Swamp Monster

FICTION

by Allison Zuclich

Marly was swamped. Swamped with work, swamped with family chores, swamped with her inner turmoil, and stuck in a literal swamp. That was one of the many drawbacks of living in Gastridge. It was surrounded on all sides by a sticky swamp that sucked anything that dared to venture into its grip by seizing and suffocating it in the muck. Marly moved her legs through the mud, trying not to be the next thing to be absorbed by the swamp. Her backpack felt like a weight, pulling her deeper into the muck with each step. Some slime creeped into her boots, making her whole body shiver.  

“Why did they have to be hiding over here?” Marly thought, “This is literally one of the most inhabitable parts of the swamp. I’m surprised the swamp hasn’t swallowed them up by now.” 

Luckily she knew this swamp well. Growing up in Gastridge did that to you. Why the founders of Gastridge decided all those years ago that a swamp of all places would be a good place to build a town, Marly could only guess. Her bets were that a lot of money was paid to build it, or they had really poor critical thinking skills. She continued to trudge on. 

Marly checked her watch. It was around 6:00 at night, the time when her family would start making dinner. Mom must be closing the shop by now, and Dad would be scrounging up whatever he could find for a good dinner. She had told them she would be coming home late, but hopefully she would find what she needed soon. Dad usually made mac and cheese on Tuesday nights, and mac and cheese was only good when it’s warm. 

She kept an eye out around the marsh. Gators usually weren’t found in this area, but better to keep an eye out, just in case. 

Yet that was not the main reason why people, usually, kept out of the marsh. Gators were dangerous, yes, but the people of Gastridge knew if you kept your distance, the gators would leave you alone. It was the monster in the woods that scared the people of Gastridge. People whispered to each other tales of the beast, how it was as tall as a house yet so silent you would not know it was there until it was too late. Physical descriptors varied, some said it had scales, some said fur, others swore it had a metallic exoskeleton. Yet all agreed that the beast of Gastridge, the Jibirjrag, had glowing yellow eyes. Marly trudged forward, knowing that if trouble came along she wouldn’t get far with the swamp and her heavy backpack. But if everything went as planned, there would be no need to run. 

Then she saw it. A glint of metal. It belonged to a light blue van, speckled with mud. It was parked on a small spot of dry land, with tire tracks leading away from Gastridge. Trash was littered all around the van. At last, she had found it. And it seemed no one was there. For now. 

“Perfect time to set up”, Marly decided. She slung her heavy backpack off her shoulder. It didn’t take too long to get everything in order, so she just sat down near the edge of the encampment and waited, listening to the chorus the bugs and toads were providing. 

Then after a while she heard something. Rustling. No, rustling and… laughter.  

All of a sudden, something burst from the bushes. A beast, as large as the van, its green and blue scales coated in the muck of the swamp. Large pointed teeth stuck out of its mouth like a crocodile with an even worse dental plan, and it had glowing yellow eyes. It stumbled into the campsite on a bunch of centipede legs.  

Then the head came off. 

Instead of a bunch of blood and flesh, there was an older teenage boy. He was a string pole of a kid with a face full of freckles, and light brown hair. 

“Well guys, I think we are getting good at this!” 

The rest of the monster, all at once, disassembled. The body came apart into pieces, the connections previously being hidden by the paint and muck. The multiple legs split apart too, showing that they belonged to multiple people, all around the same age. Marly pulled out her video camera and started recording. 

“Did you see that kid’s face when we jumped out in front of them!” One of them, a bulky blond dude said, “He’s totally gonna have nightmares for weeks!” 

“Okay, less chatting, more helping me get this costume in the van.” A redhead girl interrupted, “I spent a lot of time on this beauty and I will not watch it get destroyed in less than a week!” 

They started putting the costume into the back of the pickup truck. Then the other woman, one with a turtleneck and glasses, looked over her shoulder and made contact with Marly. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” she said.  

Marly quickly got up and walked back a few paces, careful not to take the camera off of the group. 

“What’s going on Myrtle?” 

“There's someone filming us!”  

They all turned to look at her. 

“It’s just a kid!” the redhead stuttered. “What’s a kid doing here?” 

“Hey kid, you know it is not safe to be in the swamp alone?” The blonde lumbered over to her, arms above his head. “The Jibirjrag will get you!” 

Marly took a deep breath and spoke calmly. “It seems that you guys know the Jibirjrag quite well, even though you are not from around these parts.” 

“Well yeah, everyone in the county knows of the supposed freak of the swamp. It’s the only reason we came here for spring break.” 

“So you could see it or pretend to be it?” Marly countered. 

“Okay so you got us.” The freckled kid confessed. “We’re pretending to be the Jibirjrag. It’s surprisingly easy. People’ll believe anything these days. Plus, it’s fun scaring the skin off of some people.” 

“You broke private property and are giving people heart attacks by jumping out at them.” Marly countered again. “That’s vandalism and public disruption. I know folks that are afraid to leave their houses now. The Jibirjrag never hurts anyone without reason. It is a protector of the swamp, only fighting when people are in its personal space,” Marly paused. “like you are right now.” 

“Wait!” Turtleneck girl suddenly interrupted. “I know you! You’re the kid from the gift shop! Look at this kid, of course she supports the idea that Jibirjrag is real, her family’s entire livelihood counts on it. Hell, I bet this whole garbage pile of a town would be deserted by now if it was not for this fake tale!” 

“Uh, not our problem right now. What is our problem is that the brat is recording us!” The redhead said. “Someone destroy that hunk of junk before it gets in the hands of the police! I do not want this on my record.” 

“It’s okay babe, I’ll just destroy it.” The blonde dude reassured her. He turned to Marly. “You can't run in this swamp, kid, give me the camera.” 

“Grrrr…” 

A sound echoed throughout the swamp. 

“What the heck is that?!?” 

“I thought there were no gators around here.” 

“Gators growl?” 

“Look, behind the kid!” 

Marly’s eyes widened as a large, shadowy figure loomed up behind her, enveloping her in their shadow. Its yellow eyes gleamed. Then in one smooth swipe, her body was off the ground, and into the mouth of the beast.. 

“Ahhhhh!” 

“Noooo!”  

“I’m too young to die!” 

“Let’s get out of here!” 

The teenagers fled, jumping in their car. It sped through the muck, away from the monster, the swamp, and the town. 

Inside the Jibirjrag, Marly pulled a few levers. Now that the intruders were gone, she could navigate the swamp a lot easier. Plus, their sighting would hit the newspapers soon, and Marly would be needed when the influx of customers hit her parent’s shop. She trudged back home, the mechanical beast sliding smoothly through the trees and the slime. She could make it back in time for warm Mac and Cheese if she hurried.