The alarm buzzed at 4:30. Alfred groggily stood up, put some clothes on and had breakfast. Today was going to be a great first day of his vacation. He was staying in a summerhouse his family owned, close to Loch Bryndel. He had plans to take his boat out on the lake, and fish for the whole day. It was needed, the last few months had been quite stressful. He was glad that he could take a couple of weeks rest, recuperate and after that, get back into things.

After finishing breakfast, he got his fishing gear, tackle box and of course, the backpack with supplies. Some beers and sandwiches. It was important to stay hydrated, he thought, chuckling to himself. When he had his gear ready, he walked the few minutes it took down to the pier. He had a small rowboat. It was all he needed. Some alone time on the lake. It was an excellent stress release.

He got on his boat, untied it from the pier, got the oars and started his journey. The lake itself was calm. He took a deep breath. Just the fresh air, no pollutants like in the city. He loved it. He rowed slowly, mostly looking around, taking in the scenery. It was so beautiful here. And peaceful at this hour. He was the only one around. He had the lake to himself. In the distance, he saw the sun rise on top of the trees, giving a beautiful scene of nature.

After a while, he had found his spot. In the middle of the lake. He took out his fishing rod, put some bait on the hook and cast the line. He sat in his boat, looking at where the line was. His mind was all over the place. Should he consider changing jobs? Should he stick more up to his boss, who kept piling assignments on him? He did enjoy his job, but this latest boss was not a good one.

People had started quitting. But Alfred had been with the company for the past twenty years. You just don’t throw that away. He felt like he belonged there. And a new job might be nice at first, but would he feel at home? All these questions made his stomach ache.

Then he felt a tingle on the line. A curious fish, hoping for a morsel of food. And then it bit. Alfred reeled it in. A small rainbow trout. Fine for the first catch of the day. The poor trout was fighting for its life, but Alfred made sure it had a quick end. No need to make it suffer any more than necessary.

A short while later, Alfred cracked open a beer and had a sip. He relaxed a bit. The sun was now high above the trees. This was turning into a great day. Then, another tingle on the line. Alfred was ready, just letting the fish nibble before it would take a bite. He waited patiently, the rod balanced lightly in his hand. When the line gave that tell-tale pull, he struck. The reel hummed as he bought it in. A couple of hours in, and two solid catches already. This was indeed turning into a great day.

After a couple of hours of fishing, Alfred was feeling hungry. He took one of his sandwiches and started eating. His mind was also running again. After the second catch, he hadn’t had so much as a nibble. It was strange. Why had the fishes been so curious at the start, yet now didn’t even seem to acknowledge the bait. But he knew, fishing was a fickle mistress. Sometimes you could catch on every throw. Other times it took a while. But after that start, he had hoped he would be filling the boat in no time. He looked over the lake again. He just loved the view of the mountain, the forest and the lake. It was a marvellous scene.

As he was enjoying the view, he felt the familiar tinge of a bite on the line. He let the fish swim around for a bit, to get it tired. Suddenly, he felt an even bigger force pulling on the line. The rod was straining to not break. Alfred froze. What on God’s green earth could do such a thing. Then the force became too much for him, he was being pulled forward. Inscinctively, Alfred let go of the rod, fell face first onto the front of the boat, managing to put his hands down before he landed. He looked around frantically. What was going on?

Alfred looked over the boat, into the water. He saw a gigantic, dark shape swimming under his boat, circling it. Alfred froze for a second – then a thought came to his mind. A scary thought. He was in the middle of the lake. No land for at least fifteen minutes of rowing. And the beast beneath the surface – it knew of him. He was now prey. He grabbed the oars, and started rowing for his life. He knew he had scant chance of getting to safety, but he had to try something. Anything. Why did I have to pick the place furthest from land, he thought to himself. He looked at the waves again. They were circling him. And it swam faster than he could row. He prayed to whatever deity might be listening, for a safe passage through the waters. But it seemed no deity was listening. As he was rowing for his life, something surfaced from the waters, knocking the boat into the air with such force that everything in the boat scattered across the lake, and the boat split in half. Alfred was thrown high up into the air, and he screamed in terror. Then he fell down – down into the lake. The lake where the beast was swimming.

A big splash. Alfred fell in the water. He didn’t know how deep he was. He let out a breath, and followed the bubbles upwards to the surface. But as he was swimming for his life, he caught a glimpse of an eye. Eye as big as his foot. And as dark as the abyss. His eyes kept looking at this thing. It was gargantuan, the body as big as thirty meters. It had an elongated, broad and round snout, full of sharp teeth. It’s scales looked dark grey. And it swam with incredible speed. He wanted to scream, but being underwater, that wouldn’t help much. He desperately swam for the surface, as the beast still circled him.

He could see the land in the distance. So close, yet so far. Then, in front of him, a huge shape surfaced. The beast was looking directly at him. Alfred tried changing directions. But he knew this was it. The beast was coming for him. He could see the shape get bigger in the periphery of his eyes. He had no options. He kept swimming. Then, everything went black and he felt sharp pain throughout his body.