Anika’s pulse kicked up a notch when the tentacles slipped under the side-strings of her bikini with what seemed like more than idle curiosity. A few other tendrils slid up along the side of her body, coiling finger-like around her throat. Anika’s adrenaline spiked. As his tentacles began to pry at her snorkeling gear, she

The creature’s tentacle withdrew from Anika’s grasp. He swam back from her a little, then paused, hovering like a ghost. His silvery look was watchful, expectant. Anika smiled and swam after him. He leaned back as she did. Sleek and horizontal, he propelled himself through the water like a languid torpedo. About a foot above

As the minutes ticked by with no more sightings, Anika’s adrenaline rush began to subside. She was just thinking of giving up and turning back when she glimpsed it again—not just one glowing tendril, but several. Smoothly they coalesced into a banded length of shimmering blue, before vanishing altogether into the shadowy depths beyond. Anika

One of the locals had directed her to the spot—a secluded cove you had to hike through a dense swath of palm scrub to reach. Anika was sweating a little as she crested the last hill and broke past the line of the trees. Her thin tank top clung to her like a second skin.