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Teeth of Loch Tay

By Kevin Barkman

By Kevin BarkmanPublished 2 years ago 10 min read
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Teeth of Loch Tay
Photo by Manuel Meurisse on Unsplash

So, I’ve been backpacking the Scottish countryside for the last few weeks. When I started, I just picked a small village in the highland. The village of Torridon sits at the base of the mountain Liathach in the Torridon Hills. Honestly, it was the perfect place to start my journey. I bounced from village to village seeing all the sights, meeting some of the kindest and most hardworking people.

I’m not alone on this trek…Or at least, I wasn’t when I started.

My friends and I started this trip together. It was all Benji’s idea. He’d spent a few weeks in Scotland back in college. Some study abroad thing with his honor’s college. He’s been itching to come back ever since. We’d saved up for it for months. Once our fifth and final companion had his funds in order, we booked the trip.

We saw some absolutely incredible things. Mountains and rolling hills, lochs that stretch for miles. We were all set to check out Loch Ness in about a week. It was supposed to be our last stop before heading back to Edinburgh to fly home. We were going to go monster hunting.

Kind of ironic now.

A few nights ago, we were staying in the village of Killin, a hamlet off of Loch Tay. Middle of the night, I heard Benji and Ray get up. I assumed they were going out for a smoke, but when the morning came, they hadn’t come back. Riley, Jim and I asked around town all morning to no avail. We stopped for lunch at a café not far from where we stayed the night. Just long enough to regroup before continuing the search. At that point we decided to go to the police.

Right as we were grabbing our bags to leave the café, an older man and a young woman came through the door. The man approached the cashier, talking quietly before gesturing over to our table. He nodded to the young woman, a redhead looking to be about my age. His daughter, I presumed.

“You the Americans who lost your friends?” Her brogue was quite prominent, but not so we couldn’t understand.

“Yeah. Why?” I blurted out. “Do you know something?”

“Not sure. You got photos of ‘em?”

“Of course.” Riley whipped out his phone and pulled up the pictures we’d been using all morning.

The redhead took his phone for a moment. She showed the pictures to her father, speaking in a language I didn’t recognize. I’d heard that some Highlanders spoke in the Gaelic tongue, but it was my first time hearing it. He nodded, returning an agitated response in their language. The two argue for a moment before the man throws up his hand and leaves the café.

“What was that about?” I pressed, “Has he seen our friends or not?”

“Aye, he has.” Her tone was cautious. Not like she was intentionally hiding something. Maybe it was nothing. “Saw ‘em down by water last night. Said they were talking to a couple of fillies at the dock.”

“Did he recognize them?” A modicum of relief edging into Riley’s voice. “The girls, did he know who they were.”

“I dunno.” She hesitated, eyes shifting away from us. “He didn’t really say.”

“Then let’s go talk to him.” Jim blurted. “He’s gotta know…”

“There’s something you’re not saying.” I interject. “He said something else didn’t he? Something you don’t want to tell us.”

“It’s nothing.” She defended. “Just superstitious nonsense from an old man. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

Completely forgetting my pack, I rushed out behind her, trying to get more answers. The ring of the bell above the door fades as I scan the area for her, but somehow, she’s just gone. My companions weren’t far behind me coming out the door.

The three of us decided then amongst ourselves our gameplan. Riley and Jim would head down to the loch and ask around there, while I head to the police station to report them missing. We were set to check in every hour or so. The police weren’t much help, honestly. The person I talked to just said that they’d look into it. No indication on a timeline, so I just filed the report.

Now I’m making my way back to the loch. The others have been checking in like their supposed to, so I’m not too worried about them. But Benji and Ray, I’ve had this sinking feeling in my stomach since this morning. When I finally make it back to the shoreline, it’s midafternoon. I start at the lodge, talking to anyone I can find. No one here knows anything. Not even guys who run the place.

I wander around the loch for the next few hours until it starts to get dark. At their last check, Riley said he and Jim were going to grab dinner. I opted to keep at it. Just as the sun set, I look out over the shore. At the edge of the water, a white horse emerges from the tree line, its mane dripping as though it just came from the loch. It’s a beautiful specimen, but as the light fails, something about the creature seems off. It’s like its form flickers. I rub my eyes, sure that my stressed mind is playing tricks on me. The creature turns its head toward me, dark eyes glistening in the sunset.

I can’t explain why, but the sight shook me to my core. Horses aren’t uncommon around here, but there was something about it that disturbs me.

I turn away, heading back toward the lodge, trying to shake those eyes from my thoughts.

As I make it back to the lodge, I run into someone I didn’t expect to see again: the strange old man from the café. I run up to him, but the second he sees me, his face turns snow white beneath the beard. I try talking to him, but he only rambles in his language I don’t understand.

“He doesn’t speak English.” I recognize the voice of the redhead. “You’re not gonna get anything out of him like that.”

“Fine.” I snipe, “What’s your name?”

“Lily Claire.”

“Alright, Lily Claire. You clearly speak the language. Can you translate for me?”

“Fine. Just be quick about it.”

“Okay…Um…” I stammer. “Where did he see them? What did those girls look like? Please, I need as much information as possible.”

After a moment of agitated conversation, she turns back to me. “Look, I wish I could help you, but he just keeps mumbling about some folktale. Whatever happened has his scared.”

“What folktale?”

“Does it matter? It won’t help you find your friends.”

“Humor me.”

“He was rambling about them being taken by the kelpie.”

“Kelpie? Like that horse spirit that saves drowning children? How does that make sense?”

“One: No. There’s a lot more to the kelpie than that.” She sighs deeply before continuing. “Kelpies are malevolent spirits. Shapeshifters. They lure victims to the water’s edge then drag them below and drown them to consume their flesh. My dad thinks the girls from last night were kelpie. Two: I never said it made sense.”

Exasperated, I storm away from the pair.

“I really do want to help you.” She calls after me. “I’m sorry”

As I round the corner of the lodge, I all but smack into Riley. “Woah. Hey.”

“Rye, what…” I mutter. “Where’s Jimmy?”

“Hasn’t he texted? We got separated. He was supposed to meet me here ten minutes ago.”

“I dunno. Let me check.” I pull out my phone, opening my messaging app. “No. Nothing. But he’s only a little late. He’ll show. Right?”

An hour passes as the sun drops below the hills, Riley and I both furiously messaging Jim’s phone. No word.

Panic sets in. First Benji and Ray. Now Jimmy.

A sharp cry nearby rips Riley and me away from our phones. A scream echoes down the shoreline. I burst into a run, Riley trailing farther and farther behind. I rush into the area of the scream, frantically scanning beach and woods alike for any signs of the one in distress. Praying it’s not my friend.

A shiver rocks down my spine as I notice the silence. No birds. No bugs. Nothing. Just the pounding of my heart.

A loud splash pulls my attention back to the water as a figure emerges on the shore. My eyes widen when I see the face, grinning in the moonlight.

“Jimmy, what…What are you doing? Where have you been?”

Jim’s smile widens, a twisted and warped image appearing to flicker against the darkened waters. “Come here, I wanna show you something.”

Something about that look gave me pause, but I’ve known him for years. He wouldn’t hurt me. I start to approach him. As he reaches out toward me, I extend my hand to him.

A split second before our hands connect, a gunshot rings out, echoing across the loch. Instinctively, I rip my hand back, whipping my head toward the sound.

At the edge of the woods, Lily Claire braces a hunting rifle into her shoulder, cocking for a second shot. “Get away from that thing!”

Glancing back at Jim, “What are you…?!” What I see stops me dead in my tracks. The face is still Jim’s, but the teeth…He bares his razor-sharp teeth, malice glowing in his sulfur yellow eyes.

In a flash of motion, the creature turns on its heels and dives back into the loch.

“Jimmy!” Riley calls, barreling out of the woods as the creature disappears beneath the waves. “Where are you going?!” Riley runs to the water’s edge, desperation in his movements. “You want to explain?”

Before I can even get in a word, the beast shoots out of the water. It grips Riley’s wrist and jerks him into the waves. Lily Claire is able to get off a shot, but misses as they vanish again. I throw off my backpack, grabbing a tent spike from the side pouch.

I dive in after them, swimming as fast as I can down into the depths. Riley struggles against the force of the kelpie, slowing their progress. I’m just barely able to catch up to them. Grabbing hold of Riley’s arm, I propel myself toward the beast.

I land a solid kick to the creature’s belly, stunning it for a split second. That brief hesitation is enough for me to bring my weapon to bear, stabbing relentlessly into its hand. Despite the frenzied attack, its grip holds tight. I spin the spike in my palm, thrusting straight for the creature’s glowing eye, the face of my likely dead friend staring back at me. I feel my weapon make its home in the socket, sticking fast.

It releases a high-pitched wail, piercing even in the water. In the chaos, it releases its grip on Riley. I kick against it sending it backwards. Riley and I swim fast as we can to shore, my lungs burning with the strain. As we burst from the water, Lily Claire helps me drag Riley far away from the shoreline.

When I glance back for only a moment, glowing yellow eyes pop up from the loch. One pair. Then another. Then another. Dozens of them stare at us from the dark waters.

*****

With Lily Claire’s help, I’m able to get Riley to the hospital. He had water in his lungs, but more importantly… That thing left a gnarly scar. A handprint like an acid burn etched into his wrist.

We watched the news footage while sitting in his room. Three unidentifiable bodies…skeletons were found on the shore of Loch Tay, entrails strewn about them. Their flesh had been eaten by something with sharpened teeth. I made an anonymous call to the local police, telling them of my friends’ demise. Riley, Lily Claire, and I mourned their deaths privately.

We know the truth, but who would believe us?

Young Adult
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About the Creator

Kevin Barkman

Somehow, my most popular story is smut. I don't usually write smut. I did it once, and look what happened. Ugh.

Anyway, Hope you enjoy my work. I do pour my heart, soul, sweat and tears into it.

PS: Please read more than my smut story.I beg

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