Don’t Ever Cross a Crocodile

As sunlight seeped through the tall, towering Mahogany trees, and as the air smelled like old rotten eggs left out in the sun, Max crept past the lengthy and bottomless lake, trying his best to not make any sound.; for In the cave a few meters away was a glittering and dripping wet crocodile, basking in one of the few toasty rays of sunlight. He snatched up a stick. With the rough bark biting into his palm, he inched forward, making one of the most foolish decisions of his adventurous life.

Even though he had free climbed on cliffs without any gear, scaled the world’s tallest tree and traversed the Mt. Hua Shan plank walk, he was still trembling with fear. Inching closer and closer, time seemed to slow down as his mind screamed at him to turn back, but some stubborn, reckless part of him refused to listen. He prodded the wooden branch into the crocodile’s eye.

Although the crocodile had, a second ago, looked as harmless as a fallen log, it suddenly lunged, snapping the thin twig in one bite. Max looked in horror as his only weapon was obliterated. A low, guttural hiss rattled from deep in the crocodile’s throat. Desperate, he snatched up a thicker bough and lobbed it at the crocodile, but all it did was make it the crocodile more enraged.

Barreling past the trees, the crocodile attacked Max; thrashing, scraping and scratching at Max with all of its might. All he could do was dash away and hope the croc wouldn’t hurt reach him, but his luck had run out. With one fluid motion, the crocodile snapped. Max’s arm was mangled.

Screaming in agony, he tried to shake the crocodile off, to no avail. The crocodile, holding as tight as a vice, thrashed its tail, its scales raking across Max’s face with each wild swing. Max, barely dodging the rapid strikes, grasped another stick, this time as sturdy as a staff and as pointy as a spear.

He thrust it into the crocodile’s exposed and already injured eye. The crippled crocodile roared in extreme pain, pausing its attacks for a few precious moments and giving Max the chance to stab the spear-like twig into the crocodile’s other eye. Forcing out another scream, the predator had now become the prey. With one final cry, the crocodile thrashed blindly, snapping at empty air before its massive body slid backward into the water, vanishing beneath the surface.

Max’s legs shook beneath him and sweat stung his eyes. Relief flooded through him, tangled with disbelief that he was still alive.

“Don’t ever cross a crocodile,” he muttered before sinking below. down on his knees.