Deadly Waters by Gloria Skurzynski Page B

nod.
    The three of them sprawled on the dock, gasping as they watched the fin circle the spot where the manatee had been only moments before.
    â€œThe shark’s going after the manatee and her baby,” Ashley said, her voice shaking.
    Grim, Jack nodded. “Probably drawn by the smell of blood.” They sat for a moment, staring, as the shape glided close, then farther away, like a phantom. Ashley drew her knees to her chest and thrust her chin on top, clutching her legs so tightly the skin on her fingers blanched white. Jack couldn’t tell whether she was crying or whether the drops running down her cheeks were dripping from her hair. “We can’t just sit and watch the baby get eaten,” she whimpered.
    Jack pointed in the direction of the circling shape. “Ashley, look at that thing—it’s six, maybe seven feet long. One bite could take off a limb. There’s nothing we can do.”
    â€œMaybe there is,” Bridger said quietly.
    Moving quickly, he flipped open the cooler and grabbed two six-packs of soda pop. “How good’s your aim?” he asked Jack, thrusting a cold can into Jack’s hand.
    â€œPretty good,” Jack answered. “Ashley’s, too. Why?”
    â€œOK. Let’s see if we can scare that thing away. Ashley, here’s one for you. On the count of three. One….”
    Jack cocked his arm. The silvery shadow was still circling, close to the dock, then farther out, then back again.
    â€œTwo….”
    He tried to anticipate how fast the shark was moving. Aiming for the fin, Jack targeted the water just ahead of the shark’s nose. By the time the can sailed through the air, it might make impact.
    â€œFire!”
    Three cans of soda pop sailed into the river, but only one, Ashley’s, came close to hitting the shark. Ashley’s can grazed its back, but the shark kept moving, its circle tightening.
    â€œAgain!” Bridger barked.
    Three more cans arced through the air. Three more hit with a big splash, but it was obvious that the water slowed the impact too much. The cans sank slowly, uselessly, to the bottom.
    â€œAgain!”
    â€œIt’s not working!” Ashley cried. “The shark doesn’t care, and for sure it’s not swimming away!”
    â€œWe need something else,” Jack said, looking around for something heavier, or sharper, that he could throw. If he’d been in Jackson Hole, he could have found plenty of rocks, but here, at the Watson Place, there were only leaves and silt. Feeling powerless, he watched the shark make another pass. He tried not to picture the baby manatee ripped by the shark’s fierce teeth, or the mother being torn at the site of her wounds.
    Ashley pounded her fist into her thigh. “We can’t let the manatee die. We saved her.”
    â€œYou’re right.” Without another word, Bridger grabbed Jack’s fishing pole. With a cannonball splash, he jumped into the water, his hand clutching his pole above his head like a sword. “Go! Get out of here!” he cried, smacking the fishing pole into the water.
    For a moment, Jack stood frozen, unable to believe that Bridger was risking his life. “Bridger—are you crazy?” he yelled.
    â€œAnimals are afraid of people,” Bridger hollered back. “You’ve got to show ’em who’s boss. Like bustin’ a bull.”
    â€œGet out! It’s not worth it!”
    With a whiplike motion, Bridger beat at the water. The shark’s attention was drawn to Bridger; instead of leaving, it moved closer. Its back barely skimmed the surface.
    â€œYeehaw!” Bridger screamed, hitting the bull shark squarely on the nose. “Git!”
    â€œI’m going to help him—” Ashley began, rising to her feet.
    â€œLike heck you are!” Jack grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto her bottom. “ No! ”
    â€œLet go of me, Jack. I said, let go! ”