{"id":469,"date":"2009-03-25T20:32:44","date_gmt":"2009-03-26T03:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/?p=469"},"modified":"2009-05-31T18:02:46","modified_gmt":"2009-06-01T01:02:46","slug":"story-alligator-alley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/2009\/03\/25\/story-alligator-alley\/","title":{"rendered":"Storybook: Alligator Alley"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA)
\nthe author has an excellent story site: artieknapp.com<\/a><\/a>
\nillustration by Emily Doyle (emilydoyledesign.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on that Tuesday evening in Belvar. The local bowling alley was packed, as a large crowd had gathered for the 26th Annual Belvar Bowling Championship. Everyone was excited for the event to get started.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, this is the last call. Is there anyone else who wants to register for the tournament before we get underway?\u201d asked the Mayor of Belvar.<\/p>\n

The crowd was silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s get started then,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n

The bowling alley erupted in cheers, but then a deep husky voice said, \u201cWait. Count me in.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment, terror engulfed the entire bowling alley. Parents reached for their children and the bowlers braced for the worst.<\/p>\n

The mayor, who was now on wobbly knees said, \u201cPle\u2026 Ple\u2026 Please leave sir. We don\u2019t want any trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRelax! I\u2019m not going to hurt anybody,\u201d declared an alligator wearing sunglasses.<\/p>\n

The alligator took off his sunglasses and said, \u201cLook, I\u2019m just here for the tournament. May I please play?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bowl?\u201d asked a frightened old lady from the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I get the chance,\u201d said the alligator. \u201cBut as you can imagine, there are very few opportunities for me to do so. I read about this tournament and would really like to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor, who had finally collected his breath said, \u201cWell, if you behave and promise that you\u2019re just here for the tournament, then I don\u2019t see any problem with you participating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI give you my word,\u201d said the alligator. \u201cAfter the tournament is over, I\u2019ll leave as I came, in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, are there any objections?\u201d asked the mayor to the other bowlers.<\/p>\n

None of the bowlers said a word. Why would they? Who would take a chance on upsetting an alligator?<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well then,\u201d said the mayor. \u201cLet the tournament begin.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the alligator thanked the mayor for allowing him to participate in the tournament, he headed for the shoe racks. Everyone in the bowling alley was watching his every move.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d asked a little girl hidden behind her mother\u2019s protective grasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cAl,\u201d replied the alligator. \u201cMy name is Al.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al set his bowling ball bag atop the shoe counter. After paying his entry fee and realizing there weren\u2019t any size 9\u2019s, in extra, extra, extra wide, Al walked back towards the lanes to prepare to play. The rest of the bowlers were still watching Al intently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, come on. Are we going to bowl or not?\u201d asked the mayor.<\/p>\n

One by one the bowlers began throwing practice balls. Bosco Wilson, who had won the tournament for six consecutive years, walked up to Al and said, \u201cHey gator, I don\u2019t know where you\u2019re from, or where you\u2019ve played before, but this tournament is mine. I never lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al just ignored Bosco and began practicing with the other bowlers. His first practice throws went straight into the gutter. No pins. Bosco laughed at Al and said, \u201cWell, it looks like the only thing we have to fear from you is getting our arms bit off. You\u2019re a horrible bowler gator.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just warming up,\u201d replied Al calmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, let\u2019s bowl!\u201d said the mayor. And so they did.<\/p>\n

The total scores after three games would determine the overall champion of the tournament. After the first two games were played, Al was in second place, trailing Bosco by only two pins. Since winning the tournament six years before, nobody had even finished a close second to Bosco. The tight-match made the crowd excited. It wasn\u2019t that the crowd was rooting for Al, as much as they were rooting against Bosco. Bosco was concerned about Al\u2019s strong performance, so he decided it was time to distance himself from his closest competitor.<\/p>\n

As the third and final game was about to begin, Bosco snuck up behind Al and poured water on the floor behind him. When Al turned around he slipped and fell face-first. The fall made Al hurt not one, but both of his hands. The crowd was silent as Al grimaced in pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should learn to be more careful gator,\u201d said Bosco laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cBosco, you behave yourself, or I\u2019ll have you thrown out of this tournament,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to make sure he\u2019s alright,\u201d said Bosco sarcastically.<\/p>\n

The mayor asked Al if he could continue. Al told the mayor that he would finish the tournament, but stated that his hands were hurting too much to use.<\/p>\n

Puzzled by Al\u2019s remark, the mayor asked, \u201cHow on earth can you play then?\u201d<\/p>\n

Al whispered something in the mayor\u2019s ear, which caused him to laugh out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d said the mayor. \u201cVery well then, let\u2019s finish this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the final game was about to begin, a voice from the crowd shouted, \u201cYou can do it Al! You can beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same little girl who had asked Al his name was the one rooting him on. Al smiled at the little girl and then picked up his bowling ball with his tail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is he doing?\u201d asked Bosco aloud.<\/p>\n

And then to the amazement of everyone in the bowling alley, Al sprinted toward the lane with his bowling ball dangling from his tail. He released the ball and threw a perfect strike. Bosco couldn\u2019t believe it. Nobody could for that matter. Al\u2019s tail provided a powerful grip which enabled him to throw his bowling ball with much more ease and accuracy. Bosco was outraged, but the mayor informed him there were no rules stating one couldn\u2019t use a tail to throw their bowling ball.<\/p>\n

The final game wasn\u2019t even close. Al easily beat Bosco and was declared the winner of the tournament. Even though everyone was happy Bosco didn\u2019t win the championship again, most folks didn\u2019t know how to react to an alligator winning either. But that didn\u2019t bother Al. To him it wasn\u2019t about winning or losing; all he ever wanted was just a chance to play. As he was exiting the bowling alley, the little girl who had rooted Al on pleaded to have her picture taken with him. Al was happy to do so, and after the little girl\u2019s mom reluctantly agreed to her daughter\u2019s wishes, the picture was taken. And had it not been for that picture, nobody outside of Belvar would have ever believed the myth.<\/p>\n

To this day the people of Belvar still ponder what happened to Al. Is he living in a swamp somewhere? Will he ever come back? Does he still bowl? One thing is for sure though, on one night in the summer of 1973, an alligator bowled with the best of them and won. Whenever a visitor in town doubts the legend they\u2019re always directed to a hall inside Belvar\u2019s bowling alley. The hall is nicknamed Alligator Alley, and it\u2019s filled with trophies baring the name of each winner of the Belvar Bowling Championship. There is also a picture hanging in the center of the hall that always seems to grab people\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

\n

THE END<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

“Alligator Alley”<\/span><\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2008 by Artie Knapp
\nAll Rights Reserved <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA) the author has an excellent story site: artieknapp.com illustration by Emily Doyle (emilydoyledesign.com) At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on that Tuesday evening in Belvar. The local bowling alley was packed, as a large crowd had gathered for the 26th Annual Belvar Bowling Championship. Everyone was excited for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-stories","tag-artie-knapp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":471,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469\/revisions\/471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}