Siberian Mystery

Markov was born in Moscow in the late 1920's. His Mother had died of smallpox when he was only ten years old. He was taken away after her funeral by his father to the Chersky Range, in Siberia, in order to take his son's mind away from the grief of his mother's early death. They joined a small Shamanic group, living close to the Indigirka River where they lived mostly on fish, but managed to gather a scarce amount of vegetation during the Spring and Summer.

When Markov came of age, he travelled with his Father up into Peak Pobeda, also known as Victory Peak, to meditate and to become one with their ancestors. Here, Markov was told about The ProphecY and his part in it by the spirits. He was scared and excited at the same time. Then, one night, he was woken by the clicks and hisses from an unknown source. He had gone to investigate taking his wooden staff with him, and he followed the ghostly noises to a man-made cave with water reflections dancing all around the entrance. He looked over the entrance, and saw a large gleaming emerald with a triskelion carved into the centre. He called out down the tunnel and waited until four eerie figures entered the mouth of the cave. They varied in size, but they were all muscular and handsome in a way. The first thing Markov noticed were their webbed hands and feet, accompanied with the fish like slits in their sides. At closer observation, he saw that their skin was grey and scaly, glistening in the moonlight, along with their hair being unnaturally slicked back. They bared their teeth, which were thin and sharp, and they growled at him and he was mesmerised by their piercing turquoise eyes, staring at him.

The shortest one was hunched over slightly and walked a few steps towards Markov, who stepped back in fright. The thing laughed and seemed to be talking to the others, it clicked and whistled like a dolphin, yet hardly moved it's lips. The hunched over creature quirked his head for Markov to follow him after it had stepped back with the others to the entrance of the cave. Markov dared to follow them, but when he had blinked, they were gone. The only thing left was a pool of ice cold water. He glanced over, scanning the pool of water, to see them swimming away into the depths of the mysterious spring. He knelt down at the side to have a closer look. Then another creature came up to meet him. He fell back shocked, cowering onto the ground. The creature was female; she got up out of the water and walked towards him.

Markov gazed at this mysterious and beautiful being while rubbing his eyes. Is she real?!

"Yes I am, Markov."

"H-h-h-how do you know my name?! What a-and who are you?!" He stuttered, as he jerked back violently with fear onto a strange but carefully excavated wall.

"I'm just a rare, rich human."

"You're not human! Y-you have skin between your fingers and toes!"

"You really think I didn't already know that?" She had a soft motherly voice, which calmed Markov. She came over and knelt in front of him. He quivered, then calmed as she stroked his face and she slowly transformed. Her shoulder length blonde hair was no longer wet and slicked back. Her teeth were no longer armed. Her skin had returned to a normal colour and texture. Her hands and feet returned to their human form; Markov, again, couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What are you?!"

"I am human, with an interesting side to me."

Markov remained silent as she stood up and brought him up with her. He was pressed close to her body as she looked deeply into his average brown eyes. Her eyes seemed to glisten in the reflection of the water. Turquoise? They can't be real!

"Your eyes-"

"Hush! .....Your father!"

The woman reverted back into her previous form and dived silently into the water, after blowing Markov a kiss. He ran over to the side of the pond to see her body slick from side to side, her legs stuck together and her spine elongated as she left a fast growing trail of bubbles behind her.

Markov's dad entered the cave, panting from the running he had just done trying to speak softly through his annoyance to mask his being out of breath.

"Where did you go?"

"Nowhere."

"Don't lie to me Markov! I know you didn't come here by accident, now tell me...why did you come?!"

Markov decided to play it safe, and tell is father. He was nervous, but then excitement overcame him.

"I was intrigued by the reflections the water made, I hadn't seen anything like it since before Mother died! I had to come and see what was making them, and there were these people, they swam into-"

The reflections suddenly stopped, along with the hardly audible singing of the creatures as Markov was about to finish his excited sentence. He swerved around and found that the water had iced over. His father's annoyance had turned into a mild anger as he took his teenage son by the shoulders and briskly led him out of the cave.

"I want you to forget everything that happened tonight; everything to do with that cave and all of the things in it. By the power of the spirits be rid you of all you saw, heard and said tonight, my only beloved son."

Markov remained defiantly silent as he was escorted out by his father. A weird chill went up his spine as he tried to figure out what he had been told, and what he had seen.