by Scott Searcy -
Each sunny afternoon, Hamilton and his little brother Wells ran down the gravel lane to the lagoon to get a glimpse of the large, scary alligator they called Big Tooth. One look at the old gator, and you knew why they named him Big Tooth. He had one gigantic, crooked tooth hanging out of his scraggly mouth.
The two always sat on the edge of the big lagoon waiting for a visit from Big Tooth. The old gator never disappointed the boys. He popped up each time flashing that big tooth and scaring the brothers all the way home. The screaming always turned to laughter as the pair reached their front yard. They would fall into the grass ready to wrestle and giggle about the adventure.
On one particularly sunny day, Hamilton and Wells raced home from school. They dropped their back packs and took off for the lagoon and another hair-raising encounter with Big Tooth.
As the two impatiently waited for Big Tooth’s appearance, Wells lost his balance and fell in the cold, yucky, green water. He was not a good swimmer. Wells was swallowing water and going under. Hamilton began yelling for help, “Please someone help my little brother! He can’t swim!”
