The Dead Body Story
One day Billy Martin and I went out fishing.
We came back around eight or nine in the evening, so it was plenty dark out. When we got near the house I could see my row boat tied out waiting to take us in.
There was a storm the night before, so I had to check the mooring where I kept the boat tied up. I wanted to make sure there was nothing on the creek bottom that could put a hole in my wooden hull so I jumped off and swam around the reach of the boat.
Now, for the curious, a mooring is an anchor with a line and a buoy on the end. You tie the boat to it to keep it from floating away. The reach for those that don't know is the distance the boat can swing around the mooring when the tide comes in and out.
This boat I've been talking about was a 35 feet long deadrise, just as smooth as it could be. Just a beautiful boat, especially the hull. The house was a wreck, but the hull was real nice.
So I jump in, and I’m feeling around in the mud, sweeping my arms feeling for anything. It was so murky, I couldn't see a damn thing, so I had to just use my hands.
All of a sudden I hit something.
I feel the thing, and follow it up. As I'm following it down I realise I know what this shape is.
I let go real quick and fight to the surface.
As soon as there's air in my lungs I shout at Bobby to throw me a line and a float. He gets all excited thinking I've found something good and asks what’s down there.
I holler back to the boat, “It’s a dead body.”