Blood Suckers

Since moving to South Carolina four years ago, I've encountered some weird and wonderful creatures I'd only ever seen on TV before: alligators, possums, black widows, brown recluses, termites and cockroaches. I've been gnawed on by fire ants and had my nether regions inhabited by ticks.



This summer I made some new friends. I went camping with my family on the banks of Lake Marion; the nights were hot and buggy, but the cool waters of the lake made the heat bearable. Get too steamed, and you could just jump in and cool off a bit.



I wondered why my wife, Ros, wasn't staying in too long. Not wanting to get sunstroke, I paddled around in the water for a long time - and when I got out, I found that some little critters had become very attached to me.





Now I can add leeches to my list of zoological night terrors. Thankfully, they were small and I got them off my feet and ankles fairly easily. But I'll be thinking twice before I spend a day in a South Carolinian lake again.