The doomed bend

     “What has happened Father?”  I enquired, flipping the right way over.   What’s wrong with Mother?”

     “It’s one of those things that you never think will ever happen in your lifetime.”  Father said glumly, as he stared vacantly into space.

     “What things?   Whose lifetime?   What do you mean?”   I shrieked.

“We had some very bad news from the

meeting son.   The long and short of it is that the whole harbour is in danger of

becoming cut off from the main river, so, we have to move,” said Father.   At that moment Shelly darted into the room, with Shore in hot pursuit.

     “Mother! Mother! save me.   She’s going to hurt me!”   shouted Shelly.

     Shore caught Shelly and with a hard swish of her tail fin, delivered a painful blow to Shelly’s belly.

     “That’ll teach you to leave my cockles alone,”   Shore shouted at her.   Shelly had been meddling with Shore’s most treasured possession, her collection of pea cockles and mussels.

     “Are you going to let her get away with –“  Shelly stopped in mid protest.   Both girls suddenly became aware that they had interrupted something of great importance.

     “What’s going on?”  Shelly asked, rubbing the painful area above her swimbladder.

     “We have to move from Meander Harbour,” I said.   “It’s turning into a ghastly ox-bow lake.”

     “Is it true Father,” Shore asked, looking a little worried.   “Tell me again Father; tell me the river story about ox-bow lakes.”   Father stroked her dorsal fin reassuringly and began.

     “Well Shore, the water in all rivers cuts sideways into the river banks as it moves towards the sea.  It takes the easy route around hillocks and humps instead of over them.  This makes the river twists and loops, or meander from side to side.   When the river moves slower, it does not have the power to carry all of its load so, some of the load gets deposited on the inside of the bends.   Over time, the outside of the river continues to flow freely whilst the deposits on the inside gets bigger.   Eventually, the neck of the meander becomes quite narrow.   If the river floods, it can cut through the neck and form an ox-bow lake.”

     “Is that what’s happening to us in Meander Harbour Father,” quizzed Shelly.   “Are we doomed?   She was frantic at this stage.

     “I don’t want us to die!”  Exclaimed Shore.

     The Great Weather Piranha, weather Guru to all fish, is certain that the annual rains that are expected after the spring tides will signal the end of Meander Harbour.   At the meeting he had given the fishes an ultimatum: “Leave your stricken homes and journey upstream to temporary homes called dams, until the danger has passed; or remain and face certain isolation and eventual death in an ox-bow lake”.   Special fish lifts are to be installed at various points along the river.   They will be used to save energy and to make the journey as safe as possible.   Special Troops of piranhas will travel with you to guard against other creatures getting in the lifts.   The deadline for the move is to be the last day of the spring tides.   Waves will be at their highest and the extra high tides will be a great help in powering the fish lifts upstream. Anytime after that is simply too late.   The destruction would have started.”

     The dreaded last day of the spring tides has arrived.   It is a day of great sadness.   We said our farewell to those that were staying, like the poor barnacles, the cockles, the frogs, toads, newts and otters.   It is a day when great history will be made.   As we fearfully swim into the fish lifts each and every one of us thank our lucky stars that we were given this extra chance of survival….  

Bibliography

Pollard, M. Great Rivers of

Britain, (2002) Evans Brothers Ltd.

Taylor, B.  Fish and other sea creatures, (2002) Oxford University Press.