This boys story. Paradise

.We lived at the top of the biggest hill in Rapid city. It was also the city edge and it was open space for as far as you could see behind my house. I have shared this story many times and am always met with disbelief. I am giving an honest account and as an adult now know that what I experienced and seen was real and correct.
I had friends in the trailer court but liked to spend time by myself as well. I did like to have the company mind you, but the other kids did not like to go out or could not go out as much as I or do a lot of the things I liked. I lacked the discipline that most kids had and was never home, or It might have been that I just didn’t want to be home. I liked to leave the house early in the morning and come home around sunset.
I set out one morning heading out into the expanse behind my house to see what I could find. It was primarily naked land with mostly tall grass, with lots of hills and patches of big treed areas in the distance. I made it my goal to check out those big patches of treed areas. I walked a long way that morning and walked through more than a few valleys. I could see a large majestic growth of trees and the valleys went in more than one direction. I walked for ever as It just seemed to be over the next hill. I was going to turn back many times but kept seeing this and than that! I was going from one thing to another when I looked up and noticed the large majestic trees was directly in front of me. I started walking again as I headed into another valley. It was a bigger valley than I had been in yet and it took me in a couple of directions. I could still see the big trees and they were getting closer, much closer.
I came out of the valley turned and went into another when I could see a body of water. It was what we would call a large pond. Approximately 3 to 5 acres. It was one of the first moments that took my breathe away and excited me to no end. As I got closer I could see a lagoon. I made my way slowly toward the water and I could see boats in the lagoon! They were hand made replicas of different boats from sea and lake? I have to say that I walked with extreme caution as I was totally expecting to find people and out here, maybe they didn’t want to find me. As I got closer I could see that no one was around and it didn’t appear anyone had been around in quite a while. I continued to close in on the boats and was just amazed and speechless at what I was seeing.
There was a river boat with a huge paddle wheel and it turned with a crank on handmade hinges. The boat was flat but was cut in the shape of a river boat with a real wheel cabin in front and the huge paddle wheel built beautifully in the middle of the boat and was unbelievably easy to operate. The cabin had a roof, a front window and large wheel. On each side was a shelf. It was all trimmed out around every edge, corner and seam.
There was a big flat pontoon boat with benches and lots of space. It was made with a cut out in the middle back of the boat and the benches on both sides facing forward. It had a large piece of timber attached to the cut out with another very nicely made timber sleeve so you could make the boat move. It would move by pushing the long piece of timber straight back and side to side. It had a small captains podium built in in front of the cut out. It was trimmed out as nicely as the river boat and as easy to use.
There was a pirate ship that was so incredible and so real it belonged in a real place. The funny thing was it was attached to the dock? Which reminds me to mention that there was a dock built with room for three boats and room to walk. It was built like it was attached to a mansion and meant to last. The pirate ship felt lIke a play area that belonged in a city. It was built with great detail and did have the side walls and all the ornate trim. It felt real and it felt like some incredible father was inspired to build it for a child he obviously loved. I stayed all day and used every boat and played on the pirate ship. I wondered why would someone build this so far out or was there a house out here in the middle of nowhere? I never saw anyone that day or any day until I moved away. It took me hours to get there but, I came back many times and always partly to see if I could ever find who really made this paradise in the middle of literally nowhere. I still wonder to this day why and who? It never made any sense and and it is eerily obvious today that it was abandoned when I found it.

I tried many times to get friends or family to come with me just once to see this place. Not just to see what I see with amazement and enjoy the fruits of someone’s obvious hard work or to confirm my story but, to see the magical wild life that I had happened on in the water and the shores on many occasion. I could not make the trip as often as I would have liked as far as it was and wished truly I could have just for the simple fact of how really incredible this place was. One summer day the second year I had been going my sister had a friend over and they were board. Her friend initiated the talk that we go to this place that I was always talking about and see this so called “paradise” and all these animals. Of course then it was a fabulous idea to my sister and off we all went. On a journey that none of us would ever forget!

Pg. 5