Bodrum Village – 2500 BC

The small Anatolian village of Bodrum was settling into the stillness of early morning. Most fishermen had already set sail, hoping to find enough fish to feed their families. Halina and her two younger sisters Ayça and Esma were playing in the warm sand, building makeshift castles with stones and twigs while their father, Morrat, repaired nets nearby. He paused his work to admire their innocence and joy, which he vowed to protect at all costs.

“Halina, I need to get something from the workshop,” he called out gently. “Take care of your sisters, don’t let them near the water.”

“Yes, Papa!” she replied.

Morrat smiled before turning towards the village, glancing back one last time to ensure his daughters were safe.

“Halina! Spin me around fast!” shouted Ayça, the littlest sister.

Halina grabbed Ayça’s hands and started spinning round and round until they both stumbled, dizzy with laughter. Just then, their other sister Esma began walking towards the shoreline. Halina quickly yelled for her to come back. The little girl’s curiosity overrode her sister’s command, and she paused at the water’s edge. Turning back towards Halina, Esma extended her small arm skyward, her finger pointing. Halina’s eyes widened as she spotted a peculiar sight in the sky. A light, unlike any shooting star she had ever seen, flickered and pulsed with an otherworldly energy. It moved with purpose, growing larger and brighter with each passing second.

“Get away from the water!” Halina commanded, her protective instincts kicking into overdrive. She rushed towards her middle sister, her feet kicking up sand as she ran. Esma, still transfixed by the approaching light, remained rooted to spot. Halina yanked her back from the shoreline. The two stumbled backward to where Ayça lay cowering on the sand, their eyes never leaving the mesmerizing spectacle above them.

The light grew impossibly bright and descended rapidly. Halina instinctively shielded both sisters with her body, her heart pounding as she braced for impact. The light crashed into the sea, and an enormous plume of water erupted skyward, glowing with an inner light that defied explanation.

Halina, Ayça and Esma stood frozen in awe and terror as water rained down around them. The once-calm sea now churned and frothed, waves lapping frantically at the shore as if trying to expel the foreign object that had invaded its depths. An unnatural silence fell over the beach. The usual sounds of lapping waves and keening seabirds were conspicuously absent, as if nature was holding her breath. Halina tightened her grip on both sisters’ hands, her eyes fixed to the glowing spot in the water.

Tentatively, Halina approached the shore, though Ayça begged her to stay back. She was shocked by what she saw:  some sort of grey, humanoid creature was bobbing over the rough waves. She jumped back as the creature washed upon the sand and slowly turned its face towards her, mumbling something unintelligible.

“Go call Papa. Quickly!” Halina yelled.

Both her sisters turned to run, but just then, they heard the sound of footsteps. Their father and mother came sprinting down the path through the dunes, followed by a small crowd.

“Halina! What happened? Are you alright?” Morrat yelled, his voice thick with worry.

“Look, Papa!”

Halina pointed towards the greyish creature, lying on its side in the shallow water. Though it had four limbs and a head like a human, its body was shimmering, iridescent skin that changed colors with every movement, ranging from deep purples to electric blues. It was smaller than a grown human, and its eyes were three times larger than human eyes, lacking defined pupils or irises. Instead, they resembled swirling pools of bioluminescent liquid, continuously changing color and brightness. The mouth was a small, perfectly round opening surrounded by minute, crystalline structures in place of lips or teeth as he attempted to communicate in its peculiar language. An ominous symbol resembling a serpent had been branded into its forehead. She noticed its breathing was labored and it coughed raggedly.

Morrat stepped forward fearlessly, ignoring the warnings of those around him. He gripped the knife he used to gut fish tightly in his fist. As he moved closer, he saw that the creature was dying.

“Onu koru,” it rasped.

“Onu koru?” echoed Morrat uncertainly, taking another step closer.

Suddenly, the creature grabbed Morrat’s arm with unearthly strength, making everyone press backward in terror. Morrat couldn’t move. He was connected to the creature’s thoughts for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, the connection broke. The creature’s head fell back, its eyes wide and staring, and its hand slowly opened, revealing a small cube glowing brightly with a kaleidoscope of swirling colors inside – almost as if it was alive! Morrat thought he could see strange symbols appear in the cube’s depths, and felt a pang deep within his soul.

Inexorably drawn to the cube’s unknown power, Morrat reached for the cube with trembling fingers.

“Morrat, NO!” the girls’ mother shouted desperately.

He didn’t listen. Instead, he quickly slipped off his keffiyeh and wrapped it carefully around the cube, obscuring it from view. As Morrat took hold of the cube, the enigmatic dead creature broke apart into a million specks of shimmering dust and vanished into thin air.