I BELIEVE IN HEROES
When I was 13 years old, about the time I was watching the new super hero movies the Incredible Hulk and Spiderman, my Uncle Jeff and his father-in-law Steve had me tag along with them on their yearly fishing trip to Ely, Minnesota. We had many fun times. I remember the shower. We purchased a tent shower and the bag hold the water was supposed to warm up by the sun but the sun never came out so we were stuck taking showers with cold water. I remember that when Steve and Uncle Jeff caught the two smallmouth bass I didn’t catch any. I remember the trash talk about who was a better fisherman and threatening each other that we were going to throw each other into Lake Fenske and leave them behind. The second year we went there I actually did wake Jeff, Steve’s son, up out of his slumber and told him there was a big pike at the dock and he threw me in and then went back to sleep. Funny thing is, when Jeff threw me in I had the camera in my pocket with the only picture of the fish. I remember sleeping in the small camper with two guys who sounded like a couple of grizzly bears when they slept, and always having to go to sleep before them for me to get any sleep at all or put the ear plugs in and wait for the sun to come up and go back out on the lake again.
My parents are always arguing and fighting. My parents are alcoholics. Although they are better now, all of the drinking and arguing was a lot of stuff to put on a 13-year-old’s plate. My Uncle Jeff rescued me from that. He taught me stuff I could do to get away from all the chaos at home. Like fishing.
I believe in heroes. To me a hero does ot have to be someone who flies around the city in tights with a cape over his back protecting people from evil villains. They are much more than that. Before I went to Minnesota with my Uncle Jeff, I had many thoughts going through my head. Running away was one of these and suicide was another one. I was completely fed up with my parents and all of their pathetic little problems. No one even cared if I was around. All they cared about was the booze. I would have done one of the two if my Uncle Jeff would not have come along and rescued me. He rescued me from my parents, the booze, and a lot of pressure no 13-year-old should ever have put on him. He is my hero and without him I don’t know if I would even be alive today. I still look up to him. Although he may not be able to fly like Superman or shoot spider webs out of his hands, like Spiderman, he’s still my hero. This I believe.
Deven White, age 15
