Papa often took us punting along the shores of Lake Flathead. Spreading his tall tales and teaching my brother Jackson about fishing. “I found a dozen arrowheads under that hollow log just there. With an old scalp and two beaver pelts.”
“Really, Papa?” asked Emilia. Gullible as a newborn puppy, my youngest sister always had an unwavering faith in Papa.
Jackson was more skeptical. “Scalps? It’s not the Civil War.”
His “Honest Injun” poker face was how I could always tell when Papa was fibbing a little. At their ages I don’t think my siblings had caught on yet.
“Strike me down if it ain’t so,” Papa glibly lied. “We saw a big ol’ gator out there once, too.”
“There aren’t any gators in Montana.” Jackson was quite certain.
“Probably ain’t. But what’s that shadow under the water, just there?”
Jackson nearly fell out of the boat when the scaled back of the Spinosaurus broke the surface in the deepest part of the lake.
Papa laughed. “Guess it were mebbe a wee bigger’n a gator.”
175 words. Inspired by this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers prompt:
ParkInkSpot 
I loved this. I could picture all of this happening as if I was sitting in the boat. Gotta love this daddy’s tales and his gullible little ones. Great ending!
All a result of that big dark patch in the image. “Submarine?” I thought– “No, wait a minute…”
Oh, I am glad you didn’t go with the submarine, this story was much better!
Very entertaining Dave, loved it…
You might not love it so much if you were in that boat!
Maybe Papa’s tales aren’t quite so tall after-all! Great story. 🙂
But the Spino’s tail is verrrry long, does that count?
Just a wee bigger?! XD For their sake, I hope that carnivorous dinosaur is just an attraction piece in a disguised theme park! Or maybe Papa brought them as dinner… o.O 😛
“Start paddling, kids!”
LOL!
That is so wrong but so funny lol
Nothing like a little terror mixed with small children on the water. White lies, damn lies and statistics. … Mark Twain left out family. Good story brings back memories.
Maw would not approve. But Pa thought it was funny 😛
That dad sure knows how to keep his calm if he is still laughing when he admits it’s a wee bigger than a gator. Brilliant story!
I suspect he wasn’t completely surprised. Sticking to the shallows with his kids, sensible…
I doubt life is dull with a father like that! Great story!
I think this “Papa” is loosely based on my maternal grandfather. He died when I was, oh, five or six. Guess that makes me the gullible younger daughter?
Great ending with the Spinosaurus. Eeeek!
great story Dave – just the kind of tale to keep the kids honest 🙂
I like how the narrator is trying to sound all grown up at the time. Such a great memory story.
Ellespeth