NUMBER 18 OF 40 IN THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE" BY: LONNIE E. BROWN
"SNAKES, SNAKES, SNAKES"
"SNAKES, SNAKES, SNAKES"
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, THERE WERE SOME ENCOUNTERS WITH ANIMALS THAT WERE NOT SO AMUSING, UNLESS MAYBE YOU WERE MERELY A SPECTATOR WATCHING WHAT WAS HAPPENING. ONE OF THE MOST FRIGHTENING THINGS HAPPENED ON A DAY WHEN MY DAD AND I EXPECTED NOTHING BUT FUN AND RELAXATION.
IT WAS A WARM SPRING DAY IN THE EARLY FIFTIES. DAD AND I GATHERED UP OUR FISHING RODS AND SOME BAIT AND HEADED TO ONE OF OUR FAVORITE FISHING SPOTS ON THE CUMBERLAND RIVER ABOVE WOLF CREEK DAM.
MY DAD AND MY FUTURE FATHER-IN-LAW HELPED BUILD WOLF CREEK DAM, WHICH WAS CREATED IN 1951 AT A COST OF $80.4 MILLION. ITS MAIN PURPOSE WAS FLOOD CONTROL AND THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER, BUT IT ALSO CREATED THE 55,000-ACRE LAKE CUMBERLAND, WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY BRING A BOOMING TOURIST BUSINESS TO THE AREA. IT PROBABLY ALSO CREATED SOME DISTURBANCE IN THE PATTERNS OF WILDLIFE NEARBY.
ON THIS SPRING DAY, THE WORLD WAS QUIET, HOWEVER, AND WE HAD THE RIVERBANK TO OURSELVES. WE BAITED OUR HOOKS, CAST OUR LINES OUT INTO THE WATER, AND SAT BACK WAITING FOR THE CATFISH, BASS, AND PERCH TO BITE. SEVERAL ACCOMMODATED US AND WE HAD THE BEGINNING OF A FINE MESS OF FISH FOR SUPPER.
THE SUN ROSE SLOWLY OVER THE RIVER AND WE SAT ADMIRING THE GLISTENING WATER RIPPLING TOWARD THE SHORE. I SAW DAD SUDDENLY LEAN FORWARD SQUINTING. I LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE WATER AND SAW WHAT HE WAS SEEING. NEITHER OF US COULD BELIEVE OUR EYES.
"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" HE ASKED GETTING TO HIS FEET.
I GOT UP, TOO, BUT I DIDN'T NEED TO ANSWER HIM. WE COULD SEE CLEARLY WHAT WAS SWIMMING TOWARD US.
"GOOD HEAVENS!" I EXCLAIMED.
THE RIVER HAD SUDDENLY TURNED BLACK. THERE WERE SNAKES, SNAKES, AND MORE SNAKES! NEITHER OF US HAD EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT AND WE NEVER WANTED TO AGAIN. WE STOOD FROZEN FOR A MINUTE, STARING AT THE SPECTACLE IN FRONT OF US IN DISBELIEF.
SOME OF THE SNAKES REACHED THE BANK AND CRAWLED OUT OF THE WATER. DAD WAS THE FIRST TO MOVE AS HE KICKED ONE AWAY. WE STRUGGLED TO REEL IN OUR LINES AND FINALLY SUCCEEDED.
MORE SNAKES WERE CRAWLING FROM THE RIVER NOW. DAD GRABBED THE FISH AND WE HELD ON TO OUR RODS.
"COME ON, SON," DAD ORDERED. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW."
I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE TOLD TWICE. WE RAN FOR THE TRUCK, JUMPED IN, AND DROVE OFF. WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE THE SNAKES COME FROM, WHY THEY CAME, OR WHERE THEY WERE GOING. WE JUST KNEW WE'D NEVER BE BACK AT THAT SPOT TO FISH AGAIN. AND WE NEVER WERE.
PEOPLE FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE WHEN DAD AND I TOLD THAT STORY, BUT IF HE WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE'D TELL YOU IT WAS TRUE.
FROM THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE"
BY: LONNIE E. BROWN
"SNAKES, SNAKES, SNAKES"
COURTESY OF THE LOCAL LIBRARY
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