Story 1. The Lake Bicol Swimmers

There are countless myths and legends associated with Russia's sprawling late by Cal.

These include reports of mythical monsters which reside within its depths and a hidden fortune

in missing treasure. But by far the most intriguing of such tales is an alleged

encounter between the Soviet army and members of a mysterious underwater people. And then The mood amongst the shore party was gloomy, despite the warm sunlight beating down from the cloudless skies above.

Puddled together in small groups, weapons close at hand, they spoke to one another in hush tones.

It was clear that few had approved of the order which had been given earlier that morning to send the dive team back into the lake.

The men who had descended into the depths were their friends and were now being exposed to a very real and unnecessary risk.

The whispered conversations continued until they were cut short by an unexpected disturbance in the nearby waters.

The soldiers turned to watch as a section of the lake suddenly erupted into bubble and foam,

as if the temperatures there had somehow become boiling hot.

A solitary black object then materialised amidst the churning waters,

quickly followed by another and then several more.

Not waiting for any orders, several of the men immediately plunged headlong into the lake

towards the commotion.

As they did so, more of their number ran for the nearby decompression chambers

flinging open the doors in preparation for their use.

As the trembling and shaking figures were hauled from the waters,

their rescuers suddenly found themselves gripped by a wave of panic.

Before they had resurfaced, it had been discovered that one of the two chambers was defective,

meaning that only four of the seven divers could be treated for their sickness.

Suppressing the urge to rage at their watching commander,

...