Read Time:3 Minute, 33 Second

By William Van Zyl
Published November 10, 2025

I share my whimsical artwork with you. Acrylic on canvas. Completed on November 9, 2025.

Far out in the deep blue Pacific, a massive research vessel swayed gently on the waves. Its steel hull gleamed under the early sun, while gulls circled and squawked overhead. Below deck, scientists buzzed with nervous excitement. Today, they hunted the impossible: Levonothan the Tyrant—a colossal angler fish, believed extinct for over a million years.

Deep beneath the waves, Johnny, the young submarine pilot, adjusted the controls of his tiny yellow sub, the Sea Sprite. Slowly, it sank into the dark water, its searchlight cutting through the gloom like a golden blade. Coral gardens shimmered like hidden treasure—reds, pinks, and golds swaying gracefully in the current. Schools of fish scattered like silver sparks whenever the light passed over them.

Above, Adam, wearing black fins and a snorkel, floated lazily just below the surface, searching for fish to spear. The sunlight danced across his back, oblivious to the drama unfolding below. On deck, Alfred, the ship’s fisherman, leaned against the railing, humming as his line drifted into the depths.

Suddenly, the water darkened. A low vibration hummed through the hull of the sub. Johnny’s radio crackled:

“Johnny, this is Control. You’re nearing the trench. Be cautious.”

Then… he saw it.

The searchlight swept across a shadow so enormous it swallowed the light whole. Teeth like jagged spears, a jaw that could crush steel, and a glowing lure swinging like a ghostly lantern in the abyss.

Levonothan the Tyrant.

Johnny froze. His jaw dropped. His eyes felt like saucers. The monster’s tiny, ancient eyes flickered with icy curiosity, studying the intruder.

Suddenly, Ollie the Octopus, Johnny’s mischievous companion, wrapped his long arms around the sub. Tentacles pulsing in flashes of red and white, he tried to hold the Sea Sprite back. Danger was close.

Johnny stared at his dangling net. Laughably small… useless.

“No way I can catch this thing,” he muttered. “It could eat me.”

He hit the radio.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mother ship, this is Johnny! I’ve found it—Levonothan lives! But… It’s massive! Way too big for the net. It could swallow the sub!”

Above, alarms blared. Scientists scrambled. Adam surfaced, eyes wide. Alfred’s fishing rod bent under an enormous tug.

Below, Levonothan turned slowly, its shadowed body moving like liquid night. The glowing lure blinked once… twice… like a heartbeat. Johnny’s heart raced. Ollie’s arms tightened.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Levonothan opened his mouth. A cavernous maw opened, immense enough to swallow the sub whole.

“Help! HELP! I’m going to—!” Johnny radioed frantically.

The sub was sucked halfway into the angler’s mouth. The world became a swirling whirl of teeth and shadow.

And then—

Levonothan finished yawning. Slowly, it closed its mouth.

The Sea Sprite jolted violently, and Johnny’s head smacked against the glass dome. With force, the slow fishing fish spewed the yellow sub out of its mouth like a bitter-tasting lure.

The sub shook and spun violently. Johnny fell out of his seat; he groaned and grabbed his head.

“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?” came the voice from the mother ship.

“I… I need a plaster,” Johnny mumbled, dazed.

“A plaster? Don’t you need stitches?” the voice replied incredulously.

Somehow, against all odds, Levonothan the Tyrant had spared him. The giant fish lingered for a heartbeat, its glowing lure pulsing once more, then slipped silently into the dark abyss.

Johnny wiped his forehead. Ollie squirmed beside him, tentacles twitching nervously. The sub bobbed gently in the water. The ocean was quiet again, but deep down, Johnny knew: the danger was far from over…

How on earth is he going to capture the enormous beast?

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