Simmon and the Sea Creature
By Wayne Weiner, D.Ed.
The morning mist clung to the River of Sorrow like a ghost unwilling to leave the world behind.
From the highest tower of Kendell Keep, Emperor Noric watched the gray waters stretching toward the distant village of Deedham.
“For three weeks,” Noric said, handing a sealed parchment to his most trusted knight, “travelers have spoken of a creature so large it can overturn fishing boats with a single movement. Some call it a monster. Others believe it is a warning from the gods.”
He looked directly into Simmon’s eyes.
“Discover the truth. If it threatens our people, stop it. If it does not… learn why it has come.”
Simmon bowed.
“It will be done, Your Majesty.”
Three days later, Simmon arrived in Deedham.
The villagers were frightened.
Old fishermen refused to cast their nets.
Children no longer played near the shoreline.
At sunset they pointed toward the deepest bend in the river where strange waves rolled even when there was no wind.
“He’s there,” whispered an elderly woman. “We’ve named him the River Devil.”
Simmon did not believe in judging creatures by fear alone.
That evening he sat quietly upon the riverbank, saying nothing.
Hours passed.
Then…
The water became perfectly still.
A pair of enormous golden eyes slowly rose above the surface.
The creature emerged.
It was nearly sixty feet long.
Its scales shimmered like polished emeralds.
Silver fins stretched along its back like royal banners.
Its great antler-like horns curved toward the heavens.
Most remarkable of all were its calm, intelligent eyes.
Instead of attacking, the giant beast simply watched Simmon.
The knight slowly removed his sword from its sheath…
…then deliberately laid it upon the ground.
“I have not come to fight,” Simmon said softly.
The creature lowered its massive head.
To Simmon’s astonishment, he heard a voice—not through his ears, but within his mind.
I am Nerevon, Guardian of the River of Sorrow.
The knight stood perfectly still.
“I thought you were a monster.”
Many do. Few stay long enough to learn otherwise.
Nerevon explained that centuries earlier the Sky God had seen darkness spreading across Kinsea. Knowing that one day the goblin armies would seek to poison the River of Sorrow and use it as a pathway to invade Deedham, the Sky God had created a guardian from the oldest waters in the world.
“I was sent,” Nerevon said, “to protect the innocent.”
The next morning Simmon received proof.
War horns echoed across the valley.
A band of goblins emerged from the eastern marshes carrying barrels filled with poisonous sludge.
Their plan was simple.
Contaminate the river.
Destroy the village.
As the goblins reached the water’s edge, the river exploded upward.
Nerevon burst from the depths like a living mountain.
One sweep of his mighty tail shattered the goblins’ rafts.
Another sent waves crashing across the shore, washing away the poison before it could enter the river.
The terrified goblins fled, convinced the gods themselves defended Deedham.
Not a single villager was harmed.
When the battle ended, Nerevon quietly disappeared beneath the waters once more.
Only gentle ripples remained.
Several days later Simmon returned to Kendell Keep.
Emperor Noric listened carefully as his trusted knight finished his report.
“So,” Noric asked, “is the creature a danger?”
Simmon smiled.
“Only to those who bring evil into our lands.”
He placed a small emerald scale upon the Emperor’s table.
“It is not a beast to be hunted.”
“It is a guardian to be honored.”
From that day forward, every child in Deedham learned the true story of Nerevon, the Emerald Guardian of the River of Sorrow.
Whenever strange ripples crossed the water at sunset, the villagers no longer felt fear.
Instead, they smiled.
For they knew that somewhere beneath the quiet river, the ancient protector watched over them still, waiting for the day darkness would dare return to Kinsea.
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