“I just woke up and heard it,” said Thomas Saylor (‘29). “It was like a…deep roar.”
Earlier that night, Saylor had pitched his tent on Mills Lawn, the grass still soggy from previous days of rain. Saylor had believed that the following day would be Fox Day, and he set up camp near the flagpole, where students push the fox statue to signify the “day too pretty to have class.” Saylor anticipated that the Fox Day commotion would wake him up early that morning.
What Saylor didn’t anticipate was that something else would wake him up.
At around 3 a.m. on the morning of April 1, Saylor heard a sound outside his tent. “I was scared s—less,” Saylor said. “I had no idea what was out there, or if I’d just seen too many horror movies.” Saylor is also a strong believer in the Skunk Ape.
Saylor lay still in his sleeping bag for what he estimated to be 10 minutes, though he did not check his watch during this time. When he realized he would not be able to fall back to sleep, he decided to take a look outside, unzipping his tent with trembling hands.
Within feet of his tent was an alligator. The alligator “roared” again, its teeth glistening in the light of nearby lampposts. When later asked to give an approximate size, Saylor said, “I don’t know, man, much longer than my arm span.” He added, “I think I must’ve peed myself. I swear, I was paralyzed.”
Unsure of what to do, Saylor remained where he was. So did the alligator. Several minutes later, just as Saylor’s hand steadied to reach for his Swiss Army Knife, the alligator traipsed past the flagpole and across the nearby cobblestone pathway, away from Mills Lawn.
“At that point I was like, ‘Oh hell no, I’m not doing this anymore,’” Saylor said. “I left my stuff where it was and booked it straight back to my dorm.”
To Saylor’s despair, it was not Fox Day.
Still, Saylor believes this experience taught him a valuable lesson about being cautious. “I’m not doing anything crazy after this, not ever again,” Saylor said. “When Fox Day does roll around, I’m not leaving my bed.”
When asked if he wanted to provide any final comments, Saylor said, “I still believe the Skunk Ape is out there.”
Happy April Fools’ Day! This article is a work of satire and not intended to be taken as factual reporting. Any resemblance to real events or individuals is purely coincidental.
Note: Photo by Amit Sewnauth.
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