Ogopogo
By: Leah Powell (2010)
[SETTING: Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada. Midday. A grey day, looking like it should be raining but isn't. The sky is occasionally streaked with light but mostly clouded over. The lake stretches out, bordered by a fringe of trees. The lake is still and dark. In the distance there's a bridge that stretches across the lake. In the centre of this scene sits a boat. It's a small, cheap motorboat. Two figures sit in it, one of them looking out over the water.]
CAPTION: Lake Okanagan, Canada. The "Ogopogo" is a legend around here, the great snake in the lake. Everyone knows him even though he's never been seen. He's never attacked anyone... until now. That's why we're here.
[A teenage girl looks over the side of the little boat into the water, staring at her reflection. She's dressed casually with a lifejacket, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a rounded figure. She looks bored.]
CAPTION: I'm Ashley Thorn.
[She turns back into the boat and looks to the other figure.]
ASHLEY: "Why do I have to wear a lifejacket but you don't?"
[The other figure is reading a large map that obscures his face.]
CAPTION: And this is Daimon.
[He lowers the map, revealing himself. He's a bit older than Ashley but still young. His skin and hair is pure white, and he wears black clothing. His hair is very messy and his eyes are huge and bright blue. On the right side of his head is a single black horn. He looks at her like the answer is obvious.]
CAPTION: My Guardian Demon.
DAIMON: "Because I am immortal, and you are not. And because you don't know how to swim."
[Daimon puts the map on the floor of the boat, getting down on his hands and knees with Ashley following.]
CAPTION: Yes, a demon, as in Hell and fire and evil. But also, a guardian, as in protecting and helping and well, kindness. Together, we solve the world's problems. Or at least we try to. Or we hope to. Someday. Right now we just handle the Supernatural problems.
[Daimon points to a spot on the map. We can see the markings of land next to it and the bridge not too far from it.]
DAIMON: "Right. Now, there's been some suspicious activity in this part of the lake."
ASHLEY: "That's right next to the bridge. What kind of suspicious activity?"
DAIMON: [packing up the map.] "Annoyed nature spirits mostly. But!" [Raising a finger for emphasis] "Nature spirits don't get riled up for no reason!"
[Ashley looks at him doubtfully.]
CAPTION: Actually yes they do. They lose it when people litter near them, among other things.
[Daimon climbs up to the bow (front) of the boat and points enthusiastically over the side.]
DAIMON: "All right, so that should be over...this way!" [He looks back to her.] "Let's see what's there!"
[Ashley starts up the boat, still grumpy. They drive over to a little peninsula of trees and rocks, steering around it. They enter a circle shaped clearing of trees, rocks, mud, and the occasionally piece of wood. The boat slows down as they enter, everything is still and they take in the scenery.]
DAIMON: "What's that over there?" [Pointing]
[On a bank of rock there's what looks at first to be a pile of wood... but on closer inspection is actually a discarded boat, with wood panelling. It's a large, expensive yacht, freshly abandoned. It's crashed and broken but not deteriorated.]
ASHLEY: "It's a yacht. That's an expensive boat, who would just abandon it here?"
DAIMON: "Someone who wanted to get rid of it." [He smiles, excited.] "Someone with something to hide. Let's drop anchor and take a look."
[Ashley tries to lift the anchor but can't. Daimon steps in and kindly takes it from her, tossing it over the side. It splashes down and disappears into the dark water. Suddenly, the chain pulls taught roughly. Ashley and Daimon look curiously over the side. Bubbles pop up around the chain, first just a few, then more and more until the entire boat is surrounded, and the water is rough and choppy, rocking the boat back and forth.
Ashley and Daimon hold onto each other to keep from falling, but it makes no difference as the boat is suddenly tossed up into the air, and they both go flying. They try to keep a hold of each other but get separated. Daimon reaches for Ashley but is stopped as something grabs onto him mid-air. Ashley lands on the yacht with a harsh thump, and the little boat crashes into the bigger one.
Ashley pushes herself up to see what happened, and looks up in fear at a towering shadow of a great serpent - Ogopogo. Ogopogo does not look like the traditional sea-serpent; his body is hard like it's carved out of wood, with a cylindrical but still serpentine shape and a head like a tough helmet. It has two ram-like horns and spines on its back, and is covered in bright swirls and shapes like tattoos. Daimon hangs from one leg from its smiling mouth filled with sharp teeth.]
ASHLEY: "Daimon!"
DAIMON: "Don't worry about me! Just get to safe-"
[Daimon is tossed suddenly into the air by the serpent, who bites down as he falls back, and Daimon disappears behind the teeth.]
ASHLEY: "No!" [She grabs a log and throws it at the monster. It bounces helplessly off and Ogopogo turns curiously towards her. She throws another and it hits him in the snout.] "Gimme back my Guardian!"
[The monster moves closer to her, and Ashley quickly jumps behind the yacht, scared. As it gets close, something suddenly explodes inside its mouth, smoke and fire erupting from between its teeth. The monster recoils and spits Daimon out, but he grabs onto its snout and jumps onto its head, digging his claw-tipped fingers into its stone-like head. Ogopogo thrashes its head around in protest.]
ASHLEY: [looking up cautiously over the side of the boat] "Hold on! I'll help you!"
[Ashley looks desperately around. She climbs on top of the yacht and looks inside the driver's cabin. Inside, the interior is trashed, with beer cans and random fishing equipment tossed everywhere. She spies something under the driver's seat, something that looks vaguely like a gun. Ashley adjusts herself and climbs feet first into the cabin, grabbing the gun and climbing out the opposite window again.
It's a harpoon gun - a big giant gun that shoots big giant arrows with rope attached to them. She climbs on top of the yacht again and aims it.
Ogopogo continues to toss its head around, trying to toss Daimon off. It finally succeeds, and Daimon goes flying head first. He crosses his arms in preparation as the serpent opens its mouth to bite again and Ashley aims the harpoon...
Daimon pushes a huge cloud of fire at Ogopogo, and the gun goes off, sending Ashley flying backward. The spear pierces the monsters neck, and it recoils to both attacks, roaring in anger.
Daimon falls harmlessly into the water just before Ogopogo hits the water with a huge splash, pushing Daimon back to shore. The monster is still. Daimon climbs up out of the water and back to Ashley, who is lying down on top of the yacht, groaning in pain.]
DAIMON: "Are you all right?"
ASHLEY: "Yeah. Are you?"
DAIMON: "Fine. Just another day in the life." [He holds out his hand Ashley takes it and he helps her sit up.]
ASHLEY: [looking down at Ogopogo] "Is it dead?"
DAIMON: "No, just injured. Ogopogo is an old monster, that wound will be patched up in a few days. What was that thing you hit it with?"
ASHLEY: [looking at the gun] "A harpoon gun. They use them for whaling, not for catching sturgeon. Not something you usually find in a lake like this."
DAIMON: [picking up the gun] "Hmm. I'm sure authorities would love to see this, and find out whoever owns this fancy boat."
ASHLEY: "Then our work here is done?"
DAIMON: "I think it is."
[They look off into the distance, as the sky clears up a bit and sunlight starts to streak through the clouds.]
ASHLEY: "How are we going to get back?"
END
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