Aquatic creatures. Kyrgyzstan

May 1936. Expedition of the Moscow Geographical Society. Lake Sary-Chelek. Three scientists, two workers and Uzbek guide Olimjon Kasymov were sitting by the fire and drinking tea with dry cakes. 

An ancient old man stepped into the light of the fire, leaning on a gnarled, but time-polished stick of archie. The old man was invited to sit next to him and poured him hot tea. A conversation ensued. Aksakal Uichi was the guardian of the ancient lake. No one has visited it for many years. He was obviously glad to see people. Professor Ipatov, the head of the expedition, began to ask the aksakal in detail about the lake, its history, and the surrounding area. Olimjon Kasymov was translating the conversation. The keeper willingly answered all questions. There is a lot of game around the lake in dense thickets on the slopes of the mountains: mountain goats, partridges, bears. In the streams flowing into the lake from glaciers, you can catch marinka fish with your hands, it is absolutely not frightened. People have not lived on the shores of Sary-Chelek for a long time. Only the old guardian, the last of his kind, continues to keep watch and perform ancient rituals. Everyone is interested in what rites are we talking about? And why are they here, where there are no people? Here the aksakal told about the "terrible fish Ho".

Almost a hundred generations ago, there was a large and fertile valley on this place. One day, from the Celestial Mountains, golden people came to it in clothes made of fish scales. They built a big city "Sai Ho" on the bank of a deep river flowing through the valley, and for many, many years they lived in peace and quiet. They worshipped the God "Ho", who had a fish head and a human body. God lived in the marble reservoir of the Temple of "Big Water". Through his servants, the golden priests, he taught the surrounding tribes agriculture, cattle breeding and much more. Once in a hundred years, one golden priest died, and the rest performed the sacred rite of the Fish God "Ho". The most beautiful girl of the valley was brought to the reservoir of the Temple, she bent down to the water, from which the God slowly floated out. He kissed the girl on the lips. In due course, she gave birth to a child with golden skin, who became the new priest of the God "Ho". For a long time, the winds of upheaval bypassed the high-mountain valley. But one day the conquerors found the passages and broke into the protected city. A large army of the Khamrai state quickly overpowered the defenders of the Sai Ho and began to plunder it. Only one priest remained alive, who ran to the Temple and began to ask God for help. The fish god "Ho" swam out of the depths, and a long vibrating sound resounded throughout the valley. From this sound, the rocks trembled, and the bridge collapsed, blocking the paths of mountain water, the streams of which quickly flooded the valley. This is how the Sary - Chelek lake was formed, where, according to legend, the Fish God "Ho" still lives - the aksakal finished his story. 

It was already late at night when, after the old man left, everyone went to bed. Only Professor Ipatov's young assistant, Lisa, sighed bitterly:

a sad story.

In the morning Lisa got up before everyone else and went to wash her face by the lake. Having lathered her eyes, she bent down to the water to rinse them, and suddenly felt the touch of very soft big lips on her face. In wild horror, she recoiled from the water, and quickly erasing the soap, she saw in the water a huge head of a large fish with sad, almost human eyes. Lisa screamed loudly in fear.

Then the fish smoothly turned over from the shore to the depth. The last thing the shocked assistant saw were muscular human legs, sweeping through the water with wide strokes and disappearing into the darkness of the lake.

Lisa was ill for a long time from a strong experience. The expedition went further to the Tien Shan along the planned route. Lisa was left in a hospital in Namangan. She returned to Moscow only a year later. She told everyone she didn't remember anything.

A few years later, Kyrgyz mountain shepherds sometimes began to see an ancient old man with a small golden-haired boy at the Sary-Chelek Lake.