Did you know that there were cavemen in Bermuda? Well there are! I know because I found one.It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, a week before Christmas, when I was fishing on the rocks at Spittal Pond with my dog Fielder. We were enjoying ourselves with the crisp cool wind whirling around us, the warm bright sun glistening across the clear still waters and my boom box blazing chipmunk carol tunes.Just as I was about to catch another fish, I turned around and Fielder wasn't next to me. I quickly got to my feet, dropping the line into the sea. I searched everywhere, but still couldn't find him. I walked back to my fishing spot and sat down thinking of my wonderful dog, and wondering where he could possibly be. I started to pack up my fishing gear when suddenly I heard a loud bark come from the rocks about 50 yards away.I rushed toward the sound of my dog when suddenly I saw an entrance to a cave! I had heard that there were caves along the shoreline at Spittal Pond and I had been fishing along these shores for about a year but had never actually seen any caves there.With my heart pounding in my chest, I walked slowly into the cave one nervous step at a time. I was basically in the middle of the cave, when I found an old tramp with Fielder a couple of feet away from him. I screamed to the top of my lungs and grabbing my dog, sprinted out of the cold and wet cave. With a tight grab on Fielder I pulled him to my fishing spot to get my things and ran all the way home. When I got home I put Fielder in his kennel and went inside the house. I was so shaken up by what I saw that I went straight to bed, not caring about supper. I didn't have a restful night as I tossed and turned all night long.I got up bright and early the next day and while I was playing with Fielder in my backyard, I kept thinking about the tramp in the cave. I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was a scary sight but, something in his eyes was very tender and friendly. Finally, curiosity grabbed hold of me and I felt that I had to go back to that cave! Off I went back to Spittal Pond, with my heart pumping in my chest, and Fielder at my side. When I got near my fishing spot, I tied Fielder to a tree and walked towards the cave.I nervously approached the cave, sweating all the while and barely breathing. I noticed a fire in the middle of the cave and sure enough, the old tramp was there. “Hello,” I said.In a very deep voice, the old tramp said, “Hello, come in. Don't be afraid.”I sat down at the mouth of the cave and took a long, hard look at the tramp. He was very tall, had a long and scruffy beard, and was wearing a torn up shirt and shorts. I also noticed that there were empty boxes, an old, dirty mattress that he obviously slept on, and other stuff all over the place. “Do you live here?” I asked.“Yes,” he said, with a little embarrassment in his voice.I asked, “Why do you live here, in this cave? Someone in your family must have a house that you can live in.”“I never had any children, my wife died and I lost my job a year ago,” he said. “My company relocated to Sweden and I couldn't find another job,” he said.“What is your name?” I asked.“Todd Fishers,” he said.“My name is Jeremiah Burchall, Mr Fishers,” I said.“You can call me Todd,” he announced. “Christmas is coming up, are you doing anything special for yourself?” I asked.“Nope, not really,” he replied. “It'll be just another day here in my own little world.”“Why don't you come to my house for Christmas?” I asked. “It'll be really fun and plus, my mom and dad are very welcoming.”“I hope so, because I don't want to feel like I'm a big werewolf in your house,” Todd replied.“Okay, I'll just go home and ask my mom if she's okay with the idea and come back tomorrow,” I said. ”See you tomorrow,” I said, and raced out of the cave. I untied Fielder and ran all the way home.When I got home, I went straight into the kitchen where my mom was making an enormous pot of stew. ”I found a caveman!” I exclaimed. “What are you talking about? There aren't any cavemen in Bermuda,” she said. “Yes there are and I want to have him over for Christmas,” I retorted.“Are you crazy or something? You definitely didn't find a caveman,” she said. “Maybe it was just your imagination.”“I really did find one and I can prove it to you,” I said, defiantly. “I'm coming right back, mom,” I said.“Okay, but don't be late for dinner!” she shouted.I ran down to the cave as fast as my little legs could take me and went straight into the cave. I saw that Todd was sleeping, so I quickly awakened him. “I want to take you to my house so my family can see you,” I explained.“Okay, let's go then,” said Todd. We left the cave and walked all the way to my house. I edged into the front door of my house, pulling Todd behind me. I turned left and headed to my kitchen to see my mom still cooking the stew. “Hi mom,” I said.“Hello honey,” she said and turned around to look at me.“Who is that you have there?” she asked in a startled voice.“This is the caveman I told you that I found,” I said.“Why did you bring him here then?” she asked. “I wanted to prove to you that cavemen are real,” I told her. “Can we let him spend Christmas with us?” I asked. Without hesitation my family welcomed Todd to stay for the holidays.Around the table on Christmas day were my family, including my three year old brother, Jonathan, and Todd. We had a typical Bermudian Christmas feast of cassava pie, turkey, ham, stuffing, Spanish rice, paw-paw casserole and macaroni and cheese. Todd told us stories of how he used to spend Christmas when he was a little boy. He said that his family used to cut down cedar trees and use them as Christmas trees and have a big dinner with his family and friends. We all ate heartily, even my finicky little brother, and our house was filled with the spirit of Christmas. We laughed, sang Christmas carols, played games and had a wonderful time. I know my new “caveman” friend enjoyed himself because right after dinner, he fell into a deep sleep on the couch, with a huge smile on his face.This was the best Christmas that I have ever had!!