Cryptid

By Anna Lee Davis

This book is a story of cryptid monstersmonsters that are rare or extinct or unidentifiedand adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524551421

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Anna Lee Davis.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2016917203

ISBN:                         Hardcover                      978-1-5245-5144-5

                                  Softcover                         978-1-5245-5143-8

                                  eBook                               978-1-5245-5142-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/21/2016

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Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Cryptid:

noun

An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated.

-Oxford English Dictionary

Chapter I

As Eli crashed through the trees, the unbearable heat was replaced by a whiplash gust of humid air. It and the thicket of brush graced with ivy trickling off the tree branches stung at his eyes as he ran. With one last desperate claw at obstruction he and his company broke free from the swamp flora and found themselves on the bank of a vast river.

Into the water! their guide commanded. Eli saw no reason not to oblige. The heavy air gushing between the lofty trees seemed to hang a thick orange glaze over the beating sun directly above them, but it all fell away as his senses were swallowed up by murky river water. Head first, why did I dive head first? He asked himself as he attempted to twist up toward where he guessed the direction of the surface may be. He dared not open his eyes to check. Resolving to let buoyancy do the work for him, he allowed himself limp and felt his body slowly rise through the thick waters. One hand brushed against something solid so he reached for it to steady himself. Was it Rikki? Dan? Maybe a rock or a cliff in the riverbed? Whatever it was it was smooth and hard and lent solidity to his flailing. At least until it moved it did.

With a swish and a current of its own it left his palm and vanished into the murkiness, leaving Eli to his own bearings again. Had he been down long enough? The stillness brought notice to his wounds now. Little ones here and there – must be minor cuts – but something on his forehead throbbed with an indication of severity.

Losing his breath and gambling on a safe surfacing he propelled himself upward. His head breached the black water. That hot, humid, miserable aura hit him again. Not a breeze for miles came to cool the droplets on his skin. Looking toward the orange haze of the sky, he saw the retreating cloud of what could have been a murder of crows. Whatever it was that had attacked them and driven them into the river disappeared just as swiftly as it had descended. Hey you, get out of the water! he heard his guide shout from the shore. The rest of his company scrambled onto the mossy riverbank and began tending to their wounds.

Get out of the water! Mahamba lives in there!

*   *   *

Nine months prior, Eli Hall bore his intent blue eyes into the skull of a rather large snake that twisted and coiled against his hook stick, still not resigned to its sudden captivity. Two decades of spending every possible moment in the sun had prepared him for this, and almost a decade of pretending to be someone he wasn’t had got him here. The snake fought its way deeper into Eli’s relative grip and he lifted the creature from the dirt and grass to get a better look. You see, Eli was an actor. He’d spent years in front of a camera now, putting on a show for the world. But his name having been metaphorically put out there had garnered enough recognition that now he was doing something he actually felt was his own. He glanced at the camera before sighing and turning back to the snake. Uh, king brown snake, he explained, gracing the animal with a close-up as he pushed the stick toward the camera. Behind the camera Erik withdrew a pace or two.

That’s what the zoom’s for, mate! the lanky Englishman hissed as he returned to his post. You ain’t gotta shove it in there! Eli pulled the device back toward himself. Right, sorry, he said. Erik shook his head, his feathery black hair flopping against his large pale forehead and his long nose as he returned his brown eyes to the viewport in the camera. Go on, Elijah! Jacobs motioned for him to continue before pulling down the bill on his relatively hokey director’s hat over his graying hair. Eli nodded and pressed on. Not the longest, but one of the longest venomous snakes in the world – I believe the second longest here in Australia… His voice trailed off as he looked down at the animal in his vice. You have to look at the camera, Eli, Jacobs repeated, and Eli sighed, shaking a lock of his unruly brown hair out of his eyes. You have to pay attention when dealing with venomous snakes, you know, he schooled. Jacobs frowned and removed his headset, laying it around his shoulders. The director had been in British television for a long time, doing dramas and action shows, but he was new to documentary-style filmmaking and he and his show’s host often butted heads. "People tune in every week to see you, Eli, he began. You think our audience is really that interested in the bugs and critters you pluck off the ground?" Eli continued to focus his attention on the snake. He knew the program wasn’t doing too well, and Jacobs was probably right – not many people cared about the amazing creatures as much as he did. In fact, he himself was probably the only person he’d ever met who had such intense a passion for these ugly duckling animals. That’s why his show was falling in ratings and the new show about kittens on the BBC was skyrocketing.

Did you know the majority of our viewers are women? continued the director. I can guarantee they’re not in it for the bugs. He put his headset back on. Alright, let’s get back to it, he declared, ordering the cameras to roll again. Fine, Eli heard himself declare suddenly and he released the rattler. Each member of their tiny crew leapt back in horror as the reptile slithered its way between them, letting off the deadly rattle that marked its species. What the hell, Eli? roared Jacobs. That thing took us all morning to wrangle! Eli stood up and tossed him the hook. I guess you should start looking for another one then, he said. I quit.

*   *   *

Bum idea, old mate, ranted Erik as he pushed a mug of beer toward Eli. He sighed, glancing toward the old-style jukebox to the right of their table in the dank and smoky pub. Eli knew that nixing his own employment had also put a stall on his friend’s – and anyone else banking on that nature show. I can’t work like this anymore, Eli attempted to explain. I hate having the camera on me. I just want to look at these amazing animals and document them in my own way.

Well, Erik raised his glass. Barmy choice in line of work then! Eli groaned in acknowledgment. Erik was right. For years he’d been building up a career as something he’d never wanted to be in hopes his fame could help him achieve a different dream. A hand fell heavy on his shoulder from behind as the third member of their party rejoined them and set himself down next to Eli. Erica Cedar, Dan declared, motioning behind him toward the bar from whence he’d just been hovering. Who? Asked Eli glancing over his shoulder. The dame? guessed Erik and Eli was surprised when Dan nodded. His gaze fell on a suitably pretty young woman. She couldn’t have been much more than 20 and had shoulder-length red hair with a soft curl to it. She was dressed in a simple black dress that extended to the middle of her thigh and dramatically heeled dark brown cowboy boots. I’ve known you since the dark ages, mate, he said to Dan. Never knew you for one to chat up girls in a pub.

Dan was a few years older than Eli with short grayish hair and large, emoting green eyes. He was one of the usual actors turned musicians, except that he was actually very good at both professions. He and Eli had met on a film together four years before – the film that had ended up being Eli’s big break. While both were praised for their supporting roles, Dan wasn’t happy and decided to turn to his true passion: music. Since then he had put out multiple albums with his band and won several awards within the music industry. His music was now popular in