lilies and splattered water all over me, it surfaced not ten feet from my boat, to eye me with a glare.
I’d thought Susan’s odders were as ugly as things came, but this topped them without even trying. Even through the mist, I could see it now.
Like Susan’s Monster, it had that same old-boot-shaped head, the same flopping mule ears, streaming water now. What I’d taken for its head in the glimpse I’d gotten the previous night was actually the most unbelievable set of antlers I’d ever seen in my life, like huge gnarled up-raised palms. What Stirzaker had taken for grasping hands, I realized—only at the moment they were filled to the brim with a tangle of scarlet water lilies. From its throat, a flap of flesh dangled dripping like a wet beard.
It stared at me with solemn black eyes and munched thoughtfully on the nearest of the dangling lilies. The drifting pollen was slowly turning it to gold.
I swear I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
For a moment, I just stared, and it stared back, looking away only long enough to tilt another lily into its mouth. Then I remembered what I was there for and raised the snagger. I got it first try, snapped the snagger to retrieve.
The thing jerked back, glared, then let out a bellow that Mike must have heard back in the lab. It started to swim closer.
Page 22
“BACK OFF!” I bellowed. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was angered, just nosy, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way. I raised the flare gun.
From the distance came the sound of splashing oars. “Annie!” Leo yelled. “I’m coming. Hang on!”
The creature backpedaled in the water and cocked its head, lilies and all, toward the sound of Leo’s boat. Interested all over again, it started that way at a very efficient paddle. I got a glimpse of a hump just at the shoulders, followed by the curve of a rump, followed by a tiny flop of tail like a deer’s. The same view Pastides had gotten, no doubt.
Suddenly, from the direction of Leo’s boat, there came the clamor of a bell. The creature backpedaled again, ears twitching.
With a splash of utter panic, the creature turned around in the water, dived for cover, and swam for shore. I could hear it crash into the undergrowth even over the clanging of the bell.
“Enough, Leo, enough! It’s gone!” He shut up with the bell and we called to each other until he found me through the mist. I’m sorry to say, by the time he pulled alongside, I was laughing so hard there were tears streaming down my cheeks.
Leo’s face—what I could see of it—went through about three changes of expression in as many seconds. He laid aside his bell—it was a big, bronze beastly-scarebell—and sighed with relief.
He too was gold from all the pollen.
I wiped my eyes and grinned at him. “I wish I could say, ‘Saved by the bell,’ but the thing wasn’t really a danger. Clumsy maybe. Possibly aggressive if annoyed, but—” I burst into laughter again.
Leo said amiably, “I’m sure you’ll tell me about it when you get your breath back.”
I nodded. Pulling in the sample the snagger had caught, I waved him toward the shore. When we were halfway up the hill to the lodge, I said, “Please, Leo, don’t ask until I can check my sample.”
He spread his hands. “At least I know it’s not a plesiosaur.”
I had the urge again—and found the laughter had worn down to hiccupping giggles.
When we got to the lodge, I didn’t have to yell for them—we got surrounded the moment we hit the porch. Elly did a full body check on both of us, which meant she wound up as pollen-covered as we were.
“Susan,” I said through the chaos of a dozen questions at once, “run that for me.
Let’s see what we’ve got.” I held out the sample.
“Me?” Susan squeaked.
“You,” I said. I took Leo’s arm, well above the rifle, and said, “We want some eats, and then I want to see Susan’s results from this morning.”
I cued the computer over a bowl of
I’d thought Susan’s odders were as ugly as things came, but this topped them without even trying. Even through the mist, I could see it now.
Like Susan’s Monster, it had that same old-boot-shaped head, the same flopping mule ears, streaming water now. What I’d taken for its head in the glimpse I’d gotten the previous night was actually the most unbelievable set of antlers I’d ever seen in my life, like huge gnarled up-raised palms. What Stirzaker had taken for grasping hands, I realized—only at the moment they were filled to the brim with a tangle of scarlet water lilies. From its throat, a flap of flesh dangled dripping like a wet beard.
It stared at me with solemn black eyes and munched thoughtfully on the nearest of the dangling lilies. The drifting pollen was slowly turning it to gold.
I swear I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
For a moment, I just stared, and it stared back, looking away only long enough to tilt another lily into its mouth. Then I remembered what I was there for and raised the snagger. I got it first try, snapped the snagger to retrieve.
The thing jerked back, glared, then let out a bellow that Mike must have heard back in the lab. It started to swim closer.
Page 22
“BACK OFF!” I bellowed. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was angered, just nosy, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way. I raised the flare gun.
From the distance came the sound of splashing oars. “Annie!” Leo yelled. “I’m coming. Hang on!”
The creature backpedaled in the water and cocked its head, lilies and all, toward the sound of Leo’s boat. Interested all over again, it started that way at a very efficient paddle. I got a glimpse of a hump just at the shoulders, followed by the curve of a rump, followed by a tiny flop of tail like a deer’s. The same view Pastides had gotten, no doubt.
Suddenly, from the direction of Leo’s boat, there came the clamor of a bell. The creature backpedaled again, ears twitching.
With a splash of utter panic, the creature turned around in the water, dived for cover, and swam for shore. I could hear it crash into the undergrowth even over the clanging of the bell.
“Enough, Leo, enough! It’s gone!” He shut up with the bell and we called to each other until he found me through the mist. I’m sorry to say, by the time he pulled alongside, I was laughing so hard there were tears streaming down my cheeks.
Leo’s face—what I could see of it—went through about three changes of expression in as many seconds. He laid aside his bell—it was a big, bronze beastly-scarebell—and sighed with relief.
He too was gold from all the pollen.
I wiped my eyes and grinned at him. “I wish I could say, ‘Saved by the bell,’ but the thing wasn’t really a danger. Clumsy maybe. Possibly aggressive if annoyed, but—” I burst into laughter again.
Leo said amiably, “I’m sure you’ll tell me about it when you get your breath back.”
I nodded. Pulling in the sample the snagger had caught, I waved him toward the shore. When we were halfway up the hill to the lodge, I said, “Please, Leo, don’t ask until I can check my sample.”
He spread his hands. “At least I know it’s not a plesiosaur.”
I had the urge again—and found the laughter had worn down to hiccupping giggles.
When we got to the lodge, I didn’t have to yell for them—we got surrounded the moment we hit the porch. Elly did a full body check on both of us, which meant she wound up as pollen-covered as we were.
“Susan,” I said through the chaos of a dozen questions at once, “run that for me.
Let’s see what we’ve got.” I held out the sample.
“Me?” Susan squeaked.
“You,” I said. I took Leo’s arm, well above the rifle, and said, “We want some eats, and then I want to see Susan’s results from this morning.”
I cued the computer over a bowl of
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