Eventually the giant gator’s aggression settled and he sunk back into the lagoon. Bree used this opportunity to drop from the tree and make a quick exit.

The next day, she brought a small yellow plastic box with her into the swamp . When she popped out of the trees surrounding the monster’s hidden lagoon, it was as beautiful and still as she had left it. She went to the lagoon’s edge, sloshed her barefoot inside the water, and fled to her tree branch.

As she expected, the massive alligator emerged from the water, as agitated and violent as yesterday. Bree quickly opened the box and threw down a stack of baloney she had taken from the drawer in the fridge. It landed under the creature’s long chin; he slowed his jerking head, sniffed the meat, and tilted his head sideways to eat it. The baloney looked ridiculously small in his massive jaws.

She decided that he must be an alligator prince and his anger was due to his fallen kingdom.

Don’t worry, Bree thought, I’m going to help you.