On the rugged coastline of the Scottish Highlands, where the land met the sea with a tumultuous embrace, the village of Dunmore lay nestled in the crook of a verdant valley. Time had ebbed and flowed in this place, but as of late, it had begun to creak unsettlingly. It wasn’t the weather—though storms clashed violently against the cliffs, their sounds echoing like war drums—or the sudden, unseasonal chill that had ignited the village’s superstitions. It was something far older, deeper, and far more monstrous: an ancient tale resurfacing from the depths of the folklore that had long governed the lives of the villagers.
Lately, fishermen returning from perilous outings in the North Sea spoke of an enormous shadow lurking beneath the waves, a dark shape that loomed ominously below the crests of the surging waters. Fishermen’s nets returned tangled with wreckage and debris, and livestock began to disappear mysteriously, as if whisked away beneath the earth’s surface. It was the elders who were first to recall the old legends—whispered stories of the Colossus, an ancient creature said to slumber in the depths, waiting for a time when the seas became turbulent enough to awaken it from its millennia-long sleep.
Within this mounting atmosphere of fear and anxiety was Callum McGregor, a local boy of stout build and fearless spirit. At just fifteen, he had never found the ocean intimidating; instead, it beckoned him with the promise of adventure. Unlike his peers, who shuddered at the thought of venturing too far into the water, Callum salivated at the sea’s spectres, dreaming of magnificent leviathans and mislaid treasure. And yet, even he felt the weight of the legends hanging over Dunmore like a shroud. As whispers of the Colossus’s stirrings grew louder, so too did the chorus of warnings from the village’s hushed corners and flickering hearths.
On a dreary autumn evening, thick clouds layered across the sky like a woolly blanket, Callum and his childhood friend, Isla, found themselves seated in his dimly lit attic, poring over an ancient tome they’d discovered tucked away in a dusty pocket of the local library. With its brittle pages peppered with strange illustrations and old dialect, the book spoke of prehistorical creatures that roamed the land and sea. It mentioned the Colossus, depicting it as a beast of unfathomable size, with sinewy tentacles, eyes that glowed like molten gold, and a spine of jagged rock that broke the water’s surface like a mountain range.
“Imagine it, Isla!” Callum exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over, “An actual creature, still alive down there! It’s thrilling!”
Isla, less enchanted by the romantic notion of monster hunting, gazed nervously out of the attic window. “It’s just a story, Callum. Those tales were meant to scare children into behaving. There’s no such thing as a beast like that.”
“Yet there’s enough accounts from fishermen that something is down there. We should investigate!” he urged, his heart racing at the thrill of the chase.
“Investigate? You mean paddle out on a boat and see if we can meet it face-to-face?” she laughed, but behind her mirth, shadows of worry danced.
A week passed, tension thickening like fog over the village. A fisherman named Old Tam was said to have encountered the beast and returned with a tale that sent chills through every soul. His eyes, sunken and wide, relayed his horror as he spoke in hushed tones, describing a vast shadow rising from the depths, with the water bubbling around it, thrashing against his small boat. “It… it tried to swallow us whole,” he stammered, his hands trembling.
That same night, Callum lay restless in bed, images of the Colossus flickering through his mind. He felt drawn to the mystery, as if some unseen force compelled him to seek the truth. Would he dare confront the folklore that had ensnared his village? Would the thrill of discovery outweigh the very real terror that loomed beneath the surface?
By the light of dawn, he found Isla sitting on the beach, her hair billowing in the ocean breeze. The waves rolled in, their frothy fingers caressing the shore. “You still want to go?” she asked, her voice steadying Callum’s resolve as he donned a pensive expression.
“Yes,” he affirmed with quiet conviction, his determination burning like a beacon. “I have to see it for myself.”
Using Callum’s modest rowing boat, they set off into the watery expanse, fishing gear tossed aside for a more daring exploration. The boat bobbed softly on the waves as they ventured further from the shore, the sky above thickening with an oppressive weight. Each stroke of his oars pulled them closer to the heart of the sea, and every wave made their hearts race, a mixture of thrill and fear coursing through their veins.
As the sun began to sink low, casting a rich golden hue across the water, Isla’s unease reached its peak. “Maybe we should turn back, Callum. We’ve gone far enough. If there’s anything out here, it’s probably wise not to tempt fate.”
Just as her words left her lips, a tremor shuddered through the boat, sending both children tumbling to the side. Heart pounding, Callum gripped the edge tightly, staring intently into the churning depths. From below, a low rumble echoed, resonating through the air like the growl of a great beast awakening.
And then he saw it.
Emerging from the water—a vast, serpentine form, glistening in hues of deep emerald and azure, scales shimmering in the dying light. Its colossal frame, rounding into view with sinuous grace, sent waves crashing in fragrant sprays around them. The Colossus, propelled by unfathomable strength, raised its great head above the surface, eyes blazing with a fiery intensity that pierced through the shadows.
“It’s real!” Callum gasped, mouth agape, the moment electrifying his being.
In an instant, however, the familiar thrill rapidly morphed into a gut-wrenching fear as the creature’s tentacles slithered and writhed, thrumming against the boat like heavy ropes of sinew. It was both magnificent and horrifying; a titan of the ocean whose very existence challenged everything they knew.
Isla crouched at the far end of the boat, her eyes wide with terror. “Callum, we need to go! Now!”
But he was transfixed, rooted to the spot, heart racing as he beheld the creature’s beauty. The lurching, immense form twisted and writhed, as if asking for something—a connection in this vast, agonising solitude. Callum felt a strange pull towards it, an inexplicable need to bridge the chasm between human and beast.
With a sudden, cataclysmic motion, the Colossus surged closer, tentacles unfurling gracefully through the water, and in that breath, it halted. Callum’s heart pounded as he reached out a hand, almost willingly, willing to embrace the unknown.
And that split second surrendered into chaos.
The waters exploded in splashes, and the beast unleashed a jagged roar that resonated through the air, cracks of thunder echoing their calling. The boat capsized under the mighty sway of a single tentacle, plunging them into the icy grip of the ocean.
Instinctively, Callum fought against the currents, surfacing, and desperately searching for Isla. Panic twisted within him when he could not find her amidst the dark swirls, visions of dread filling his breathless mind. But he would not abandon her; using every ounce of strength, he plunged beneath the turbulent surface.
Moments felt like an eternity until he spotted her, thrashing amidst the bubbles, fear etched across her face. He swam towards her, grasping her arm, and propelled them both upward until they burst into the air, gasping desperately for breath.
Together they clung to wreckage from their boat, suspended in the wild sea as they observed the creature breaking the surface. Tremors resonated as the Colossus reared back, unfurling its tentacles into the air, the chaotic beauty of it awash with crashing waves. The golden light faded from the sky, casting the world into an inky dusk.
“Callum, it’s going to come for us!” Isla cried, fear clenching her throat.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt us!” he shouted back, adrenaline coursing through him, his heart still entranced by the power and grace of the beast.
Then the Colossus turned, its gaze pinning them in place. The depths of its thousand-year-old eyes spoke of a world long forgotten, a sorrow that echoed within their souls. The children could feel the beast’s waning energy, a being that had long since grown weary of the world above.
And in that moment, the Colossus began to retreat. With one mighty surge, it plunged beneath the waves, leaving a great vacuum that seemed to pull them in pursuit.
“Callum! We have to swim!” Isla yelled, spluttering as the water churned around them.
Some force pulled their limbs through the foam, merging desperation with instinct, forging a path back towards the shore. The roar of waves crashing grew distant as they fought against the tide, eventually breaking free from the turbulence.
Exhausted but alive, they dragged each other onto the sandy shores of Dunmore, collapsing as they gasped for breath, hearts racing.
The ocean stretched out before them, calm and still as if mocking their ordeal. Had they truly encountered the Colossus? The waves whispered secrets that only the creatures beneath could comprehend. What had once been a realm of legend was now inked eternally into their memories.
As the sun broke over the horizon, bathing the world in warmth, Callum felt a shift within him—a profound understanding that sometimes, to dare one’s deepest fears is to brush against the infinite fabric of the world’s mysteries.
The Colossus remained beneath the sea, a guardian of ancient tales and lives intertwined with the currents, forever shifting, ever waiting. They had encountered something extraordinary, something magnificent yet terrifying, and though the villagers would never believe them, Callum and Isla knew they had awakened a part of the legend, ensuring the lore of the Colossus would rise and sink through the ages, just like the infinite tides.
