DEEP TROUBLE
Goosebumps - 19
R.L. Stine
(An Undead Scan v1.5)
1
There I was, two hundred feet under the sea.
I was on the hunt of my life. The hunt for the Great White Stingray.
That’s what they called him at Coast Guard Headquarters. But, me, I called him Joe.
The giant stingray had already stung ten swimmers. People were afraid to step into the water. Panic spread all up and down the coast.
That’s why they sent for me.
William Deep, Jr., of Baltimore, Maryland.
Yes, William Deep, Jr., world-famous twelve-year-old undersea explorer. Solver of scary ocean problems.
I captured the Great White Shark that terrorized Myrtle Beach. I proved he wasn’t so great!
I fought the giant octopus that ate the entire California Championship Surfing Team.
I unplugged the electric eel that sent shock waves all over Miami.
But now I faced the fight of my life. Joe, the Great White Stingray.
Somewhere down deep under the sea, he lurked.
I had everything I needed: scuba suit, flippers, mask, oxygen tank, and poison-dart gun.
Wait—did something move? Just behind that giant clam?
I raised my dart gun and waited for an attack.
Then, suddenly, my mask clouded. I couldn’t breathe.
I strained for breath. No air came.
My oxygen tank! Someone must have tampered with it!
There was no time to lose. Two hundred feet down—and no air! I had to surface—fast!
I kicked my legs, desperately trying to pull myself to the surface.
Holding my breath. My lungs about to burst. I was losing strength, getting dizzy.
Would I make it? Or would I die right here, deep under the ocean, Joe the Stingray’s dinner?
Panic swept over me like an ocean tide. I searched through the fogged mask for my diving partner. Where was she when I needed her?
Finally, I spotted her swimming up at the surface, near the boat.
Help me! Save me! No air! I tried to tell her, waving my arms like a maniac.
Finally she noticed me. She swam toward me and dragged my dazed and limp body to the surface.
I ripped off my mask and sucked in mouthfuls of air.
“What’s your problem, Aqua Man?” she cried. “Did a jellyfish sting you?”
My diving partner is very brave. She laughs in the face of danger.
I struggled to catch my breath. “No air. Someone—cut off—tank—”
Then everything went black.
2
My diving partner shoved my head back under the water. I opened my eyes and came up sputtering.
“Get real, Billy,” she said. “Can’t you snorkel without acting like a total jerk?”
I sighed. She was no fun.
My “diving partner” was really just my bratty sister, Sheena. I was only pretending to be William Deep, Jr., undersea explorer.
But would it kill Sheena to go along with it just once?
My name actually is William Deep, Jr., but everybody calls me Billy. I’m twelve—I think I mentioned that already.
Sheena is ten. She looks like me. We both have straight black hair, but mine is short and hers goes down to her shoulders. We’re both skinny, with knobby knees and elbows, and long, narrow feet. We both have dark blue eyes and thick, dark eyebrows.
Other than that, we’re not alike at all.
Sheena has no imagination. She was never afraid of monsters in her closet when she was little. She didn’t believe in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, either. She loves to say, “There’s no such thing.”
I dove underwater and pinched Sheena’s leg. Attack of the Giant Lobster Man!
“Stop it!” she screamed. She kicked me in the shoulder. I came up for air.
“Hey, you two,” my uncle said. “Be careful down there.”
My uncle stood on the deck of his sea lab boat, the Cassandra. He peered down at Sheena and me snorkeling nearby.
My uncle’s name is George Deep, but everybody calls him Dr. D. Even my dad, who is his brother, calls him Dr. D. Maybe that’s because he looks just the way a scientist should.
Dr. D. is short, thin, wears glasses and a very serious, thoughtful expression. He has curly brown hair and a bald spot at the back of his head. Anyone who saw him would say, “I bet you’re a scientist.”
Sheena and I were visiting Dr. D. on the Cassandra. Every year our parents let us spend our summer vacation with Dr. D. It sure beats hanging out at home. This summer, we were anchored just off a tiny island called Ilandra, in the Caribbean Sea.
Dr. D. is a marine biologist. He specializes in tropical marine life. He studies the habits of tropical fish and looks for new kinds of ocean plants and fish that haven’t been discovered yet.
The Cassandra is a big and sturdy boat. It is about fifty feet long. Dr. D. uses most of the space for labs and research rooms. Up on deck is a cockpit, where he steers the boat. He keeps a dinghy tied to the starboard, or right side of the deck, and a huge glass tank on the port, or left side.
Sometimes Dr. D. catches very big fish and keeps them temporarily in the glass tank—usually just long enough to tag the fish for research, or care for them if they are sick or injured.
The rest of the deck is open space, good for playing catch or sunbathing.
Dr. D.’s research takes him all over the world. He isn’t married and doesn’t have any kids. He says he’s too busy staring at fish.
But he likes kids. That’s why he invites me and Sheena to visit him every summer.
“Stick close together, kids,” Dr. D. said. “And don’t swim off too far. Especially you, Billy.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. That’s his “I mean it” look. He never narrows his eyes at Sheena.
“There’ve been reports of some shark sightings in the area,” he said.
“Sharks! Wow!” I cried.
Dr. D. frowned at me. “Billy,” he said. “This is serious. Don’t leave the boat. And don’t go near the reef.”
I knew he was going to say that.
Clamshell Reef is a long, red coral reef just a few hundred yards away from where we were anchored. I’d been dying to explore it ever since we got there.
“Don’t worry about me, Dr. D.,” I called up to him. “I won’t get into trouble.”
Sheena muttered under her breath, “Yeah, right.”
I reached out to give her another lobster pinch, but she dove under water.
“Good,” said Dr. D. “Now don’t forget—if you see a shark fin, try not to splash around a lot. Movement will attract it. Just slowly, steadily return to the boat.”
“We won’t forget,” said Sheena, who had come up behind me, splashing like crazy.
I couldn’t help feeling just a little bit excited. I’d always wanted to see a real, live shark.
I’d seen sharks at the aquarium, of course. But they were trapped in a glass tank, where they just swam around restlessly, perfectly harmless.
Not very exciting.
I wanted to spot a shark’s fin on the horizon, floating over the water, closer, closer, heading right for us….
In other words, I wanted adventure.
The Cassandra was anchored out in the ocean, a few hundred yards away from Clamshell Reef. The reef surrounded the island. Between the reef and the island stretched a beautiful lagoon.
Nothing was going to stop me from exploring that lagoon—no matter what Dr. D. said.
“Come on, Billy,” Sheena called, adjusting her mask. “Let’s check out that school of fish.”
She pointed to a patch of tiny ripples in the water near the bow of the boat. She sli
d the mouthpiece into her mouth and lowered her head into the water. I followed her to the ripples.
Soon Sheena and I were surrounded by hundreds of tiny, neon-blue fish.
Underwater, I always felt as if I were in a faraway world. Breathing through the snorkel, I could live down here with the fish and the dolphins, I thought. After a while, maybe I would grow flippers and a fin.
The tiny blue fish began to swim away, and I swam with them. They were so great-looking! I didn’t want them to leave me behind.
Suddenly, the fish all darted from view. I tried to follow, but they were too fast.
They had vanished!
Had something scared them away?
I glanced around. Clumps of seaweed floated near the surface. Then I saw a flash of red.
I floated closer, peering through the mask. A few yards ahead of me I saw bumpy red formations. Red coral.
Oh, no, I thought. Clamshell Reef. Dr. D. told me not to swim this far.
I began to turn around. I knew I should swim back to the boat.
But I was tempted to stay and explore a little. After all, I was already there.
The reef looked like a red sand castle, filled with underwater caves and tunnels. Small fish darted in and out of them. The fish were bright yellow and blue.
Maybe I could swim over and explore one of those tunnels, I thought. How dangerous could it be?
Suddenly, I felt something brush against my leg. It tickled and sent a tingle up my leg.
A fish?
I glanced around, but I didn’t see anything.
Then I felt it again.
A tingling against my leg.
And then it clutched me.
Again I turned to see what it was. Again I saw nothing.
My heart began to race. I knew it was probably nothing dangerous. But I wished I could see it.
I turned and started back for the boat, kicking hard.
But something grabbed my right leg—and held on!
I froze in fear. Then I frantically kicked my leg as hard as I could.
Let go! Let go of me!
I couldn’t see it—and I couldn’t pull free!
The water churned and tossed as I kicked with all my strength.
Overcome with terror, I lifted my head out of the water and choked out a weak cry: “Help!”
But it was no use.
Whatever it was, it kept pulling me down. Down.
Down to the bottom of the sea.
3
“Help!” I cried out again. “Sheena! Dr. D.!”
I was dragged below the surface again. I felt the slimy tentacle tighten around my ankle.
As I sank underwater, I turned—and saw it.
It loomed huge and dark.
A sea monster!
Through the churning waters, it glared at me with one giant brown eye. The terrifying creature floated underwater like an enormous, dark green balloon. Its mouth opened in a silent cry, revealing two rows of jagged, sharp teeth.
An enormous octopus! But it had at least twelve tentacles!
Twelve long, slimy tentacles. One was wrapped around my ankle. Another one slid toward me.
NO!
My arms thrashed the water.
I gulped in mouthfuls of air.
I struggled to the surface—but the huge creature dragged me down again.
I couldn’t believe it. As I sank, scenes from my life actually flashed before my eyes.
I saw my parents, waving to me as I boarded the yellow school bus for my first day of school.
Mom and Dad! I’ll never see them again!
What a way to go, I thought. Killed by a sea monster!
No one will believe it.
Everything started to turn red. I felt dizzy, weak.
But something was pulling me, pulling me up.
Up to the surface. Away from the tentacled monster.
I opened my eyes, choking and sputtering.
I stared up at Dr. D!
“Billy! Are you all right?” Dr. D. studied me with concern.
I coughed and nodded. I kicked my right leg. The slimy tentacle was gone.
The dark creature had vanished.
“I heard you screaming and saw you thrashing about,” said Dr. D. “I swam over from the boat as fast as I could. What happened?”
Dr. D. had a yellow life jacket over his shoulders. He slipped a rubber lifesaver ring over my head. I floated easily now, the life ring under my arms.
I had lost my flippers in the struggle. My mask and snorkel dangled around my neck.
Sheena swam over and floated beside me, treading water.
“It grabbed my leg!” I cried breathlessly. “It tried to pull me under!”
“What grabbed your leg, Billy?” asked Dr. D. “I don’t see anything around here—”
“It was a sea monster,” I told him. “A huge one! I felt its slimy tentacle grabbing my leg…. Ouch!”
Something pinched my toe.
“It’s back!” I shrieked in horror.
Sheena popped out of the water and shook her wet hair, laughing.
“That was me, you dork!” she cried.
“Billy, Billy,” Dr. D. murmured. “You and your wild imagination.” He shook his head. “You nearly scared me to death. Please—don’t ever do that again. Your leg probably got tangled in a piece of seaweed, that’s all.”
“But—but—!” I sputtered.
He dipped his hand in the water and pulled up a handful of slimy green strings. “There’s seaweed everywhere.”
“But I saw it!” I shouted. “I saw its tentacles, its big, pointy teeth!”
“There’s no such thing as sea monsters,” said Sheena. Miss Know-It-All.
“Let’s discuss it on the boat,” my uncle said, dropping the clump of seaweed back in the water.
“Come on. Swim back with me. And stay away from the reef. Swim around it.”
He turned around and started swimming toward the Cassandra. I saw that the sea monster had pulled me into the lagoon. The reef lay between us and the boat. But there was a break in the reef we could swim through.
I followed them, thinking angry thoughts.
Why didn’t they believe me?
I had seen the creature grab my leg. It wasn’t a stupid clump of seaweed. It wasn’t my imagination.
I was determined to prove them wrong. I’d find that creature and show it to them myself—someday. But not today.
Now I was ready to get back to the safety of the boat.
I swam up to Sheena and called, “Race you to the boat.”
“Last one there is a chocolate-covered jellyfish!” she cried.
Sheena can’t refuse a race. She started speeding toward the boat, but I caught her by the arm.
“Wait,” I said. “No fair. You’re wearing flippers. Take them off.”
“Too bad!” she cried, and pulled away. “See you at the boat!” I watched her splash away, building a good lead.
She’s not going to win, I decided.
I stared at the reef up ahead.
It would be faster just to swim over the reef. A shortcut.
I turned and started to swim straight toward the red coral.
“Billy! Get back here!” Dr. D. shouted.
I pretended I didn’t hear him.
The reef loomed ahead. I was almost there.
I saw Sheena splashing ahead of me. I kicked extra-hard. I knew she’d never have the guts to swim over the reef. She’d swim around the end of it. I would cut through and beat her.
But my arms suddenly began to ache. I wasn’t used to swimming so far.
Maybe I can stop at the reef and rest my arms for a second, I thought.
I reached the reef. I turned around. Sheena was swimming to the left, around the reef. I figured I had a few seconds to rest.
I stepped onto the red coral reef—
—and screamed in horror!
4
My foot burned as if it were on fire. The throbbing pain
shot up my leg.
I screamed and dove into the water.
When I surfaced, I heard Sheena yelling, “Dr. D.! Come quick!”
My foot burned, even in the cold ocean water.
Dr. D. came up beside me. “Billy, what’s the problem now?” he demanded.
“I saw him do something really stupid,” Sheena said, smirking.
If my foot hadn’t been burning up, I definitely would have punched out her lights.
“My foot!” I moaned. “I stepped on the reef—and—and—”
Dr. D. held on to the lifesaver ring around my waist. “Ow. That’s painful,” he said, reaching up to pat my shoulder. “But you’ll be all right. The burning will stop in a little while.”
He pointed to the reef. “All that bright red coral is fire coral.”
“Huh? Fire coral?” I stared back at it.
“Even I knew that!” Sheena said.
“It’s covered with a mild poison,” my uncle continued. “When it touches your skin, it burns like fire.”
Now he tells me, I thought.
“Don’t you know anything?” Sheena asked sarcastically.
She was asking for it. She really was.
“You’re lucky you only burned your foot,” Dr. D. said. “Coral can be very sharp. You could have cut your foot and gotten poison into your bloodstream. Then you’d really be in trouble.”
“Wow! What kind of trouble?” Sheena asked. She seemed awfully eager to hear about all the terrible things that could have happened to me.
Dr. D.’s expression turned serious. “The poison could paralyze you,” he said.
“Oh great,” I said.
“So keep away from the red coral from now on,” Dr. D. warned. “And stay away from the lagoon, too.”
“But that’s where the sea monster lives!” I protested. “We have to go back there. I have to show it to you!”
Sheena bobbed in the blue-green water. “No such thing, no such thing,” she chanted. Her favorite phrase. “No such thing—right, Dr. D.?”
“Well, you never know,” Dr. D. replied thoughtfully. “We don’t know all of the creatures that live in the oceans, Sheena. It’s better to say that scientists have never seen one.”
“So there, She-Ra,” I said.