--- THE LEGEND OF NUBY!-----

Is there really a monster lurking beneath the surface of Nubanusit Lake, a la The Loch Ness Monster (‘Nessie’) or the creature in Lake Champlain (‘Champy’). Legend has it there just might be one. Is he friend or foe? No one is quite sure.

 Why, just this past Saturday, as I was diligently prepping these here directions and taking down specifics for distances to and from the lake, something happened I shall never forget. Here it is: Well, I thought I saw scales rising out of Nubanusit(from the Boat Landing where I was) way out in the lake’s center, and then a spout of some sort spraying streams of water tens—nay! -- hundreds of feet skyward!

Was I alone in this sighting? Someone else HAD to have witnessed this mouth-dropping spectacle! I was in awe.......... but could it really be? You be the judge. Then : “THAR SHE BLOWS!!” an old , crusty voice bellowed. My eyes darted around........and all I could see was the Old Nuby Light House and a lone seagull perched upon its top. Then the fog horn performed its gloomy duty as the steamships, ferries, tug boats and oil tankers conducted their routine business. Surely they must have seen the sea monster, too. When the fog rolled past-surreal it was—I just caught a glimpse of his tail dipping gradually out of sight, teasing me as he has so many others. ”Nuby strikes again!” I marveled to a one-armed clam digger who has been making his living that way at Lake Nubanusit since he was a boy.

"Ayuh,” was all he could mutter matter-of factly. Huh? Excuse me? A sight like that and all he can say is, ”AYUH”? How callous and dense can you be?

So Nuby had submerged and Lord only knew where he would turn up again, what innocent vacationers he might terrorize and what other yarns would or could be spun about Hancock’s most famous aquatic resident if he does “something big” again. A retired merchant marine who had spent some 40 plus years and knows every nook and cranny of Nubanusit ( speaking only under the condition of anonymity) witnessed first-hand Nuby flipping over a glass bottom tourist boat like it was a child’s bathtub toy.W hat a tragedy! The man had to retire shortly thereafter and is most reluctant to discuss the incident without breahking down. He is a family friend and did me a favor for the purposes of educating, you, the Summer Sizzler runner.

Sadly, that’s not all. Nuby apparently attacks at will shrimp boats (Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, LLC, had a few of their vessels up here, as word got out copious shrimp were ubiquitous at Lake Nubanusit), from some reports, as Nuby can’t get enough of the stuff.

There has been a memorial proposed for those who have lost their lives at the hands of Nuby. I think it is only right.

Back to the story. After a period of silence and inactivity, an eerie moan and groan was emitted from beneath( where-I don’t know), followed by mammoth bubbles which sent reverberations echoing around the lake. The waves-oh my goodness--they were as high as I’d ever seen. Crashing against the rocks and overturning canoes and sailboats. The wind didn’t help any. It was high tide, too. Sent chills up me spine it did, laddie! Some have gone boating and seen it; swimmers as well; lobstermen; sailboarders; water skiers; fishermen tell tales of same.

I pose the question, reader: Could they ALL be wrong? Hah! I think not. Sea shanties have been construed and sung attesting to it. Stories. Books. Documentaries. Poems. DVD’s. Everyone is cashing in on it. Haven’t they? Aye! I named him ‘NUBY’ and somewhere roaming the bottom of our pristine lake (I am convinced beyond a shadow!) dwells this mysterious, shy marine critter. Ohers say, “Dave, what have you been smoking, man? Are you off your meds again.” No respect, I tell you. I still can’t make out of he is a friendly fellow , malicious or just plain clumsy. He keeps us guessing.

Now I do understand depth charges have been released to destroy him once and for all. Armed Services , led by the Sizzler’s own Brian Sawich and the NH National Guard, had swat teams out here trying to coax Nuby into full surrender.

 Then there was an attempt at a diplomatic solution.  But negotiations broke down. Nuby wanted too much. THE BATF and Janet Reno were leading that one, I think. (Word to Nuby: Don’t trust her. REMEMBER WACO!) Psycho- oceanographic therapists and grief counselors were summoned and on stand by. Just in case. But Nuby wouldn’t budge. He would only belch vociferously from below. Oh, I suppose they could drain the lake, place a nuclear bomb in the center, or send a killer whale to NAVY SEAL training to be a mercenary and then release him for one purpose—but why? Leave him alone. He has no place else to go. Hey, he has been around a lot longer than any of us, and will likely outlive everyone reading this, even if we are health-conscious runners.

How did he get there? How old is he? How do we know he is a he and not a she? What are his dimensions? Was he really dropped off from another planet decades or centuries ago as a baby sea monster as some claim? I can’t say. All I know is what happened Saturday changed my life. No one will believe me.Y eah, the care-free tourists who never returned lake side from that glass bottom joy ride didn’t believe in Nuby either. Well, not to speak ill of those who are no longer with us-, but .ummmmm....they sure do now! At least the 4 or 5 survivors who made it know better. Maybe I am in error, but I thought DISCOVERY Channel did a special on the curious capsizing of that boat. They found it several miles, at dead center in the deepest part of the l.ake. Has he really swallowed lobstermen and whalers whole? I wouldn’t bet against it.

It is high time we formed the NUBY Preservation Society (NPS)! Wednesday will count as our first official meeting. We can elect officers then, decide on bylaws, annual fees, fundraisers, committees, Executive Board, and the like. I am president now but may relinquish that. I may be mistaken, but it seems both Bob Fogg and Hunt Dowse are former NPS presidents. We can talk more about this Wednesday. We offer family and kids membership discounts. We must open a NUBY museum, establish a quarterly magazine, host a bake sale & fish fry, and offer scholarships to Con-Val seniors. It is our solemn duty! So there you have it in a nutshell. The Legend Of Nuby The Sea Monster. Run the race named in his honor.

Dave Birse, President Sizzler City Sizzler Nation 525-9357 sizzlermania@hotmail.com