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Recent rainfall has kept temperatures cool but one of the parks can’t handle all the water draining into it. The water has turned it into a strange swamp and, in addition to the terrible smell, people have claimed to see strange floating lights—or, weirder—a strange, hulking figure that seems right at place in the swamp. Some have described it as being seven feet tall, covered in moss and weeds and mud and who knows what else; while no one has been able to confirm this, if you venture too close you might wind up observing something strange, yourself. The park no longer feels safe and if you wander too close you may feel hateful eyes upon you. You may even wind up chased out by a monstrous swamp monster, but if you try to approach him or interact otherwise, he seems to disappear. It’s probably best just to stay away from the park until the water dries up, just in case.
Giulia loved the rain! She liked to play in it, anyway, and that was close enough to real love, prolly. She didn't like the dark, sad cloudy sky, or the way that the air pressed on her face, but she liked the smell of the clean earth when it was all over, and she extra liked the way that it felt cool on her skin, rolling over her eyes and through her hair. Not like getting in the pool, but there was a feel to rain that was different, and it wasn't hot and sticky like when she tried to take a shower instead of a bath before bed. Lately there had been a lot of rain, and she had been sad she couldn't play in it because she had been getting so sick. She had been able to keep the windows open, though, and sit in one of the sills and read a book. That was nice. The amount of rain had started to become a problem though. There were lots of problems lately. Cavities and aching teeth, and bad pumpkin that turned people funny colors, ghost sightings, and creepy spiders? So what surprise was one more little odd thing?
One of the parks had been all kinds of funky, and Giulia had decided that tonight's adventure as Charybdis was going to be looking into what was causing it. Odd lights, some people had said, and a real bad smell. Giulia had already gone to look for the swamp monster that was rumored once before, and she was not sure she had been satisfied with the result. She had met a stranger there, and Mr. Monster had not been particular friendly when she had tried to get its attention. Maybe because she called it Mr? Maybe because she called it a monster? Monster was not a very nice word, she guessed. There was prolly something much better that she could call it. Mr. Swamp Living-thing? Though that wasn't very nice either, she was not sure he lived in a swamp. Just guessed. Because, well... he- it- was in a swamp area.
Well, tonight she was going to be visiting the swamp monster with a present! Every person that she knew loved presents, and if this one did not, then there was not going to be any thing that Giulia would be able to do to help it. A baggie full of moist little towels and some brownies were put in a bigger bag, and she grabbed a beach towel (in case the swamp thing was just a really dirty, real tall person). Everyone liked a flashlight, but there were already odd stories of lights, so they might already have one. She slipped out the window, and down the sidewalk, Charybdis' little slippered feet nearly silent as she skipped happily along.
There were mean eyes on her as she drew closer, but she forced herself to try not to mind. “Dear Swamp Creature,” she called sweetly, and waved the little baggie in the air. “I am going to put this bag of stuff here for you. I know you have been out here in the messy rain, and thought maybe you would wanna be clean. Everyone likes being clean. I also brought you a snickers. You can eat it. The little commercials say that you aren't yourself when you are hungry, so maybe the snickers will make you feel happy again.” Of course it would want to be happy. Everyone did.
In the darkness, she thought she could see something move, and she swallowed, setting it down on the stump like she had promised. “Okay!” she called weakly. “Have a good night!”
And then she fled.
