Catalog #: QMNS 0140
Collector: Gary Lewis
Location: Texas, USA
After dropping out of college for the second time, Gary Lewis moved back home without a plan. He ended up working for his father’s construction company.
One hot August day, Gary was assigned to a team of laborers that were charged with draining Holt Pond. Holt Pond was a reed-choked body of water on the outskirts of a shopping plaza that wanted to expand. The town thought that while the pond needed to go, its memory should not be entirely forgotten. It was decided that the expanded plaza would include a Holt Pond Memorial Gazebo.
Gary didn’t feel any particular attachment to the pond or the future gazebo. He recalled childhood tales of a monster that lurked beneath the surface, but he had long ago grown out of such fantasies. The pond seemed bigger back then and was no longer special.
Gary’s job was to set up the pump and make sure no debris got stuck in the filter. After several hours of standing guard in knee-deep water, he felt something rub against his hip waders. Startled, he ran out of the pond and alerted his supervisor. He was assured there was nothing in there.
As the draining reached the halfway point, Gary became convinced that he wasn’t alone in the pond. He waded out to the deepest corner, following a trail of bubbles rising to the surface. He dove, then wrestled out an immense creature from the muddy water. Gary returned with a tadpole of frightening dimensions in his arms. Nobody knows how or why the creature avoided metamorphosis for so long.
As Gary stared into the tadpole’s unblinking eye, he couldn’t help but see the uncomfortable metaphor for postponed maturity. Profoundly shaken, Gary returned to college and completed his degree.
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