Short Story 6 - The Legendary Ogopogo

It was just the crack of dawn when I saw him. Right on time. His three humps graciously sashaying through the calm lake waters. Almost every early morning, the monster would surface to take a scenic swim through the center of the lake. Right before the humans would start waking up and milling about. 

Most don’t believe in dear old Ogopogo. He has been a local favorite for quite some time now, but only as a legend. The elusive spirit of the lake, the mythical, friendly monster. ‘Pogo indeed was friendly, considerate even. Always making sure to stay out of people’s way, to not scare them. He loved rainy days, the gloom and beauty that they brought with them. The lake was his home, his world, his everything really. 

He missed the days of the native people. They were kind to him, brought him food every once in a while. Chickens, sheep, a lovely alternative to the trout he was so used to eating. He would even show himself to some of the natives he deemed worthy. They admired his spikes and long forked tongue. 

Then the people changed, they became more distracted, skeptical, developed. They liked talking about him, looking for him, but he sensed their intentions were impure. They’d try capturing him, showing him off to the world. He enjoyed living alone. He loved his lake. So he hid further away, down in the darkest depths of the lake. He was never found. 

Most of the Ogopogo’s time was spent dreaming. Reminiscing. He thought about his early days, when he was first born. The lake didn’t even exist back then. They had so much more space. More friends. The world was different. 

He would play in the large body of water with his brothers and sisters, observe the large land creatures as they went about their ways. Their terrain would change, the weather, the temperature. But the water they were in rarely changed. Always comfortably cold. They would venture out to warmer parts for adventure. His family loved doing little races.

One day, it all changed. There was a big explosion. They all felt a shake, a huge disturbance. After it, came the cold. The air was freezing and so was the water. It got uncomfortable. Their regular food, the big fish, began disappearing. Each monster was left to fend for himself. So Ogopogo swam long and far in search for food. He went through the depths of the big water, he floated down rivers. Eventually he stumbled upon the lake and found a steady fish supply. So he stayed for a bit. The little bit turned out to be longer than he thought. One day he wanted to leave but he couldn’t. The water was locked, there was only a small river to leave it through. He didn’t know where it went and it barely had enough space for him. He was trapped. 

The large creatures were nowhere in sight. All was cold and empty in the lands around. And then one day, the small creatures showed up. The humans. He saw their confusion and wonder upon spotting him. They couldn’t understand him but they tried. They swam with him, carved little images of him on rocks. Overall, he enjoyed their company. 

Sadly, the humans left. Or died out, he couldn’t tell. There were other small creatures that would come to them, attack them. Their numbers grew smaller by day. The Ogopogo wanted to help, but alas, it all happened on the land. 

A new group of humans showed up after a long time. They looked different, less fur? Different features too. These humans seemed more scared of him, he sensed their shock. So he showed himself less, only on occasional evenings. But they gave him food, delicious food. It wasn’t fish, it tasted very different. But he loved it. He loved this group. 

Long years passed and this group stopped giving him food as well. They stopped sailing across his lake (yes, it was HIS now, he had been here since its beginning). Afterwards, this group of unfriendly, wary, humans arrived. And Ogopogo got scared, so he hid. Only daring to venture out in the early mornings, carefully looking out for the prying eye, surfacing in hidden spots. Sadness enveloped his soul. He missed his brothers and sisters, he wondered if they still lived on. He missed the big water and all of its wonders. He even missed those humans that would give him food or were friends with him. 

So he swims on. Back and forth. Exploring the same lake depths over and over again. Picturing that glorious day, when he’ll get to be reunited with his brothers and sisters once again.