Someone had set up a blanket on the sand just outside the reach of the ocean waves. You could barely make out the outlines of rushing cumulonimbus clouds overhead, blanketing the already-black night sky. You take a seat on the damp blanket next to the person who, lounging in their reclined beach chair, played a soothing melody on their flute. The serene notes contrasted with the chaotic storm around you; it was slow and simple, rising and falling like the waves. They reached the end of the phrase and put their flute down, holding it to their chest.
"Heyo, pal. Don't you just love the rain?" Gael inhaled deeply as a strong gust blew icy droplets onto the blanket and everything on it. "It was a night like this one, you know? When I met it."
You shifted your sitting position, waiting for the traveler to elaborate. Instead, they picked up their flute and improvised a phrase. Flashes of lightning illuminated the clouds, making a point to show you that the storm was endless and far, far more powerful than you. A bolt struck down miles away, scarring the horizon as well as your retinas.
"Woo! That one was a doozy, huh?" Gael shouted over the following roll of thunder. Once it died down, they spoke again. "I like to think I'm the type of person to go out and see things no one has before. That's why I come out here in storms like this - because no one else does. And maybe, just maybe, I'll witness something no one else will."
They paused again. "Notice how I said I *met* it. I didn't encounter it, I didn't discover it. It was... yeah, it was definitely a person. You don't discover people."
"Have you heard the story of Charabyss, the sea demon? According to legend, it's a massive whirlpool that glows red and all sorts of monsters come climbing out. Leads directly to the underworld or something. Well, that's pretty much exactly what I saw. A glowing whirlpool, I mean - no monsters, sadly. It was right out there, closer to the shoreline than should be possible. An ominous red glow was just barely lighting up the swirling waves. And let me tell you, it was huge. Stupidly, I waded out into the water just to see what was going on. I was pretty much instantly pulled under."
The rain, the cold, the thunder, none of it bothered you at this point. As Gael took another moment to gather their thoughts, you pulled back the hood of your jacket to really feel the spraying wind. It drenched your hair as it whisked past you, but you were already soaked anyway.
"I tried swimming against it, but it was useless. All I could do was preserve the little oxygen that had with me. It swept me from the shore, down and down until it all suddenly went calm. Like the storm and swirling torrent above me had no effect this close to the whirlpool's core. And holy cow, that core. It wasn't just a red glow, it - I don't know how to describe it. It was round, like a massive ball, and it was pulsating. It was a heart. And I heard something, too - a low humming, as if it was singing." At this point they laughed with what sounded like a mixture of fear and relief. "I looked directly into Charabyss's heart and survived. How many people can say they've done that?" They rose their flute to their lips yet again, but stopped before playing anything.
"I must've run out of air at that point so I uh, don't remember what happened after, but as you can see," Gael smacked a bit of rainwater out of their flute, "I'm still alive. So I guess it took a liking to me." They played a couple notes to test their instrument before continuing. "The next thing I knew, I was waking up right here on the beach, on this exact spot. Since then I've sat here every time there's a thunderstorm, hoping to see it one more time... I have no idea what I'd do if I saw it again."
Gael stared into the abyssal ocean. The rain started to quiet down, but it would no doubt pick up again. "That's all I've got to say, pal, but feel free to stay as long as you want. I'll be here all night."
The flutist once again played that same, swelling melody from before. For a moment you thought you could hear a second, lower noise harmonizing with their tune, almost like a humming coming from the water.