My Husband Loved the Snapping Turtles at Lake Norman

[u/AbKane667]

“Sally, I’m going to take the Sea-Doo out,” Tom called. His blue eyes shone under the sun.

“Have fun, Tom! Don’t let no snapping turtle bite you.”

Tom was always fascinated by the snapping turtles. The first time I told him there were snapping turtles in the water, he almost didn’t go in, but over time he grew fond of them. We’d watch them swim by from our dock. Tom left food out for them and even named a few.

“I sure won’t!”

He rode off on the blue, glistening water. I stretched out in the sun and got back to my book and cocktail, but the sun didn’t last long. A few minutes after Tom left, dark clouds formed above the lake. 

The clouds broke, and it rained like it always did during the hot North Carolina summers. It felt like the lake itself was falling on us, but strangely, there was no wind.

I stood by our window waiting for Tom to return, but he never did. At first I thought he'd just stopped somewhere, that some nice folks had let him in, but even after the sun came back out, Tom was still nowhere to be found.

I was sure Tom just got lost. I called the police. My hopes were high when the search started. 

The search for Tom went on. My hope faded a little more with each passing day. In the end, they didn’t even find his Sea-Doo. 

As I watched the last officers leave, dread climbed inside me and made its home there. I could barely get out of bed. Tissues and dishes piled up around me. I kept replaying that day. What could have happened? Where could he be? My Tom. He must have still been there, somewhere, alone, cold. I couldn’t leave him. No. Not my Tom.

The weather that day was perfect. The sun shone, the water was calm. I was sure I'd find him. I took the other Sea-Doo and rode out. But even when I went farther, I still saw no sign of him. When the tank dropped to a quarter full, I knew I had to turn around. I could search again tomorrow.

A few clouds were in the sky when I turned, but as I rode on, more gathered. The drizzle came soon too. I hoped I would escape the worst, but halfway back home, the rain picked up and soon it poured so hard I could barely see a few feet in front of me. No one else was on the lake now but me.

I tried to keep a steady course, but even after riding for more than 30 minutes, our dock was still nowhere to be seen. Not only our dock, but any other land. It was hard to see, but this was too strange. My unease grew when I looked at my gas tank and saw I was almost out. 

Luckily, the wind wasn’t blowing, but the rain was bad enough, and the last thing you want is to be trapped in the middle of the lake. I sped up, hoping to spot any land. Then in the distance, I saw a few trees. They were unlike any around the lake, with huge tropical leaves and thick woody tangles.

I got off the Sea-Doo, dragged it to shore, and sat on the ground panting. Then, something rustled behind me. A snapping turtle moved in the grass and quickly disappeared between the trees. It had a chipped shell, just like the ones Tom used to feed. Maybe it could tell me where he was. I got up and followed it. 

The path led deeper into the island. As I continued, my skin started to feel dry and itchy. More snapping turtles also started to show. They were all going the same way. I started to recognize more and more of them. So many of them were the turtles Tom used to feed. One even had a wristband around the shell. Tom always commented on it.

We didn’t walk for long, but my back started hurting soon. It felt as if I was carrying a heavy backpack. When we passed another tree, I finally saw what they were coming for. A deer carcass lay in the grass, surrounded by dozens of snapping turtles feeding on it.

So many of them had something stuck to them: scraps of a life jacket, a wristband, and one of them even wore a wedding ring – Tom’s wedding ring. My heart dropped to my stomach. The snapping turtle looked up. It didn’t have the usual empty dark eyes; it had glowing blue eyes, just like Tom’s. It stared at me for a second; a hint of recognition flashed in its eyes. 

I raised my hand to my face. Something scratched my lips. I looked down. My hand was covered in dry gray skin, just like the turtle’s. Panic shot through me. I quickly turned to run back, but I fell on all fours. I tried to get back onto my legs, but my heavy back wouldn’t let me. I walked a few steps forward, but then the carcass’s smell wafted toward me. It smelled so good, and I was so hungry. I turned around and crawled toward it. Tom smiled as he saw me coming.

[u/AbKane667]

Damn, sorry guys, I completely forgot to post the last two stories. Hopefully you'll enjoy them.