I don’t know how many people will believe this, but I know someone will. I live in a small port town on the coast of Greenland. You see, not many people know about us. Our town is separated by a treacherous mountain pass, and only the most skilled sailors can dock at our port due to the nearly impassable rocks that are scattered all around the bay. We’ve come to know the bay by the name of “The Bay of Drowned Wishes.” It’s quite grim, but the name fits.
You see, there’s an old treasure of legend down in the bay. It’s said the treasure will grant any wish you have, but it’s also said to reside in the deepest and most dangerous part of the bay. You would say that the treasure is just some old Sailor’s myth, but when the shipwrecks begin to sail around the bay aimlessly, you might eat your words.
Assuming you don’t understand what I’m saying, I’ll simplify it. The shipwrecks come to life. Not like a ship just surfaces, filled with holes and coated with foliage, but instead the ships form some kind of colossus. A bunch of shipwrecks seemingly drift together, and then, a humanoid form will rise from the bay, made of those ships. I know this because I am the lighthouse keeper, so I always witness the occurrence.
Now, I’m writing all this because I believe the treasure is the source of this… whatever it is. Magic? Ghosts? I don’t know what does it, but it’s a terrifying sight. These wrecked titans aren’t the worst thing though. You could say the worst part is the bloated, waterlogged and decaying corpses that hang from the creature’s body, screaming their dead lungs out all night, but that’s far from the worst part.
The worst part is the colossus is beginning to wander closer to the shores. Fishermen can navigate the rocks, but not when they are being chased by that terrifying giant. It’s almost like a predatory animal protecting its territory. If anyone is unlucky enough to be caught in its area at night, they’re as good as dead. It’s also becoming more ambitious in pursuing those who come too close. First, if you were in its territory during the day, it would pursue you assuming you were on the water at night. This meant it was becoming willing to leave its territory, which was scary. Now, it’s like the colossus is expanding its territory, and it’s begun pursuing people onto land. Eventually, it’ll take over the whole bay, and it might even begin to expand into the town.
It makes me wonder if there is really a treasure down at the bottom of the bay, or something else entirely. The colossus has also been getting bigger. Much, much bigger. At first, it was made up of at most one large wreck. Now, it’s 27 wrecks. I count them each time it forms. Now, this could just be my depth perception failing me at night, but it looks like it’s getting as tall as 130 feet! The cliffs that form the bay only stand 150 feet over the ocean.
I’m worried for the safety of our town. Each night, the colossus forms, and we can hear the waters roaring with each step it takes, and the thrashing as the wood and metal that form it clash. Not to mention, the endless shouts of the drowned sailors that it wears on ropes like jewelry. It might eventually sever our ability to ship materials into the bay, which could endanger the town as a whole. Another thing is, it leaks a black liquid from its body, and it’s mutating the fish. They become contorted, and sickening. One of the local fishermen ate one of the mutated fish, and he was bedridden for a week.
I’m concerned for the safety of our town. I’m the closest thing we have to a lawkeeper, and the best I can do to defend anyone is shoot my trusty old Winchester rifle. I’m just some lighthouse keeper. What do I know about protecting the town from some Eldritch shipwreck beast?
It’s already claimed a few lives as well. One of them was my father. He was an old fisherman, and I was an amateur lighthouse keeper. I was watching the Colossus wander its territory one night, when I noticed a small fishing boat. It was my father’s fishing boat. He was drifting towards the no-go zone. We had set up buoys to mark the Colossus’ territory, and he was drifting right past them. I remember the rest perfectly. The Colossus had noticed him instantly, and began to furiously stomp towards him, wading through the water with ease. He heard it the moment it began its approach.
He managed to quickly leave its territory, when it did something it had never done before. The Colossus continued its pursuit. He was already moving slow to dodge all the rocks that were poking above the water like jagged teeth, but now the Colossus was hot on his tail. I watched it all. The Colossus picked up his boat like it was a toy, and crushed it. Through my spyglass, I saw my father’s terrified face just before he was crushed by the Colossus.
It’s a devil, something that was never intended to exist in our world. It’s a monster, some furious wrath of god. I don’t know what created it, but I know that its hatred is real. Real, and boundless, and expanding. I‘d wager eventually it’ll stick around during the day, and I’d also wager eventually it’ll get so big it could leave the bay and travel the sea.
I worry. The Colossus is death, but it’s also rebirth. Not rebirth in a beautiful way though. Rebirth in a sick, twisted way. Rebirth as something corrupted and evil.
How would you even kill it? How do you kill something made from wrecked ships? Does it have a soul? If it does have a soul, could it just find a new wreck to use as a body? What would happen if it went out to sea and got a warship? I can tell it’s growing weary of our bay. I don’t know how I can tell, but I just can.
In fact, sometimes, I feel like I can understand it. Like it has a voice, and it speaks to me. It could be that, but I know that whatever is going on has something to do with the treasure of this damn cursed bay.