I stare at the girl in front of me. I question her, “What have you seen, what’s the matter?” Outside, the wicked waves lap upon the mud-like sand. Before she answers me, I have a vague idea of what she’s going to tell me. The girl claims she’s seen the old legend: the slimy, horrible sealamander.

Twenty minutes later, we are stood like a pair of penguins on the damp sand. My hair whips into my face as my new friend, so called Hannah, looks out over the choppy waves. A distant rumble rings through my ears as a single crack of lightning licks the fishy air. When I left my comforting room, I was brave, but now the thunder mimics my fretting discomfort. Wishing I was asleep, my heavy eyelids creep closer together. My warm candle singes my clothes. I curse quietly under my breath.

We set of through the most unwelcoming town. Havoc- on- Sea stands alone as the driving rain floods the deserted streets. Today is not the day for fish and chips on the beach: Emma’s arcade has rejected the outside world: Mr. Andy Irons surf shop is locked tight; and the abandoned school, at the edge of street, has boarded up its secrets from inside. The deck chairs outside Bob’s brownie stand have danced all the way down the town.

As we head back down the misty street, something, or someone catches my eye. Hannah grabs my hand and pulls me towards the pier. Suddenly, the smell hits my nose. Something emerges out from the swallowing mist: a creature with stick- like legs; slimy seaweed trickles down its scaly back. It creeps towards us. Maybe I am just imagining this creature like I do other stuff; perhaps I am bewitched by the carpeting mist that hugs my ankles.

A massive wave saturates me as we slowly step back. I wipe the salty substance from my wiry hair. I glare through the sticky mess. Hannah looks at me. I try to seize the chance to form a sentence but my voice won’t find the words. The tangy smell of fish billows into the air as the buffeting wind carries it away. Shaking, Hannah reaches into her pocket, revealing a knife-like stone. She fumbles, trips, then it’s like a lost memory falling down the drain. We freeze. It purposefully lunges towards us, an unforgivable stench rising from its midnight black mouth, its slobbery teeth craving more food.

Outside, the lightning strikes tear open the dark sky. Inside, we are petrified by the demon before us. crouching low to the sodden ground, the mander reveals it needle teeth. With a single bound, it leaps towards us, but with a swift movement, it smashes into the abandoned schools boarded up windows. Staring at us, its feet pound on the shingle roadside. With a small leap, it’s devoured by the raging sea.