Ullenbraer

Anke the beautiful bartender slid another beer to Brian. “Tell us,” she encouraged. “What did your grandmother say about us?”

Brian hesitated. Would they be insulted? The beers loosened his tongue. “It’s just a story, okay? She said the baker’s wife of Ullenbraer fell in love with a giant squid. They made love during a full moon. She bore quintuplets: three girls, two boys. All were beautiful and desired by everyone in Ullenbraer. They took husbands and wives and their families all bore quintuplets, and so on for generations. Eventually, everyone in Ullenbraer was related, never revealing their true squid form to outsiders.”

The whole pub crowded around him, watching intensely. Were they angry? Brian became anxious. Nervously, he made his excuses and left.

In the pub, Anke said, “What a ridiculous claim!”

“I know,” grunted Edvard, lifting his beer with a tentacle. “Everyone knows it was the butcher’s wife!”
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Written for What Pegman Saw: https://whatpegmansaw.com/2017/02/04/hammerfest-norway/

Author’s Note:

Written as homage to the tales of H.P. Lovecraft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft#Influence_on_culture