SWIMMING AND DIVING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE .
“I guess I missed that.”
The girl sat down beside Ryan in the dirt. “I’m Rita Brown. You’re living in our grandpa’s old cabin.”
Ryan relaxed and slipped his shoes back on. “I’m Ryan Swanner. I was just gonna see what the water was like. Do you swim?”
“Used to,” Rita said, “until that diver got himself drowned last week. They’re still looking for his body. Ma says the owners of thelodge won’t allow any swimming till they find him. She doesn’t believe there’s a monster, but my granddaddy did. He said he saw it once and told my ma all about it. It looks just like the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, only bigger, and it waits out there for anybody stupid enough to go down too far.”
“Do
you
think there’s a monster?”
“Naw. It’s a story the locals made up years ago to draw tourists.” Rita tossed a stick into the water. “Some places have ghosts. Black Water has a monster.”
Ryan studied the lake with a frown. “If you don’t go out in the water, what do you do around here for fun?”
Rita jumped up. “Who says I don’t go out there? Come with me.”
Ryan followed Rita down the shore to a shallow inlet. Resting in a cluster of weeds was a beat-up rectangular wooden raft with a long rope anchoring it to a tree.
“We need to do some work on it before we can take it out again,” Rita said. “It leaks ’cause some of the boards are broken and loose. But when it works, the fishing’s better out from shore a ways.”
“Fishing?” Ryan raised one eyebrow. “What do you catch?”
“Everything. One time I caught a catfish that was so big, Ma had a hard time cooking it. Course that was a year or so ago. The big ones seem to have just about disappeared.”
Behind them something slapped the top of the lake hard. The sound echoed across the water.
“What was that?” Ryan turned and pointed to the disappearing ripples.
“It was probably one of those big catfish I was talking about.” Rita moved to the edge of the water. “We’ll catch him just as soon as we get this raft in shape.”
“Whatever it was, it sure left some big ripples in the water,” Ryan said. “They’re as big around as your grandfather’s cabin.”
Rita smiled at him. “Are you
scared
?” she asked teasingly.
Ryan looked her in the eye. “No way.”
Rita cocked her head. “Well, don’t let the ghost stories get to you. Tell you what. If you help me work on the raft, we’ll go out fishing on it. What do you say?”
“Let’s get started.”
THE ANCIENT ONE
Two anxious yellow eyes searched back and forth continuously. The Ancient One was hungry all the time now. The food supply was dwindling and anything large or small that dared disturb the calm waters was considered a meal
.
It remembered a time when there was no need to hunt, no need to gobble down the small schools of fish near the shore, and no need to venture any farther than the mouth of the caves. But even as it remembered, its empty stomach yearned to be satisfied
.
Wait. There was something. A tiny ratlike creature dangled in the water just above it
.
The Ancient One rose to the top
.
C HAPTER 3
“Remember to come down to the lodge for lunch. It’s only about a thirty-minute walk from here to the upper end of the lake. I’d like to show you off to the staff.” Ryan’s mother started the engine of the old car and waved as she pulled out of the drive.
Ryan waved back and then raced around the cabin and up the hill. On the other side of the hill was the large two-story yellow house where the Browns lived.
He trotted down the path and hopped uponto the porch. There was no doorbell so he knocked lightly and waited.
The door opened a few inches. A small, serious-looking little girl with short red hair stood there staring at him. “You’re the new boy.”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Is your sister home?”
“Who is it, Annie?” Rita came to the door. “Oh, hi, Ryan. Ready to
“I guess I missed that.”
The girl sat down beside Ryan in the dirt. “I’m Rita Brown. You’re living in our grandpa’s old cabin.”
Ryan relaxed and slipped his shoes back on. “I’m Ryan Swanner. I was just gonna see what the water was like. Do you swim?”
“Used to,” Rita said, “until that diver got himself drowned last week. They’re still looking for his body. Ma says the owners of thelodge won’t allow any swimming till they find him. She doesn’t believe there’s a monster, but my granddaddy did. He said he saw it once and told my ma all about it. It looks just like the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, only bigger, and it waits out there for anybody stupid enough to go down too far.”
“Do
you
think there’s a monster?”
“Naw. It’s a story the locals made up years ago to draw tourists.” Rita tossed a stick into the water. “Some places have ghosts. Black Water has a monster.”
Ryan studied the lake with a frown. “If you don’t go out in the water, what do you do around here for fun?”
Rita jumped up. “Who says I don’t go out there? Come with me.”
Ryan followed Rita down the shore to a shallow inlet. Resting in a cluster of weeds was a beat-up rectangular wooden raft with a long rope anchoring it to a tree.
“We need to do some work on it before we can take it out again,” Rita said. “It leaks ’cause some of the boards are broken and loose. But when it works, the fishing’s better out from shore a ways.”
“Fishing?” Ryan raised one eyebrow. “What do you catch?”
“Everything. One time I caught a catfish that was so big, Ma had a hard time cooking it. Course that was a year or so ago. The big ones seem to have just about disappeared.”
Behind them something slapped the top of the lake hard. The sound echoed across the water.
“What was that?” Ryan turned and pointed to the disappearing ripples.
“It was probably one of those big catfish I was talking about.” Rita moved to the edge of the water. “We’ll catch him just as soon as we get this raft in shape.”
“Whatever it was, it sure left some big ripples in the water,” Ryan said. “They’re as big around as your grandfather’s cabin.”
Rita smiled at him. “Are you
scared
?” she asked teasingly.
Ryan looked her in the eye. “No way.”
Rita cocked her head. “Well, don’t let the ghost stories get to you. Tell you what. If you help me work on the raft, we’ll go out fishing on it. What do you say?”
“Let’s get started.”
THE ANCIENT ONE
Two anxious yellow eyes searched back and forth continuously. The Ancient One was hungry all the time now. The food supply was dwindling and anything large or small that dared disturb the calm waters was considered a meal
.
It remembered a time when there was no need to hunt, no need to gobble down the small schools of fish near the shore, and no need to venture any farther than the mouth of the caves. But even as it remembered, its empty stomach yearned to be satisfied
.
Wait. There was something. A tiny ratlike creature dangled in the water just above it
.
The Ancient One rose to the top
.
C HAPTER 3
“Remember to come down to the lodge for lunch. It’s only about a thirty-minute walk from here to the upper end of the lake. I’d like to show you off to the staff.” Ryan’s mother started the engine of the old car and waved as she pulled out of the drive.
Ryan waved back and then raced around the cabin and up the hill. On the other side of the hill was the large two-story yellow house where the Browns lived.
He trotted down the path and hopped uponto the porch. There was no doorbell so he knocked lightly and waited.
The door opened a few inches. A small, serious-looking little girl with short red hair stood there staring at him. “You’re the new boy.”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Is your sister home?”
“Who is it, Annie?” Rita came to the door. “Oh, hi, Ryan. Ready to
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