Our story began when Tabitha discovered a map and our four heroes set out to search for monsters on the other side of Lake Anatoga. So far all they've found is leftover broccoli, but when we left off last time there was something wrapping itself around Henry's wrist. Will Tabitha, Rufus, Fres, and Henry make it back to camp in time? Our story ends here, dear reader.
"Oh yeah," Tabitha said. "There might be evil seaweed, too."
It gripped tighter on my wrist, pulling me toward the water.
"Henry, you okay?" Fres asked.
The seaweed was getting stronger. It moved up my wrist, past my elbow and around my shoulder.
"Henry!" Fres yelled.
The seaweed was pulling me overboard.
"Henry!" Rufus yelled. "I'm sorry I called you a dolt!"
That was the last thing I heard before I went underwater.
It pulled me deeper and deeper.
It was a wisp of seaweed, no bigger than a spring dandelion. But then it got thicker. It was like fat asparagus below the water, and it kept pulling me down.
I kept falling until I was on the bottom of Lake Anatoga, and then it was as thick as a telephone pole. It was green, brown and yellow and it made me think of last winter.
We were staying with my aunt and uncle and on the first night my older cousin read me a story. He wasn't supposed to, but he did it.
It was an old comic book. I remember he ran his hands over the wrinkles and I saw the cover. There was a man in the centre and all around him were creeping tentacles, and each of the tentacles was green, brown and yellow.
There were a lot of scary things in the book, but nothing was scarier than the tentacles. They were old. Older than my mom. Older than dinosaurs. And everything belonged to them. No matter where we went were always on their property.
That's how old the seaweed was, and I was trespassing.
There were two small pools of grey in the centre of the seaweed.
I stared into the grey glow. It disappeared, and then it came back.
Those were its eyes. A black cave opened below the grey eyes and I felt myself moving toward it.It was going to eat me, I was sure of it.
As I drifted closer I had one idea. If it didn't work I'd never eat my mom's cookies or play Shockwave 4, which everyone said was going to be awesome.
I waited until I was good and close and then I snatched Cassandra's awful, putrid, pitiful broccoli out of my pocket and stuffed it into the seaweed's mouth.
The line around my wrist went loose. The seaweed chewed and let out a disgusting burp. I'm not sure, but I think it winked at me before I swam away.
I climbed higher and higher through the lake until I felt something else around my wrists. My friends pulled me up and helped me into our canoe.
I told Rufus I forgave him for calling me a dolt. I told Tabitha you had to go to the bottom of the lake to find someone who liked Cassandra's broccoli, and I just told Fres I was OK.
Tabitha and Rufus paddled back to camp while Fres and I rested.
The sun was just coming up when I saw the totem pole. The raven was still on top and we were home.
"There's just one thing," Rufus said as we pulled into shore. "Tab, how'd you get the map in the first place?"
"Oh that," Tabitha said. "I made it myself."
Fres and I looked at each other.
Rufus's jaw was hanging down. "Wait, wait, wait," he said. "But then, how on earth did you know where the monsters were?"
"Easy. I just followed the map."
I laughed so hard I fell out of the canoe. I really hope we all see each other next year.
- JEREMY SHEPHERD, [email protected]
