No Going Back
Jonah knew there was no going back now. He had waded through the swampy water to get to the animal. As frightened as he was, he knew he had to save the animal even if it put him in danger.
Jonah moved his hand slowly towards the owl, but there was one glaring detail that he had overlooked that would change everything. He knew it was too late to do anything else, so he just tried to stay calm and hoped for the best.
Jonah Johnson
Jonah Johnson lived a quiet life and had hobbies just like any other ordinary man. His favorite pastime was playing golf at the place he worked. He grew to love the swampy golf course that he looked after.
But the job wasn’t always easy. There were all sorts of animals that he had to make sure wouldn’t go onto the course, and sometimes it could be harrowing.
Wildlife
Because the golf course was on a swamp, Jonah had to worry about the wildlife potentially endangering the golfers. He didn’t mind scaring off birds, but alligators were what worried him the most.
But one crisp morning, he’d have to brave to the swampy to help out someone in need - he just didn’t know it yet.
An Ordinary Morning
Jonah lived on the golf course as part of his contract with the owners. He woke up on an early chilly Saturday morning, had a shower, got dressed, and put the kettle on for a cup of hot coffee.
He sat on a chair outside, facing the golf course. He loved his job and what it afforded him to see every day. He finished up his cup of coffee, washed the cup, and then made his way to the reception to get his day started - only everything would drastically change once he noticed something very wrong.
A Walk Around The Grounds
Like every other morning, Jonah patrolled the grounds, making sure it looked well maintained and that there were no obstructions on the golf course. But surprisingly, he saw something in the distance that he had seen the day before - an owl. The feathered friend had been there yesterday, but it was on a log surrounded by water. Why hadn’t the owl left? Jonah started to worry that something was very wrong, a gut feeling he often trusted.
He decided to get closer to the waterline to see what was really going on. As he got closer, he realized that his gut feeling hadn’t let him down this time. The owl was stuck to the pole with what looked like fishing wire. He had to do something.
Animal Services
Jonah tried calling animal services to assist in rescuing the owl, but they told him it would take hours to get someone out there. Those were hours the owl didn’t have. Jonah needed to come up with a different plan of action.
He called up his friend and coworker at the gold course and told him the situation. But even as he got ready to figure out how to help the poor owl - there was something he didn’t realize yet that would make him regret everything.
A Plan Of Action
The poor owl had been stuck there for two days, and Jonah wasn’t sure how much longer it could survive stuck on the pole. He needed to get it out as soon as possible. He decided to get his waders on in preparation for going into the swampy waters himself.
But there was still a detail that Jonah was overlooking. It wasn’t just the alligators that could be dangerous in the waters. He would regret getting into the water.
Preparation
Jonah got his friend and coworker to film the entire thing just in case anything went wrong. He felt better having his friend close by while he attempted to free the owl. He slowly submerged his body into the cold water.
He moved his body through the water, getting closer to the owl. The back of his mind wondered what could be in the water with him. But he wasn’t ready for what he was about to find out.
Getting Closer
Jonah kept moving forward towards the stranded owl. He felt his pulse quicken as he thought about alligators and snapping turtles. He calmed himself down as he made slow progress towards the pole and the owl.
Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, he felt the water get deeper. In no time, he was up to his chest in water and tried keeping his shover and knife above the water.
Getting To The Owl
Now Jonah was just a few meters from the owl. He was proud of himself for making it this far. He just had to try and cut the wire off the owl’s delicate wings, and then it would be able to fly freely out of there.
As soon as he got to the owl, he stared at its beauty. But then he realized a small detail about the owl’s foot that he hadn’t even considered before getting in the water.
A Small Detail
Jonah knew there was no going back now. He had waded through the swampy water to get to the animal. As frightened as he was, he knew he had to save the animal even if it put him in danger.
Jonah moved his hand slowly towards the owl, but there was one glaring detail that he had overlooked that would change everything. He knew it was too late to do anything else, so he just tried to stay calm and hoped for the best.
Sharp Talons
In the commotion, Jonah had completely forgotten that the birds of prey had such sharp talons. Once he looked down at them, he felt a shiver go up to his spine. He knew if he made one wrong move, he would be in trouble.
He had to be careful since he still had to rescue the agitated bird. Especially when he was holding a sharp knife in the water, but his next move would be his most important one.
Slowly Cutting It Free
Jonah slowly took the first wire and cut it. He watched the big golden eyes of the birdwatch him as he did so. One wrong move, and he could be at the other end of the talons. He saw that the bird’s wing was caught in the wire too.
He carefully cut the rest of the wires and smiled at the bird, talking to it and reassuring it. Then when he expected it to fly away, it just sat there shaking.
Needing Some Help
It was clear that the owl was either too scared or too tired to fly away. He knew that he had to try and rescue it one way or another. He had brought the shovel just in case this had happened.
He took the handle end of the shovel and pointed it towards the owl. It slowly put its talons over the wood and perched on it. The next step was for Jonah to carefully take it to the shore, where it could rest.
Safe And Sound
Jonah slowly got to the edge of the shore, where he had started his dangerous journey. He stepped up onto the concrete shore and moved towards a grassy patch where it was clear.
He then sat with the owl as it recovered from the shock. It batted its eyes at him slowly as if to say thank you. Jonah even dared to stroke the owl even with its sharp talons. Then it flapped its wings and flew away. Jonah knew he had done the right thing, and the memory of the owl would stay with him forever.