Everyone had heard the noises. They echoed through the night, sounding like the cracking of ice and the creaking of an old ship. Once in a while, it turned into a truly haunting bellow.

They saw the beast on the shore one night, seeming not-quite-real, its shape a bit blurry, like a mirage. They tried to focus on it, to see what it was, but its outline would just... shift, constantly. It turned its gaze to them when they were close, a third eye on its forehead opening wide as mushrooms sprouted, bloomed and wilted in the span of a few seconds.

It opened its mouth, a roar of a cry, as it tried to form words....

"Where... is... the rum...."