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The Island of the Giants

 

The sloop-of-war of Her Majesty Setter landed on that island on 11th June of the year 1857, nine days after it had been led astray by an unexpected storm while on her course to Mumbai, where we should load supplies for our sail to Andamans and the Malay Archipelago. I was hired as a ship’s doctor, despite being a biologist by profession. I took this job because it was the only possible way to visit faraway lands, where, as I hoped, I could find peace for my curious soul.

We had lost our second-in-command in the storm, so the captain was the only one on the board who was able to pinpoint our position. We were located somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, in a place where there should not be any land nearby. To our surprise, there were silhouettes of strange trees on a wide sandy beach. There were growing in clusters with connected treetops which were laid out in an odd pattern. Never in my life have I seen anything like this.

Fate gave me a unique opportunity to do botanical research.

They’re just boulders, declared the captain. He then went exploring the island escorted by two sailors. At first, he dismissed my request to go with them, so I could look closer at the local flora, however, eventually he agreed after a few inappropriate comments and harsh swearings.

When we got to the island, both oarsmen stayed by the boat, while the captain and I went to take a closer look at one of the trees, in hopes of maybe discovering a new type of plant and giving it my name. I pulled out my knife to peel a piece of bark with it.

God stopped my hand right in time.

At that moment sun ascended high enough to shine on the sand and reveal that these were not any ordinary trees. These trees were not trees at all. Instead of trunks, it looked more like the legs of some hellish creatures, monsters from nightmares. Scary but somewhat familiar.

They were crabs.

I know that the biggest living arthropod was found by my colleague Temminck twenty years ago. His Maja kaempferi however was nothing compared to these thirty feet long, ten-legged monsters.

What now? We were trapped between these creatures and our only hope was silent but quick retreat back to the boat. Animals acted faster and started to move. Maybe they felt that there are intruders under them. Pincers that could cut the bull in two pieces were rumbling, and big round eyes on long stalks were moving in all directions.

If they would have food, they will be distracted enough, said the captain preparing his gun. Does he think that bullet could pierce chitinous shells? Shooting at them would only enrage them! Had he lost his mind?

In a second I found out that the captain’s mind is intact, however, his plan was more practical than Christian. He aimed his gun at me.

I screamed.

Thanks to the sound that I made, the crabs started to move. Even the one that was looking straight at me. Captain hide right of crab’s leg to not hinder his attack on the bait – on me.

Decapod set forth.

I will never forget that shocked look on the face of a man whose last moment of his life did remember that crabs walk sideways.

 

© 2011

 

 

 

 

"Things just happen. What the hell."
Didaktylos*
* Terry Pratchett. Hogfather

 

Welcome to my world. For the longest time I couldn’t think of right name for this place, so I left it without one. Amongst things you can find here are attempts of science fiction and fantasy stories, my collection of gods, bogeymen and monsters and also articles about things that had me interested, be it for a while or for years. (There is more of this, sadly not in English but in Czech, on www.fext.cz)

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