Taniwha: The Complete Works

By Lasco Atkins

English sailors arrive on New Zealand shores to uncover the truth about ancient creatures living on the land. They find a local village that protects and hide a dragon from a world.

After a terrible massacre, the Finegan family line is cursed for 200 years, until the descendants, return to the land once more.

Ghosts haunt the modern family leading to sickness and destruction with a twisty finale that breaks the boundaries of the ages...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9780244653781

Book preview

Taniwha: The Complete Works

Taniwha

(Pronounced ta-ne-fa)

A novella by Lasco Atkins

INTRO

How to explain how I came to end up in New Zealand by a fictional tale? This was an epic, considering I sold ¼ of my life savings (shares) to spend first one which became two years of my life away from family and friends. I spent the first month of my stay researching Taniwha and New Zealand’s history regarding colonists and the wars that were fought. My second month was spent on a road trip first to Christchurch on the South Island returning to Wellington (capital) and beginning a three week road trip up to Auckland then south to Rotorua, east to Whakatane, Tiki Tiki and finally Gisborne. I interviewed many people regarding the subject of a mystical supernatural creature some on camera and some in private. People were freaked out by me at first since I was a pakeha (foreigner) going on about Taniwha. I was even known as the Taniwha guy or Taniwha bro to some locals.

I had a Maori tattoo done within my first month, it is my largest to date filling my upper right arm and shoulder. I did not just do this for spiritual reasons, but mainly to show how serious I was about this subject matter and my film. I completed the script within a couple months and sent it out to local production houses, being rejected everywhere in Wellington, except one. Three fellow non-Maori decided to tackle my project, but eventually realised it was too big for them also so they dropped me. Temporarily giving up, I met a semi-crazy yet passionate Polynesian woman who became my co-producer. With her mad energy she inspired me to attempt re-writes and get feedback and help everywhere possible. I met some interesting people along the way even having a hongi (nose greeting) with a genuine Kaumatua/Elder. We achieved a blessing from the local Iwi (tribe) in Wellington. I attended Marae (Maori meeting house) events and bonded with locals in and around the capital city. I even heard some X-file type conspiracy theories regarding the subject matter.

In a twist of fate a month before I left NZ after two years away from home the largest squid recorded was found and preserved in the main museum on the waterfront (Te Papa). There was a whole publicity news event even with a Japanese news reporter having the best sashimi of his life, savouring the day as part of history. The Kiwi reporter wasn’t so lucky and after trying it he had to run out of the camera frame and was sick on the side. Lol.

Despite returning without a film, I did however complete the script to satisfaction; it is still my scariest story and I get chills every time towards the end. Being a big budget supernatural thriller it was beyond powers of funding in NZ so I continue with my dream even today writing this now. This story will be with me for life, also the experience of working on Avatar for half a year will be some of the fondest of my memories there.

BIGSY

A period ship sails quietly through the pre-dawn night. Tendrils of thick mist hang beneath the Southern Cross, dancing to the slow swells of the South Pacific seas. The sailors aboard are on a voyage to gather any truth about possible new creatures said to inhabit New Zealand. The night watchman is high up above in his lookout searching for any signs of life/light. He is tired. Bigsy comes up from the lower deck scratching his backside and fidgeting constantly. The night watchman calls down to his mate once he hears him from above.

‘Oi’ Bigsy, you got da runs again, hav’ ya?’

‘Ah, leave me alone damn you. (mumbling to himself) These bloody cramps, (grumble) ooooh.’

Up in his basket the night watchman chuckles to himself, and then lights up his pipe briefly, cupping it against the constant wind. He places it back into his pocket, and fighting against fatigue, shuts his eyes to dream for just one moment more... On the front of the ship beneath the (female) figure-head, Bigsy is bending over, pulling his pants down to his ankles. Gargles and groans are heard from his stomach, he clenches his belly tight as if in pain. He is defecating between the grills, on a small platform not more than a metre square, used by the crew for number two.After a minute passes, Bigsy hears a weird noise from the sea beneath him, he tries to stand up a little bit maybe hoping to see into the darkness, He then peers up at the Night watchman to see if maybe he was playing a trick on him somehow, but he has his back turned towards him. Bigsy quietly tries calling up to him to get his attention.

Bigsy whispers, ‘heh, Jimmy. Did you hear dat? I swear I just ‘erd sumthin’ odd!’

The night watchman cannot hear him from up top, since he has nodded off already. He is positioned in a way that he is sitting with his back toward him.

Bigsy tries to contact his mate again. ‘Oi, sssssspppptttt! Can u hear me or no?’

Below deck in the sleeping quarters of the ship, sailor’s Johnson and Lionel stir as they faintly hear noises coming from the outside of the ship’s hull. Nothing too loud, yet unsure if it’s the waves smacking the wooden boards, or if they are in a half dream state still. They nod back off to sleep unaware of the potential danger literally metres away. Outside a massive Kraken has taken an interest in this strange vessel. Its suction cups claw their way to the surface, no match for this strange beast it knows is sailing for the coast due to its direction. It lingers underneath the bottom of the ship and lets it tentacle tips due to the rest of the work.

Just then another even louder strange noise is heard from the ocean. This time Bigsy pulls his pants up even more and then attempts to do up his trousers, when he hears the same noise closer than ever. He slowly looks downwards into the dark sea rushing past beneath. There is a gurgle, and then in a flash a tentacle yanks him through the shitter. Struggling at first, not to be completely sucked into the hole by latching onto the sides of the grill. He is quickly overcome by the sheer force of some kind of sea creature. As he lets out a yelp, that’s the last we see of Bigsy. At the top of the mast the night watchman stirs, waking up briefly, before continuing to snooze on duty. There are no more sounds for the rest of the night, only the wind and the waves. Soon it is daybreak and the coastline of New Zealand is on the horizon......

MISSION

Captain James Cook was 1st sent by the English Queen to discover what was then believed to be, the undiscovered Southern Continent, known as Terra Australis. His discovery was soon to be known as New Zealand. In 1769 after he colonized Gisborne on the eastern coast of the North Island, Captain Cook’s Endeavour proceeded to map the coast and land areas of New Zealand. Flora and fauna was comprehensively documented by Joseph Banks. Other English and European ships were sent in addition to communicate with as many other Maori tribes as possible. On Cook’s 3rd visit in 1777 he quoted from the indigenous Maori in what is now known as Queen Charlotte Sound: ‘... there are