R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 (7 page)

His open shirt flapped in the wind. “Max! Max!” Tara's shout rang out over the roar of the wind.

“Tara—what's wrong?” I called.

“It isn't here!” she screamed. “He isn't wearing it!”

“N
OOOOOO
!”
I opened my mouth in a furious cry.

He stole that pendant from me, I thought, and we really need it.

A wave of anger swept over me.

That big jerk can't keep it from us!

I took off, running across the rain-soaked grass. My sneakers splashed up waves of water as I ran.

“Colin!” I shouted. “Colin! Colin!” I just kept shouting his name.

He jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with surprise. “Max? What are you doing out here? What's your problem?”

I lowered my head and ran right into him. I wrapped my arms around his knees and tackled him to the ground.

We both landed hard. “Way to go, Max!” I heard Nicky shout.

“Give me my pendant!” I screamed in a high, hoarse voice. “Give it to me! Give it to me!”

I climbed on top of Colin and sat on his chest.

He lay on his back, gasping in shock.

He'd never seen me lose it like this before. After all, he was the big tough dude and I was the weak geeky shrimp.

Only this time, I really wanted something. I was going to get that pendant back no matter what Colin did.

“Give it to me! Give it!” I started pounding his chest with my fists. “Give it!”

“Okay, okay.” Colin raised both hands in surrender. “Okay. No problem, Maxie. You can have your stupid, babyish pendant back.”

“Really?” I said, breathing hard.

“Just get off me, man. I'll give it to you. Promise.”

“No tricks?” I said.

“No tricks.”

Slowly, I climbed off his chest and stood up. My legs were shaky. My heart pounded in my chest. We were both drenched.

I knew Nicky and Tara were watching. But they were still invisible.

Colin kept his eyes narrowed at me. I think he was still in shock because little Maxie overpowered him like that.

So was I!

I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes. “Where is it?” I asked Colin. “Do you have it?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I have it. Why is it so important?”

“It's mine,” I said. “That's all.”

“It's definitely not around his neck,” Tara said. “He might be lying.”

“Where is it, Colin?” I demanded, holding out my hand for it. “Come on. Give.”

“Okay, okay,” he said. “You really are a weird little creep, Max.”

“Save the compliments, okay?” I said.

“And of course I'm going to pound you to sawdust later. You're sawdust. You realize that, right, man?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Right. I'm sawdust. Give it, Colin.”

He reached into his jeans pocket and … pulled out the pendant.

Yesssss!
He had it!

He held it high above my head. “You want it, Maxie? You want the pendant so badly? Well … you can have it. Go chase it!”

He pulled back his arm—and flung the pendant far out into Snake Lake.

I
WATCHED IT DROP
into the water. It made a little splash, bobbed on the surface for about five seconds, then sank out of sight.

“Ohhhhh.” A low moan escaped my open mouth.

Colin ran off, laughing at the top of his lungs.

Nicky and Tara appeared. They didn't look happy.

Tara turned away so I wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Nicky stared down at the muddy ground, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Gusts of wind whipped the lake water into waves. The sky grew even blacker.

“Now what?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You have to go get it, Max,” Tara said, wiping tears off her cheeks.

“Huh? Out in the middle of the lake?” I cried.

“If Mom and Dad are inside it … ” Nicky's voice trailed off.

“We can't leave them at the bottom of the lake,” Tara said. “We have to rescue them.”

“But what if the pendant is empty?” I said. “What if it's just a pendant?”

They stared at me and didn't answer.

I knew the answer anyway. We had to make sure.

I wiped rainwater from my face. I gazed out onto the dark lake. “It's supposed to be filled with snakes,” I said. “But it isn't true. I saw Colin and his friends swimming here. The rumors
can't
be true.”

“I have my eye on the spot where the pendant landed,” Tara said. “Go
now,
Max. Hurry. Get some goggles. Get a flashlight. You'll find it. I know you will.” Her voice cracked.

“Great day for a swim,” I said.

I turned and ran up the path to the cabins. My sneakers slid in the muddy grass. As I trotted by, I could hear the sound of the movie playing in the lodge.

Everyone else is dry and comfortable and having fun, I thought. And I'm going diving in that dark, creepy lake in a pounding rainstorm.

I was shivering as I pulled open the cabin door and stepped inside. The cabin smelled stale and moldy. Rain drummed on the flat roof, and water splashed down the windows.

My soaked sneakers squeaked on the floor-boards as I made my way to the chest where I kept my swimsuits.

“Hey, Max—what's up?”

The voice startled me. I jumped a mile.

Jakey gazed up at me from his bunk. He was sprawled on his back, reading a
manga
comic.

“Jakey, I didn't see you,” I said, catching my breath. “What are you doing in here? Why aren't you watching the movie in the lodge?”

He shrugged. “Too scary. So I came back here.”

I grabbed my swim trunks. Billy Wilbur had a pair of goggles hanging by his bunk. I grabbed them, too.

I pulled off my wet clothes and changed into the swim trunks.

“What are you doing?” Jakey asked, sitting up.

“Going for a swim,” I said.

“But it's pouring!” he cried.

“I love swimming in the rain. It's my favorite,” I lied. “Totally refreshing.”

Jakey stared at me, frowning.

“Whenever it rains back home, I run out as fast as I can and go swimming,” I said.

“Cool,” he muttered. But I could see he didn't believe me.

I straightened the swim trunks. Pulled the goggles onto my forehead. And grabbed a waterproof flashlight off the shelf by the door.

“See ya,” I called to Jakey.

He said something, but I was already out the door, back in the roar of the rain.

“Oh, wow!” I cried out as the cold water swept over my bare shoulders. I ran barefoot down the muddy path, splashing as I went.

Nicky and Tara were waiting at the shore. “Out there,” Tara said, pointing. “Swim straight out, Max. Keep in a straight line from here, and you'll find it.”

“Good luck,” Nicky said, his voice a whisper in the roar of rain.

And then they both disappeared, leaving me alone on the shore. Shivering, I gripped the flashlight tightly as if hanging on to a life preserver.

With a trembling hand, I pulled the goggles down over my eyes. I clicked on the flashlight and sent a yellow beam of light out over the dark, tumbling water.

I thought about snakes. I couldn't help it.

I pictured them crawling along the muddy lake bottom. Fat, long snakes, their triangular heads raised as they slithered, tangling and untangling together. Tiny black eyes moving rapidly back and forth.

Waiting … watching for someone to swim by. Their jaws clamped tight … waiting … waiting for a chance to
snap
.

No. No way. Max, you saw the junior counselors
swimming here. There are no dangerous snakes in Snake Lake.

I knew that was true. But I couldn't help thinking about them. I couldn't stop picturing them as I stepped into the lake.

My feet sank into the muddy bottom. The cold water washed over my ankles.

“Here goes,” I muttered, and walked deeper into the dark water.

A
FEW STEPS IN
,
the soft bottom dropped away. The water rose to my waist.

I stopped for a moment to catch my balance. The air was so cold, the lake water actually felt warm. The waves were gentle. They tickled my skin as they rolled past.

I bent my knees and dropped underwater. Something else tickled my skin.

Whoa. Wait.

Only lake grass. Remember the lake grass, Max. Don't panic.

I kept the flashlight close and beamed it straight down. Staring through the goggles, I could see the mud of the lake bottom and tiny plants rippling with the current.

I straightened up. Pushed off with both feet. And started to float.

It was hard to move forward with the flashlight gripped in one hand. I kicked hard and tried to float in a straight line.

Something tickled my leg. I turned and ducked
my head under the water. The flashlight beam fell on a cluster of snakelike weeds bobbing near the surface.

Stop thinking about snakes, Max, I told myself again.

The wind gusted hard. Rain washed into my face. I dove underwater, where it was calmer and warmer.

Floating facedown, I swept the light ahead of me. No sign of the pendant. The muddy bottom rippled and swirled beneath me.

I bobbed up and turned to shore. My eyes widened when I saw how far out I had swum.

Colin couldn't have thrown the pendant this far out. Should I swim back?

I gasped as something tickled my waist. I sank into the water, shining the light around frantically. A school of minnows fluttered past, shimmering like silver in the pale light.

Shimmering like little silver pods.

I kicked hard to move away from them. The water churned all around me. And when it settled once again, something else caught my beam of light—something that sparkled like silver!

My heart started to pound. Was that it? Had I found the pendant? The flashlight trembled in my hand, making the light shimmer wildly over the lake bottom.

I rose to the surface, took a deep breath, and
made a strong dive. Where was it? Where was that sparkly object? I moved the light in narrow circles over the mud and plants.

The light stopped at a white rock—a smooth white rock tucked into the lake-bottom mud. And resting on top of the rock … resting there as if someone had carefully placed it there—the
pendant
!

I was so excited, I opened my mouth, swallowed water, and started to choke.

The water tasted thick and sour in my mouth. I burst up to the surface, gasping and gagging. I pulled a clump of lake grass off my neck.

Finally, I started to breathe normally. But I couldn't get the sour taste from my mouth. I took a few deep breaths and plunged back underwater.

Yes. It was still there on the rock. A miracle. I had found it.

I wanted to leap up and down and pump my fists in the air. Nicky and Tara would be so happy!

The light trembled in front of me as I swam down toward the pendant. I made a grab for it, and it slid out of my hand.

My chest started to ache. I needed to take a breath. But I ignored the urgent feeling and shoved my hand forward. I wrapped my fingers tightly around the pendant.

Yes!

I had it. But my lungs felt ready to burst. I
kicked my way to the surface and floated there, gasping, sucking in breath after breath.

“I have it!” I shouted. I started waving it to Nicky and Tara. But I couldn't see them.

The rain had slowed a bit. I bobbed in the warm water, catching my breath. I gripped the pendant tightly in my hand and, squinting through the goggles, scanned the shore.

No sign of Nicky and Tara. The shore was empty. Beyond the shore, I could see lights flashing in the windows of the lodge.

The storm clouds had rolled on. The sky brightened to a light gray. But dark thoughts washed into my mind.

Was Phears waiting for me somewhere? When he saw that I had the pendant, would he show himself?

Would he
attack
?

I didn't want to think about that. I just wanted to solve the mystery of the pendant.

Nicky and Tara were so desperate to find their parents. We had been searching for them since October. Here it was July and maybe—just maybe—I held the answer in my hand.

I was still treading water, watching the shore— when I felt something soft wrap itself around one ankle.

“Hey—!” I let out a shout.

Something curled around my knee. Something
else slid around my waist. It felt like a leather belt, tightening … tightening …

“Hey—wait!”

Another belt tightened around my other ankle. I felt another one, a bigger one, wind around my waist.

I was kicking hard to stay afloat. I had the flashlight in one hand, the pendant in the other. It was awkward for me to turn. But I ducked my head into the water and twisted my body to see—

—snakes!

Long green snakes had wrapped around both my ankles. Two more were tightening around my waist. Despite the cold water, their bodies were warm.

“Help!” I forced myself higher in the water and let out a cry.

Where had they come from? From the muddy lake bottom? Were the stories about Snake Lake true after all?

I tried to call for help again. But the snakes around my ankles tugged hard. They were pulling me down!

I felt tingles of warmth as snakes circled my legs and began to tighten. Two snakes swam up the legs of my swim trunks. I could feel them wrapping around my thighs.

I sucked in a deep breath as the snakes began to pull me down.

As I sank, I let go of the flashlight. I thrashed on the surface with my free hand, struggling to stay above water.

The snakes tightened around me—around my waist, my legs, my ankles. And then I felt something warm slide around my throat.

It began to tighten. I was doomed.

I sucked in one more breath before my head slid under the water.

The snakes pulled me down, down to the muddy lake bottom.

And the pendant floated out of my hand ….

I
KICKED AND THRASHED
.
The dark water churned around me.

My chest ached. I couldn't hold my breath much longer.