Alligators

When I was just a little fella, my family went to a zoo. This zoo was unusual, in that its barriers were... Lacking. In some cases, non existent. Such was the case with the alligator enclosure. There was an arch and a walkway across the pond inside it. I ran out on the rickety walkway and crossed almost all the way over the pond.

I recall turning around and calling to my parents, who had stopped at the arch and apparently were discussing the safety of the area. They were pushing my little brother in a stroller and decided there was no way they were going to cross the pond.

I hadn't even begun to consider danger, even looking beyond the pond and seeing the alligators sunning themselves on a nearby hill. When Dad called me back however, something about his voice made me really take a look around...

I noticed the murky, green water not far below me I noticed that I couldn't see a thing through it. There could be an alligator waiting under the surface for me to fall. I ran quickly off the bridge and back to Mom and Dad. I always wondered whether there had been an alligator under that murky green water.

I got the chance to hold a young alligator some years later, it was a really cool experience; but there still have been times when I've had nightmares about murky water.