The Adventures of Keiko Haubjed

Starring Keiko in

Goonch Catfishes

By Tsunami_Holmes

12-year-old Keiko cast her line on the Kali river, she was finally fishing at her dad's favorite childhood fishing hole! He had come there when he was 14 to fish with his dad, who had come there when he was 14 to fish with his dad, who had come- you get the point. She was breaking the tradition though, by fishing at the age of 12 and a being female. It was one of the best days of her life. Keiko felt a tug on the line, she reeled it in quickly, it was a small fish, barely the size of her hand. She released it.

"Come on!" Keiko hoped as she cast out again. This time, she felt a very large tug. She pulled, but she lost her footing and fell into the river.

"Keiko!" her dad shouted after her, he dove in. Underwater it was cold, foggy, and the water was murky. Keiko felt a hand wrap around her fragile body and pull her up. It was Ben, her dad.

She gasped for a breath, "I lost the fishing rod!" It was true, during her rescue, Keiko's rod had slipped out of her hand.

"I'm sorry honey, but I think you accidentally caught a Goonch," her dad explained.

"A what?" Keiko asked, confused.

"A Goonch Catfish, they are very dangerous. 6.6 ft long, weighing over 175 lbs, it even has a strong taste for human flesh."

Keiko shuddered. She caught one of those?! No wonder she couldn't hold herself on shore for more than a split second!

"At first, they were thought to be elongated pigs, but after research, scientists found out that they were a catfish. They were named Bagarius Yarrelli, or Goonch. It was believed that they developed their taste for flesh because the Kali river," he gestured to the river next to them, which Keiko was soaking wet from, "was a common place for corpses to be thrown in the river. The monstrous fish then fed off of the humans and therefore, had a desire for flesh. Recently, the fishes have moved from scavenging to snatching, attacking swimmers and bathers. This has happened from around 1988 - 2007 and they have been growing very large due to their large meal size. They are very scary." Keiko shivered, not only because of the water all over her, but also because of terror.

"Than-n-nk you for s-s-s-saving m-me," Keiko muttered through chattering teeth.

"I'm your dad! It's my duty," he saluted her, she laughed.

"But r-r-really, t-thanks."

"No problem, wanna use my line?"

"Sure!" Keiko kept on fishing, until she once again felt a tug that pulled her into the water. This time, there was no dad to save her, for Ben had run to the car to grab some more bait. Keiko felt her lungs burn, then, from the murky water, came enormous jaws. Suddenly, an unbearable pain shot through her body and then everything went black.

To be continued...