Fire Drake
| It had been an unusually hot and humid summer. The combination of heat and moisture made the lake foggy every evening. Beginning sometime in early July, frantic phone calls flooded the 911 switchboard. Each report was the same. Callers were seeing flames coming from beneath the water and shooting into the sky. Responding firemen, search and rescue workers, and law enforcement officers found nothing. Rumors of a medieval-like fire breathing dragon slowed tourism to a trickle. Year round residents ceased to fish, swim, and cruise the lake. It appeared that a "Loch Ness" story was developing. Reporters, film crews, and scientists from around the country filled the summer cottages left vacant by frightened tourists. Planes, boats and submersibles scoured the lake for signs of the so-called "Firedrake". By the end of the summer season, authorities could not confirm a single sighting, but the reports persisted. Even the local parson vowed on a stack of Bibles that he had observed fire spitting into the sky from the waters of his cove. As summer quickly turned to fall, the locals remained and the furor subsided. Deer and rabbit hunters filled the forests that surrounded the once tranquil lake. Then, a new report surfaced about a fire breathing dragon. This time the sightings came from a deep pool in a creek that flowed into the lake. A hunter, sitting in his deer stand, saw big flames shooting from the pool. He surmised that the "Firedrake" had moved upstream to avoid being found by the monster hunters. The new report accelerated the search and once again had the officials baffled. They wished for the so called "Firedrake" to move on before the beginning of another tourist season. The first Saturday of April reluctantly brought everyone to the water's edge to fish for trout. Legend had that if you missed opening day, ten years of bad luck would follow. Minutes into the new season, the first of many sightings of red and blue flames shot into the morning sky. Anglers backed away from the water's edge each time another flame appeared. Not a single trout was caught that morning. By mid-day, the banks were empty. It was as though an evil spell had been cast over the lake village. Everyone feared the worst. The following morning, the good parson prayed for mercy as the wary congregation shouted, "Amen!" Monday was a school holiday. Children spent the day skipping stones across the lake. A trail of sparks followed the slick rocks as they skidded across the surface. The following day, they related their experience to the science teacher. After school, the teacher hustled to the lake to throw rocks. He discovered that the larger the rock, the brighter the spark. Sparks became flames as larger rocks hit the surface. The science teacher had seen enough. Sirens sounded at 12:00 PM the next day to signal an evacuation order. As the town folks retreated to high ground, helicopters were heard coming over the mountain. The military choppers, ten in all, began dropping three ton sandbags into the lake. Their hope was to get the Firedrake so excited that it would overheat and explode. Sparks flew, and flames shot into the air. With the bomb-like sandbags dropping from the sky and fire spewing from the water below, the lake resembled a war zone. It was covered by a shroud of smoke, when a tremendous explosion jolted the region. The chopper crews, hovering above, saw what looked like pieces of shrapnel shooting skyward. The all clear siren sounded at sunset. The next day found the landscape covered with bits and pieces of what appeared to be the body parts of a monster. Since no one had ever seen a real Firedrake, the green and reddish samples were sent to a laboratory. Tests confirmed that it was, in fact, the body parts of an undetermined origin. The carbon dating analysis showed the suspected Firedrake to be approximately three hundred eighty-five years old. How it got into the lake is anybody's guess. Rumors of settlers coming from Europe in the early 1600's tell of bringing bird, fish and reptile eggs to the New World. Just maybe one of those eggs was that of a Firedrake. Could there be more? ...........Be reminded that small fish have large Tales! Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' with Gus! at http://www.fishingwithgus.com/ or call 704 617 6812. For additional information, e-mail him at Gus@LakeNorman.com. |
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| December 2005 |