Ice skating was part of Dan and his friend’s winter tradition. It was one of the best times of the year for them. They would play hockey and ice skate until the sun went down. So far, throughout the years it had been only fun and games, however, this time things did not happen as they imagined. This day, Dan noticed something odd on the surface of the frozen lake.
He began to grow wary of it and decided to take a closer look. As he skated across the lake, toward the object he quickly realized it was something way more serious.
Alone in the lake
Dan was left alone and as he got closer, he realized that the object that got his attention was not what he initially thought. In disbelief, he tried to get his friend’s attention, but no one was around. Under that frozen lake was the most unusual sighting he’d ever seen. Fearful of what lay before him, Dan panicked.
Dan and his family
Dan Sigmond was a 13-year-old who lived with his parents in a small town in Northern Michigan called Marquette. He was the only child in the household. The Sigmond family was a traditional family who had been living in Northern Michigan for a while and they had no plans on leaving.
Where were his friends?
On that day, when Dan needed his friends the most they were not there to help. While rushing towards the object he noticed his friends were not behind him. So, where were they? He thought of going back to get them but given the circumstances, he could not.
Ice skating day
Earlier that day, Dan’s friends came over to his place to go ice skating in the frozen lake in front of his house. It was a perfect day for it. They packed up their gear, put their ice skates on, and began walking toward Lake Superior. The lake was only a short hike from his house and that was their winter tradition.
His friends panicked
They were all having a blast until Dan spotted some kind of strange object just above the ice. He alerted his friends, but they were too distracted ice-skating. Without thinking much about it Dan wanted to know what it is, so began skating towards it. Little did he know that something strange was about to happen…
The parents
Jane and Tom Sigmond were the best parents a kid could ask for. They loved Dan dearly and did everything they could for him. Tom was a successful entrepreneur and Jane was a stay-at-home mom. They owned a couple of properties in Northern Michigan but the lake house in Marquette was their favorite, especially in the winter.
Dan’s friends
Dan, James, and Chester were inseparable. They first became friends in pre-school and hung out every day since. Dan was the oldest of the three and they shared a lot in common. They knew they could count on each other, however, this day Dan was very disappointed. His friends had left him all alone.
It’s an animal!
Dan’s curiosity had taken over. He desperately wanted to know what was lurking out there in the frozen lake. As he got closer he thought it appeared to be an odd-sized object. As he got nearer he saw that it was the mouth of a huge animal. But what animal could it be? Could it still be alive?
The mystery is revealed
As Dan moved around to get a better glimpse of what he was seeing, he then saw the full shape of it. It was a gigantic crocodile. The croc was frozen in the ice but as Dan moved he also noticed the crocodile trying to move. It was alive but only his head was visible. From the size of its head, Dan fully understood how big it was.
What to do?
Quickly realizing he was standing at arm’s reach from one of the most feared predators, he was not sure what to do. After all, he was still recovering from the shock of his discovery. Looking straight into the eyes of this beast, he knew he had to do something about it.
What happened to his friends?
It was getting colder, the hours were passing, and from a distance, he could not see his friends, it seemed like they never noticed he was gone. Dan wanted them to help him but he thought they did not care. He began thinking that maybe his friends did not even notice him dashing over to the other side of the lake. Somewhat hopeless, Dan began preparing for the worst.
Danger!
Dan was trying to access the situation and out of nowhere, the massive predator began moving its head. The ice began cracking. He knew that a crocodile this size could cause major damage to him. To make things worst, there was no one around to help.
Dan’s absence
As James and Chester took a little break from their little hockey game, they noticed Dan’s absence. They looked toward the horizon and saw no signs of him. They began feeling a slight sensation of panic as they realized Dan was missing and they didn’t even know where to begin. Where could Dan be, they wondered.
Help!
On the other side of the lake, Dan thought that the best way for the others to find him was to shout, and that’s what he did. For 10 minutes straight he shouted, “Help!” and with no response, he could only hear his echoes. He continued shouting until there was nothing left in him. He then noticed something moving in the distance.
Searching for Dan
For both Chester and James, it was time to find their friend, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. They picked themselves up and began ice-skating across the lake. They heard some yelling from afar, assumed it was Dan, and started following the noise. They had a feeling good news was on its way.
They could not believe it!
As they kept following the loud shouts, they saw a blue dot not too far. They began speeding through the ice and to their surprise it was Dan. They quickly approached him to see what was going on. They were happy to see him but noticed he was sitting down and not moving much. They began thinking something might’ve happened to him.
The situation
As Chester tried to hug him, Dan shouted “Watch out!” and pointed to the ground. Chester froze as Dan explained that they needed to be careful. At first, they did not understand what was going on. Dan then explained what was lurking beneath the thin sheet of ice and asked if they wanted to take a closer look.
Help the Croc?
Once Dan saw that his friends were up for it, he took them to see the crocodile. They could not believe it. Dan’s words were true. Dan then explained that the crocodile was still alive and convinced them that they needed help but the crocodile but how were they supposed to help it?
What’s the plan?
Both scared and confused, the teenagers were trying to figure out a plan to save that crocodile. They thought of calling Animal Protection but none of their phones had service. So came up with a new plan. The idea was to go to the nearest houses and borrow some tools so they could break the ice and free the crocodile. However, that was highly risky as they could easily become croc food.
