The Keeper Of Kelp Island

Art by Stefan Koidl

It’s amazing what you can catch in the sea these days. What kind of creatures lurk below. Mia had heard stories about all kinds from her grandad. Goblin Sharks. Colossal Squid. The Viperfish. 

Yet nothing could explain the recent attacks. 

Boats in once-safe waters were being ravaged by an unknown predator. They were found days after disappearing, spat inland. Crew gone. All fishing equipment torn to shreds. 

The fear it caused grounded all but the hardiest sailors. 

But, Mia knew what was happening. She knew why too. Had seen the beast one night when granddad was late back from fishing.  

No one would believe Mia, of course. Her warnings were passed off as the over-active imagination of a child. The explanation was just too outlandish.

Fed up, she hatched a plan to catch the creature herself. Expose it for the whole world to see. Then the adults would have to listen. 

Mia snuck out one afternoon, hiding granddad’s old camera in her bucket and spade. If someone caught her, she’d just say she wanted to build sandcastles while the tide was low. 

She waited on the shore, watched, built castles to pass the time. 

Nothing happened. The creature didn’t appear. 

The next afternoon was the same. And the next.

Mia soon realised it must be because no one was brave enough to go fishing on those days. Everything was docked inshore.  

Weeks passed. Mia listened to the news. No attacks. Still no one was fishing. Mia should have been relieved. Should have been happy that no lives were being lost. Yet, a tiny part of her wished they’d go out again. She wanted to be proven right. 

It wasn’t long until Mia got her wish. 

The adults had been losing too much money without their catch. It was bad enough that in recent years their nets only came in half full at best. This would break them. They reasoned that whatever monster had lurked around the waters of Kelp Island would have moved on by now. 

Mia knew better.

She went out again. Bucket. Spade. Camera. Knew the thing probably wouldn’t come out until twilight, when the seasonal fog fell. 

The sun faded. Cold gripped the shore. Mia’s skin prickled. She should have worn more than her swimmers. But, she was patient, determined. Wouldn’t be put off by something as little as cold. Mia knew her parents would be getting worried by now. She’d missed dinner with granddad. 

Time ticked on. One hour. Two. Three. Mia shivered on the shore, camera ready. 

Then, a shout. Mia stood straight, straining her ears. She looked and saw a light winking in the fog.

This was it. The monster.

The adults didn’t understand that the thing wasn’t in the waters around Kelp Island. It was Kelp Island - a colossal and ancient thing that harvested the sea around it when hungry. The lighthouses the adults had built out there to keep boats safe were like barnacles on its back. 

And, that light was moving now, swaying through the night.

Mia stood, holding up her camera. She pointed it toward the light. Hoped the flash would be enough to catch the beast on film as it closed in on the shore. No, not closing in on the shore. It was on the shore already.

Mia stumbled back, fell in the sand, watching with horror as the light got closer. 

But the shimmer in the mist wasn’t the monster. It was her granddad with his torch. He’d come to find her on the beach, concerned about where she was. 

Relief and disappointment flooded Mia. No! She’d missed her chance. 

Her granddad hugged her gently but scolded her hard. She shouldn’t be out at night so close to shore when danger lurked in the sea.

He didn’t listen when she explained she was safe because she didn’t fish. That the thing was attacking the boats because they were stealing its food. That’s why it destroyed all their fishing gear. It was sending a message. A message no one but her understood.

Granddad just patted Mia’s shoulder as they walked. He listened but didn’t hear. Didn’t repeat what she’d said to the other elders.

No one believed her the next day either when the latest boat was found ravaged on the sand, nets shredded. 

Just the over-active imagination of a child. 

They’d soon all learn that ignoring children would be their ultimate undoing. It would be their ultimate end. 

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This story was inspired by the art of Stefan Koidl. For more of his art, follow him on Instagram here.