As Toronto, Canada became more developed, rivers and waterways were re-routed and even buried beneath the city in the form of tunnels and sewers. A creature stalks these tunnels: was it a river-dweller that was buried as well? Or something more sinister?
In 1978, an unassuming and soft-spoken 51-year-old man got the fright of his life.
After the disappearance of a kitten from the litter he was caring for, Ernest (he did not publish his last name) went searching nearby his apartment in Cabbagetown (a Toronto neighborhood).
Ernest stumbled upon a small cave and, thinking the kitten may have gone in, proceeded to crawl in about 10 feet. That’s when he saw it.
The creature was long and thin, with an appearance that was described as “monkey-like”. It was about three feet long with slate-grey fur and long sharpened teeth.
But what stood out the most was the creature’s large, slanted orange-red eyes.
Or at least, that was what stood out until what happened next. Apparently, the creature hissed “Go away, go away.” (It can speak! And English no less!)
Ernest’s relatives were interviewed to get an idea of the man’s mental state and personality in general. All those questioned were inclined to believe his tale, stating that he was truly terrified that day and did not partake heavily in drugs or alcohol.
It’s possible this creature was a sighting of a Memegwesi (may-may-gway-see): a water spirit of varying First Nations Peoples’ beliefs. Memegwesi are small water spirits that are benign unless disrespected or not given the proper offering. (Similar to fae creatures)
They are described as being about child-sized and hairy, with a large head and a voice that sounds like “the whine of a dragonfly”. Could it be that Ernest stumbled upon a buried Memegwesi? Or was it a different creature living below the city?
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