Saturday, February 6, 2010

The Legend of Big Red

It's finished! Here's the legend for the plaza at Bear Lake.

The Legend of Big Red
One foggy afternoon, two men went out fishing in a small boat. They reached the middle of the lake and cast out their lines. Shortly after, the first man said he saw a dark shape in the water. His friend glanced over the side of the boat and into the azure water.
“There’s nothing there,” he said. “You’re seeing things.”
A few hours passed of reeling in lines and casting them out again. The fog only grew worse as evening started to approach. They didn’t get a single bite, despite it being one of the best fishing seasons either of the men had seen in years. The first fisherman saw the shape in the water again.
“See, there it is,” he said pointing over the side of the boat to the spot in the water the shadow had been.
“I don’t see anything,” said his friend glancing over the side of the boat again. “You must be going crazy.”
After a few more hours of no bites, they decided to reel in their lines and call it a day. Just as they set their rods on the floor of the boat, the water rippled and began to bubble. The two fishermen cautiously leaned over the side of the boat. The water broke and a cutthroat trout the size of a Great White Shark, possibly bigger, jumped over the boat. The two men looked up and for a moment all they saw was the trout’s bright red gills gleaming in the fog. The fish dropped back into the water; the wave from its reentry tipping the small fishing boat.
After the two had pulled themselves back into the boat, they returned to the docks. Meeting some other fishermen, they told the story and it spread like a virus. Soon, everyone knew about the giant cutthroat inhabiting the lake. Fishing rods were fitted with new lines and equipped with bigger, stronger hooks and boats headed out. The hunt was on for “Big Red”. Fishermen from towns all around the lake and even from towns miles away came to hunt for Big Red. Days were spent out in the middle of the lake where the trout had first been sighted, but the fish was never seen again after that first fateful afternoon, although some fishermen claim to have seen a dark shape circling under boats in the water. Weeks passed and weeks turned into months. Many of the hopeful fishermen finally vanished from the surface of the lake and the hunt soon subsided. Some still look, some have given up the hunt. Either way, should you go out to the middle of the lake, be sure not to dangle your toes in the water for too long as Big Red may confuse them for bait.

The plaza won't be ready for a while, but it feels good to have a part in it.

2 comments:

ali cross said...

Good job!

Mary E Campbell said...

Love it - Tawnni. Is this an actual legend around Bear Lake?