Good Ole’ Champ

Hello again,

Halloween is right around the corner and to kick things off John, author of The Eclectic Contrarian has tagged me for another “Tell The Story” Challenge.

This only rule for this particular challenge was to include on of John’s favorite monsters.

I don’t want to give away my monster, but if you are at all familiar with Folklore, you may guess it just by the title, regardless, I still hope this is a good read!

You can read the original link where I was tagged below:

John’s Tell The Story Challenge

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Justin sat at the kitchen table, impatiently tapping his fingers in syncopated rhythm to the second hand of the clock as he waited for his older brother, James, to stop flirting with the girl next door.

James was driving them to Vermont where they would meet their cousins, Nate and Nick for their annual, Halloween fishing trip at Lake Champlain.

“Finally!” Justin exclaims as he stands from the table, draping his duffel bag over his shoulder. “I think Krista can survive without you for five days.”

James rolled his eyes at his brother. “I finally got her number, all that smooth talk finally paid off.” He replied smugly as he waved his cell phone in Justin’s face.

“Yeah, and it only took you five months. Man, you sure do know how to woo ‘em.”

“Hey man just bec…”

“BOYS! Stop your bickering, you’re giving me a headache!” Their mother protested as she came down the stairs donning her messy hair, cashmere robe, and Snoopy slippers. “You boys better be hitting the road if you want to beat rush hour. It’s a week day, don’t cha know?” Her Minnesota accent coming through, despite living in Connecticut for many years.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence Justin breaks the ice “I’m glad we’re doing this. I’ve missed it the past couple of years.”

James smiled “Yeah, me too. I’m glad mom is okay with it too.”

“Yeah, I know she’s worried, but I think it’s good for us to get back out on the water.”

“Do you ever wonder if dad’s still out there somewhere?”

“Every damn day.” Justin replied as he looked down at the watch that used to belong to his father. “Him and Uncle Bob.”

“It makes you wonder if Great Uncle Ted & Grandpa’s stories are true.”

“That’s what I’m hoping to find out.”

After four hours in the truck it felt good to get out and stretch. Justin rubbed his neck and shoulders while James stretched his entire body before grabbing their bags and making their way to the cabin. Nate and Nick had called and said they we’re about twenty minutes out. They had stopped at the grocery store along the way.

When Nick and Nate arrived the boys hugged and caught each other up on their lives as they unpacked the groceries and started making sandwiches before heading out on the lake. All 4 boys had made good time and made it to the cabin just before noon, so they had all day to fish.

The boys spent all day out on the water with many conversations starting with “Do you remember the time,” and lots of laughter and comfortable silences fell between them. The four of them had always been extremely close.

As dusk was starting to settle the boys decided to head back to the dock, and that’s when they heard a cry off in the distance. It was high pitched, and sounded sort of like the pterodactyls in “Jurassic Park.” The boys froze and all looked at one another.

“Should we go investigate? Nate asked James, the eldest of the group.”

“No,” James whispered. “I think we should wait till daylight, we’ll head out at dawn tomorrow.”

The boys all nodded in agreement.

Sleep didn’t come easy for any of the boys that night. They all tossed and turned and could only hope tomorrow would provide them with the answers they were looking for.

And so as Dawn approached, the boys made their journey out on the lake….

Four years ago two brothers, Bob & Bill Mansi got up in the middle of the night on October 28th to go explore the waters of Lake Champlain. It’s been a tradition in the Mansi family, one that has been passed down from generation to generation to go fishing on Lake Champlain on the nights leading up to Halloween. That’s the night Bob & Bill disappeared.

There’s a lot of folklore about Champ, America’s version of The Loch Ness Monster, but back in 1977 Tom Mansi, (Bill & Bob’s father) along with his brother Ted, spotted Champ, and they had the pictures to prove it, however; nobody believed the men, they claimed that what looked like a monster was actually a tree stump or a log, it was too far away to be seen clearly, and they couldn’t zoom in with their Polaroid camera. The two men were deemed insane by many, except for Bill & Bob. For years after the night they had claimed to see the monster, the 4 men went fishing, eventually bringing along their sons as soon as they developed into young men. Tom & Ted both died of natural causes, and Bill & Bob continued the tradition.

When Bob & Bill disappeared a search warrant was issued, but their bodies we’re never found. Now James, Justin, Nate, & Nick we’re on a mission, to find answers, closure, and the Lake Champlain Monster.

…

Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Krista sits on her bed, waiting to hear a reply from James after she sends him a message that simply reads “Good Morning,” but as morning turns to afternoon, and afternoon to evening, the reply never comes.

I am not going to tag anyone for this challenge, but if anyone would like to participate, please feel free. Just make sure you link back to John’s post since he is the original creator.

Love & life lessons,

Kristian