File #1086: "Mosaic_Spring_2004_8.jpg"
Description
Got Cha
Josh Knight
As a child I'll never forget spending summers in the cabin at Fall Creek Falls. My family was lucky enough to become friends with the Beck family from South Carolina. We stayed every year beside them, my family in cabin 320 and the Beck's in 319. Nancy Beck, the mother of the cabin, had proven to be a practical joker, but I proved to be better at it than she was.
It was a dark, balmy night on Fall Creek Fall's Lake. A light haze crept across the dark water. I slid from the board walk into the murky, pungent froth that lay beneath the cabin of my unsuspecting friend Nancy. The water erupted ahead of me as small schools of bait fish scurried to get out of the way of this larger than normal intruder. I had to stop to corral my nerves before moving on into deeper water. As I gained my nerve, the sounds of laughter exploded in the cabin above. I knew I had been caught, so I waited to see what was happening. The laughter was not at me, but at a joke that had been told by one of my friends inside.
Everything seemed normal. The aroma of charcoal had filled the air. Even the moaning of the ice cream maker on the back porch was right on schedule. It was time for the adventure to begin. I took one last breath as I propelled myself into the deeper water. I was only able to feel my way in the pitch darkness as I found the fluorescent line that hung from the fishing pole like a spider hanging from its web. Slowly I pulled slack and moved back under the cabin to shallower water where I could stand on the hard ground again. I removed a bulky can of turnip greens from the pocket of my shirt and tied it to the fishing line that hung from my friend's cabin. I began to thrash about under the cabin out of sight from the unknowing fisherman. I tugged on the line, almost pulling the rod into the deep, dark water.
Immediately Nancy grabbed the pole and started screaming for help. I fought with her just as the largest catfish in the lake would have. The water splashed just like a catfish rolling on top of the water trying to escape the excited fisher- man. After the fight of a lifetime, I released the can of turnip greens. I can still hear the thrill in Nancy's voice saying "I've got it! Get the net!" and then the explosion of laughter of everyone around her as she pulled the can from the water. I couldn't hold my laughter in any longer. I was caught red handed as my laugh- ter echoed across the lake.
I was finally inside, out of the fishy water and cold darkness enjoying the laughter of all my family and friends as they talked of Nancy's huge catch. The homemade ice cream was welcome sight. As I approached the frosty bowl of ice cream, I noticed that it looked a little bizarre. It was topped with the can of turnip greens that Nancy had just caught.
Literary Club Essay Contest Winner
Josh Knight
As a child I'll never forget spending summers in the cabin at Fall Creek Falls. My family was lucky enough to become friends with the Beck family from South Carolina. We stayed every year beside them, my family in cabin 320 and the Beck's in 319. Nancy Beck, the mother of the cabin, had proven to be a practical joker, but I proved to be better at it than she was.
It was a dark, balmy night on Fall Creek Fall's Lake. A light haze crept across the dark water. I slid from the board walk into the murky, pungent froth that lay beneath the cabin of my unsuspecting friend Nancy. The water erupted ahead of me as small schools of bait fish scurried to get out of the way of this larger than normal intruder. I had to stop to corral my nerves before moving on into deeper water. As I gained my nerve, the sounds of laughter exploded in the cabin above. I knew I had been caught, so I waited to see what was happening. The laughter was not at me, but at a joke that had been told by one of my friends inside.
Everything seemed normal. The aroma of charcoal had filled the air. Even the moaning of the ice cream maker on the back porch was right on schedule. It was time for the adventure to begin. I took one last breath as I propelled myself into the deeper water. I was only able to feel my way in the pitch darkness as I found the fluorescent line that hung from the fishing pole like a spider hanging from its web. Slowly I pulled slack and moved back under the cabin to shallower water where I could stand on the hard ground again. I removed a bulky can of turnip greens from the pocket of my shirt and tied it to the fishing line that hung from my friend's cabin. I began to thrash about under the cabin out of sight from the unknowing fisherman. I tugged on the line, almost pulling the rod into the deep, dark water.
Immediately Nancy grabbed the pole and started screaming for help. I fought with her just as the largest catfish in the lake would have. The water splashed just like a catfish rolling on top of the water trying to escape the excited fisher- man. After the fight of a lifetime, I released the can of turnip greens. I can still hear the thrill in Nancy's voice saying "I've got it! Get the net!" and then the explosion of laughter of everyone around her as she pulled the can from the water. I couldn't hold my laughter in any longer. I was caught red handed as my laugh- ter echoed across the lake.
I was finally inside, out of the fishy water and cold darkness enjoying the laughter of all my family and friends as they talked of Nancy's huge catch. The homemade ice cream was welcome sight. As I approached the frosty bowl of ice cream, I noticed that it looked a little bizarre. It was topped with the can of turnip greens that Nancy had just caught.
Literary Club Essay Contest Winner