Seconds later they bumped against one of the posts, and Hal instinctively reached for it, his mouth hanging open.
Glancing around, he caught a flash of white, and then the water swelled as massive scaly coils broke the surface and the monster circled around.
The boys scrambled onto the jetty, bumping heads in their hurry to get off the raft. The moment they were clear, the serpent raised its head out of the water once more and descended on them. Hal and Robbie yelled and crouched low, knowing it was already too late . . .
But nothing happened except a loud splash. Hal felt cold seawater spatter over him, and he jerked upright and snapped his eyes open. Where had the monster gone? There—gliding away through the fog, receding into the distance . . . with the small, pathetic raft perched at an angle on its head. In half a minute it faded into the gloom, and everything was quiet.
Hal and Robbie stared in stunned silence.
Chapter Five
Startling news
Abigail came pounding along the jetty, her face white. “The sea serpent! That was the sea serpent!”
Robbie climbed to his feet. “No, really? What, that giant monster in the sea that nearly ate us alive just now? Never!”
“Are you okay, Hal?” Abigail said, ignoring Robbie and looking down at where Hal sat on the jetty. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
Hal puffed out his cheeks and got up. “So now we know the sea serpent exists. I just can’t believe it didn’t eat us.”
“What
happened
out there?” Abigail asked. “I couldn’t see anything through the fog, but I heard shouts—and was that Robbie screaming like a girl?”
Robbie’s face turned red. “I wasn’t screaming, just yelling. Hal gave the serpent a whack on the chin, but then it snatched the shovel right out of his hands and crunched it up. So I got annoyed and threw mine at it. Caught it in the eye.”
Hal glanced with surprise at his friend, and started to grin.
“Really?” Abigail said skeptically. “And it was so frightened that it decided to bring you back safe and sound?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out,” Hal said. “Why’d it bring us back? You reckon it’s some sort of guard, to keep us on the island?”
Abigail turned and gazed at him with an expression he couldn’t fathom. “You could be right. And if that’s true—why? Is it there for our protection, to keep us from sailing out into the fog and getting lost? Or do you think it’s there to keep all of us prisoners?”
“Prisoners!” Robbie looked scornful. “What, our parents too?”
“It explains why they’ve never tried to leave,” Abigail went on, staring out into the fog over the sea. “Yes, maybe we’re all prisoners. It fits with another theory I have.”
Robbie turned away, shaking his head. “You’re crazy,” he mumbled. “It’s just some giant snake in the water that wasn’t hungry. We got lucky.”
“And that’s why it brought you back to the jetty and took the raft away?” Abigail said. She clicked her tongue. “Come on, Robbie, I know there’s a brain in there somewhere. Try using it for a change.”
Hal shivered. His jeans were wet and cold, and standing around talking wasn’t helping. “Let’s go,” he said. “Tell me this theory of yours, Abi.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Robbie said. “She doesn’t know anything.”
However, Abigail looked pleased. “You really want to hear? Okay.” She walked alongside Hal, leaving Robbie to tail behind. “We imagine Out There as some huge place full of thousands of people living in tall buildings, right? Like in the pictures we’ve seen. But the adults don’t talk about it, and when they do, they mention stuff like crazy people living in ruins, as if there’s nothing left anymore, just some dead place we couldn’t ever live in. Well, maybe all that’s a big lie to stop us wanting to go visit. And maybe the sea serpent is there in case we ever get it into our heads to try leaving the island.”
“I
Glancing around, he caught a flash of white, and then the water swelled as massive scaly coils broke the surface and the monster circled around.
The boys scrambled onto the jetty, bumping heads in their hurry to get off the raft. The moment they were clear, the serpent raised its head out of the water once more and descended on them. Hal and Robbie yelled and crouched low, knowing it was already too late . . .
But nothing happened except a loud splash. Hal felt cold seawater spatter over him, and he jerked upright and snapped his eyes open. Where had the monster gone? There—gliding away through the fog, receding into the distance . . . with the small, pathetic raft perched at an angle on its head. In half a minute it faded into the gloom, and everything was quiet.
Hal and Robbie stared in stunned silence.
Chapter Five
Startling news
Abigail came pounding along the jetty, her face white. “The sea serpent! That was the sea serpent!”
Robbie climbed to his feet. “No, really? What, that giant monster in the sea that nearly ate us alive just now? Never!”
“Are you okay, Hal?” Abigail said, ignoring Robbie and looking down at where Hal sat on the jetty. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
Hal puffed out his cheeks and got up. “So now we know the sea serpent exists. I just can’t believe it didn’t eat us.”
“What
happened
out there?” Abigail asked. “I couldn’t see anything through the fog, but I heard shouts—and was that Robbie screaming like a girl?”
Robbie’s face turned red. “I wasn’t screaming, just yelling. Hal gave the serpent a whack on the chin, but then it snatched the shovel right out of his hands and crunched it up. So I got annoyed and threw mine at it. Caught it in the eye.”
Hal glanced with surprise at his friend, and started to grin.
“Really?” Abigail said skeptically. “And it was so frightened that it decided to bring you back safe and sound?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out,” Hal said. “Why’d it bring us back? You reckon it’s some sort of guard, to keep us on the island?”
Abigail turned and gazed at him with an expression he couldn’t fathom. “You could be right. And if that’s true—why? Is it there for our protection, to keep us from sailing out into the fog and getting lost? Or do you think it’s there to keep all of us prisoners?”
“Prisoners!” Robbie looked scornful. “What, our parents too?”
“It explains why they’ve never tried to leave,” Abigail went on, staring out into the fog over the sea. “Yes, maybe we’re all prisoners. It fits with another theory I have.”
Robbie turned away, shaking his head. “You’re crazy,” he mumbled. “It’s just some giant snake in the water that wasn’t hungry. We got lucky.”
“And that’s why it brought you back to the jetty and took the raft away?” Abigail said. She clicked her tongue. “Come on, Robbie, I know there’s a brain in there somewhere. Try using it for a change.”
Hal shivered. His jeans were wet and cold, and standing around talking wasn’t helping. “Let’s go,” he said. “Tell me this theory of yours, Abi.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Robbie said. “She doesn’t know anything.”
However, Abigail looked pleased. “You really want to hear? Okay.” She walked alongside Hal, leaving Robbie to tail behind. “We imagine Out There as some huge place full of thousands of people living in tall buildings, right? Like in the pictures we’ve seen. But the adults don’t talk about it, and when they do, they mention stuff like crazy people living in ruins, as if there’s nothing left anymore, just some dead place we couldn’t ever live in. Well, maybe all that’s a big lie to stop us wanting to go visit. And maybe the sea serpent is there in case we ever get it into our heads to try leaving the island.”
“I
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