I can feel the hot sun cooking my back and shoulders.
Standing on the rocky, unbalanced dock.
My golden hair swirling around my face.
I cast in my line,
Waiting for a nibble or two.

My grandfather by my side.
His excitement fills my ears.
I feel the quick jerk of the line.
Trying to pull up in time,
But the catch is already gone.

I pull up my line and grab a slimy crawler.
Jabbing it on hard,
Piercing through its rough textured skin.
I toss the line in farther out in the water,
Waiting patiently for a bite.

Then I see it.
It’s large body creeping up from under
Below the thick, green water.
Chills tremble throughout my entire body.
My grandfather leaps in the air.

He’s startled by what he’s seeing.
This gigantic creature appears,
Covered in the rich, earthy moss.
Coming from the deep underworld.
We are both truly amazed.

We gaze in shock as it swam under the dock,
Mesmerized by it’s unique built of it’s structured shell
Than comes out from the other side.
My grandma than shouts out;
That turtle is ancient!
It came from the past!

We share our laughs
Than pack up our belongings
Knowing that the memory of that strange creature
Will be cemented in our brains
forever.