* * * * *
"29 Apr. 1923:
A few moments later, we all heard Von Hauptmann shout those three little words: 'Feuer! Schnell! Schnell!' Followed by the boom of the U-boat's deck gun. And, then, the staccato chatter of small arms fire (including Von Hauptmann's Luger and a belt-fed Maschinegewehr 08)."
"The sailors left behind to guard us became increasingly nervous as the gunshots and cannonade continued. But, what entered the mess hall next positively un-nerved us as well as them. It was a two foot-tall creature! With the build of a half-grown chimpanzee; the body and coloration of a frog; and, an equine head with a mouth of shark-like teeth!"
"In short, it resembled a cross between a Filipino tik-balang and a Japanese kappa."
"Yet, it was not this unnatural mixture of features that elicited a gasp of shock from Dr. McGee. It was the over-sized gray boxer shorts the creature was trying to hold up with its webbed left hand!"
" 'Captain Murgatroyd?!' "
"The creature turned, seemingly in recognition, and looked at the situation before it. Whereupon, it (or, should I say 'he?') leaped into the air, with a blood-curdling roar. Landing on the nearest of our stunned guards...and ripping out his throat with its teeth!"
"The dead man's shipmates immediately opened fire, to avenge him. Emptying every bullet in their respective clips into the strange creature. This, however, distracted them from what Keith Ulu did next."
" 'KEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!' "
"His feathered friend, Ephraim, seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Flying at the second nearest of our guards, and attempting to blind him with beak and claw. Which, in turn, allowed Ulu to unsheath the bladed segment of Herr Lancer's sword-cane...and throw it like a spear at our third nearest guard."
"It promptly imbedded itself in the left side of the latter's throat. By which time, Herr Lancer had sprung to his feet, and was yelling..."
"Chaaaaaaaaaaaarge!"
"Those are the last words he would ever yell, as one of the remaining guards managed to fire off a shot and kill him, before our superior numbers tackled him and his comrades to the floor. Subduing them with no gentleness whatsoever."
"We quickly reloaded the now-empty rifles, while Herr Martelli took back his confiscated Colt .45, in addition to his now-dead employer's Rogers & Spencer revolver. He handed the latter to Professor Phillips, who initially shook his head. That is; until I reminded him what it said in Ecclesiastes about a time for everything. He looked at me, for a second. Then, he nodded."
"In the meantime, acting Captain Steele was bent over the creature."
" 'We'll get them for you, Skipper. Count on it!' "
"With that, we split our forces. Captain Steele leading half the crew to retake the wheelhouse. And, Herr Martelli (a former military policeman) leading the rest of us toward the bow, from where the sounds of a heavy battle still emanated."
"I will never know how Captain Steel and his men reacted. But, I can guess. For our contingent was stunned in its tracks when we reached the portside of the bow."
"Dead ahead of us, sitting in the ocean like a child in a shallow bathtub, was Taranga. In all her glory! Arms akimbo, like the Colossus of Rhodes. And, a condescending smile, on her face, for the officers and crew of Von Hauptmann's U-boat."
"All this while their bullets and artillery shells bounced harmlessy off her enormous--and perfect--breasts."
tbc
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
In which the mer-giantess finally makes an appearance...in the flesh.