Important Moment
Eric tried to keep his heart rate down. He knew that the next 10 seconds would be very important. It did or die, and quite literally in his case. The animal could easily hurt him if it wanted to.
He took one final breath in and decided to creep across the room to the animal. He had his knife in his hand, he knew what he had to do, and there was no going back now.
Montgomery, Alabama
He always had a fascination with animals. The country always had so much wildlife just a few miles outside of his hometown in Montgomery, Alabama. Growing up, he always wanted as many pets as his parents would allow.
But when he grew into an adult, he knew his calling: a veterinarian. He worked hard to pursue this passion, and it paid off until one day it didn’t.
Eric Jackson
Eric Jackson was now an accomplished veterinarian that did something a lot of his colleagues warned him against, getting too attached to the animals at the vet. Every severe case he was met with was heartbreaking, but he couldn’t help it.
Even though his heart could be broken by any animal coming through the doors, that also meant that every recovery story uplifted Eric to greater heights. But at the end of the day, his compassion for animals would be his downfall.
A Heart Of Gold
His partner and parents would both tell anyone that Eric had a heart of gold. He treated all of his loved ones around him with the most empathy they’d ever seen but also went to no end to save an animal’s life.
He had adopted six stray dogs and somehow managed to maintain his relationship with them and his partner. But he never knew that his compassion would lead him to a life-changing experience.
Eric’s House
Eric lived a modest life on a large plot of land with a humble house in the center of it all. But the land sat at the edge of a lake, which also meant that he had a boathouse for docking small boats.
Both the structures were already there when Eric bought the land. They looked like they were built in the 60s or 70s. But Eric rarely went into the boathouse.
A Seemingly Normal Saturday
One seemingly normal Saturday, Eric had the day off of work and decided to spend it outside in the sun. He got out of bed, showered, fed his dogs, and made breakfast for himself and his partner.
After finishing up his breakfast, he took a walk outside, where he heard the sounds of an animal. It was coming from the boathouse, but he wouldn’t be prepared for what he’d find.
A Trapped Animal
Once Eric opened the door to the boathouse, he saw something he had never expected. There was an animal crying for help. With his inclination to always help animals, he didn’t want to hesitate.
But he knew he had to be careful - animals could often lash out when they were afraid. He also didn’t want to do anything until he assessed the situation. But he had no idea what was about to happen.
Assessing The Situation
Eric slowly entered the building and tried to assess the situation. The animal looked like it was stuck in some way. It was between a shelf and the wall. But there was more to it than that. The animal would have gotten away if that was all.
But as Eric got closer, he noticed something about the animal that took him by surprise. It would make him want to run screaming out the door.
Large Claws
As a veterinarian, Eric could identify what kind of animal it was, but the first physical attribute he noticed was its large claws. There looked like they could easily maul him if it wanted to. It seemed that he might have put himself in danger.
But still, the animal was crying out for help. He couldn’t just leave it the way it was. He knew he had to act soon. The animal didn’t have much time.
A Net
As Eric thought about how he would rescue the animal, he finally noticed why it was crying for help. It was tangled in a large fishing net. This complicated the situation. He would have to get close to those claws to set it free.
Eric slowly breathed in and out, he was experienced with animals, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
Most Important 10 Seconds Of His Life
Eric tried to keep his heart rate down. He knew that the next 10 seconds would be very important. It did or die, and quite literally in his case. The animal could easily hurt him if it wanted to.
He took one final breath in and decided to creep across the room to the animal. He had his knife in his hand, he knew what he had to do, and there was no going back now.
Cutting The Net
Eric quickly started cutting the net that trapped the animal. He expected it to swipe at him or at least panic. But as he stared into its eyes, he felt empathy. The animal knew that he was only there to help.
There was a mutual agreement that let Eric cut it free of its bonds. But the strangest thing was yet to come.
Taking It Away
Eric could now tell that the animal was an anteater, they didn’t belong on his land, and he knew his dogs would make short work of it. The anteater never ran away. It let him pick it up and take it to his buggy.
He was astounded as it clung to his arm as he drove away from his property. The animal knew that he was its salvation.
Getting To A Nice Spot
Eric couldn’t believe that the animal was letting him do this. He thought he knew a lot about animal behavior, but he was wrong. This was a life-changing experience that he would remember forever.
It was just a little further down that he wanted to take the animal. He knew the perfect spot where it could thrive.
The Perfect Spot
Finally, Eric arrived at the perfect spot to drop off the tiny anteater. It was a small body of water surrounded by trees where it could eat as many ants as it wanted to. The animal seemed to understand and dashed off of his arm.
It ran to a nearby tree across the water and didn’t look back. Eric knew he had done right by another animal and would never forget it. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.