Lurking In the Mire!

  I have always been told not to go traipsing about in the marshes or on the mudflats.  Traversing the mudflats is impossible so that should go without saying.  By the second step, you are up to your neck in the soft mud and it is nigh on impossible to get out.  The mud here is not much different than what I imagine quicksand is.  You sink and the more you struggle, the deeper you go.  Wiggling only makes things worse.  As for gallivanting about the marsh, commonsense tells you that is not a wise choice...at least, not in the summertime.  It is relatively safe in the winter as the critters are either snoozing or sluggish.  Stepping on a cottonmouth or snapping turtle or stumbling in the path of a gator is not fun.

  The other day, I headed to the pier to bring a pail to Mark.  He was cleaning some fish and needed to tote them up to the house.  When I passed the mudflats, there was just enough water to allow for the little mullet to swim happily about the place.  A slight movement told me that something else was lurking in that mire.  That slight movement was enough to scare the school of mullet into a frenzy.  Something fierce must be under that murky water!

  The water in the Bay and Bayou is known to be muddy making viewing anything beneath the surface just about impossible.  I peered through the turbid water.  Something was there, I just knew it.  It took a few moments for the mud to settle and my eyes to adjust.  Yep, there was a clawed foot!  A snapping turtle was hiding beneath the surface!  The predator was feeding on the mullet and bull minnows that were trapped in the small inlet.  That predator would not hesitate to give a nasty bite to anything or anyone who treads in its territory.  I think I will stay on the pier for now!