The Cryptid Files

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weight, and she slipped silently into the water, head first. The heavy wooden boat turned turtle on top of her. It made a dull thud, there was no splash, and no shout as Vanessa went under.

CHAPTER 16
    There are many strange things about Loch Ness. Locals say that it never gives up its dead. A number of people who drowned have literally disappeared and their bodies have never been found. Even dead fish don’t come to the surface.
    Vanessa did not feel the blow to the side of her head. It was numbed too quickly by the shock of cold water as her whole body went down. It was icy cold and painful on her skin. She tried to swim, hoping she was going up towards the surface. Her coat and shoes felt like lead weights and the pull downwards was almost overwhelming, but she kicked furiously until her face broke the surface. The moment of relief was intense, but it did not last. Why was it pitch black? Where was she?
    Bewildered and tired from kicking to keep afloat, her flaying arms hit out and she grazed her knuckles on something. Yes, the boat of course. She could feel the upside-down bench and the oarlocks: she was beneath the upturned boat. She’d have to go under again to swim out of the boat and do it quickly, because she would soon be too cold to move.
    Vanessa groped along the inside edge of the boat. Her clothes were waterlogged and her hands were numb with the cold. She was finding it hard to hold on. She went under and swam hard. The cold bit at her face and scalp, but she gasped with relief to be out in the air. She turned towards the bank.
    â€˜Help!’ she croaked. She cleared her throat and tried to yell louder, but it made her cough hard. Even to her ears, it was a pitiful cry that wouldn’t be heard more than a couple of feet away. Could she swim to the shore? Normally, she could swim that distance with no problem, but her body ached with exhaustion. She couldn’t even get a hold on the upturned boat. It was too slimy.
    Seconds felt like hours and she knew she wouldn’t be able to cling to the surface much longer. Her limbs were getting heavier and her head lighter. She waited for something to happen, knowing that she couldn’t make it happen herself.
    She felt her vision blur and she blinked furiously. Her mind was blank with panic and her body weak with effort. Nobody could save her.
    â€˜Mum, help me. Help me please …’ Her voice was barely a whisper.
    Was she imagining things? She felt the warmth creep over her and envelop her body. Her legs and arms, so tense and heavy, began to loosen slowly.
    She registered the glow of light beneath her, just seconds before she sank down deep into Loch Ness.

CHAPTER 17
    On 30 July 1979, Alistair and Sue Boyd parked in a spot above Temple Pier when they saw a huge hump surface in the loch. It was about the size of a yacht hull, but by the time they got their camera from the car, it had disappeared.
    When Vanessa woke the first time, it was dark. From behind half-shut eyes and the filter of her lashes, she tried to make out some shapes. It was a vague blur and her brain registered nothing familiar. Her eyelids felt heavy as they closed over. She was too tired to fight sleep.
    The second time she opened them wide, she lay very still and looked straight ahead. Green. She rolled her head a little to the left and then the right. There appeared to be a soft green glow in the air all around her. Her hands and feet felt quite numb and her back ached. She wriggled slightly, testing her limbs, suddenly aware that she was lying on something extremely hard and uncomfortable. None of it made sense. Perhaps if she closed her eyes again, the dream would fade like the last time and she would find herself back in bed. Willingly, her eyelids shut the world out for a second time.
    She didn’t know how much actual time had passed before she came to properly. This time, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked around. Above her the stone

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