By Julie

An old, prehistoric pond, dripping with moss and algae, stands in the middle of the forest. A constant drip sounds, of water drops falling from a low-hanging-tree into the pond. Small animals dart around it to the next pond. It seems as if this one is not even here. All that acknowledge it are a few tadpoles, swimming around the edges of the murky water. The animals all vanish from the area, going to drink from the other forest pond. Time seems to stop as a tense ripple spreads across the quiet pond. A shadow moves within the heart of the dripping pond. There is something in the pond – something alive. Glimpses of the shadow move along the pond, closer and closer each time to the surface. The creature dives down to the murky, unseen bottom of the pond, after a possible tadpole or small fish. But then the glimpses appear again, around the edges. A flipper. Part of a tail. An outline of the seal-like creature. The glimpses move closer to the surface, closer to the center. Finally, a prehistoric head rears up from the heart of the pond. Tiny, beady eyes squint at the moss and the forest through the misty air as it breathes. Then time unfreezes. The creature feels a cool breeze, and glances back towards the other pond. The crowd of animals is returning. The creature dives back into the pond and becomes again glimpses. Finally, as the first forest animal returns, the creature disappears, all but a ripple. For this creature is part of the secret pond – best left unseen.