By Frampton Jones

Witnesses say that Francesca Dare had gone to the old, ruined lighthouse above the harbour looking for rare plants that could be turned into ink. It seems most probable that she lost her footing on the damp rocks, and fell to her doom, but here her story definitely takes a strange twist.

Friends attempting to recover Francesca’s body from the rocks below found a small but rather aggressive creature standing on her remains. “I am Ctholin,” it yelled. “Fear me, for I shall kill you all. I’m very scary!”

I am told that Ctholin would perhaps have been scarier had they been larger and less prone to lisping, but onlookers did find it off-putting.

I have been to view the scene myself, and can confirm that the creature called Ctholin remains in place, shouting improbable threats and emitting small sparks. I was obliged to put out a small fire in my own trousers, which did not incline me to move closer.

“She is mine forever,” Ctholin shouted. “I killed her, I’m the one, it was definitely me. I did it with my monster powers!”

Viewing the body from the established safe-trouser distance, Doc Willoughby observed he thought it very likely that Francesca Dare had simply fallen from the rocks and only been claimed by the beast after her untimely descent. “Stands to reason, he said. “Nothing that small could kill an adult.”

I felt obliged to mention poisonous fungi, poisonous fish, extra-stingy jellyfish, fire-drakes, and chicken demons in their chick stage.

“But look at it,” said Doc Willoughby, “It couldn’t kill anything.”

Ctholin responded with a small explosion, and the Doc was obliged to retreat to preserve what little of his dignity and trousers remained.

Find out more about Ctholin here – https://hopelessvendetta.wordpress.com/2018/10/05/ms-lovelace-and-ctholin/