Joe's Blog

   The oldest man on South Bass island claims to have had a conversation with Bessie. Growing up in Put-in-Bay Earl Grangerford has spent a lot of time fishing off of Gilbraltar island. He says he heard of the legendary aquatic inhabitant of his great lake but never expected to meet it face to face.   

  Mr. Grangerford was heading to visit his cousins on the far northern tip of the island and passing by Perry's Victory and Peace Memorial when all of the sudden he was awoken out of a daydream by a disterbance in the water. it was the sound of somebody weeping. Not as if a trifling event had just happend but as if the sorrow of a long gone event has materialized within a persons soul. Slightly resembling one singing the blues. 

"wooo bo BLEEP, ooo nay."

"whats the matter here. who's in trouble. Do you need help?" shouted Mr. Grangerford

   The creature made a quick decent and splashed a little as it propelled itself with it's tail. Earl was about to turn and be on his way after concluding that it was only the July sun arousing his immagination when suddenly, Bessie jumped through the surface of the water in a dramatic fashion very close to the shore were our Earl was parked. "You would like to know why i am upset? Here at this very spot?"

Bessie went on to tell a long story of how his ancestors had traveled far away from distant waters and discovered this great lake which at the time seemed to be a paradise. right away they elected to stay here forever and do all that was withing their duty to see the place prosper. On a stroke of bad luck not long after Bessie was born man discovered this great lake and dicided to make it his duty to see the place prosper. By and by one man hails over another and he brings his friends and they get to multiplying until theirs so many that the next logical progression of activities comes to a fight.

Now this don't bother Bessie and his family much at first considering that man does his fighting on top of the water while sea creatures generaly stay below. quickly enough theres so much dibris that intrudes into the deep water and such a large percentage of fish that get gobbled up by the hungary combatants to consider the situation a farce.Bessie would occashionaly watch on of these contests and could not come within a mile of a educated guess of the gravity of these events unfolding infront of his eyes. there was no visible distinction between the two vessels besides the design of the flag flying atop each ship.

Soon enough all parties were mighty tired and ready for a little resolution. The men resolved to have one side of the lake fly one flag and the opposite to fly another.

Now poor Bessie who only wanted a small bit of water for his domain was completly left out of the treaty and no area of any part of the lake was left for his flag, not that he had one but should the time come when he did have a flag it would have no available place to be flown.

 Now heres old Bessie many many years after this tragedy and still without anybody having any consideration for him.

"i remember when i was the biggest fish in the pond and i was watching over this water. but then you came and errected this column here to remember the time when i was forgoten."

Earl looked at his pocketwatch only to become aware of the fact that he was late for lunch and had been wasting away the afternoon listening to a very old fish. He was on his way in an instant vowing not to speak to anyone of what he saw today.

Old Bessie let out a sigh and drifted away in a very meloncholy manner.        

i was watching all this from off in the distance and felt it was my duty to put it into words.