The Determined Kelpie of the River Conon

The River Conon looks calm and peaceful on the surface, but beneath the dark water hides an even darker Kelpie.

One day some men were working in a field next to the river when they heard a mysterious voice boom out at midday, "The hour has come but not the man". Shocked by the interruption they turned to see who was disturbing their work. A terrifying Kelpie in the shape of a powerful black stallion was standing in the shallows of the River Conon, where travellers would ford their way across.

As abruptly as it had arrived, the Kelpie plunged into deeper water and disappeared. The locals were confused, but one thing was certain, none would be crossing the river for at least the next hour. Soon a galloping noise came from behind and they thought that the beast had come back for them. Thankfully, it was just a stranger riding as fast as he could towards the river crossing.

The men all ran out onto the road to warn him of the Kelpie's words, but he wouldn't listen to silly superstitions. That stranger would have plunged straight into the River Conon had four of the men not physically dragged him from his horse. To keep the man safe from himself, he was locked in the old church nearby. Ignoring his shouts of rage and thumps on the barred door, the locals went back to the field and carried on with their work.

Once the hour was over, the river should have been safe to cross again so the stranger could finally be released to finish his journey. By now the church was deadly silent and the men hoped that the traveller had just given up his complaining. They unlocked the door but still, there wasn’t the slightest noise.

Peering inside they found the body of the man, face down in a low water trough. Nobody knew how or why, but the determined Kelpie had managed to claim its victim.