Mermaid 8 Apr by silrow on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Fiction! This is a fiction!

Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles

, Governor of the crown colony of Malacca (and a year later to become Governor General of Java) and he writes History of Java, the former volume being published in 1817 and the latter volume posthumously in 1821. And this story is from his ripped page which never published in his History of Java book.

It was a quiet night. The moon and stars shone down on the island city of Batavia. Sir Thomas Stamford Bingham Raffles, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, walked alone along the waterfront. He paused to enjoy the cool sea breeze and watched the lights of the ships anchored offshore. Raffles smiled. It was a most pleasant evening, but there was something else on the man's mind.

He glanced up and down the waterfront, but saw no one. He reached inside his coat and removed a leather pouch. Inside the pouch were two letters. One had come from an English sea captain, who claimed that a number of his sailors had gone missing. The other letter had come from a Dutch merchant, also claiming that his sailors had disappeared. Raffles opened the Dutch merchant's letter first. As he read the letter, he began to laugh.

'The man is quite mad.' Raffles muttered.

According to the merchant, his ship had arrived in Batavia two weeks earlier. While at anchor offshore, the crew had reported seeing strange lights flickering on an uninhabited island located a few miles away. The merchant claimed the crew was frightened and refused to go ashore. Two days later, the merchant's captain discovered one of his boats missing. The next day, the same Dutch sailor who had stolen the boat returned alone. He was delirious and kept repeating the same thing, "monsters". A medical doctor was called and the sailor was put to bed. The next morning, the captain and a second officer went to see him. When they entered the sick-bay, they saw the sailor and his bunk covered in blood. The man had been eaten alive.

Raffles laughed again. 'A pirate attack and the fool calls it monsters!' he thought.

Next, Raffles read the English captain's letter. His story was much the same. While at anchor, several of his sailors reported seeing strange lights on the same deserted island. When the captain sent a boat ashore to investigate, the entire crew vanished.

"The fool has the nerve to ask for a new crew," Raffles muttered.

Setting both letters into a nearby oil lamp, Raffles watched them burn. He then turned and headed back to his office. He had no time for such stories, nor was there any need for him to worry about pirates. The waters off the island were controlled by a Dutch warship. Besides, the Dutch East Indies were far too rich for pirates to be interested in.

That night, Raffles retired late. After reviewing several important documents, he left his office and walked down the quiet streets towards his home. As he walked along, Raffles couldn't help but notice how dark the city looked.

'Perhaps I should have lanterns installed,' he thought.

Just ahead, Raffles saw a large stone cross standing in the middle of a churchyard. Raffles nodded in approval. Batavia was a civilized place. As he approached the church, he noticed something odd. From the cross, a strange light appeared to be shining on him. Raffles stopped and peered into the darkness, trying to find the source of the light. As he stared intently, a shadowy figure suddenly emerged from behind a tree.

'Who's there?' Raffles shouted.

For a long moment, there was no answer. Then a loud voice came out of nowhere.

'Begone from this island, Englishman!'

'What nonsense is this?' Raffles demanded.

'This is not your land.' the voice replied. 'You have no rights here.'

'I have a right to walk the streets of Batavia in peace,' Raffles shot back. 'Show yourself, coward.'

'As you wish!' the voice growled.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed in Raffles' face. Blinded by the light, Raffles covered his eyes. When the light faded, he has transported to a different place.

Raffles found himself standing in a lush tropical forest. The trees surrounding him were filled with brightly colored flowers. As he stood staring, a strange odor filled his nostrils. It was an odor he knew all too well. The smell of death.

'Where am I?' Raffles gasped.

'You are on a small island, not far from Batavia.' the mysterious voice answered.

Raffles spun around, but he saw no one. He started to run, when the voice called out again.

'Stop! Do not move or I will kill you!'

Raffles froze.

'Turn around!' the voice ordered.

Slowly, Raffles obeyed. When he faced the direction the voice had come, he gasped. Standing only a few feet away was a large creature. Its body resembled that of a giant lizard.

'What are you?' Raffles whispered.

The monster bared its sharp fangs. 'I am the guardian of this island.' the creature hissed.

'Is that where you keep your treasures?' Raffles asked.

The reptilian creature narrowed his eyes. 'Not a treasure but a secret!'

Raffles gasped. 'Men? What men?'

The monster glared at him. 'Englishmen like you.'

'There are no Englishmen on this island,' Raffles replied. 'Only myself and my Dutch servants.'

The monster hissed angrily. 'Liar!' it roared. 'Two weeks ago, five English sailors landed on this island. They searched until they found what they were looking for. Then they try to kidnap our villagers! Mermaids! They were after the mermaids!'

Mermaids!? Raffles thought. The monster's words were absurd. Still, if the monster could transport him to this island, perhaps it could make him believe in mermaids, too.

'What happened to those English sailors?' Raffles asked.

The lizard's evil eyes gleamed.

'We ate them!' the monster replied. 'But first we forced each man to watch us eat his friends. Only then did we allow them to die. But you will not be so fortunate, Englishman.'

Raffles swallowed hard. 'You are going to kill me, too?'

The monster nodded. 'No, but your life will be spared and warn your people never to come near this island again.'

'I give you my word, I will leave at once,' Raffles said.

'Your word?' the monster snarled. 'Englishmen do not care for words. You English are thieves and murderers. Now begone, before I change my mind!'

'Please...' Raffles begged.

'Go!' the monster bellowed.

Instantly, the lush tropical forest and the lizard monster disappeared. Raffles found himself back in Batavia. The sun was just coming up and the streets were now filled with people.

'Thank God!' Raffles gasped, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 'It was only a dream!'

Later that day, Raffles learned that his nightmare had indeed been real. He had been taken prisoner by a giant lizard and brought to an uninhabited island where, according to ancient legends, a colony of mermaids lived. Fortunately, the creature had released him and allowed him to return home.

In his History of Java, Raffles writes:

'...although I had the opportunity to speak to the mermaids, they chose not to reply. Their silence, however, did not diminish my excitement at having discovered such a wonderful species.

Afterword:

The strange tale of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingham Raffles was told by his friend and ship captain, John Crawfurd in his book, Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Courts of Siam and Cochin-China (1829).

"One day," Crawfurd recalled, "Sir T.R. was walking alone towards his house, when he was suddenly struck blind and gone”