The Creature of Black Water Lake

by Gary Paulsen

  “I hope your luck is better than mine has been,” Larry said. “The fishing around here has been pretty bad lately.”

  “Maybe it’s because of the monster,” Ryan said with a laugh.

  “That’s what the old-timers are blaming it on. But I think it’s the plant life. I’ve been doing some tests in different areas on the bottom—”

  “You’ve been to the bottom?” Ryan couldn’t believe it. “Didn’t you hear about that other diver?”

  “Oh, sure. But accidents happen. To tell you the truth, I don’t really have much faith in the monster legend. It’s a nice story, but not too many prehistoric creatures are still alive after two hundred and fifty million years. And if they were, I doubt they’d be living at the bottom of a lake.”

  “Really? Well, I guess worrying about a monster is the last way I wanted to spend my summer,” Ryan said.

  “Let me know if you catch anything tomorrow.” Larry took out his order pad. “I guess I better get back to work before your mom fires me. It was nice meeting you, Ryan.”

  “You too.”

  “Here you go.” Ryan’s mother came out of the kitchen with a brown bag. “Well, what do you think of the restaurant?”

  “It’s great! Larry seems real nice, too.”

  “He is. In fact, the whole staff is. And I’m glad things are working out for you, too. Bring Rita down sometime and have lunch on me.”

  As Ryan left the restaurant, he thought over what Larry had told him. Larry sure seemed to know what he was talking about.

  But what kind of lake is completely fishless? thought Ryan.

  THE ANCIENT ONE

  The black water was murky. Billowy clouds of soil hung in the water because of the recent disturbance in the area.

  The cold eyes below the surface were used to these conditions. The Ancient One could still easily spot its prey hanging from the tree branch overhead. The prey was making loud noises and seemed to be unaware of the Ancient One’s presence.

  Quietly it waited. Hoping. Perhaps the animal would slip, or the tree limb would break. The expectation made the Ancient One quiver in anticipation. Juices released from somewhere deep inside its body made their way to its mouth.

  A noise distracted it. Another, smaller animal was thrashing about in the water a few yards away. The long neck of the Ancient One flexed and its large head snaked forward. Curved teeth fastened like a vise and it was over. The animal struggled for less than a second; then it was swiftly and effortlessly dragged to the bottom.

  CHAPTER 5

  Ryan was trying to decide whether he should start without Rita. The pitch was dry and the only thing left to do was to put the raft on the water and see if it would float.

  It was early. The sun was barely up. Ryan checked his bait again and put his fishing gear next to a tree. He spotted a huge pine with branches that leaned out several feet over the water.

  The tree was easy to climb. He swung out onto one of the lower branches and looked down into the water. It was cloudy and for some reason an odd shiver ran through him. He started to climb back.

  “I used to have a rope on that one!” Rita yelled from the bushes, nearly making Ryan fall. “But the lake patrol made me take it down.”

  Ryan spotted his friend on the shore. “I can see why. It would be perfect for swinging out into the water.” He pulled himself up on top of the branch. “I used to have one a lot like it back home.”

  In a nearby tree Ryan saw a fat squirrel run out to the edge of a branch. The branch was low on the tree and reached out over the lake. The squirrel looked as though it was about to jump into the lake, using the branch as a diving board.

  Ryan smiled at the funny creature and started to climb down. Suddenly there was a splash, and Ryan turned just in time to see the squirrel disappear into the water.

  A larger than normal wave hit the shore and then rolled back.

  “What the—?” Ryan watched the place where the squirrel had gone down, but it never surfaced. “That was weird. Almost like something reached up and got it.”

  “What?” Rita had her back to the water and was looking through her tackle box.

  “That squirrel. It just fell into the water and disappeared out there.”

  “Hmmm. Really?” Rita said distractedly. What kind of bait did you bring?”

  Ryan opened his bait box. “We didn’t really have a lot to choose from. I brought cheese, corn, and some worms. What do they bite around here?”

  “To tell you the truth, I haven’t caught much of anything in a long time. But back when they were biting, I did my best work with goldfish.” She patted a metal can. “I’ve got plenty for both of us.”

  “Great. Let’s get out there.” Ryan untied the rope from the tree and helped Rita carry the raft to the water. They flipped it over and set it down gently.

  “I’ll go first,” Rita said. “You can hand me the oars and the fishing gear.” She stepped onto the raft and waited for Ryan to collect everything.

  They each took an oar and pushed off. The raft slowly floated away from shore.

  “How far out do we go?” Ryan asked.

  “It won’t do any good to go too far out. This ought to about do it.” Rita pulled her oar out of the water and grabbed her fishing pole. “Make sure you’re using a pretty strong line. It doesn’t happen very often, but when one of those big catfish gets on, it really gives you a time.”

  Ryan checked his line and hooks and reached for some bait. He was about to cast when something moved in the water below. He blinked and looked again. There it was, inches below the surface—a giant head with sinister yellow eyes staring back at him.

  “It’s true!” Ryan shouted. He threw his pole down on the raft and grabbed an oar. “Row, Rita! There’s something down there.”

  Rita froze. Before them, something huge and snakelike slithered through the water near the raft and disappeared. Then a massive flat black flipper slapped the surface of the water, leaving enormous ripples like the ones they’d seen the day before.

  The wake sent a wave of water crashing over the top of the raft and tossed it around like a tiny paper boat. It was all they could do to keep from falling into the lake.

  Then there was nothing. The water was dead calm. The thing was gone.

  A few feet from the shore, Ryan leaped from the raft and landed on the soft shore sand with Rita close behind.

  They sat for several minutes, not saying a word, just shaking and breathing hard and staring at the water. Finally Rita spoke in a trembling voice. “It was bigger than a house. Did you see it?”

  Ryan nodded dully. “I saw it. I looked it right in the eyes. They were round and yellow. I’ve never seen anything so terrible in all my life. It was like looking at … death.”

  CHAPTER 6

  “Larry, can I talk to you a minute?” Ryan pulled the waiter to the nearest vacant table in the restaurant. “I need your help.” “Can it wait until I deliver this food to those people over there? They look like good tippers.”

  “Sorry. Sure, I’ll just sit here till you’re through.”

  After a minute Larry returned with a friendly smile. He settled into an empty chair at Ryan’s table. “So what’s going on?”

  Ryan swallowed. “I’ve seen it.”

  “It?”

  “The monster.”

  Larry cocked his head. “What exactly did you see?”

  “Remember I told you my friend and I were going to take a raft out on the lake?”

  Larry nodded.

  “Well, we did. And all of a sudden this thing, like a giant snake, swam through the water. It had a flipper on the end of its tail and its head was huge, with big yellow eyes on either side.”

  Larry ran his hand through his hair. “How many of you saw it?”

  “Two of us. We saw it real clear.”

  Larry tapped the table, thinking. “Are you sure your friend wasn’t just pulling a good joke on you? You are the new kid in town. Maybe it was some kind of
initiation prank.”

  “It wasn’t a joke. Here.” Ryan took the pen from Larry’s order pad and drew on a napkin. “This is what I saw.”

  “That’s not a lot to go on, Ryan,” Larry said, studying the drawing.

  “It is if you put it together with what Rita says other people have seen. The monster really is there.”

  “Okay. Suppose I buy your story. What do you want me to do?”

  “You said you were a marine biologist. You probably know some scientists or professor types who would be interested in this thing. Maybe we could catch it or something.”

  “I said I was studying to become a marine biologist.” Larry sighed. “Tell you what. I do have one professor who might be interested. He has this theory about ancient sea creatures being trapped inland in ponds and lakes when the glaciers receded. I’ve always thought he was sort of eccentric but I’ll give him a call and see what he says. In the meantime, you and your friend stay out of the water and keep an eye on the place you saw the monster come up—just in case it was your imagination. Sometimes the mind has a way of playing tricks on you.”

  “Thanks, Larry. But the monster’s no trick. It’s as real as me and you.”

  THE ANCIENT ONE

  There were strange vibrations in the water. Something large had entered the lake. The Ancient One quickly swallowed the warm furry creature it had intended to drag away to its lair and rose to the top to investigate.

  It made a pass underneath the intruder, which was wide and flat and big enough to block out the sunlight. But the intruder didn’t smell like food—or did it?

  Finally the Ancient One decided this thing was no different than the large floating objects at the other end of the lake. Only it didn’t churn up the water and leave dark smelly clouds in the air. The Ancient One angrily sped past the thing that was not food, slapping the surface with its tail fin to show its frustration.

  CHAPTER 7

  Ryan walked down the row of one-room cabins that had been built to house The Cove’s summer employees. He spotted number nine and knocked on the door.

  “Come in. I’m on the phone.”

  He opened the door and Larry motioned for him to enter. Ryan looked for a place to sit down. There was a single unmade bed pushed up against the front wall, a small round table covered with books, and two chairs.

  The cover of a thick book on the table caught Ryan’s eye. Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. He sat down and saw several newspaper clippings. One headline read, “Giant Leatherback Turtle Found in Bottomless Pond.” Another said, “Largest Eel in History of North America Found Washed up on Shore.”

  Larry hung up the phone and rubbed his hands together. “Dr. Townsend is sending us some equipment. He’s the professor I told you about. He’s willing to go out on a limb, hoping it will prove some of his theories.”

  “What’s all this?” Ryan picked up one of the clippings. “I thought you said you didn’t believe in the monster.”

  “I said I didn’t have a lot of faith in it,” Larry said sheepishly. “But I figured it couldn’t hurt to stay on top of what other people have seen just in case.”

  “When is the stuff supposed to get here?”

  “End of the week. Which means we have a lot of work to do between now and then. Your mom could only give me a few days off. We have to get my boat ready and do as many interviews as possible.”

  “Interviews?”

  “Of people who claim to have seen the monster. You know the old-timers around here all have stories to tell. Our job will be to sort out the tall tales and see what’s left.”

  “Why don’t you just take Rita’s and my word for it?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. The scientific world needs facts, and plenty of them. But don’t worry, we’ll interview Rita too.” Larry handed Ryan a motorcycle helmet. “How are you at hanging on?”

  “Good—I think.”

  Larry grabbed a tape recorder off a shelf over his bed. “Then let’s go. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and a short time to do it in.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “That was a big waste of time.” Ryan stuffed the tape recorder into the motorcycle’s saddlebag. “Mr. Potter forgot what he was talking about in the middle of his story and the nurse had to wheel him off to bed because he fell asleep.”

  “True,” Larry admitted. “But the telephone interview with the wife of that diver who went down last week was interesting. She said he made two dives that day. On the first one he thought he’d discovered where something extremely large had made its bed in one of the caves on the bottom. After he went back the second time, no one ever saw him again.”

  “It still seems like we’re not really getting anywhere. I’m telling you, Rita and I have seen it. We can describe it for you. You don’t need all these other sightings.”

  “Okay. Tell you what. We’ll take a break from our list and go visit the Browns.”

  “Now you’re talking.” Ryan waited for Larry to get on and then hopped on the back of the cycle. Larry popped the clutch and they flew down the road toward the other side of the lake.

  Rita and her mom were in the front yard pulling weeds. When the motorcycle roared into the driveway Rita trotted over.

  “This is Larry Carlson,” Ryan said. “He’s the guy I told you was gonna help us find the monster. He wants to ask you some questions about what you saw.”

  “Hi, Larry,” Rita said. Then she ran into the house, calling over her shoulder, “Hang on a minute.”

  Mrs. Brown came over to them. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Carlson. Now, what’s this I hear about you helping these kids look for a lake monster?”

  Larry sat on the edge of the porch and took out his tape recorder. “Have you ever seen the lake monster, Mrs. Brown?”

  “Heavens no. My father claimed he saw it, though. He used to fish for catfish in the lake until the day he thought he saw the monster. After that he never took his boat out on the water again. Never let us go out there either. But I think he was seeing things. You know—hallucinations.”

  Rita came back carrying a tattered book held together with a rubber band. “Here’s my granddad’s diary. The places where he talks about the monster are marked.”

  Larry snapped off the rubber band and opened the yellowed pages of the diary to a bookmark. He read aloud:

  “I had heard the stories but always thought that was exactly what they were, stories. Now I know different. As usual I was out on the lake at daybreak fishing. It was a slow morning but finally I hooked something. The big catfish are fighters and I had me a real whopper. I almost had him to the boat when something very large and fast sped through the water alongside me. It left a wake as wide as any boat.

  “I kept reeling, hoping to get my fish and get out of there, when all of a sudden a gigantic creature cleared the water, grabbed my cat and took off. The rod was jerked out of my hands and I just stood there watching the place where I saw the thing go down.

  “Now, back at my cabin, as I try to describe what I saw, all I can say is it had the body of a dinosaur. Its head was like a giant fish, maybe a whale or a shark. But its eyes are the thing I remember most. They were evil-looking. I never want to look in them again.”

  Larry closed the book. “This is great. Thank you, Rita. I’m sure your grandfather’s observations will be very helpful.”

  “You still want to interview me, don’t you?” Rita asked.

  “You bet.” Larry turned on the tape recorder. “For the record, state your name and age and then in your own words tell us what happened and what you saw.”

  CHAPTER 9

  The boat’s motor sputtered and then roared to life. Larry shifted into reverse and slowly backed away from the dock. “Here, Rita, take over while I check the computer screen.” He stood and waited for her to move up. “Are you both sure it’s all right for you to be out here?”

  Rita slid into the driver’s seat, pushed the throttle forward, and expertly steered the boat toward the m
iddle of Black Water Lake.

  Ryan cleared his throat. “Uh, Rita and I are allowed to come as long as we … uh …”

  “As long as we’re with you.” Rita smiled innocently up at Larry. “Our parents trust you.”

  Ryan stepped back to give Larry room to work. The biology student flipped a switch, which caused an immediate low steady beeping. “Sonar,” he explained. He pointed at the screen. “This shows the topography on the bottom of the lake and registers the depth.”

  Ryan could see the outlines of valleys, hills, and gulleys underwater. He watched Larry turn on the tracking device. “What are you going to do with the monster once we find it?”

  “Try to capture it, of course, before the big shots at the university have a chance. That’s what that tranquilizer gun and the weighted net are for.” He pointed at the box in the center of the boat. “If we can get the net over it, it’ll wear itself out trying to get loose. Then we’ll use the boat to drag it back to the corral we built at the shallow end of the lake. Hopefully the log poles and rails we used are strong enough to hold it.”

  “Then what?”

  “After that, it’s hard to say. Once we have the creature contained, it will be studied, perhaps taken to an aquatic zoo.” Larry winked at Ryan. “But first we have to find it.”

  The image on the screen was different now. “Stop the boat, Rita,” Larry said excitedly. “We’re over some caves. This could be it.”

  The equipment the university had loaned Larry was amazing. The openings of the caves were almost as clear on the monitor as if they were on dry land.

  Larry adjusted the volume on the sonar. Nothing happened. “The creature’s not in these caves or the sonar would register its movement. But I still want to go down and have a look. This area would be the perfect place for it to hide in.” He moved to the portable shark cage they had attached to the boat with a series of pulleys and a crank to make it easier to raise and lower. The cage was designed to protect shark photographers. The bars were just a few inches apart and made of hardened steel.