Nessie Goes Last

Loch Ness Primary sat at the bottom of the loch where the water was cold and the kelp grew tall and everyone knew everyone which was mostly fine and occasionally not fine at all.

Nessie was the tallest student in the history of the school. Possibly the tallest student in the history of any school anywhere in any loch in Scotland. Nessie was so tall that when Nessie sat at a desk the desk looked like something borrowed from a much smaller life.

This caused problems.

In Kelp Ball captains picked their teams one by one while everyone floated in a hopeful cluster. Finn got picked first. Finn was fast. Mara got picked second. Mara had excellent fins. Brix and Dox got picked third and fourth. They always got picked together because separating them caused administrative difficulties.

Then everyone looked at Nessie.

The captains looked at each other. They looked at Nessie. They looked at each other again. "You can have Nessie," said one captain. "We had Nessie last time," said the other. "No you didn't." "Yes we did."

Nessie floated in the not-hopeful cluster of one and waited.

This was a Tuesday. Tuesdays were Kelp Ball days. Nessie did not like Tuesdays.

In the lunch cave Nessie sat at the end of the table. Not because nobody wanted Nessie there. Because Nessie's neck took up a considerable amount of table.

In Underwater Relay Nessie came last. Not because Nessie was slow. Because turning around at the end of the lane when you are the length of three students is a navigational challenge that the relay course had not been designed with Nessie in mind.

Nessie tried to be smaller. This did not work. Nessie tried to take up less space. The space disagreed.

Then came the day of the Great Loch Storm.

It started on a Wednesday which was unusual because Wednesday was supposed to be Swimming Gala day and everyone had been extremely looking forward to Swimming Gala day for two weeks.

The storm came down from the surface in great cold currents that turned the loch dark and churning and entirely unlike itself.

And then — Hamish got swept away.

Hamish was the smallest student in the history of Loch Ness Primary. Hamish was so small that in strong currents Hamish was essentially a very determined leaf.

The current took Hamish toward the deep part. The part where the water went dark. The part where even the teachers didn't swim without a buddy. The part that had a sign that said Do Not Go Past This Kelp in very serious letters.

Everyone froze. The teachers looked at each other. The captains looked at the deep part. Finn was fast but not that fast. Mara had excellent fins but the current was stronger. Brix and Dox started swimming together but the current pushed them back.

Then Nessie moved.

Not fast. Just — long. One enormous stretch across the churning water neck extended all the way to the full impossible length that had caused problems at every desk in every classroom at every lunch table on every Tuesday for Nessie's entire school life.

Nessie's neck reached Hamish before the deep part did.

Hamish grabbed on. Nessie pulled back. The current pushed. Nessie pulled harder. The kind of hard that only works when you are built the way Nessie was built — long and strong and exactly the right size for this exact moment.

Hamish came back. Safe. Cold. Holding on to Nessie's neck with both arms and no intention of letting go for quite some time.

The loch went quiet. Everyone looked at Nessie. Not the looking Nessie knew. Not the captains looking. Not the lunch table looking. Not the desk looking.

A different looking. The kind that lands somewhere warm and stays.

Hamish looked up from approximately the middle of Nessie's neck. "You're really long," said Hamish. "I know," said Nessie. "It's brilliant," said Hamish.

Nessie looked at the neck. The long impossible neck that didn't fit desks or lunch tables or Kelp Ball teams or relay courses designed for someone else.

It had fit this. Perfectly. Exactly. Like it had been made for this specific moment in this specific storm in this specific loch.

Which maybe it had.

The storm passed. Swimming Gala was cancelled. Nobody minded.

On Thursday the Kelp Ball captains picked their teams. "Nessie," said the first captain. First. Just like that.

Nessie floated in the hopeful cluster and felt something settle quietly into place — like a neck that had finally found what it was for.