Come, let’s go before the tide makes islands of us all.
tides
Tour Guide
Oh! Hi there. Are you here for the tour?
Excellent. The Bay is always restless in foul weather. Stirs up the mermaids, you know. Gets them all riled up and showing off in the big waves.
Unfortunately the dragons tend to keep to their caves. The damp isn’t good for their fire breathing and no one likes a whiny, chilly dragon.
What’s that? Oh, no refunds I’m afraid. It’s in the fine print.
If we get lucky we might see the local sea monster, who only comes out during storms. Well. Hee hee. He causes the storms so there’s something of a relationship there. You’ll love him. He’s better than ten dragons. You can see invisible monsters, right? Right?
Now, now, no need to be rude.
You see that patch of snow to your left? It’s actually a crew of ghosts what prowl this beach. Or, you know, part of the storm. Best err on the side of the fantastical, I always say.
What’s that? You’re leaving? Hogwash, you say? Not at all – wait! Look out for that storm wraith! No, I swear, this one’s real, don’t breathe that mist, it’s poison – aw. Lost another one. Not good for business. Not good for business at all.
beasts of the shore
The beasts fall into shadow in the distance, biding their time till the fog returns and they can rise from their slumber. The wait is never long.
A foghorn sounds in the distance as the first tendrils of fog smudge the horizon. The beasts blink sleep from their eyes and watch as the mist cloaks them in its shroud. One by one they vanish.
Then, and only then, do they rise from their beds and march into the water, scouring the ocean floor for treasure and bits of salted seaweed. Their bellies full, they lounge upon the currents, tugging at riptides, and tickling stray whales.
The fog hovers along the shore, waiting for them grow tired and return to their beds. When all are asleep it rolls out once more, leaving the land as it was.
things the cliff said
The old cliff croaked and groaned, but at last he spoke, his voice garbled with seaweed. “Its been a long time since anyone’s asked me for a story. I’ve seen a thing or two, that’s for sure. Where shall we begin? Is it sea dragons and ghost ships you want, or the romantic preenings of a mollusk in the Bay?”
