At one of Arenal’s early events, the Sand Pit Tourney at Fort Pickens State Park camp ground, there happened to be a very curious raccoon who wandered into the event site during the late evening activities.
Feast was over and the bardic fires were blazing quite brightly. Someone had left their small dagger by the fire and the raccoon soon found this bright, shiny object.
Now to place objects in their proper place, you have the fire, then the raccoon standing up-right holding the dagger and down the beach, you have a tent with some people inside.
Since the raccoon was closer to the fire than the tent, the raccoon’s shadow grew to be about 6 foot tall and the dagger’s shadow became that of a full sword.
When those in the tent turned and saw the shadow, the real fun began. Their screams attracted everyone attention and everyone saw the six-foot raccoon with a sword. Or at least they saw the shadow of this giant killer raccoon.
With everyone screaming, the raccoon decided to do the only thing that made sense and promptly ran into the undergrowth and disappeared into the woods. Oh, yes, he took the dagger with him.
A search that evening and the next morning show no trace of either the raccoon or the dagger. And thus was born the legend of Arenal’s own Simon Olivier Bushytail Raccoon or that SOB raccoon.
Stumble!