No one thought much about it when a girl named Jessy entered the vet's office carrying a big box. Perhaps she was just bringing her pet for its routine visit, which according to the AAHA website, helps our animal friends live a long, healthy, and happy life.
Jessy went straight to the assistant, though, explaining that she didn't have an appointment but that the matter was urgent. Upon opening the box, the color was drained from the assistant's face. She had to scream for the doctor while simultaneously telling Jessy not to touch it. So what exactly did this girl bring with her?
All the Commotion
All the commotion ended with Jessy being sent immediately to the veterinarian, who she thought would be able to help since they did go to veterinary school. In fact, it usually takes four years to finish the coursework and clinical training needed to acquire a DVM, which is a fully accredited rigorous professional program that can take another four years.
At this point, a lot of people in the clinic were already running away. Not Jessy, though. This girl was not afraid of anything at all. She encountered this creature in the forest and wanted nothing but to save it.
Even the Vet Turned Pale
There are people that think every veterinarian knows how to care for all kinds of animals. The truth is that these professionals had to pick a specialty. Therefore, there are those that specialize in household pets and dentistry, while others in preventive medicine and husbandry. Additional specialties include exotic pets, livestock, and several other fields.
The medical professional needed to open the box to know if they could help. But as soon as she did, she also turned pale like the assistant and ran away, rushing to a different room with the box. Jessy yelled for her to come back, but that didn't happen.
Dazed and Confused
Jessy was feeling confused about the reaction of everyone, especially the veterinarian. In the United States, 62.9% of all these animal doctors are women. In 1960, the US Census declared that 98% of the veterinary occupation was male, but the previously male-dominated profession has obviously seen a change.
Back to our story, it seemed to Jessy that the creature she found was stolen from her. She understood that it was in need of help and that it was something special that came her way because she had never seen it before in the woods. But then, the medical professional came back.
A Change of Demeanor
The vet's entire demeanor had changed upon her return. She eagerly told Jessy that she was safe now since the creature was already locked up in a case. The girl wanted to see it, though. She was the one that saved it, after all. However, the medical practitioner disapproved because it was dangerous.
What dangers could did creature hold that makes everyone so afraid of it except for Jessy? Whatever it is, it can't be any more dangerous than the Nile crocodile, deemed as the world's most aggressive animal, mostly because humans are a typical part of its dietary consumption, as per a-z-animals.com.
Blocking The Doorway
Jessy did her best to get to the door, but the veterinarian barricaded the way. She then encouraged her to take a seat, saying that the police were arriving soon to learn more about the entire situation. ''The police!'', Jessy yelled. She wasn't a criminal, so why was this medical practitioner making her feel like she was one?
Who would've thought the authorities would get involved? In the law enforcement realm, criminal investigations are a common practice. They refer to the procedure of collecting information (or evidence) regarding a crime. However, was there an actual crime committed in this circumstance?
The Sound of Sirens
When turned on, emergency vehicle sirens can produce 110 to 120 decibels. As for police sirens, they can be louder than fire trucks or ambulances since cop autos often have their sirens mounted low over the front bumper. The reason why we're talking about sirens is that, soon enough, Jessy was hearing them outside.
Since the medical practitioner had locked up the room that held the strange creature, Jessy somehow felt like a lot more was going on beyond what the vet was telling her. On top of that, aside from the authorities, environmental experts were also called into the veterinary clinic.
Questions Here and There
As soon as the authorities arrived, they wasted no time and started to ask Jessy all kinds of questions. However, the girl was merely a 12-year-old so they couldn't keep her for long. She insisted on having her parents called, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening.
According to the Eisenberg Law Offices website, police are permitted to question minors, and like with Jessy, they periodically do so without their folks or guardians around. However, minors are still safeguarded by laws requiring the police to get parental consent, depending on the situation. Doing the wrong procedures could get the police in legal trouble.
In Comes Jessy's Mom and Dad
Within 15 minutes, Jessy's mother and father were already in the veterinary clinic. Earlier before, the girl had refused to speak to the authorities about the exact details of what happened. Meanwhile, people in hazmat suits began walking in and out of the room that held the creature.
The PK Safety website describes hazmat suits as impermeable enough to guard against different kinds of hazardous materials. The two primary kinds of defense that these things provide are against gases or vapors and splashes. How is this mysterious creature so dangerous that the need for this kind of protection has emerged?
The Right To Be Angry
When Jessy's mom and dad realized their daughter wasn't allowed to leave the veterinary clinic, they got angry at the authorities. It's an understandable reaction that any parental figure that cares can relate to.
Well, it's not like the police were keeping her detained in jail, but they can actually do that. As per the Howard League website, kids may find themselves under police custody and confined for up to 24 hours or more, especially if they were charged and denied bail. Things didn't get to that point since the police soon began to explain what was happening, and both were dumbfounded.
Providing A Lead
After hearing the side of the authorities, Jessy's mom and dad quickly encouraged their daughter to share the entire story. The girl had to provide a lead about where she found the creature. After all, they could be in the middle of a life-threatening situation.
On top of that, Jessy had to undergo a full check-up herself. The family was notified that a doctor was on the way for the examination. And since she was still a kid, a pediatrician was the right kind of medical practitioner to come to her aid. But why does she need to go through all this anyway?
All Hell Broke Loose
Despite everything that she heard and how the situation was escalating, Jessy was still set on protecting the creature she found. At that point, though, they started hearing screams. The creature was somehow able to break out of its cage, and police started to barricade the door.
We could say that the creature was trying to go outside, but the authorities could not let that happen because of the danger it came with. As if on cue, Jessy then began to cooperate and talk to them. The girl was now ready to clarify everything she could about the mysterious creature.
Animal Lover
Jessy was finally ready to share her story. For as long as she can remember, she's always loved animals. As it turns out, this isn't the first time she has gone on to rescue an animal needing aid.
Jessy is a nature lover and often walks around the woods. Forest bathing has its benefits, and according to Time, it can ease stress and worry, helping us to relax and think more clearly. But on this particular day, instead of these benefits, Jessy's walk in the forest led her to a creature that would bring about an unknown danger to many.
Having a Helping Heart
Jessy thought she had already seen it all. How can we blame her when she had saved dozens of animals, from lost dogs and cats to birds and rodents, at such a young age? She had even rescued something that looked like a wild boar at one point.
This girl wasn't doing all that rescuing just to be called a hero. Deep down, it really just made her feel good to help these creatures. The ones she'd helped so far were cute and loveable, after all. How could anyone refuse to open their hearts to help a living being in need?
Cross Checking
According to a vet from VetStreet named Dr. Marty Becker, as children become more intuitive and caring toward animals, they also grow to be generous and compassionate. On top of that, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry can attest to the fact that children raised to love animals will experience a boost in their self-esteem.
And as her mom and dad confirmed to the authorities, Jessy had truly saved different kinds of animals in the past. She's also among the young volunteers for their local animal shelter. However, what she found that day in the forest was something else.
A Cry From The Forest
Going back to Jessy's story, we now get to how she encountered the creature in question. While on one of her walks through the woods just outside her city, she was certain she heard an animal's cry for help. The Happy Learning website has shared that some animals do cry when they are in pain, afraid or sad.
With what Jessy heard, she couldn't help but pause and wait if she'll hear it again. It didn't take minutes for the pained sound to pierce through the air again. It wasn't loud, but it was certainly something she had never heard before.
Fueled By Determination
Jessy's heartstrings were pulled by what she heard. It was enough to fuel her resolve to find this unknown creature. She made her way through the woods and listened to the cries while taking gentle, careful steps.
At one point, Jessy thought she had lost the animal because the crying ceased. She didn't even realize she had wandered off too far, so she got scared and took a few steps back. It's a reasonable reaction since about 2,000 people get lost in the woods yearly, as per My Open Country. But after she retraced her steps, the crying resumed.
Not-So Small, After all
It only took a few moments for Jessy to spot the creature. Why? Because it was so huge, you couldn't miss it. Another odd detail is that a small bed of moss is laid over it. At first, shock took over her. What she saw was so unfamiliar that she had no idea what she was looking it despite her vast knowledge of animals.
The Animals Around The World website estimates the total number of land species on Earth at 6.5 million. That's a humongous amount, so we understand if a 12-year-old like Jessy won't be able to identify the creature in front of her.
In The Midst of a Gigantic Creature
The Conversation website says that, in some cases, the "freeze" response comes as an extension of the "surprise" response. But as soon as the shock left her body, Jessy's curiosity kicked in, and she knew what she had to do. The girl got to examining this huge creature, looking at every angle. She was trying to catch wounds of any kind that might be causing it pain.
After inspecting the creature, Jessy realized that it had no injuries and might just feel alone and frightened. What was it exactly, though? Jessy was uncertain, but there were more odd things here.
Its Moss Bed
The bed of moss that was over the huge creature looked strange to Jessy. This wasn't the kind that was commonly seen in nature. Did some animal build it as some kind of nest? Still, other animals would be sloppier.
With its existence of about 450 million years, mosses are considered to be Earth's oldest land plants. They've even used their prolonged presence on this planet to cultivate outstanding abilities. Also, you'll be shocked to know that about 2,000 different species of moss exist out there. They can grow in the most forbidding and dehydrated places, upon mountain ridges, and in deserts.
Who Could Be Behind This?
No matter how one looks at it, this creature really didn't look like any animal out there. It didn't seem natural, either. From this observation, there was only one word that could be linked to it: Humans. The question we should be asking is why someone would go out in the middle of the woods to abandon a creature like this alone.
It's not like the creature can just mark it's original "I'm lost" spot with branches or rocks to make it easily detectable, using it as a starting point in exploring its near surroundings like an actual person. Anyway, Jessy knew what she had to do.
Her Own Makeshift Carrier
It makes sense for someone like Jessy, who loves to go deep into the forest, to bring a hiking bag. According to the Rei website, it's one of the essentials when planning a day trip to the woods. After all, it can hold other must-haves like navigation tools and a first-aid kit.
Jessy's bag is also good for making a makeshift carrier, which she did for the giant creature using the cover of her bag. She then carefully put it inside. However, she ended up getting stung in her hand, which she only showed to the authorities and medical practitioners upon getting to this part of her story.
Turning Purple
When bug bites turn purple, it isn't necessarily dangerous. Sometimes, it's just caused by the bruising from the injury. But in some instances, it should be a reason for concern because it might be an indication of skin and tissue death or necrosis. The website called Very Well Health states that if purple skin comes with infection or symptoms of allergies, one must seek medical attention.
In connection to the information above, the spot on Jessy's hand where she had been stung had fully changed to purple. She didn't want to tell anybody and didn't want anybody worrying about her. However, she clearly needed immediate medical care.
The Story Continues
Although she had to be examined for her injury, Jessy could not just go without finishing her story. She didn't want to be taken away before she could even share the rest of the details with everyone.
Going back to her tale, Jessy disclosed that she had flagged down a car to hitch. Its driver was kind enough to give her a box and even drove her to the veterinarian's office. Good Samaritans do exist! And in this case, all these pieces from Jessy's experience were necessary in order to obtain the precise location of where she found the creature.
Developing A Rash
After tracking down her license plate, the authorities quickly found the woman who gave Jessy a ride. License plate readers are effective tech that authorizes police to track a car's movements across a city. As for regular folks, there's License-Plate-Search.org, a plate number research website. Interestingly, the British company iPlate is also all about fully-digitalized ‘license plates as of 2023.
Unfortunately, finding the woman was the only good news because it went downhill from there. Apparently, her body also had the purple rash that Jessy had. This must mean that whatever this creature infected these two with was most likely airborne.
The Vet Was Now Coughing
At that moment, the veterinarian started coughing as well. Coughing every now and then might be normal, but according to NHS, one ought to speak to a general practitioner if it persists for over three weeks. Experiencing breath shortness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and coughing up blood are enough reasons to get a check-up.
In this case, it was evident that something odd was going on. It could be that the creature was making the animal doctor sick too. To get an answer, experts and authorities needed to act fast and get to the place where the creature was discovered.
Sending Out a Team
A team was soon sent off into the forest. Meanwhile, the veterinarian, the woman with the vehicle, and Jessy were driven to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment. Blood samples had to be taken first, though, to determine how exactly they could be treated.
Blood tests are essential in measuring or examining cells, proteins, chemicals, or other substances in the blood. Blood testing, otherwise known as blood work, is among the most standard types of lab tests and is often incorporated as part of a routine check-up. Since it can help diagnose specific diseases and conditions, it is indeed a must for the three to get their blood drawn.
Fainting Spells
While still in the ambulance, Jessy ended up passing out. Fainting occurs when the blood flow to the brain drops. If our brains don't get the blood (and essentially, the oxygen) it needs, it can lead to losing consciousness and falling down. It's fascinating, in a counterintuitive way, how fainting is the body's way of attempting to recover.
Of course, nobody thought it would get as serious as this. Sadly, Jessy's folks weren't even allowed to attend to her due to the risk of spreading whatever condition she had. In fact, the three were placed in a containment unit to be observed.
Scaring the Search Team
As for the search team, they got to the forest site in no time. They were horrified by what greeted them. The location where Jessy discovered the creature was completely lifeless. Each tree and plant in the proximity were dead; it was catastrophic.
The death of forest trees is referred to as tree mortality, which can be used as a measure of forest health. Healthy trees prematurely dying can be brought on by drought and other intense weather events or by climate-activated outbreaks of pests in degenerating forests. A general rise in tree mortality has been documented in many forest types worldwide within the past decades.
Must Be Contained
The Eos Data Analytics website states that tree disease control is one of the major activities in forestry. This is because forests weather out numerous pathogens, pest invasions, and nutrient deficiencies. Tree diseases, whatever the cause, risks forest health and affect any affiliated industry.
The team of experts knew they needed to be extra cautious so they wouldn't harm themselves. The first thing they had to do was contain the spread, and they tried to do so by forming a safe circle surrounding the spot. Some of them were even too terrified to get close, but they needed to accomplish one more thing.
Collecting Samples
The search team had to collect some samples so that they could be brought to the lab for further examination. A brave officer had taken it upon himself to acquire them and travel to the lab on his own. He needed to drive fast since he heard that Jessy's state was getting worse.
Medical News Today says it can take several minutes and up to a week, depending on the kind, for blood test results to come back. It is also typical to wait for one to two days for most o them to be available. Jessy's examination clearly produced quick results.
Road Closure
With the help of multiple vehicles, the officer who volunteered was quickly escorted to the lab. He was brave enough to drive alone, but good people came to his aid. All the routes in the vicinity were closed down, and an actual team effort came about to ensure everything would go as speedy as possible. Within more or less 15 minutes, the officer finally reached the laboratory.
If you also want to be able to travel seamlessly, checking the conditions before going on a trip would be the best thing to do. As per Avail Car Sharing, different apps can be utilized, from Waze to Google Maps.
A Matter of Containment
The volunteer was taken inside by some doctors in hazmat suits, and he himself was put in containment. Outside of this matter, the initial concept of containment was utilized to suspend the expansion of Soviet communism all over the world. It also prevented direct confrontation between Russia and the United States as a way of evading an atomic war.
Jessy and the rest of the people involved were in a different sort of war, and the sample brought by the volunteer officer might just put an end to it all. However, they needed to deal with the huge creature still locked in the veterinarian's spare room.
Praying For A Good Outcome
Are you someone who believes in the power of prayer? If yes, you might be part of the 45% of Americans and a majority of Christians at 55% that say they depend heavily on prayer and personal religious reflection in making significant life choices. These statistics came from a 2014 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.
The reason we're asking is that all everybody could do at that point was pray and hope that the experts could quickly come up with a solution. More people reached the vet's office, but only certain ones were authorized to enter. Then, they received a buzz from the health department.
They Had to Burn It
The experts couldn't ensure that the creature could be transported safely. They didn't want to take a chance, and after collecting the sample, there was no need for it anymore. Apparently, there was no other choice but to burn the creature.
We usually hear about first-degree burns that only affect the skin's outer layer, causing redness, swelling, and pain. As for second-degree burns, the outer and underlying layers of skin are affected. Meanwhile, deep layers of skin are involved in third-degree burns. As if that's not painful enough, we have fourth-degree burns extending into fat, fifth-degree burns into muscle, and sixth-degree burns to the bone.
Transported
Another reason why they didn't want to risk transporting the creature is that it wasn't even supposed to be where Jessy found it. The researchers determined that it didn't even come from this side of the world. It might have been transported by plane from a different nation. They sent out their findings to numerous countries to see if more information was out there.
A 2022 online article on the Harvard Medical website spoke of the diseases that have been taking flight. And one major player that has been providing opportunities for insects and other animals to spread contagious illnesses to new hosts is climate change.
Receiving Another Call
They only had to wait for a while before they got a call from another nation's health department. Surprisingly, they were able to recognize the creature. An outbreak took place in their country, too, and they confirmed to the researchers that it had to be burned. After all, they quickly burned everything that had contact with the creature, even the affected site.
Another team was sent to the woods once more to burn everything down locally. They also did the same for the clothing of the people that had contact with the creature that they were informed to be a hazardous insect!
The Window of Survival
Unknown to Jessy, the creature she 'saved' was a dangerous disease-spreading insect. It can greatly damage the environment and can even make a lot of people sick, the same as the vet and the woman with the car. Time was ticking, and they quickly had to get the rest of the results for the blood samples.
Insect-borne illnesses are viral and bacterial diseases from bug bites. The most typical critters that pass on sickness are mosquitoes, fleas, sand flies, and ticks. For instance, mosquitoes have been known to spread the Zika virus, malaria, and yellow fever, while ticks do the same with Lyme disease.
Time to Work Together
Some research departments took it upon themselves to work together in helping Jessy as well as the rest o those infected. News outlets also picked up the story to disseminate information about what was happening. Within an hour, they received lots of concerned calls from other folks experiencing the same symptoms.
There's actually a branch of medicine that deals with the signs and symptoms of an illness. It's called symptomatology, otherwise called semiology, which is a study that also includes the signs of disease. Symptoms are manifestations of disease evident to the patient himself, while signs are manifestations of the disease that the doctor senses.
Getting Out of Hand
Just when we thought things could not get any more serious, numerous hospitals were swiftly converted into emergency shelters. The medical experts needed to find a cure and fast. The situation couldn't stay this way for long since it would be detrimental to the public's safety.
To be clear about it, legal scholars characterize public safety as "the protection of the general public." These people have referenced groups like police officials, emergency medical technicians or EMTs, and firefighters as Public Safety Officers. In fact, a lot of governments have developed their policies on this idea of safeguarding people's physical welfare.
Leaving Behind Eggs
Soon enough, the creature was torched in the room it was put into. As if in a twist of horror, they discovered that it had laid eggs. It became clear then why a myriad of people was experiencing identical symptoms. Tracking down where these eggs went was a must.
Many insects breed by laying eggs, which is known as oviparity. In a lot of circumstances, female insects lay their eggs either singularly or in batches in a suitable location. For instance, the females of some mosquito species lay eggs in the shape of a floating raft on water that can hold over 250 eggs.
Dial the Hotline
Officials opened up a national hotline for anybody to reach them in regard to any information. They received a lot of calls, and people even got outside in groups to hunt down these insects. They discovered a bunch of them in the city center and on the edge of the woods.
Eventually, everything was seemingly contained. They now had to focus on finding the cure—and no, we're not talking about the alternative rock band behind the hit song "The Same Deep Water as You." The other nation that aided them had already sent an aircraft with medication to delay the process, but they hadn't discovered a remedy yet.
Mom and Dad Were Immune
By a stroke of luck, it seemed like Jessy's mom, and dad were immune from the disease brought on by the insect. The ScienceDirect website describes immunity as an expansive subject that's deserving of its own encyclopedia. It can be defined as an intricate biological system gifted with the ability to identify and tolerate whatever belongs to the body and to recognize and defect what's foreign to it.
Medical experts took blood samples from Jessy's folks to reproduce the antibodies, which were then injected into their daughter's arm. After a couple of hours of waiting, Jessy finally awakened and was on her way to recovery.
Finding Out The Actual Truth
Jessy couldn't help but ask about what was going on. She was also curious to know where the creature was. The doctors didn't keep the real story from her, so the kid was completely stunned. She felt terrible that her actions led to such outcomes, but the medical practitioners calmed her down.
Speaking of outcomes, it was amazing how they were able to find a cure that quickly. They must have employed the aid of healthcare science staff that work in the Infection Science field since they can identify bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that normally lead to infectious illnesses.
Saving the Nation
In a way, Jessy had, in fact, saved the whole nation by containing the insect before it could multiply and spread sickness. Ultimately, though, the authorities found out that somebody had left the creature in the forest to teach the government a hard lesson. The culprit was part of a bigger group, and all of its members were charged with jeopardizing the public's safety.
Going back to Jessy, as soon as she was fully recovered, she was summoned to the president's office to receive a medal. As a kid, she couldn't believe that this was all actually happening. Can you believe it, too?
A Cautionary Tale
Well, as it turns out, this story is actually a mere cautionary tale. It didn't really happen in real life, as per the subreddit r/savedyouaclick. Nonetheless, it serves as a mirror to the recent events in human history, which is actually more complicated than this story.
In late 2019, a deadly virus began spreading in different countries of the world. By 2020, practically the entire globe was forcefully put under lockdown to contain the disease until vaccines were formulated to help us transition toward our 'New Normal.' May Jessy's story remind us that, despite whatever hardships may come our way as a community, we can survive them if we work together.