In Bedford County, Virginia, an encounter with a swamp nearly turned into a nightmare for the Bean family.
This past Tuesday, February 21, Megan Bean went out for a nighttime walk around their property with her two sons, Malachi and Matthew.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Malachi unwittingly stepped into a swamp on the property.
"When I stepped in it, I sunk down," the 6-year-old boy said.
"When he got in waist deep, immediately I knew that it could turn into a very dangerous situation," said Bean.
She quickly went in after him, but underestimating the power of the swamp, she began to sink in as well.
Then she decided to get out and leave Malachi there, so she could try and get some help. She first grabbed a branch to try and anchor him back onto solid ground.
"As much as my mommy heart wanted to run in there and go grab him, I knew that wouldn't help anybody," she said. "I saw that Malachi was really shaking, and he was really cold and getting nervous, and he was barely able to hold onto the branch."
It was Matthew who ended up running back into the house and calling the authorities.
Rescue crews arrived 15 minutes later and, with the help of a ladder, were able to free Malachi.
Bean said the boys now know never to set foot near the swamp again.
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