Introduction to The Other Side

Hello and welcome all to this very special edition of Super-Natural Salsa, where we take myths and legends from around the globe and lay them bare in half hour segments. I am your host, Sassy Susy Sakowich, and do I have a story for you today!

Deep in the heart of the deepest depths of the ocean, surrounded by decaying relics of long forgotten civilizations, lives one of the most terrifying creatures in all of humankind’s mythologies.

Just one of his eyes is bigger than your head, his body is bigger than the tank of an S.U.V. my brother just bought, and when you add in his extremities…well, it’s safe to say that he’s bigger than most blocks of houses; and he isn’t alone.

A complex society of these sea beasts ranges throughout the world’s deepest waterways and, though feared by humans, these creatures rarely bring themselves to the surface, preferring to keep to themselves within the engulfing shadows of their homes.

As with most things, there are some exceptions. They emerge to socialize with other sea creatures during the annual Fire Falls {meteor showers}, ancient history week {school is school after all}, and whenever a lovely storm can camouflage their presence from the pesky humans who drove them deeper generations ago! but no long believe in, or fear, their presence.

It wasn’t always this way. Once, long ago, the beasts were free to rest on the calm waters and bask in the warm sunlight, their large bodies and floating arms creating a beautiful play area for other sea life. Humans changed all of that when. They became bolder and more likely to attempt landing on the poor animals in search of fish for supper. The beasts did not begrudge humans their food, it is the way of the world that some creatures must eat others in order to thrive. However, these sailors were stomping all over the poor animals, leaving scars and cuts from anchors, and ruining the safety that the traveling playground should have provided.

When you think about it, they had every right and many reasons to get upset and snap at those explorers! Of course, the sailors took it poorly and began to tell some fearful tales about creatures with long tentacles and a body over a mile-and-a-half wide. These horrid beasts were after only one thing…a meal made of humans! They could spear you with a horn, wrap long tentacles around your ship, and pull everything underwater…creating a whirlpool to Suck down anything that might have been missed on the waters surface. (No survivors? Where did the stories come from then, I wonder?).

Norwegians and Scandinavians call these frightful beasts the Sykraken, some Europeans refer to it as the Krabben, and most of us probably know it best as THE KRAKEN!

But do we really know anything at all? Is this chilling tale honestly as terrifying as all that? Or do we just fear them because we fear what we don’t know?

Here today, via satellite from the waters beside an undisclosed Caribbean Isle, and hoping to answer a few of our questions is a very special guest and a dear friend of a friend. Please Welcome to the Blender, Sergio de la Kraken!

The Eye

TO BE CONTINUED…