It was a bright sunny morning and not a cloud in sight. My sister and her friend were true to their word. Both were awake and wide eyed with excitement to go. It was before 8:00 am and that was all I asked if they were serious about going. It would take until sundown if we wanted to get there and back. We set off on our way and the girls even packed a picnic to enjoy in “paradise” as they would both say. I was very excited too as I was finally able to show someone this magical place and it just happened to be my favorite sister. We always found ease in our relationship that I never had with my other two sisters. We don’t speak anymore but, she is still my favorite sister.
We left when I had hoped and the day was beautiful and clear. We made good time with three people and came to the valley opening just after 11:00 am. I took my time going the rest of the way so the girls could soak it all in. They seemed to be even more amazed than I was and became serious while taking there time processing this real place. As we got closer to the dock the mood was changing and the girls started talking incessantly. They had become giddy girls filled with excitement to go see, touch and feel everything. I knew the feeling, having had it every time I came. When you first come to this place it gives you the feeling of being at a magical amusement park.
In an instant neither could believe what they were seeing and questioning everything about everything. I had talked about this place for almost two years and I obviously was not taking seriously by anyone. My sister was just rocked to her core and was going through everything that she could remember of my tellings of this place. She was mesmerized and overwhelmed and in need of answers. This place was magical but, it didn’t make sense. Why was it here and how? It was just as obvious to them that there was not a reasonable explanation. There were no roads and no signs that anyone had been there in a long, long time. They derived the same questions and conclusions that I had. One of the big questions we all could not answer was, with no roads how did you get the tools and supplies needed this far out? I am digressing for a good reason. With no conceivable way any of us could think of, my sister decided that I was the only logical answer. She put it together and to her it was obvious. There were no roads because I painstakingly brought everything piece by piece and built these marvelous vessels. Let’s not even begin to get into how a 6 year old kid could have perceived the knowledge, let alone the ability to accomplish such an incredible feat. An easy conclusion for any adult like my sister with a little common sense, I hope.
I did not have the heart or desire to let her down or the heart to let myself down. She had put me on the highest pedestal imaginable in the last couple of years and sadly for the mere fearless acts that I was doing without thinking or caring. Just trying unbelievably hard to get attention. It was not deserving and I knew that then. It just made it even harder for me to shatter the pedestal she had put me on. I was the only boy with three sisters so by default I was given some privileges. My own room when the girls got older, when we could and for obvious reasons. I also believed as did they that I was my dad’s favorite. Of course to children it comes across as straight favoritism. I played right into it and acted as if that was exactly the case. At 6 I was just coming into my own. It was an explosive combination, burning anger and narcissism. I did not want to let her down and I wanted her to believe all of the hype over the crazy things I was doing. I know she was looking for answers of her own and making me into something she needed at the time. It only helped to fuel my behavior and honestly, mess me up even more. I didn’t create that paradise as you so wanted to believe and I was not the incredible, courageous hero that you needed me to be. It created the first of many adventures I would have with my sister and the ultimate catalyst to our demise.
There was electricity in the air and the excitement was abound. We put our things done and started around the lake. I have waited until now to say all of what I discovered in this paradise. The boats were incredible but the creatures were just as incredible and like the boats, not supposed to be there? We walked just a few feet when the girls were startled by a twenty inch long lizard. They were common in the area but, not like this! As we walked further we came across gigantic toads! So huge it took two hands to hold one and nothing we encountered that day was afraid of us. I could not have asked for more excitement from the girls as I had been back many times and never seen nearly the activity we were on this day. I referred to the wildlife as creatures before because in all my memories of this place it was mostly reptiles that I remember. Reptiles truly were the common in this part of the country long before paradise was here and reportedly, now only existent in the reptile parks and zoos since at least the eighteenth century.
Everything felt like it was staged as we came around a blind corner and walked right up on a three foot wide by four foot long snapping turtle. I know it was a snapping turtle for two simple facts, I have seen many in the reptile parks all around the black hills of South Dakota and it charged us and snapped at us several times. On one of my previous visits I had been on the water in a boat in that same area we were today and I just froze when I seen one, I didn’t believe it myself.
He came out of this huge growth of underwater flora that nearly came to the surface and into this expansion of open water where the flora separated. The expansion was deep but you could still not see the bottom from shorter flora growing below. It was ominous and you definitely got the feeling that it was deep. The turtle came close to the surface, turned and swam away from me into the open water. I had an even shorter glimpse on another occasion at the same location we had seen one today but, I could not get close. When I tried it went into the water and I wasn’t sure what it was or If I believed it? I never experienced it like this before but, it was always a very large turtle I witnessed. When it snapped at us it snapped at out arms and chest areas. It did not rear nor was it on a build up, it could reach our chest area on all four feet. We ran and the turtle stayed on the shore for quite a few more minutes before it went back into the water. It was by all accounts amazing and should have been the highlight of our day. Folklore, Urban legend or whatever you want to call it. I was not the only one that can tell you it happened! They lived there long before man and it is not a stretch to believe they were and still are. We experienced the unbelievable and the day was not over yet.
We actually settled ourselves down and looked for a place to have our picnic. We decided because there was no where to sit except the ground and there were creatures everywhere, we would have our picnic on one of the boats. We chose the pontoon boat because it had the benches so we could sit and enjoy our picnic on the water. Everything was so perfect, the weather, the interaction with the creatures and we were having the best time. Even though the turtle scared the three of us to tears it only fueled the excitement and made us want more. We got settled on the boat and I pushed us out towards the middle of the pond to drift while we ate. I never had three people on the boat before and found that when you pushed hard the front of the boat would dip down underwater and slow the boat down. It was no big deal as we were just going to drift and relax. It had been a long day already and we were ready to eat and rest with no place better here.
We were sitting on the boat eating, me on one bench and the girls on the other when I noticed something behind them on the shore. I said nothing as we continued to eat and chat about our amazing time and when we had to leave to be home before dark. It was snakes! On the shore behind the girls and they were close to the water. I had had the pleasure of encountering them before and they scared me worse than the 300 pound turtle. They were water moccasins and they had chased me in the boat before but, I had always outran them. I immediately stopped eating and told the girls that I was going to push them around the water. They were all for it as we were sitting still in the middle of the pond and the sun was beating down on us. It had to be 90 degrees or more on the water so I thought I would use it as an excuse to move away from the snakes. I knew it was only a matter of time before they came to investigate so I needed to get us out of there.
As soon as the timber hit the water it alerted them of our presence. I thought, “Maybe if I would had waited until they left” but, I know they would have come anyway? I have grappled with that scenario many times and I don’t think it would have mattered. They were in the water instantly and coming directly for us. I did not hide for one more second from the girls what was going on and the disparity of the situation! I was pushing as hard and fast as I could with the most adrenaline I had probably ever produced in my life. Instantly at that moment I realized I could not outrun them with all of us on the boat, but I just kept trying. It was obvious they were catching up fast. The weight of us three was no issue when we were just drifting but, now the harder I push the slower we go! The front of the boat is dipping underwater every time I push the timber to the back and not allowing us to go fast enough to stay ahead of them. I am now getting so scared because I know the gravity of the situation. I loved snakes at this time of my life and was familiar with most around the area. I knew these were water moccasins and it was us they wanted, not the food as the girls thought! Again to keep the calm I did not tell them they were wrong. I waited and kept trying but, as they were getting closer I was starting to panic!
I looked back one more time and the snakes where more than halfway to us. I realized that we had no chance of out running them and and in an instance I cried out, “Jump”! I was in the water in a second and started swimming as fast as I could to shore. I jumped into water that I knew had at least one large snapping turtle a ton of different fish, lots of snakes and no bottom that I could see. My worst nightmare is being in a large body of water and I can’t see the bottom or what is going to eat me! I’m pretty sure this is where I developed this healthy fear. As I swam I looked back and I could see that my sister’s friend had jumped soon after me but, my sister was still on the boat? I made it to shore and turned to see that my sisters friend was not far behind. My sister was still on the boat!
The water moccasins were ten feet from the boat and I just started screaming “jump” repeatedly at the top of my lungs! When her friend got to shore she could see how serious I was as I told her what was going to happen if my sister didn’t jump! So we both started screaming together. I reached the point where I had to tell my sister that they were after her and not the food. I think she figured that out when she threw most of the food in the water away from the boat and they still kept coming, directly at her. She jumped, finally! When she did the water moccasins were almost on the back of the boat. She had a long way to go and I honestly did not think she was going to make it. I still have dreams where she didn’t jump. I never make it to the part of her getting bit. They just disappear at the back of the boat? Her friend and I could have been in a horror movie we have all seen before as we both stood on the shore looking out screaming repeatedly as loud as we could. “Swim, swim” we yelled and all I could think about was what I was going to do, what was I going to tell my mother and my other sister’s? Those snakes were much faster than her and I knew it, I just kept yelling. She was still swimming and as she got closer you could see the snakes where less than five feet behind. The closer she got the bigger the splash and the less I could see of the snakes. I could not believe when she got within five feet from shore and the snakes where literally on her, they just went under water? They disappeared! We kept yelling and she made it to shore. We never saw the snakes again. It’s amazing what you can do when your scared. We could have encountered the snapping turtle or whatever else is in the abyss but, the thought of dying from water moccasins was enough to get us all through the what if’s. I have never seen my sister do anything as fast, before or after. I have often wondered if they were underwater trying to bite her as she was getting out and it was her clothes that saved her?
We left shortly after that and did not share the excitement we did earlier when the snapping turtle tried snapping at us. It was extremely life threatening and we all felt like we had gone to hell and back. It was a life changing event for all of us. I felt true panic and I honestly believed my sister was going to die. The memory is still sharp today, just from the horror of that one experience. I’m sure it was just a few short minutes but, it felt like a lifetime to us! We never went back to paradise, it was lost.
With paradise lost, it was time to back to school. Bullies are my least favorite people and I was about to find out why.
pg. 6
This boys story. 