Part 4: Alligators Where Alligators Should Never Be

I began to swim to the shore while everyone in the boat was frantically trying to get control and steer it in my direction. The shadows were following me. I swung my arms and kicked as hard and fast as I could. Kicking what I’m pretty sure was the nose of an alligator that I knew I could not out swim. I was near the shore when I heard a bark coming from the woods by the river bank. Suddenly I saw Olympus running and barking to my rescue. He had gotten out of my flat somehow and now I was afraid for both of our lives. I yelled “OLYMPUS, NO, STOP, GO HOME”. But he wouldn't hear it. He continued to run toward me, loyal to a fault that Great Dane. As I approached the shore, the alligators approached me, and Olympus approached the water. Touching the rocks of the bank as an alligator behind me opened its mouth, Olympus leaped from the shore like Krypto on to the back of the alligator. As it began Sinking down a little bit I turned and grabbed Olympus in my arms and we both kicked back to the shore. Making it on land as Shane and my dad began shooting at the alligators as they attempted to follow Olympus and I. The alligators swam out of sight as the Queen Glaucus made it to shore. I was on the bank holding Olympus in my arms. In tears I was speaking softly to him “it’s ok buddy, it’s ok, I love you”. I was shaking, crying, and still in shock.

    We took Olympus to my mom right away. Waking her up screaming and crying I asked her to make sure he was ok. She examined him and told me “he looks fine, but I think you should go to the ER to make sure that you are ok” I said “dad said the same thing and I’ll tell you what I told him, I will when I know Olympus is ok”. She said “I will look after him, but you need to get checked out”. I reluctantly agreed and went to ask my dad for a ride to the ER. When we arrived I was checked out by doctor Schultz. He found a tooth in my leg telling me I was lucky, as if I didn't already know having the tooth of an animal with the strongest bite in the world in my leg implied I was lucky to still have it. I didn't feel any pain though, so I was a bit surprised, probably the adrenaline I thought, then began to worry what Olympus might not have felt. Olympus did not have any teeth in him, or bite marks on him, though he did have some blood and scales under his nails. One of the harpoon arrows that Shane had shot also had a large piece of green scaly skin. My brother took all of these as samples to have them analyzed thinking this might be the hard evidence that Gabriela needed.

A few days later, after the samples had been checked, rechecked, and checked again, he called Gabriela and sent her the results of the analysis. She was still skeptical, “I’m gonna need to have them checked myself, I can’t just fly down to Washington on rumors and paperwork” she said. My brother said “c’mon Gabby this might be the cryptid you’ve been looking for, these alligators are clearly not normal” “if they are alligators” she said “c’mon Gabby I was skeptical at first too, but I triple checked the results, they are legit alligators” my brother responded “send me the samples” Gabby replied “what’s wrong you don’t trust me?” my brother said with a laugh before Gabby stoically responded “this isn’t about you, I need to do my own verification” my brother spoke reluctantly “Ok Gabby, trust but verify, I get it, can’t say I wouldn’t do the same, I will send them to you” before hanging up the phone. They had an interesting relationship. A few years back they had met in Florida during spring break. Apparently they shared a week of passion, and tried the long distance thing for awhile, until he went back that summer to visit, but it seemed that the heat had died down. The friendship stayed strong though, they would talk casually and he was one of the few people comfortable calling her Gabby.

In my flat behind the barn I looked around. It was about 500 square feet with a kitchen on the far left side, a bathroom right next to that and a large futon and dog bed in the middle. There were two large windows. I checked them multiple times. I cannot figure out how Olympus got out. Usually he doesn’t so I didn’t worry, but now I couldn’t stop worrying, it was eating into my sleep. I would wake up randomly calling his name and looking at him to make sure he didn’t get out again.

Sitting in a large leather seat of a small private jet Gabriela Kristoferson called my brother. He did not answer. In an excited voice she left him a message saying “HEY Zeke I’m on my way to Washington, in the air now. Sorry I did not believe you but I checked the results myself and I can’t believe it, alligators where alligators should never be, anyway I’ll be landing in Auburn around 8 and we can get to work, look forward to seeing you, bye”. Gabriella was a successful independent alligator trainer. She worked all over Florida at different wildlife centers and alligator rescues. As well as being a respected professor of zoology at the University of Florida. Her tenured status allowed her a lot of time to train alligators and research her hypothesized undiscovered alligator species thought by most of her colleagues to be just another cryptid myth. Although she would reject the term cryptozoologist, this belief made her fringe in her field.

My brother, my dad and Shane stood at the river bank looking through binoculars trying to see these elusive alligators. Shane said “I don’t understand why we can’t see them there were so many last time we were out” “they are certainly elusive my brother said” “ya, good at hiding” my dad said as he put down his binoculars and took a sandwich from his pocket. “Time for lunch” Shane said with a smile, as he headed to a picnic basket behind him, and took out another sandwich. My brother headed over to the basket and looked around inside it for his phone. Took it out, saw he had a new message and called his voice mail, putting his phone to his ear and stepping a few feet away to hear it clearly over Everest and Shane’s chatter. Shane asked “hey how’s LAL doing with all this?” She’s doing ok, she’s a brave kid, tired of having to get a ride back from school though” my dad told him. Since the attack on Sam, teachers at the Taylor Reach schoolhouse decided to not let kids walk home unaccompanied. This was a sensible enough idea, but sometimes annoyed kids like LAL because she lived so close and sometimes had to wait longer for a ride, or go an out of the way route on the bus. Especially because she often worked right after school, which was just a few minutes walk down a hill to the Taylor Tradepost.

    Zeke excitedly turned around and spoke “Just got a message from Gabby, she is on her way” “Finally a real expert” Shane said before looking at Zeke and saying “no offense” Zeke replied “none taken” as he headed toward the Riverside Resort. My dad hollered “where are you going?’ “to get ready to head to the airport and Pick Gabby up, she will likely be here soon”. That night her plane landed at a small private airport in Auburn. My brother was there, with a little cardboard sign that said Gabby on it. Gabby saw it and laughed, saying “hey Zeke, nice sign, thought I wouldn't recognize you huh?” Zeke said with a smirk and laugh “ya, well it’s been awhile you never know, good to see you Gabby” “you too” Gabby said with a smile as she wrapped one arm around him, holding her rolling backpack with the other. They walked over to my brother's 2008 Nissan Z. “Still have the Z car I see,” Gabby said with a laugh. “Hasn’t let me down yet” my brother responded with a smile.

My brother got Gabriela set up in a trailer at the Riverside Resort. They Spent the next day setting up fishing poles, cameras and cages around the river bank. That evening they went to the Taylor Trade Post for dinner. They sat at the bar and Zeke introduced Gabrielle to LAL. “This is Gabby,” he told her. Before looking at Gabriela seeing an awkward smile on her face he spoke again “sorry, Gabriela”. Gabriela stared silently before laughing and saying “it’s ok, you must be LAL” as she reached her hand out. LAL said with a smile as she reached her hand out “ya, wow the famous Gabriela, glad to finally meet you” Gabriela said laughing “ya, you too” as they shook hands for the first time.

    That night no one went on a hunt. Gabriela had told everyone to take the night off as her and my brother camped on the river bank. Waiting for a fishing pole to move or a camera to catch something useful and hopefully getting an alligator in one of those cages. Outside of a small tube tent around a fire, they roasted hot dogs and talked about life and their history. “So how are engineering classes going?” Gabriela asked Zeke, he answered “they are fine, it’s hard work but I like it”. Gabriela continued “What made you wanna go from marine biology to engineering?” “I don’t know for sure, just seemed very interesting and I guess engineering might help me further some of my marine biology goals” Zeke responded. “How so?” Gabriela asked, “oh you know robotics and mechanics are becoming a bigger and bigger part of everything” my brother said as Gabriela nodded. The conversation got more serious as it got more personal. “I should’ve called more” my brother said, Gabriela replied “huh?” “when we were dating” my brother responded “oh, no, I don’t know, it’s just, the long distance thing, you know” my brother nodded and said “ya” before a confused look came over his face and he, in a slightly louder voice said “wait, no, I don’t know, what do you mean?” Gabriela looked nervous and said “ it’s just they never work out, especially not for young kids that barely know each other”. My brother responded, “Kids? We were in college. My brother had a girl in Mississippi when he was like 12 ""and how’d that work out?” Gabby asked, Zeke responded awkwardly “he hasn’t seen or talked to her in well over a decade” Gabriela started to smile and laugh before my brother raised his voice saying “BUT STILL, We were mature and have been friends for a long time” "ya now, but at that point we had only known each other about a week, not enough trust, and we never even discussed if we were exclusive” Gabriela replied “what do you mean? Was there someone else?” my brother asked, “no, I just, there could have been for you or me and we didn't know the protocol” Gabriela answered. My brother nodded and said “well there wasn’t, for me, I mean”. They then sat silently gazing at each other, you could cut the romantic tension with a knife. Seeming for a moment like they might kiss, before hearing a loud hiss. They both quickly leaped up, my brother grabbed a harpoon and Gabriela yelled “NO! We want to take it alive”...