SUSAN RAN ALONG THE BANK
CALLING “DADDY DON'T GO! COME BACK DADDY! COME BACK!” SHE HAD
TO STOP AS SHE CAME TO THE EDGE OF THE WATER. SHE STOOD THERE
CRYING AS HER DADDY MOTORED OFF INTO THE MIST. SHE JUST KNEW
SHE WOULD NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.
THIS WAS THE DREAM SHE WAS
TELLING ME ABOUT AS WE SAT ON THE PORCH OF THE CABIN AT CADDO
LAKE WAITING FOR OUR FRIENDS TO ARRIVE FOR A WEEKEND FISHING
TRIP. MY WIFE JOHNNIE, MY DAUGHTERS SUSAN AND ANGELA, AND
MYSELF HAD GONE DOWN A DAY EARLY AND HAD RENTED THE TWO CABINS
AT TUCKERS CAMP. WE WERE SITTING OUT ON THE FRONT PORCH EATING
BREAKFAST AND ENJOYING A BRIGHT NEW DAY. DON, BOB AND DENNY,
THREE OF OUR FRIENDS, WERE COMING DOWN TODAY. AS WE FINISHED
EATING SUSAN WAS TELLING ME SHE WISHED I WOULDN'T GO ON THE
LAKE THIS TRIP. “SUSAN YOU KNOW I'M NOT SUPERSTITIOUS. THAT
WAS JUST A DREAM YOU HAD. NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME.
I'VE FISHED CADDO ALL MY LIFE. I DON'T GET LOST ON CADDO LAKE.
BESIDES THERE'S NO PLACE ON CADDO THAT LOOKS LIKE A TUNNEL AS
YOU DESCRIBED FROM YOUR DREAM. I'LL BE ALRIGHT. DON'T WORRY
ABOUT IT.”
IN A LITTLE WHILE THE GUYS
ARRIVED, ALL "GUNG HO" FOR SOME FISHING. IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG
TO PUT THE BOATS INTO THE WATER AND BE OUT ON THE LAKE
FISHING. WE HAD A GOOD MORNING AND CAUGHT LOTS OF FISH. WE
CAME IN ABOUT NOON AND CLEANED OUR FISH AND HAD A BIG FISH FRY
FOR LUNCH. THAT AFTERNOON JOHNNIE AND I WERE GOING TO BREAM
FISH FOR BAIT FOR MY LIMB LINES. WE ASK SUSAN AND ANGELA TO
GO HELP US CATCH SOME BAIT. BUT SUSAN SAID NOTHING ON THIS
EARTH COULD GET HER IN THAT BOAT THIS WEEKEND. SHE HAD BEEN
TALKING TO ANGELA ABOUT HER DREAM AND HAD HER SPOOKED ALSO. SO
JOHNNIE AND I WENT BY OURSELVES. WE CAUGHT OUR BAIT AND GOT
ALL 24 LIMB LINES BAITED. THEN WE BASS FISHED UNTIL DARK. WHEN
WE CAME IN SUSAN AND ANGELA WERE SITTING ON THE PORCH CRYING.
WE ASKED THEM WHY THEY WERE CRYING AND ANGELA SAID SUSAN TOLD
HER THE REASON WE WEREN'T BACK BEFORE DARK WAS BECAUSE WE HAD
GONE OFF THROUGH THIS TUNNEL OF CYPRESS TREES IN A MIST JUST
LIKE IN HER DREAM AND COULDN'T FIND OUR WAY BACK. SUSAN YOU
QUITE TELLING YOUR LITTLE SISTER THINGS LIKE THAT! YOU KNOW
HOW EASY IT IS TO UP SET HER. I TOLD YOU NOTHING IS GOING TO
HAPPEN TO ME. “I'VE BEEN ON THIS LAKE AFTER DARK. IN THE RAIN,
IN THE FOG, AND EVERYTHING ELSE AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN LOST SO
FORGET ABOUT THAT DREAM.”
JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT THE
NEXT DAY A FRONT MOVED IN AND THE MORNING DAWNED COLD AND
DREARY. THERE WAS A HEAVY FOG OVER EVERYTHING. WHEN IT CAME
TIME TO RUN THE LINES NO ONE WANTED TO GO BUT I KNEW WE WOULD
HAVE SOME CATFISH ON OUR LINES. BESIDES I HAD TO TAKE THEM UP
BECAUSE WE WERE GOING HOME LATTER THAT DAY. I TOLD THEM I
DIDN'T KNOW I HAD SUCH A BUNCH OF SCAREDY CATS FOR FISHING
BUDDIES. I'LL JUST GO BY MYSELF. YOU KNOW THE WIND OF ANGER
BLOWS OUT THE LAMP OF INTELLIGENCE. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE WAITED
FOR THE FOG TO LIFT. BUT I DIDN'T. AS I WAS LEAVING THE CABIN
I NOTICED SUSAN STANDING TO ONE SIDE LOOKING SCARED. I TOLD
HER NOT TO WORRY I WOULD BE BACK IN A LITTLE WHILE. I WENT
DOWN TO MY BOAT AND STARTED FOR THE LIMB LINES. THE FOG WAS SO
THICK I COULDN'T SEE MORE THAN A COUPLE OF BOAT LENGTHS IN
FRONT OF ME BUT I KNEW WERE I WAS GOING AND HOW TO GET THERE.
AS I ENTERED MOSSY BREAKS IN THE HEAVY FOG I THOUGHT THIS IS
JUST LIKE SUSAN DESCRIBED FROM HER DREAM. BUT I'M NOT
SUPERSTITIOUS LIKE MY FRIEND RAY. HE EVEN BELIEVES IN VOODOO.
BUT THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
WELL I MADE IT THROUGH
MOSSY BREAKS TO MY LINES WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. TO BE TRUTHFUL I
WAS A LITTLE UP TIGHT UNTIL I GOT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT
TUNNEL. I HAD A WHOLE FIVE GALLON BUCKET FULL OF NICE CATFISH
AND ONE FLATHEAD THAT WOULD GO OVER 20 POUNDS. BY THE TIME I
FINISHED TAKING UP MY LINES THE FOG HAD LIFTED AND I COULD SEE
A GOOD 100 YARDS. I FELT A WHOLE LOT BETTER ABOUT GOING BACK
THROUGH THAT TUNNEL. AS I GOT TO THE MOUTH OF MOSSY BREAKS I
SLOWED DOWN AND LOOKED THROUGH THE CYPRESS TREES AND COULDN'T
SEE ANYTHING WRONG SO I STARTED ON. ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH THE
MOTOR DIED! I THOUGHT I WOULD DIE! NOW WHAT? I SAID TO MYSELF.
I KNEW I HAD PLENTY OF GAS AND MY MOTOR IS FAIRLY NEW. IT HAS
NEVER GIVEN ME ANY TROUBLE. I CHECKED TO SEE IF MY GAS LINE
HAD COME LOOSE. IT WAS ALRIGHT. I CHECKED EVERYTHING I KNEW TO
CHECK AND COULD FIND NO REASON FOR THE MOTOR TO DIE OR WHY IT
WOULDN'T START NOW. I KEPT TELLING MYSELF THERE IS NO SUCH
THING AS VOODOO AND IT'S NOT A FULL MOON AND I'M NOT
SUPERSTITIOUS ANYWAY.
I SAT THERE AND WONDERED IF
I WOULD EVER SEE SUSAN AGAIN. NOW STOP THAT! I TOLD MYSELF. I
GOT MY LUCKY RABBIT'S FOOT I KEEP HIDDEN IN THE BOTTOM OF MY
TACKLE BOX OUT AND RUBBED IT. JUST IN CASE YOU KNOW. I TRIED
THE MOTOR AND THIS TIME IT STARTED. I PUT MY RABBIT'S FOOT
BACK IN THE BOTTOM OF MY TACKLE BOX SO NO ONE WOULD SEE IT AND
GET THE WRONG IDEA. I'M NOT SUPERSTITIOUS.!
WHEN I GOT BACK TO CAMP
EVERYONE WAS DOWN AT THE DOCK WAITING FOR ME. I ASK WHY
EVERYONE WAS STANDING AROUND. “WE WERE TRYING TO DECIDE
WHETHER TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU OR NOT.” “WHY WOULD YOU DO
THAT.” I ASK? DON SAID, “WELL SUSAN TOLD US ABOUT HER DREAM
AND WE WERE AFRAID YOU MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE.” “I DIDN'T THINK
YOU GUYS WERE SUPERSTITIOUS.” “WE'RE NOT.” BOB SAID. “BUT YOU
NEVER KNOW.” “DENNY YOU'RE THE ONLY SANE ONE HERE. COME HELP
ME CLEAN THESE CATFISH AND I'LL GIVE YOU HALF OF THEM.”
AS DENNY AND I WERE
CLEANING THE FISH WE WERE ALMOST THROUGH WHEN WE WEIGHED THE
FLATHEAD AND HE WEIGHED 26 POUNDS. “THAT'S GOING TO BE SOME
FINE EATING.” DENNY SAID. WE HAD ALL THE FISH CLEANED BUT ONE.
HE HAD FALLEN ON THE GROUND NEXT TO THE CLEANING TABLE. WHEN
DENNY BENT OVER TO PICK IT UP THE GOLD CHAIN HE WEARS AROUND
HIS NECK FELL OUT OF HIS SHIRT AND THERE ON THE CHAIN WAS A
MINIATURE GOLDEN RABBITS FOOT. “OH NO DENNY! NOT YOU TOO!”
“DOES THIS MEAN I DON'T GET HALF THE FISH?” DENNY ASK? “NO
DENNY, YOU HELPED CLEAN THEM SO YOU GET HALF.”
AS WE WERE LOADING THE
PICKUP TO GO HOME WE HAD EVERYTHING BUT MY TACKLE BOX LOADED.
I ASK SUSAN TO HAND IT UP TO ME SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO JUMP
DOWN OUT OF THE BED OF THE PICKUP AFTER IT. EVERYONE ELSE WAS
LOADED AND STANDING AROUND WATCHING ME LOAD. AS SUSAN PICKED
UP MY TACKLE BOX THE LID CAME OPEN AND SPILLED EVERYTHING OUT
ONTO THE GROUND. “OH NO!” I SAID, AS I JUMPED DOWN. BUT BEFORE
I GOT TO THE SPILLED TACKLE SUSAN REACHED DOWN INTO THE MESS
AND PICKED UP MY RABBITS FOOT AND SAID, “DADDY WHAT'S THIS?”
EVERYONE SAW WHAT SHE WAS HOLDING UP. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO
BE A LONG TIME BEFORE I HEARD THE LAST OF THIS FROM EVERYONE
INCLUDING SUSAN.
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SEE YA |
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