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Sunrise. One of nature's most beautiful spectacles. Each of the rays radiating from the golden sun caressed the morning dew. Mist still hung low over the lake. A chipmunk scurried from branch to branch in a pine tree. A beaver swam towards a dam with a branch in its mouth. A loon in the distance let out the haunting tell-tale cry.
Despite all the beauty that surrounded him, Matthew Cartier stared intently at a geological map as he studied it thoroughly. Sitting on the shore of the lake, sipping his morning coffee, he was oblivious to what was happening around him. He had had plenty of time to admire this true Eden for the past few days he had spent here in central Ontario.
Cartier was a biologist by profession, working for the Ministry of Natural Resources office in Chapleau, Ontario. But deep down he had always been a cryptozoologist. Stories of mythic monsters from old native tales and woodsmen yarns had always fascinated him. For the past five years since he graduated from university he had spent his vacations travelling across the country to visit such "crypto havens" as British-Colombia and eastern Québec. At first he did this for pure pleasure, but soon his passion became an obsession; for each of the following years, Cartier would do more research and get more prepared. This year, he had bought various maps of the local area, he had read all of the reports he could get his hands on and had even interviewed a few eyewitnesses. Though through his travels he had never seen the famed Sasquatch or the Ogopogo, Cartier knew that one day his luck would change.
This year, however, he had been initially going to BC once more, but on his way there, Cartier stopped by at a local diner. There, he heard the stories of a serpent that inhabited a nearby lake. Yes, the tales of the lake monster that dwelled in " Le lac des huards", or "Loon Lake" a name which the locals (mostly all french-Canadians) associated with the seemingly nameless body of water. They said the creature was a true lake monster, that it never came out of the water. It was long, somewhat like a snake, except with flippers. The beast had a long snout, lined with conical teeth, sharp but not dagger-like (Cartier thought this meant that the serpent definitely ate fish). It's back was also lined with bony protrusions. Some even reported seeing a beard (a growth of skin maybe?).
All of the reports described the creature like this, or at least similarly (though the size was still in debate). Cartier thought that there was far too many reports for this thing to be a hoax. Besides, this was a small peaceful town that didn't seek international fame. The creature seemed normal to them, as part of nature, as normal as a loon or moose. They never thought of it as something to be exploited. The true economic value was in the forest industry. The tourism industry was terrible in the region, economically speaking, though Cartier thought that the fishing was excellent here.
The lake remained calm.
There wasn't as many reptiles this far north as there would be to the south of the province, but Cartier was sure that it wouldn't be impossible for such a creature, if it was reptilian, to survive here. It might hibernate somewhat like a turtle, or stay in an unknown underwater cave through winter (some caves are actually warm during the cold months). If not, it could still come up to surface to breath; Cartier had noticed that to one side of the lake, a river ran through, provoking current that, as he was told by some locals, prevents a part of the lake from forming an ice sheet. Yes, this could be it, if the creature was active enough. An example would be sharks: though fish are considered cold-blooded, a shark has almost every aspect of a warm-blooded creature. Though reptiles hibernate through winter, Cartier thought, with the shark theory in mind, that it was perfectly plausible that warm-blooded capacities could be applied by the creature if, of course, it was reptilian. But whatever it was, Cartier was sure it was down there, lurking beneath the surface, somewhere in the depths of the murky water.
Suddenly, he heard a splash to his left. Cartier stood up abruptly, scanning the water for any movement. Indeed, ripples radiated from a solitary brake in the shoreline vegetation that loomed over the water. Something had plunged into the lake. Something big. From what he could deduce, it was as big as a man. In front of him something gently skimmed underneath the surface of the water. He was sure it was white, or at least a light shade. Or was it? He could recall seeing a hint of red.
It did it again. But his time, Cartier heard a sound that resembled a gasp or a deep breath.
Hurrying, he jumped into his 16 foot long fibreglass canoe. Equipped only with a 35mm camera, Cartier hoped he would be able to snap a picture of the creature. He was now were he had heard the sound come from. Everything was calm. Cartier saw a garter snake basking in the sun on a rock face overlooking the body of water. He was tense, eying every movement around him. He was edgy now from waiting anxiously.
Cartier knew he had just about as much luck of seeing a serpent as he did in getting a girl. All his life he had tried and failed in finding a woman that suited him. Appearance was not the problem: he had met plenty of good looking women before. From what Cartier could deduce, no girl liked him because he was not 'manly' enough. True, he wasn't into machines and mechanics, and he didn't share most interests that his friends did. What he was into were aquariums, mathematics and most sciences. His friends always said he was too shy and sensitive. What Cartier found sad was that people didn't know the real him: he could be a really cool guy. From what he knew, women also wanted men who didn't get moved easily, that were emotionally strong. They also wanted strong men: Cartier was physically fit, but you wouldn't find him in any bodybuilding contests.
Though at 27, he was still quite young and had plenty of time to find a wife, he felt like an outcast: he never truly had a real 'date'. His only hope was that someday someone would fill the empty space inside of him. In the meantime, Cartier tried to fill that void with his favourite hobbies such as his ventures to find a cryptid. Just maybe, he thought, he was so obsessive with this quest because the gap to fill in his life was bigger than he thought-
Cartier was startled.
The water's surface broke next to him as something emerged and took hold of the side of the canoe. "Holy shit!" Cartier cried out as he almost toppled overboard. Gaining his balance, he equally tried to regain his senses. To his relief, it wasn't a tooth-filled mouth of a monster that greeted him, but a woman.
"Hello, how are you?" she said. Cartier fumbled for an answer and simply said:"Hi,". Seeing that Cartier was terribly shaken, she apologized.
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"Huh? Oh, ah, no no," he replied, still struggling to formulate a decent phrase. "It's okay." The woman smiled, relieved she had done no harm.
"My name is Laura Collins. And yours?"
Cartier swallowed hard and took a deep breath, clearing his thoughts. Firmly but nicely, he said:"Cartier, Mat Cartier."
"Hi. Are you from around here?" Laura asked.
"No, I'm from Chapleau. I'm on vacation. My camp is right there," he pointed to it.
"Oh, is it? I'm there." she pointed to the gap were Cartier initially heard the splash, "So you're the one who's my campground neighbour. I saw you. Well, actually, just your back. Every time I saw you, you were staring at a map or something. What were you doing?"
"Oh, I was studying the outline of the lake."
Laura brushed a wet strand of hair away from her face. "What for? Getting ready for next week's fishing derby?" Cartier almost said yes .He would always give off excuses for his activities because he was always laughed or scoffed at. But Laura seemed nice. Or so he hoped. She was actually quite attractive. Her hair was naturally red, her eyes were of a green that he'd never seen so bright before. She wore a red, two-piece swim suit. Her figure was for any man to beg for. She was very attractive and Cartier had to keep himself from staring too much at her. He was looking intently at her emerald eyes when she repeated the question.
"What were you doing?"
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"I do" Cartier saw that she was honest, or he hoped so. His deepest wish at the moment was that beneath that beautiful body was an equally wonderful person.
"I was monster hunting." he said and winced, awaiting for any critics from her. None were heard.
"Oh, that's nice. Do you really think there's a serpent in this lake?" Cartier realized she was genuinely interested.
"Well," he said, trying to take as an authoritive and professional tone as he could muster, "I see no reason why not. Most locals have reported seeing the creature. The lake is pretty big, and abundant as well. Like most productive lakes such as Simcoe, this lake houses a nice variety of fish: pike, musky, walleye, whitefish, bass, perch, and many species of trout. But unlike Simcoe, this lake is long and very deep. Most monsters in Simcoe, like Igopogo, are thought to come from lake Huron. Simcoe would only be a kind of 'vacation' spot for such creatures. This lake is also in the Boreal Forest belt where almost all reports of water monsters come from. So yes, I believe there truly is something in this lake."
"Wow. But why would a creature this big live here?"
"Well, the way I see it, this creature was a remnant from after the cretaceous era; This part of Ontario was underwater back then, like an inland sea connected to the ocean on both ends. Hence no dinosaur bones in the area. But I believe that during the receding of the waters , a few prehistoric marine reptiles could have been left stranded in these large lakes, just as Lake Simcoe, Huron and all of the Great Lakes. Only the reptiles that could adapt the fastest could have survived the new conditions, such as the weather and the freshwater."
"Wow, that's interesting. Hey, tell you what? I'll finish my morning dip and I'll come and see you. Okay? Cartier tried to push away his shyness and uncertainty to finally mutter with a grin: "Sure!" With a few backstrokes a deep breath, Laura was gone underwater again. Cartier was very excited. He hurried to his camp and cleaned up everything. He wanted to do as good of an impression as he could.
Soon afterwards Laura came. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, cut off at the thighs. Cartier couldn't help staring at her sandal bearing feet and going up from her slender legs to her magnificent eyes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, still dripping from her swim. After an hour of talking, Laura pointed out the time.
"Oh my, it's dinner time. I guess I should leave you."
Cartier hurriedly said "Oh no, it's okay. Do you care to join me for some, uh, baloney sandwiches?"
"Sure," she said cheerfully.
Laura stayed until supper and then late in the evening. After saying good night, Cartier went to bed He had found out they shared quite a lot. She also liked aquarium fish and she was really talented in math. She also shared a similar family history: she was born and raised in Northern Ontario by french-Canadian parents. The best part was that she lived in Timmins, a two hour drive from Chapleau. She was also strong of heart; unlike Cartier, she didn't mind being with other people. In fact, she loved it. Cartier smiled as he realized he had a crush on her. Could it be that he had found a girl fit for him? Cartier finally fell asleep, lost in the sweetest thoughts.
The next morning ,Cartier headed onto the lake armed with his camera along with some fishing equipment to pass the time. Though by noon he wasn't really hungry, he still kept a couple of fish, trying to get an excuse to get Laura to come over; he wouldn't be able to finish the two walleye by himself anyway. The plan worked: she happily came over for dinner. After eating and about fifteen minutes of chatter, Cartier left to go back onto the lake. Then at suppertime he brought back more fish to try to get her to come over once more.
The same routine went on for the rest of the week. But for each day that passed, he would spend less time on the water and more time with Laura. After a while, it was Laura who was inviting him over! As the time passed, Cartier stopped going out onto the lake altogether, save when he brought her along.
By Friday evening, both were sitting by the fire talking about different things, from their love life to the monster of the lake. Cartier found out that Laura never had a real lover either, for as she described it, 'true love is hard to come by'. Both were sitting next to the fire wrapped by the same blanket. As dusk started setting in, only the glow of the fire illuminated their faces. At that moment Laura kissed him on the cheek. This caught Cartier off-guard, surprising him. To his utter amazement, he found himself reacting by kissing her back on her forehead as she leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep.
It was now his last day at the lake. It didn't sadden Cartier to part with Laura: they lived close to each other, so they could get together often in the future. But he was somewhat deceived that he didn't get to see the beast he had come to seek. The thought made him wince as Laura helped him load the last pieces of gear into his truck.
"So, I guess this is it, huh?" said Laura,"We'll only be seeing each other in a week once I'm back" At the end of that sentence, Cartier's mouth fell wide open, his eyes staring off onto the lake.
"What?" she asked worried. She followed his look to the centre of the lake.
"Oh my god..."
There, Laura saw what she initially thought was a log sticking out of the water. As she squinted against the reflection of the sun, she realized that the 'log' tossed and turned before disappearing underneath the surface. Cartier immediately dashed to the canoe which was strapped on the truck. He took off the rubber restraints that held the craft in place; he also cut away the rope that held the ends for there was no time to untie the knots. Laura helped him flip over the canoe, various equipment and fishing gear falling as they did so. Within five minutes they were on the lake where the creature had appeared. They waited.
Nothing.
Laura inquired:"Maybe it was just an illusion-
"No! I'm sure of what I saw. It was the serpent." Everything was silent again.
Still nothing.
They had waited for fifteen minutes when the first word was spoken.
"Mat?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it's gone?"
"I think so.," he said grudgingly, "I guess I missed the chance to really-
At that instant, a swell of pressure formed about ten feet away and the surface of the water broke as a neck emerged straight out of the water. Shortly after the neck took a relaxed position, a kind of S curve. Behind the neck was a barrel shaped body, barely above the surface, revealing where the flippers joined the torso. As the canoe slowly drifted towards the beast, both people stared at it, contemplating intently the beauty of this legend. Water droplets glittered as they trickled down the slick scales. The creature's colour was black on the dorsal area, fading into brown with reddish blotches on the flanks, turning to tan on the underside. What especially drew Cartier's attention was the head: it was adorned with several bony protrusions that resembled horns. He saw that the nostrils could shut tight like most aquatic reptiles to prevent water from entering the nasal passages. The mouth was indeed lined with conical teeth as reported. The serpent had deep set eyes. Eyes that seemed to read your soul like an open book.
They could see that the creature had something in it's mouth: a large northern pike, still thrashing against it's captor. The creature seemed to completely ignore them, focussing all of its attention to its meal. Cartier just stared in awe: this animal was just so big! The head towered above them. The creature leaned backwards and cocked its head to swallow the fish in one gulp. With a final survey of the lake, the serpent dove under, splashing both people in the canoe.
After five minutes of stupor, Cartier slowly opened his mouth and softly said: "No shit..." Laura was as pale as a ghost. They remained silent even after reaching the shore. They carried out the canoe onto the sand; at that moment, they started laughing hysterically. Both started shouting to each other.
"Woah! What a rush!"
"Did you see the size of that thing?"
"Ever seen anything more beautiful in you life?"
As Cartier was still laughing, Laura grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him.
It was finally time to go. After they were done talking about future plans to meet, Cartier gave her a sheepish look as he shyly admitted that he had forgotten the camera.
With a final kiss, Cartier drove off to the east. As he reflected over the incident, he realized that even if he had brought the camera, he would have been too dumfounded to have used it! But even without a picture or any proof, Cartier was happy. This had been a once in a lifetime event, wether he had proof or not. This had been his best vacation ever. He doubted that he would ever see the creature again.
Mat Cartier might have seen the cryptid he's been looking for all his life, but thinking of Laura, he realized he had found something even more important to him.
THE END |
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