The Crocodile

One fresh night I walked over to the pond
Where daddy built his cabin.
The crickets sang their eerie song
And silence filled the air.

Grass and weeds gave off their scents.
The trees hung their heads down low to
Sleep with the ducks.
The water is flat and rippleless.

The foghorn sounded giving off lonely feelings.
But then … the air got tense.
Everything stirred.
The trees lifted up their heads- alert.
I tasted the sharp pang of danger.

SQUACK! Squack! SQUACK!

The silence exploded!
My heart beat faster and faster.
It felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.
Ducks flew out of the pond in every direction.
The wind seemed to howl.

I quickly turned around to see what had caused the commotion.
There it lay…behind rows of yellow grass.
Its snakelike eyes gazed through blankets of darkness.
Its mouth was clamped around the neck of
A limp goose.

It proudly swam away.
But its scaly body left and imprint of wonder and disbelief.

The night was once again silent…
But I?
I was silent no more.