Le Calamar

The nation of Pavageaux was constructed on a massive swamp. In the center of the nation is the capital, also known as Pavageaux. One of the points of interest in the capital is a local legend known as Le Calamar. Miles east of downtown, out in the middle of the water, is a sight no one is likely to forget. Countless locals, tourists, and visitors have witnessed a giant squid moving around in the water. It never completely comes out of the water, so it is impossible to ascertain its exact size, but people have speculated that it is hundreds of feet long. The sight is truly terrifying; people run, cry, scream, and even soil themselves, in rare instances.
In truth, Le Calamar is not real at all. Some local artisans, bards, and engineers got together at a local pub and, over shots of rum and a large platter of sauteed calamari, they brainstormed a project that was unique, an artistic and engineering challenge, large-scale, and would draw visitors and tourists from far and wide. They dyed large sheets of muslin (a lightweight plain-woven cotton fabric) a grungy gray-green color, stitched them together into the shape of a large squid, and anchored it to the swamp floor. Gas builds up in the water and, on a fairly regular basis, it rises up to the surface. The squid structure captures these gasses and they make it rise up slowly out of the water. Its creators were truly innovative; they engineered the squid's "tentacles" in such a way that, when the gasses fill them up, they writhe, curl and uncurl in a disturbingly and eerily realistic fashion. The creators implemented a campaign to spread rumors of a great sea monster all across Rodinia, and it worked brilliantly; tourism increased significantly because of this specific attraction.
The locals know that this display is a fabricated tourist draw, but the effect is so chillingly real, and the rumor campaign was so successful, people all over Rodinia swear on their lives that Le Calamar is real. Many people cannot be convinced it is man-made because they refuse to return to the area.
First-time visitors are advised to wear brown pants when viewing the big guy.

Image generated by DeepAI. (2024). AI Image Generator. DeepAI. https://deepai.org/machine-learning-model/text2img