It came from nowhere!

At last! Here I was, alone in the wetlands, paddling my tiny canoe up the lonely river. I had been planning this trip for a long time and was so happy to be here. I had come to find some ancient rock paintings which were somewhere nearby. Everything was quiet and peaceful. I was relaxed and wondering if there was a good campsite anywhere close. There was no one else around.

The peace was shattered when a huge crocodile suddenly leapt out of the water right in front of me! It came from nowhere! I didn't have time to turn the canoe away before the animal swung its tail and smashed into it. Incredible! I couldn't believe it when the crocodile chased me as I paddled as fast as I could towards the shore! There was a tree hanging over the water and I stood up in the canoe to grab it.

I was horrified as the crocodile leapt out of the water again and grabbed my leg in its teeth. The crocodile dragged me down below the water. I knew that crocodiles killed their prey by doing a death roll with them until they drowned. I thought that was the end of me and that I was going to die too. The crocodile rolled me over twice but I was still alive when we came to the surface. There was blood everywhere. As the crocodile relaxed its grip on my leg, I managed to escape. I began to drag myself towards the shore but the crocodile came after me again! It grabbed me and I thought "I'm finished now for sure!"

Suddenly, for some reason, the crocodile let me go. I still don't know why. Up the bank I crawled, desperately dragging myself along by digging my fingers into the mud. By now I was seriously injured and covered in blood, but there was no one to help me. It was up to me to save myself. Would I be able to do it?

I knew there was a ranger's hut nearby but didn't know if anyone would be there. As I dragged myself along I wondered if I would have enough strength to make the distance. I must have passed out a few times. Someone found me a few hours later and rescued me. By then I was semiconscious and in a lot of pain.

It's now many years since I fought so desperately not to die. I have scars on my legs and I sometimes have trouble walking. I have never forgotten the horror of what happened. It seems like only yesterday. Nor will I ever forget the fighting spirit I found inside me as I fought for my life. I wonder if that's what saved me from being a crocodile's lunch!