A Pretty Pond Becomes an Eerie Haven for Strange Creatures

The old railroad right of way passes within a few feet of the store.

      As I rode my bicycle along the abandoned right of way of the Cape Cod Central Railroad in the summer of 2014, I stopped for a rest at the old Pleasant Lake  General Store that had nourished locals and visitors to Cape Cod for generations.

      Sadly the iconic emporium had been shuttered.  On the porch, I sat on the red bench or the blue bench - I can't remember which one.  Daydreaming, I began to wonder what the owner of the store, back in the 1950s, might have looked like.

     When I went across the road to the lake, nearly hidden from view, I followed an overgrown path that led to a small, sandy beach.  A time worn log splayed across the sand.  A single engine aircraft was perched on green grass not more than a hundred yards away.  There were no swimmers, no strollers, and no cars within sight.

This peaceful lake became eerie Codfresh Lake, in my mind.

     As I stretched out on the sand and closed my eyes, the lake took on unusual qualities.  In my mind it became 'Codfresh Lake', a haven for large, toothy catfish.  Unusual creatures were these fish.  They could jump clear of the water and dive back in as smoothly as the human divers in the Olympics.  They spoke - with a voice that was the sound of a fingernail running up and down the teeth of a comb.

     And so, after a time, a story formed in my mind and it became 'Jimmy Catfish'.  The book that was born on that lazy summer day is now available on Amazon, in the Kindle Store.  The full title is 'Jimmy Catfish - The Beginning and The End'.