Old works, number 15: Cryptshee

I wrote this piece in 2007 I believe for an art class.

Log Entry #1

Date: 11/16/92

Today I, Holly Smith cryptologist in training, start my research of a creature that is believed to live around fresh lakes.  I will start with the one closest to me: Lake Michigan.  I leave tonight; I should arrive tomorrow morning at dawn.

Log Entry #2

Date: 11/17/92

I have arrived in Chicago and I started my research at one of the public libraries.  I have heard this supposed creature is dangerous, so I decided to do some research before I went looking for it.

Research (not in chronological order):

There have been 100 spottings of this creature at Lake Michigan in the past twenty-five years.

There have been over 10000 spottings of this creature all over the world in the past twenty five years.

Over 1800 deaths have been attributed to this creature over the past twenty-five years in the United States alone.

Over 9000 deaths have been attributed to this creature through out the entire world over the past twenty-five years.

The creature looks much like a child with red eyes and a shaved head.  Because the creature is so human like, many believe that they are the children of a technologically advanced cult known as the Crypt Seekers.

It is believed by some to be a religious figure because it can supposedly walk on water.  The fact that it is supposed to walk on water is why many scientists dispute its existence as something the size of a child would be too big for the water tension to withstand.

The creature is said to seduce young men into the lake to be her husbands.  However, I only found this in one place and it seems odd that a young girl could seduce so many into drowning themselves.

Articles:

Although I normally don’t use tabloids out of moral policy, it was the first thing I found.

"Demon Child" by John Gishman

Imagine this: you’re sitting quietly at a seemingly serene lake with your family when suddenly you see your husband walking away from your freshly lit fire and into the lake.

This is what happened to Celia Stewart and her husband Friedrich Pinter on labor day weekend on  our own Lake Michigan..

Luckily, Celia’ and Friedrich’s sons were able to pull him out of the water but they admit it was difficult.

“It was like he was being pulled by some 300 pound diver,” said John Pinter, age 18.

When the family was questioned by the police if they had seen anything suspicious they said that they had seen an odd child,

“I had found her at the edge of the lake sitting on a large rock.  She looked sad so I though she might be lost.  I approached her and she spun around.  I was really sacred.  Someone had shaved her head and it looked like she had never been out in the sun, because she was as white as a sheet.  Her eyes were closed but somehow she still knew here I was.  I then noticed her dress and thought it looked a little odd too.  It was a black dress that was made out of seaweed.  I asked her where her mom was and she wailed so loudly that I ran back to my husband and sons.” said Celia.

She had thought that would be the last she saw of the child but when her sons were trying to stop her husband out of the water, she saw the little girl standing in the middle of the lake staring into her husband’s eyes with her blood red ones.  She tried to snap a picture, but the creature wailed.

If you have any information on this creature call the hotline at: 1-800-EVIL-KID

This article, however poorly written, got me thinking.

The wails sound like something a Banshee would yell.

“The Banshee…is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld… According to legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the house is about to die… Banshees are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair which they brush with a silver comb, a detail scholar Patricia Lysaght attributes to confusion with local mermaid myths. This comb detail is also related to the centuries-old traditional romantic Irish story that, if you ever see a comb lying on the ground in Ireland, you must never pick it up, or the banshees (or mermaids - stories vary), having placed it there to lure unsuspecting humans, will spirit such gullible humans away. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee)

There are some obvious differences.  One is that Banshees are women who have very long hair.  There are many similarities though, both creatures are considered female, they have both been seen with black cloaks, and they are both supposed lure people from beaches away.

These similarities I think will be the key in unlocking the story of this creature. 

Log Entry #3

Date: 11/18/92

Tonight I have decided to camp out on the shore of Lake Michigan to see if I see this creature for myself.

From re-reading the article I noticed that the creature doesn’t like fire, so I have decided to light one as a form of bait.

Because of the similarities to the banshee I have decided to call this creature a Cryptshee.

I’ll record more observations later tonight.

Log Entry #4

Date: 11/19/92

It is around midnight and so far no sighting of the Cryptshee.

My fire is still going so there is hope yet.

Wait a minute, I think I see something out on the lake.  It might just the pale moonlight hitting a dark rock on top, but no there is something red.

Red, red, red.

Fire is hurts, red, red, red.

It has to be quenched.

The lake, red, red, red, if I just go into the lake the fire will stop hurting, red, red, red.

Only underneath the waves will the fire be fully quenched.

Sleep Mode

Computer left on for 1 hours straight without any activity

Auto-Turn off

Computer out of batteries

Document Saved

(Prompt by Mr. Radz but encouraged by Emily Kleeman)

Painting by me (it's what I did for the assignment) and photo by Betsy Rubin