The Queen of The Half Breeds

The metallic black-painted cruise ship cruises leisurely along the Gordon river that cuts through the wilderness of Franklin National Park. The warm air and sunny weather in February this year are suitable for traveling and including some tourists who look engrossed in taking pictures against the backdrop of towering forest rows of Huon pines and eucalypts.

The calm flow of the river is decorated with the chirping of various birds endemic to the island of Tasmania; Thrush Birds, Periwrens Birds that have a striking bright blue forehead, Tasmanian Rosella or Tasmanian parrots. In addition, the friction of the leaves between the trees seemed to add to the comfort of the tourists until suddenly, one of them screamed hysterically, startling everyone.

"What's wrong, Mary?" The chubby man looked at the woman beside him. "I'm so sorry; maybe she's daydreaming too much, ladies and gentlemen," he continued, feeling awkward seeing his wife acting impolite in public.

"Doesn't that rock look like a human, Freddy?" Marry—a blonde-haired woman whose face looked pale, pointed to the right of the river, trembling. "Why does it look weird?"

Freddy narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Man. Can we get close to that thing?" he shouted to the crew.

"No, sir. We have limited tour time," said the crew in black and white uniforms.

"I don't think it's just a rock," said another passenger standing not far from Marry. "What if it's a corpse floating from the riverbed?"

Everyone shuddered in horror while whispering. Their eyes and minds could not deny the strangeness of the blackish-brown stone, which was very similar to a human in a sitting position. One of the other passengers even said that the stone was identical to a rock in Indonesia, with a prevalent Malin Kundang stone myth.

"You'd better call the police. I'm sure it's not just a rock," Freddy told the crew.

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The discovery of chunks similar to humans has shocked residents in Strahan, Tasmania. The police, assisted by a forensic archeology team, removed a 55-kilogram stone for investigation in downtown Hobart. At the same time, the location of the incident is given a yellow border for further research that allows the discovery of historical sites, including the remains of skulls of living creatures in ancient times and the ice age.

Initially, many thought that the boulder contained a murder victim until there was speculation of serial murder. Considering the past few weeks, many people have suddenly disappeared. However, the condition of the large gravel and the bodies found in general made some people guess that maybe he was not a murder victim. But the mummy remains of an Aboriginal woman who died drowned in a river for hundreds of years until silt and river currents brought her to the surface.

"The Gordon River doesn't have a strong current; what if the rock floats on its own?" asked one of the emaciated policemen when he saw the stone apparition in the forensics room. "Unless it's a huge pumice stone, I'm still unsure. It's impossible, isn't it?"

"Even if it's a corpse, it shouldn't be like this. Even an animal that drowns in a river gets edema all over its body and doesn't immediately turn to stone. This is weird." another policeman argued. "This is a good sign if she is on the missing list. We can catch the culprit."

"Right, I hope so."

Then, a man wearing a plaid shirt and thick glasses with an ID that read 'Nicholas Houston' came. He approached the rock and touched it with a hand clad in a white glove. His eyebrows knit together to feel the soft texture of the human-shaped lump after being cleaned by a team of archaeologists with high-pressure water. Hesitantly, he pressed the side of the bow with a slight push.