“Have you heard the story of Cristatus, the Monster from the Maroon Lagoon?” Sovrim asked, grinning at his companions around the dying campfire. The others simply groaned.

“Isn’t it the Creature from the Black Lagoon?” you said, “And besides, we all know how that one goes. Why are you passing that off as yours?”

“No, this one is different. See, this monster looks like a big, crested amphibian, turns you into a bug by touching you, then eats you alive!”

“Uh-huh. Right. Well, I’m going for a walk before the fire dies. Anyone want to join me for a quick break before we get out of here?” A few murmurs came from the half-dozen other companions around the fire, which nobody wanted to leave on a chilly evening, lit by a waning crescent moon. You followed a beaten path to the lake shore and gazed out across the perfectly-still waters. It had been a good night for Halloween story-telling, of made up monsters, but it was getting late and you had things to do in the morning. You figured you’d take one last look across when something in the water caught your eye.

You knew it couldn’t be the wind. There wasn’t even the faintest hint of a breeze and the water’s surface was smooth as glass… aside from something rippling toward you. It might’ve been a fish or something, but this large? And just one? You leaned in closer to try see what it was, when a wet snout of some sort suddenly rubbed across your face. “The fuck?!” you shouted at the stranger. You jumped back and landed on your ass, while this thing made it way out of the water.

It looked like nothing you’d seen before. It was hard to make out details in the faint light, but this creature was certainly not one you’d encountered before. As it emerged from the water, its skin glistened even in the dim moonlight, shimmering with a natural wetness. The creature’s head was mottled in black and white, while its belly displayed a warm, orange glow reminiscent of the campfire crackling away in the distance. A ragged-looking fin crested its head and ran down its back. The being continued to step closer as you tried to get to your feet, but you felt overcome with vertigo and collapsed back on the ground.

As you tried to get up and get away, you remembered what Sovrim had said a few minutes ago. It “turns you into a bug by touching you” … that had to be a joke, right? A tale? Some B-movie horror tale that couldn’t possibly be true? Either way, the world felt as if it was spinning around you. The fallen leaves beneath your hands seemed to expand dramatically, while the campfire looked so much further way than ever. A single footstep from the creature caused a loud crackling of that dead foliage beneath his feet. You looked up, terrified, as the alien-looking monster now looked to be as large as Godzilla himself.

The good news was that you weren’t actually a bug, as Sovrim suggested. The bad news is that you were now the size of one, as your entire body now fit on a single leaf. Worse, amphibians tend to eat insects, and you didn’t want to ask if this thing was hungry. You were finally able to get to your feet, but this monster seemed unfazed by your attempts at escape. Even before you could turn to run, the creature flicked his tongue out at you. The tip of its tongue - large, round, and sticky - slammed into your body with the force of a speeding car. You tried to wriggle free of it, but it was useless; your entire front was stuck to it in some way, as it quickly retracted toward the monster’s mouth.

You were pulled with dizzying speed toward that waiting maw. The being seemed eager for its snack - you - to be its first meal of the night. The mouth closed around you, briefly trapping you in a slick, humid environment. All around you, the monster’s breath rushed around you like a gale. Wet squelching sounds filled your ears as the tongue repositioned itself. You were pressed against the being’s cheeks, then the roof of his mouth, which covered your entire body in slimy saliva. Then - with a single gulp that made your ears pop - you were swallowed whole and alive.

As you slipped down the throat, you felt the monster walking in the direction of the camp, perhaps seeking its next meals. Your friends wouldn’t know what happened to you; if anything, they’d just be expecting your return. They’d be sitting there, waiting, anticipating nothing… just like in the movies.