Something had gone wrong with him, she thought. Since Mom had died just over a year ago, her dad had closed himself off. He worked all the time. He rarely spoke to her. He didn’t care what she did. She knew some kids who would love to be free of rules and regulations. But to her, so much freedom just meant her dad cared little about her safety and well-being.

He was never mean to her. He never physically hurt her. But the father she used to know and love had vanished. Before Mom died, he had cared about her and showed it openly. Even though he sometimes seemed a little distant, she had never doubted that he loved her.

She could no longer be sure.

Something had gone wrong with him.

Every time she went hiking, she thought long and hard about her life. About all the pain she’d felt since Mom had died. At home, dwelling on these things seemed too upsetting. Being in the house reminded her of happy times now gone away, probably forever. Out here, surrounded by tall trees, the earthy smell of the woods, and the peaceful songs of birds, she felt far removed from trouble and hurt. Here, she could find the peace and calm she needed.

Anna was thirteen, tall for her age, with dark hair and copper skin that came from her mother’s side of the family. So much energetic hiking these past few months had made her strong and agile. This morning, she had gotten an early start, just as the sun was coming up. A half mile back, she had passed Sand Point, a low-lying area with picnic tables for tourists and a great view of the cliffs. There, she sometimes met people coming and going on the trail, but not today. Only a couple of thousand people lived in Munising all year, but during the summer, the town’s population doubled. Now, with less than two weeks remaining until school started, there weren’t so many visitors left. Still, some of the summer crowd would remain until after Labor Day.

She didn’t look forward to school starting. She would be in eighth grade this year, and the idea of returning to the confines of the tiny school building depressed her. She had few friends among her classmates. Her best friends from past years had all moved away. Hardly anyone remained in Munising for too long.

Except the losers.

For now, she thought, she would just walk. The trail grew steeper as the land rose. Here, a barrier of trees blocked her view of the lake. But a few hundred feet on, the trail curved to the left and ran along the edge of the cliffs. This close to the town, the cliffs weren’t very high—no more than twenty or thirty feet. Still, they offered a beautiful view of the lake.

The trees parted like an open door, and she found herself standing on a point with an almost unlimited view. Lake Superior’s icy water sparkled like