The Gator: No Littering

Joey G. crumpled the beer can and tossed it in the water off the side of the small boat. Marco watched it bob on the water with slight disdain. He knew he shouldn't have come along on this trip. Joey and Rich were friends but also idiots. How did he always let himself get talked into these things? Marco promised himself he would grow a backbone someday.

"Do we really have to toss them in the water?" Marco asked, knowing what the response would be.

"What's the matter, Marco? What do you care about some swamp?" Joey threw his head back for another long swig out of a beer can. He stole the alcohol from his father and they took the boat without permission. He thought this was the best place for underage drinking and smoking. "Besides, if I take the cans back with me, my old man will find out."

"You're a wet blanket, Marco." Rich said as he opened a can. "You aren't even drinking with us."

"I'll stick with my soda. At least one of us can be sober enough to find our way out of here."

"Well, we're going to sleep it off are your place when we do." Joey said.

"Why my place?"

"Because your mom is out of town, stupid. I can't go to my house stinking of beer can I?"

Marco didn't answer. Joey was a bully among other things. It wasn't a good idea to make him mad.

"Oh look! There's an alligator in the reeds! Wow, he's huge!" Rich said.

"He probably doesn't like us littering in his swamp." Marco mumbled.

"So what?" Joey crumpled his second can and threw it. It bounced off the alligator's nose with a light metallic sound. The creature narrowed its eyes, but that went unnoticed. "What do you think of that?"

The hulking form that rose from that water was beyond any alligator the boys had ever seen. It rose an easy ten feet above them all to its full 14 foot height. Water cascaded from its body in loud splashing. Only the growing growl was louder. It had arms and legs like tree trunks, rippling with powerful muscle. A long powerful tail erupted form the water and waved back and forth behind it. From its back were high armored plates like those of a long extinct dinosaur; the stegosaurus. The broad head could swallow a groan man's torso whole and it opened to prove its size. The growl ended with a sharp inhale of air before the blasting roar pressed the boys flat into the boat and blew all their hair back.

As Gator roared in their faces, the boys screamed like death was imminent and wet marks appeared on all their shorts. As the echoing thunder subsided and the great mouth closed, Gator turned his attention to the tiny bobbing aluminum can. He scooped it up, engulfing it his giant clawed hand. With a light thrust he bounced the can off Joey's head. All three boys already shook in terror. They flinched and screamed. When they stopped screaming, Gator pointed at the other floating can.

"PICK.... UP....."

Joey looked at the can and back at Gator. "Oh.. uh...yeah. Pick up.... sure. Pick up." Joey grabbed at the can and clumsily bounced it back and forth in his hands as he tried to grab it. It landed in the bottom of the boat.

Gator reached into the boat and picked up the 12 pack box of unopened beer. He crushed it in his fist and sprayed them all with the contents before dropping the fizzing package back in the boat. Then he gripped the boat, turned it around, and gave it a small push.

"HOME."

Joey grabbed for the paddles. "Give the me the paddles, man!"

"HOOOOOOME!" Gator roared and the bellow of his voice pushed the boat. The three boys screamed some more. Rich and Marco splashed at the water to make the boat go faster.

As Gator watched, the three boys didn't stop screaming until well out of sight. He sank back into the murky waters, satisfied that these three troublemakers wouldn't be back.