Boxcar Children 62 - Mystery of the Lake Monster by Warner Gertrude Chandler

Author:Warner, Gertrude Chandler [Warner, Gertrude Chandler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-1400-8
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2011-07-25T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Enormous Footprints

“Benny? What are you doing up so early?” Jessie whispered the next morning.

“Are you awake?” asked Benny. He was dressed. Watch was standing beside Benny with his paws on the edge of Jessie’s bed. He was staring at Jessie, and she noticed that his leash was attached to his collar and that Benny was holding the other end of it.

Jessie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She said, “I guess I am now.”

“Good,” said Benny. “Grandfather left a little while ago to go fishing. That’s when Watch and I woke up. Let’s go down to the lake. We can see if we can find what Watch was barking at last night.”

In the bunk across from Jessie, Violet mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, pulling her covers up over her head.

“Shhh,” said Jessie. She yawned again. “Whatever was out there is long gone, Benny . . . but okay. I’ll meet you on the steps of the cabin in five minutes.”

Jessie left a note saying where she and Benny had gone in case Violet and Henry woke up before they got back. She went outside and walked with Benny down the path that led from the cabin to the lake.

A faint mist rose from the water. The leaves were wet on the trail from the rain the night before. Drops of water rolled off the leaves they brushed against. The sun had not yet come up over the mountains to begin to dry up the puddles.

“Let’s whisper,” said Jessie. “Remember how sound carries? We don’t want to wake up everybody on the whole lake.”

Benny nodded. “Hear that, Watch?” he said.

Watch wagged his tail briefly and pulled on the leash. He was panting a little; he was excited.

The empty beach curved away from them. It was made of rocks and coarse sand. Benny Watch, and Jessie walked slowly up and down the beach, but they didn’t see any footprints. The rain had washed the shoreline clean.

“Maybe Watch heard a bird flying by,” said Jessie. She stifled a yawn.

Just then, Watch began tugging hard on the leash. “What is it, Watch?” asked Benny. He let Watch lead him down the beach toward the canoes. Suddenly Watch veered off and pulled Benny toward a thick clump of bushes.

“Whoa. Slow down,” said Benny.

Watch didn’t slow down. He stopped and stared at the low bushes.

“Look,” said Jessie. “Those bushes are all mashed and the branches are broken as if something big had crashed through them.” She started forward to examine them. But Benny stopped her.

“Look.” He gasped. “Look at those footprints!”

There was a trail of huge footprints on a smooth swath of sand just at the edge of the bushes.

Keeping a tight hold on Watch, Benny leaned cautiously forward. Jessie did, too.

The footprints weren’t human. They had four long toes with webbing between them. The toes ended in claw marks. The prints were huge, easily a foot long.

“These are Lucy’s footprints,” said Benny, forgetting to whisper. “I know it!”

“They could be, Benny,” said Jessie, forgetting to whisper, too.

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