The Merrynether Cryptofiles

The Thunderous Thungulant

Specimen number: 0002 – Thungulunt (Lithicus Pulvericus)

Provisional taxonomical classification: Animalia/tbc

Date of classification: 17th March 1961

Discovered by: Dr. Leornard Bortrose

Submitted by: Veronica Merrynether

 _________________________________________________________

 Dr. Leonard Bortrose had been missing for almost six hours when I heard the gunshots. There were three search parties trying to find him but I felt sure it was Gordon Finch’s team that had raised the alarm; the shots were echoing loudly in what sounded like a cavernous area which I knew was located at the base of the Thun Peaks to the west. Gordon’s team was covering that region. The sound of the elephant guns gave me hope that they had found our geologist and were trying to effect a rescue, but with the sun creeping behind the hills, I knew this was just a fantasy, a desperate hope that we would find Leonard before dark.

 By the time my search party had reached the base of the mountain, the second team had arrived there also, and the small crowd was gathered in what appeared to be a standoff between us and an enormous beast guarding the entrance to the caverns. It towered above us almost twenty feet high, humanoid in shape with recognizable arms and legs, but its head was completely out of proportion, sprouting from the torso like a misshapen potato. It had no neck, so to observe us, it was forced to turn its entire body, and with each step, the ground trembled under its bulk. Considering its pale blue skin appeared to be a dense layer of stone, I estimated that that the creature weighed in excess of two tonnes. Its vast mouth was fixed into an inane, toothy grin, and at first I thought this was a permanent expression until I realized it was laughing – the gravelly chuckles belching from within were unmistakable, and the cluster of seven eyes wobbling just below its forehead were wide with mirth.

 I was about to ask the others what had caused the creature such amusement when the answer came in the form of another blast from Gordon’s elephant gun. A spray of heavy bullets blasted the giant, but far from injuring it, the impact seemed to excite it, and with much happy stamping, it set about plucking the projectiles from its skin and chewing on them as if they were chunks of toffee.

 It was then that Gordon informed me that the ‘Thungulunt’, as he had named it, had accidentally swallowed Dr.Bortrose who thought he was chipping away at an unusual strata of rock. Bortrose fell into the creature’s crevice-like maw and passed out for several hours in its stone belly whilst the beast trundled about trying to understand why it had such terrible indigestion. Apparently, Leonard was unharmed, but unable to climb back out. After hearing the geologist’s cries for help, Gordon’s search party thought he was under attack and opened fire. The Thungulunt thought he was being fed!

 It was only after Gordon had finished telling me his story that I could hear Leonard’s cursing above the munching of bullets. He was begging us to stop shooting at it because bits of bullet were getting stuck in his hair.

 For two more hours, long after the sun had set, we tried in vain to coax our new friend to vomit up our comrade by sticking our fingers down our throats and making retching noises, but this only seemed to amuse our new friend all the more, and annoy Leonard further. I’m happy to say, though, that the Thungulant eventually grew so tired of hopping happily from one foot to the other and laughing, that it collapsed into sleep on its side, at which point, the bedraggled Dr. Bortrose clambered out from between its teeth. He was quite annoyed, but much relieved.