No respect, Tessie thought to herself. Those darn peeping toms. Can't an aquatic reptilian lady get her peace around here?
From the under the water, Tessie swam, going to and fro, swooping delicately against the bottom of the lake, sending waves of disturbed sand particles floating upwards. A salmon swam by undisturbed; Tessie snatched it and swallowed it whole. On any other day, Tessie would've eaten grass from the lake shore. She was actually a kindhearted creature to her underwater neighbors. But she couldn't- no, wouldn't dare reveal herself to those detestable scientists.
"I'm looking for my fifteen minutes of fame," one of them had said to the strange glasses boy who had arrived with the monkey just the previous evening. They didn't want to see her for her grace. They wanted to see her for the money. To send her off to a zoo. Tessie didn't want that. She wanted to swim free; to let life take her wherever she wanted. She had once had a nightmare of wading a pool of water not much larger than herself in a long hallway, forced to be a spectacle of mankind. It was the worst dream she had ever had.
"I need to get across the lake," the glasses boy had explained to the researchers while struggling to swallow their wafer-thin soup. The scientists had nothing to offer. They probably didn't care. They wanted to see Tessie's face, and they wanted to sell photographs. That was downright invasion of privacy.
It was morning now. The glasses boy sat on the small isthmus where Tessie had once munched her favorite flowers. The leaves were blowing in the wind. Didn't the researchers say she would come out when it was windy? What a weak theory. Wait- what's this? The glasses boy had just given the monkey a piece of chewing gum. A natural animal lover- who would've guessed? The monkey chattered and blew a bubble. It floated off the air, like bubble black magic. The boy looking onward longingly as the monkey floated in the air above the lake.
In truth, the monkey had probably been considering airlifting the glasses boy across the lake, but in that moment, Tessie took pity on the poor boy. She slowly lifted out of the water, and a loud collective gasp was heard from the researchers. The boy's eyes grew wide from behind his glasses, and he hopped on her back. She felt a new feeling of compassion she had never known before. Behind her, the cameras of the researchers snapped and snapped, but at that point, Tessie didn't care much any more.
Once Tessie made it to the other side of the lake, the glasses boy and the monkey stepped off her back. Tessie knew her secret was out now- Tessie, the beast of Lake Tess, with proof in pictures. But before Tessie floated away, Jeff spoke up.
"Tessie," he said. "My name's Jeff. Thank you for the help." Tessie was touched.
At that moment, Jeff pulled large wads of camera film from his pockets.
"I removed it from their cameras while they were asleep. May the secret live on. Thank you, Tessie. Thank you very much."
Tessie's smile was genuine rather than stifled as she descended into the water again. She hoped to meet glasses boy- er, Jeff- again in the future.
From the under the water, Tessie swam, going to and fro, swooping delicately against the bottom of the lake, sending waves of disturbed sand particles floating upwards. A salmon swam by undisturbed; Tessie snatched it and swallowed it whole. On any other day, Tessie would've eaten grass from the lake shore. She was actually a kindhearted creature to her underwater neighbors. But she couldn't- no, wouldn't dare reveal herself to those detestable scientists.
"I'm looking for my fifteen minutes of fame," one of them had said to the strange glasses boy who had arrived with the monkey just the previous evening. They didn't want to see her for her grace. They wanted to see her for the money. To send her off to a zoo. Tessie didn't want that. She wanted to swim free; to let life take her wherever she wanted. She had once had a nightmare of wading a pool of water not much larger than herself in a long hallway, forced to be a spectacle of mankind. It was the worst dream she had ever had.
"I need to get across the lake," the glasses boy had explained to the researchers while struggling to swallow their wafer-thin soup. The scientists had nothing to offer. They probably didn't care. They wanted to see Tessie's face, and they wanted to sell photographs. That was downright invasion of privacy.
It was morning now. The glasses boy sat on the small isthmus where Tessie had once munched her favorite flowers. The leaves were blowing in the wind. Didn't the researchers say she would come out when it was windy? What a weak theory. Wait- what's this? The glasses boy had just given the monkey a piece of chewing gum. A natural animal lover- who would've guessed? The monkey chattered and blew a bubble. It floated off the air, like bubble black magic. The boy looking onward longingly as the monkey floated in the air above the lake.
In truth, the monkey had probably been considering airlifting the glasses boy across the lake, but in that moment, Tessie took pity on the poor boy. She slowly lifted out of the water, and a loud collective gasp was heard from the researchers. The boy's eyes grew wide from behind his glasses, and he hopped on her back. She felt a new feeling of compassion she had never known before. Behind her, the cameras of the researchers snapped and snapped, but at that point, Tessie didn't care much any more.
Once Tessie made it to the other side of the lake, the glasses boy and the monkey stepped off her back. Tessie knew her secret was out now- Tessie, the beast of Lake Tess, with proof in pictures. But before Tessie floated away, Jeff spoke up.
"Tessie," he said. "My name's Jeff. Thank you for the help." Tessie was touched.
At that moment, Jeff pulled large wads of camera film from his pockets.
"I removed it from their cameras while they were asleep. May the secret live on. Thank you, Tessie. Thank you very much."
Tessie's smile was genuine rather than stifled as she descended into the water again. She hoped to meet glasses boy- er, Jeff- again in the future.
