Just a bunch of camels, right? Yeah, but there is something lurking under those waters.

For some background, this is a photo of Guelta d’Archei, an oasis located four-day journey across barren sands of the Sahara Desert from the capital of Chad, n’Djamena. Every day hundreds of camel from caravans water in these waters, excuse the pun. Which is why the water is black. From camel poop. There is no escape for the poop-water so it simply festers. Algae feeds on the camel poop and, in turn, fish feed on the algae. But that is not the top of the food chain in this not-so-pristine oasis. There is a colony of Nile crocodile in these waters which feed on the fish. Yes, crocodiles. They are the last of the crocodiles which inhabited the Sahara when it was a lush land. But that was then. This is now. What’s the real-world lesson here? Not everything is as it seems. There is always something lurking in the shadows, so to speak. Or, in the case of Guelta d’Archei, in the poop-filled waters. So, next time someone tells you that something is ‘as clear as the nose on your face,’ don’t be too sure. [See my books at https://authormasterminds.com/master-of-the-impossible-crime. See my webinar at http://bit.ly/2zjyiYG.]