Perhaps greater forces were at work here, but to us it appeared to be a mere coincidence. Our hunt for the mysterious Naga had yielded very few results. But a few weeks ago in the Gulf of Thailand, in a sleepy fishing village on the edge of the mangrove swamps, I'd encountered a rowdy pair of fishermen, the fine lines of age now running across their sunburnt faces. I had noticed the many Nagas painted on hulls of deep sea vessels in the region. Although we could not speak each other's languages, their experience sent a chill along my spine as they shared a story in the local dialect. The old man gestured vividly, the slightly younger man filling in. Apparently they had both been aboard a night fishing vessel in the bay, perhaps hauling in the nets, no doubt seeking out the pelagic squid and luring it to the surface through the use of intense green floodlights.
From what I could gather the ship was suddenly shaken and started listing to one side. It appeared something had got caught in the net; something powerful. One of the men made a snake like motion like a semi circle breaking the surface then disappearing. The net was apparently also lost or cut loose. I could see traces of humble reverence and cold fear in their eyes as they relived that night of terror. Our own expedition will commence shortly. Fresh water is being loaded onboard, as is canned food, blankets, torches, a ridiculously puny harpoon gun, and some fresh pineapple that smells absolutely divine.
You can still order our items for a few more days; April 5th will be last day of shipping. Then, if everything goes as planned, we will be back in early May to pick it up from there.
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