“The Legend of the Nelagator”
From: The Legend of the Nelagator and Other Tales from Black Bayou
Written by: Heather Holland
Something sinister slinked its way through the murky swamp beneath the boardwalk. Faint splashing could be heard here and there as the creature rounded cypress stumps still cloaked by the reflection of the surrounding forest on the surface of the water then rumbled with a treacherous commotion as it pushed past the tall reeds at the edge of Black Bayou Lake. Sam swore she saw a tail whip across the bank of the far shore as a long stubbly shadow disappeared into a thick covering of waist-high pine saplings.
“Did you see that?” Sam asked pointing out across the swamp.
Her brother, Josh, leaned against the wooden rails of the photo blind unbothered by the sounds bubbling in the wetness below them like some witch’s brew boiling over the edges of a cauldron.
“Nope,” he answered nonchalantly as he scrolled through pictures on his phone. “Was it a big, scary Rougarou?” he teased.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” said Sam. Goosebumps were fading from her arms, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.
“Legend has it that the Rougarou was a shapeshifter,” their Grandpa Erwin reminded the kids as they hiked back to their car.
Sam and Josh rolled their eyes. “We know, we know. A human figure with a wolf-like head and glowing green eyes,” they recited in unison.
“You know,” Grandpa Erwin continued, “most people think the Rougarou only haunts the swamps of south Louisiana down in St. Tammany Parish. But folks around Black Bayou have been telling tales of their own Ouachita Parish swamp monster for years, the Nelagator. They say this one is part human, part alligator with a razor-sharp tail it uses to slice through trees or anyone foolish enough to get in its way. Don’t tell your mother I told you that!” Grandpa let out a hardy chuckle and revved the engine of the car before quickly pulling away from the gravel parking lot, rocks spewing from beneath the tires like hot volcanic ash behind them.
“Don’t Feed the Gators”
a song by: Heather Holland
Way down yonder in da land of the South,
There’s a place in da bayou full of alligator mouths,
With a sign by da road dat ya better read,
If ya don’t want a chompin that’s bound to make ya bleed.
“Don’t feed the gators in the Bayou State.
If ya go ahead and feed dem, ya gonna seal your fate.
Everybody wants to let the good times roll,
But if ya feed dem alligators, ya gonna lose your soul!”
Down around New Orleans at the Mardi Gras parade,
You’ll see dem alligators resting neath the shade.
They charm you while they’re singing dem Muddy Water blues,
But if ya wrestle with dem gators, ya know ya gonna lose.
“Don’t feed the gators in the Bayou State.
If ya go ahead and feed dem, ya gonna seal your fate.
Everybody wants to let the good times roll,
But if ya feed dem alligators, ya gonna lose your soul!”
Don’t feed the gators… Chomp, chomp, chomp!
Don’t feed the gators… Womp, womp, womp!
Are we to expect follow-up episodes? :) Enjoyed story and song!
OMG, that photo, Heather! 😱 Love the song! :)