Leaving The Dock

(Dr. Gyan Singh's Point of View.)

Now we were ready to go and it was time to start the countdown. Our Driver was a Vodyanoy (In Slavic mythology, vodyanoy or vodyanoi is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, it is called vodník (or in Germanized form: Hastrman), and it is considered to be the equivalent creature as the Wassermann or nix of German fairy tales.

Vodyanoy is said to appear as a naked old man with a frog-like face, greenish beard, and long hair, with his body covered in algae and muck, usually covered in black fish scales; сonsequently, he is often dubbed "grandfather" or "forefather" by the local people. He has webbed paws instead of hands, a fish's tail, and eyes that burn like red-hot coals. He usually rides along his river on a half-sunken log, making loud splashes. Local drownings are said to be the work of the vodyanoy (or rusalkas).

When angered, the vodyanoy breaks dams, washes down water mills, and drowns people and animals. Consequently, fishermen, millers, and also bee-keepers make sacrifices to appease him. The vodyanoy would sometimes drag people down to his underwater dwelling to serve him as slaves.

In the Russian North, it is believed that vodyanoys have a ruler: the Tsar Vodyanik, or the Vodyan Tsar. He is described as an old man armed with a club, who can rise to the sky sitting on a black cloud and create new rivers and lakes.

In Czech, Slovene, and Slovak folklore, the features of the vodník are markedly different from the East Slavic conception; he has a completely human constitution and habits, except for few differences – vodníci (plural of vodník) have gills, webbed membrane between their fingers, and their skin is algae-green in colour (as well as their hair, which is typically of pale green tone). Their overall dress and appearance is bizarre, sometimes even resembling a vagrant; patchy shirts and (by modern standards) odd hats — often boaters with long speckled ribbons — are commonplace. They can withstand lingering for hours outside their ponds. When they do so, one can easily discern them by their coattails, which are always dripping wet. The vodník's face is usually unshaven and it is not uncommon for a vodník to have a large, wet, tangled beard.

Czech, Slovenian and Slovak tales have both evil and good vodyanoys (relative to human beings) who do (or don't, respectively) try to drown people when they happen to swim in their territory. Vodníci would store the souls of the drowned in porcelain teapots. They consider their teapots their most valuable heritage and display their "work", using the number of teapots to represent their wealth and/or status among other vodníci. When the lid of such a pot is removed, the soul within (in the form of a bubble) will escape and be liberated. Except for fish (or perhaps fish spirits), they do not have servants. Otherwise, vodníci spend their time running their territory or – in their spare time – playing cards, smoking pipes or just sitting at the water surface (on rocks or willows nearby) and loitering. Fishermen ask the vodník for help by placing a pinch of tobacco in the water and saying, "Here's your tobacco, Lord Vodník, now give me a fish." In Czech, Slovak and Slovene tales vodníci live in ponds or rivers; there is no mention of a particular dwelling and the "half-sunken log" does not appear. There are almost no references to vodníci in connection with seawater, implying this would be dangerous or even deadly for them.). He also had an assistant who was a Sea Bishop or Bishop fish (The sea bishop or bishop-fish was a type of sea monster reported in the 16th century. According to legend, it was taken to the King of Poland, who wished to keep it. It was also shown to a group of Catholic bishops, to whom the bishop-fish gestured, appealing to be released. They granted its wish, at which point it made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the sea. Another was supposedly captured in the ocean near Germany in 1531. It refused to eat and died after three days. It was described and pictured in the fourth volume of Conrad Gesner's famous Historiae animalium, published in 1551 – 58 and 1587.

Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans believed the report was based on the discovery of a large mutilated Grimaldi scaled squid.).

On the order of Medium Leader the countdown began.

One hundred one

One hundred

Ninety nine

Ninety Eight

Ninety seven

Ninety six

Ninety five

Ninety four

Ninety three

Ninety two

Ninety one

Vodyanoy and Mr Sea Bishop tried to break the main connection between boat and dock.

Ninety

Eighty nine

Eighty eight

Eighty seven

Eighty six

Eighty five

Eighty four

Eighty three

Eighty two

Eighty one

The main connection from the dock was now disconnected the boat was connected to the dock only due to secondary connections.

Eighty

Seventy nine

Seventy eight

Seventy seven

Seventy six

Seventy five

Seventy four

Seventy three

Seventy two

Seventy one

Vodyanoy took his seat.

Seventy

Sixty nine

Sixty eight

Sixty seven

Sixty six

Sixty five

Sixty four

Sixty three

Sixty two

Sixty one

All the connections from the dock were broken

Sixty

Fifty nine

fifty eight

Fifty seven

Fifty six

fifty five

Fifty four

Fifty three

Fifty two

Fifty one

Our boat was completely disconnected from the dock.

Fifty

Forty nine

Forty eight

Forty seven

Forty six

Forty five

Forty four

Forty three

Forty two

Forty one

We all were on our places.

Forty

Thirty nine

Thirty eight

Thirty seven

Thirty six

Thirty five

Thirty four

Thirty three

Thirty two

Thirty one

Sea Bishop took his position and tightly hold the handle that was attached to the roof.

Thirty

Twenty nine

Twenty eight

Twenty seven

Twenty six

Twenty five

twenty four

twenty three

Twenty two

Twenty one

Vodyanoy was ready to start.

Twenty

Nineteen

Eighteen

Seventeen

Sixteen

fifteen

Fourteen

Thirteen

Twelve

Eleven

Vodyanoy started the "blower" (an exhaust fan).

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

and

Zero

The Boat started.

The docks gate opened and our boat went out of the dock.

TO BE CONTINUED