The Chance Encounter by Sue Bavey
The rain flowed in seemingly never-ending rivulets down the window pane as I gazed out at the distant lake, longing to be able to use my new kayak. It had been a birthday present and ever since a monumental thunderstorm on the day I received it, the rain had been relentless. I was so excited when I opened up my largest gift and found an inflatable kayak - just imagine, I would be able to fit it into the back of my car and go to explore the nearby lake! But so far my sense of adventure had been thwarted. Instead I have had to make do with watching YouTube videos of other people kayaking and writing lists of suitable destinations for future trips. Looking at the weather forecast I discovered a break in the rain was due at the weekend. Perfect! I decided to plan a trip to my local lake on the coming Saturday, and the excitement was starting to take hold of me.
*****
Saturday morning arrived and I hastily gobbled down a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast and bacon, hoping to be able to stay out on the lake for a couple of hours without feeling hungry. I collected my life jacket and water bottle and hoisted the inflatable kayak, along with its paddle, into the boot of my car. Luckily I had a car with a large boot and the kayak easily fit inside. The rain had finally stopped during the previous evening so I couldn’t wait to get started with my local adventure. I hastily drove to the lake, it was visible from my window, but I barely ever went there apart from for the occasional walk. Looking around I realised this ought to be a place I went to more often. It really was breathtaking, particularly now that the late Autumn temperatures had changed the leaves to reds, golds, yellows and browns, but the frequent rain in this part of the world usually puts me off.
I took out my kayak and dragged it to the boat ramp and began using the electric pump I had also been gifted to inflate it. Before long I was ready to begin my adventure. I was a little cautious as there didn’t appear to be anyone else out on the lake on this cloudy yet dry day, but I had my cell phone in case I got into any difficulties. A few people could be seen walking dogs around the perimeter of the lake in the distance, but there were no other kayakers, or indeed any other type of boat to be seen.
I took out my kayak and dragged it to the boat ramp and began using the electric pump I had also been gifted to inflate it. Before long I was ready to begin my adventure. I was a little cautious as there didn’t appear to be anyone else out on the lake on this cloudy yet dry day, but I had my cell phone in case I got into any difficulties. A few people could be seen walking dogs around the perimeter of the lake in the distance, but there were no other kayakers, or indeed any other type of boat to be seen.
*****
Before long I had got into my stride and was travelling at a fairly reasonable pace, making for a large island in the centre of the lake. I had often sat on the benches at the edge of the lake gazing out at the island and wondering what there was to be found upon it. Now I would finally be able to discover the truth. The island was looming larger as I approached it and my sense of adventure was growing. As soon as I felt the ground under the kayak I jumped out and pulled it further ashore, making sure it could not be swept out into the lake without me, leaving me stranded. While I was doing this I became aware of some intriguing noises further inland on the island. They sounded like high pitched squawks and my curiosity soon got the better of me. I had no idea what type of animal or bird could make such a sound, so I crept into the tall grass in front of me, hoping to see whatever it was before it saw me. As I furtively moved through the grass, the squawks became louder and more desperate. It sounded like something needed help and being an animal lover, I was determined I would try my best to see if there was anything I could do. I thought perhaps it had heard me moving through the undergrowth and was trying to attract my attention in order that I could help it. The terrain opened out ahead of me and there was a sheltered area that was very dark with tall trees casting shadows across the entirety of the island and obscuring my vision of what exactly lay in the gloom in front of me. Patches of sunlight broke through the trees, dappling the ground here and there and I started to inch forward, feeling certain that the creature I could now hear quite plainly was in need of my help, and did not pose any kind of threat to me. I was about to have the shock of my life!
*****
I could make out a very large boulder and the noises seemed to be coming from behind it. Approaching carefully, I began saying “There, there!” in a gentle and hopefully reassuring voice. The noise immediately changed to a plaintive whimper. I was now very close to the boulder but still could not see behind it. Then I noticed a movement next to the boulder. What could it be? It looked like an enormous snake rearing up at me! Not a big fan of snakes, I was starting to panic. There appeared to be a head on top of a serpentine neck rising from the ground!! But wait, the boulder was moving! It wasn’t a boulder at all, but was a body the size of a small hippo - and the ‘snake’ was a sinuous, long neck with a head attached. What kind of an animal could it possibly be? How curious! All of a sudden I felt a strange calm come over me as the creature looked into my eyes, seeming to read my soul. I didn’t feel scared at all now, and walked right up to it making soothing cooing noises until I was close enough to see its legs folded up underneath it and its feet. One of its feet was stuck deep inside a hole that appeared to be a rabbit’s burrow. Ah, the poor thing must have taken a misstep and got its foot caught fast, it seemed to be a little twisted to the side as well. I could only imagine that the rain had made the ground muddy and slippery, leading to the creature losing its footing and ending up with a foot in the hole, with a twisted ankle - if such creatures even had ankles! Now that I was closer I could observe the animal better. Its skin was scaly like a fish, a dark grey colour, which seemed to absorb light, making it difficult to see among the plants and mud. This was why I had thought it was a boulder at first. It seemed to trust me and it stared at me with big eyes pleading with me to help. I quickly knelt by the trapped foot and tried to dig into the muddy hole around it, using a spoon I happened to have in my pocket (I had a flask full of soup in the car and had pocketed the spoon on my way out of the house). It was slow work, and the creature kept nudging me as if encouraging me to go faster in between its whimpers, but I eventually managed to free the foot and immediately the creature began hobbling backwards away from the hole. It nuzzled my neck with its smooth head, which was something like a sea lion's with long whiskers protruding from either side of its nose. This made me giggle and I stroked its scaly neck, not feeling anything other than calm in the presence of this strange beast. This must be its way of thanking me, I told myself. The creature seemed to be eager to get back to the water and I wondered how long it had been stuck on the island and if the poor beast was hungry. Before long it started to hobble off the same way I had come into the gloomy area. I followed it and saw it turn to look back at me as I reached the water and my kayak. It was swimming as I got into my kayak and soon it dove down under the water. I paddled after it, eager to see it again, but sadly there was no sign wherever I looked. I was amazed by my encounter with this creature and paddled all round the lake hoping to see it again. What could it have been? Eventually I gave up and headed back to the shore on which my car was parked. I deflated my kayak and slowly put it and the paddle back into the car. Then I gazed over the lake and was surprised to see what looked like a head on the surface of the water with a large fish clamped tightly between its jaws. It was the creature! It seemed to sense I was leaving and nodded its head at me. Once again I was taken over by a strange sense of calm. I was feeling blessed to have had such an encounter and couldn’t wait to find out what the creature was. I would go to the library and look in their local nature reference books as soon as I could on Monday morning.
*****
As I left the car park I noticed the lake’s sign had been vandalised once more and was lying on the side of the lane. I stopped the car and jumped out, picking up the sign and replacing it on its signpost. “Welcome to Loch Ness” it read and I happily drove home feeling calm and determined to return another day in search of my new friend.
