The Creature of Black Water Lake by Gary Paulsen Page B

work?”
    “What exactly are you two going to do today?” Mrs. Brown put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
    Ryan began, “We’re going down to the lake and fix—”
    “Fish,” Rita interrupted. “We’re just going to fish and maybe do some other stuff.”
    “Just make sure the
other
stuff doesn’t include swimming,” Mrs. Brown said. “I know there’s no monster in that lake, but I don’t want you going back in until they find that diver.”
    “Right, Ma. Don’t worry about a thing.” Rita stepped out onto the porch and pulled the door shut. She motioned for Ryan to follow her around the back of the house.
    “Whew. That was close.” Rita waited for Ryan to catch up. “I forgot to mention that Ma doesn’t know anything about the raft. I figured we were really doing her a favor by not telling her. You know, one less thing to worry about.”
    “Got it.” Ryan followed Rita to an old shed behind the house.
    Rita rummaged around on the dusty shelves until she found some rope, a couple of old oars, a can of black pitch, and several long flat boards. She handed Ryan some of the supplies and led the way down the path to the lake.
    The raft was still in the weeds where they’d left it the day before. Together they hauled it up onto the shore.
    “See, the middle boards are cracked and some of the rope is coming loose on that end.” Rita pointed to the right side. “I figure we’ll replace the boards, make sure it’s all good and tight, then use some of this pitch to coat the bottom. She’ll be unsinkable.”
    Ryan knelt and began working the cracked boards loose. Rita took out her pocketknife and cut a piece off the long coil of rope.
    When the first board was out, Rita handed Ryan a replacement and helped him secure it to the others. They checked each board carefully and inspected each piece of rope for tightness and signs of rotting or fraying.
    It was almost noon before they started applying the pitch. Rita had brought only one brush so they took turns spreading the pitch on the bottom of the raft and then trying to smooth it across the boards.
    The bushes near the path to the Browns’ house rustled and Annie stepped out. She walked up to the raft and looked it over. “You shouldn’t go out on the water. The
thing
will get you.”
    Rita was stooped over holding the pitch brush. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Go away, Annie. We’re busy here.”
    Annie stared out into the lake. “I’ve seen it. It ate my dog.”
    “That’s nice. Now go play.”
    “Ma has lunch ready. She says you guys better hurry or she’ll feed it to the pigs.” Annie turned and marched back into the trees.
    Ryan watched her go. “What does she mean—she’s seen it?”
    “Don’t pay any attention to Annie. She’s always saying stuff like that. One time she came down here by herself looking for her puppy. She never found it. So now she tells everybody that the monster jumped out of the water and dragged her dog in.” Rita shook her head and sighed. “Kids. So, do you want to come over for lunch?”
    Ryan looked at his watch. “I can’t. My mom’s expecting me. How do I get to the lodge from here?”
    “That way.” Rita pointed down the shore. “Just follow the lake. You can’t get lost. Hey, if you’re not doing anything, come over later. We’ll get this finished up so we can take it out first thing tomorrow.”
    “Okay—I’ll be back,” Ryan said, doing his best Schwarzenegger imitation.
    Rita laughed and waved. “See ya, Arnold.”

C HAPTER 4
    Ryan passed the dock and climbed the wooden steps to the restaurant. The Cove was made of hand-hewn logs and stone, like a giant cabin. It stood on the edge of the lake and the dark water reflected off the large plate glass windows in front.
    Several guests were eating as Ryan made his way across the dining room. His mother was standing by a rock fireplace talking to one of the waiters when she noticed him.
    “Hi, kiddo. Nice of you to make