The Lonely Lake Monster

  His eyes drooped with sadness. “The last human who stole Cobblestone’s gold also stole Cobblestone’s beautiful pot.”

  “Oh.” Pearl felt a bit sorry for the little guy. And even though the situation with Ben was urgent, questions popped into her mind. Pearl had never been good at holding back questions. “Did your beautiful pot get stolen in the Known World? Or did it get stolen in the Imaginary World, and if so, does that mean that there are humans living in the Imaginary World?”

  He looked away and mumbled something under his breath. Then he turned his back to her.

  She sighed. “Look,” she said. “I’m sorry that I’ve ruined your rusty coffee can. And I’m sorry that I took your gold, but it was the only way I could get you to help me. Could you please use your magic and get Ben off the island? Then you can go back to the Steam Room, and I can get back to being an apprentice.”

  “Achooo!” Gold dust sprayed from his inflamed nostrils. “Cobblestone told you. Cobblestone’s magic be clogged with sniffles and snot. That’s why Cobblestone came to see Dr. Woo. When Cobblestone be cured, Cobblestone’s magic will return.”

  Pearl stomped her foot. “You’re still trying to trick me.” Mustering her bossiest voice, she pointed at him. “You’d better grant me my wish or—”

  The dock shook as something large and green crashed into one of the posts. Pearl jumped back. The lake monster’s long neck arched, then sprang at its target. “Aaaah!” cried the leprechaun as he rose into the air, plucked from the dock as if he were a ripe berry.

  Oh no! This was going all wrong. Pearl stood helplessly, her arms hanging limp at her sides, watching as the leprechaun was carried to the island. With a plunk, he landed in the sand. Ben, who’d taken the opportunity to try swimming again, was yanked from the shallows and deposited next to the leprechaun. They looked at each other. Then they turned and glared across the water at Pearl. The lake monster dumped a fish right on the leprechaun’s lap and smiled.

  Pearl stomped her foot. Drat a million times!

  But, hey, maybe this wasn’t such a terrible turn of events. Surely the leprechaun would use his magic to get himself off the island. And he could bring Ben with him. “Cobblestone,” she called, pointing to the coffee can. “I still have your gold. Bring Ben and you can have it.”

  Cobblestone tossed the fish aside and sneezed, then sneezed again. He folded his arms and remained sitting in the sand. Why wasn’t he doing anything? Did he truly have no magic? His next sneeze was so loud, it echoed off the hospital’s back wall.

  Ben knelt next to the leprechaun and said something to him. Then he called out to Pearl. “I think he’s got a fever. He’s all sweaty.”

  Fever? A shudder ran up Pearl’s spine. A fever came when someone was really sick.

  Ben ducked as the monster tried to lick his face again. “Pearl,” he yelled. “Go! Get! Mister! Tabby!”

  He was right. She hated to admit it, but her plan was a disaster. What if the leprechaun got sicker? What if he got so sick that he…?

  She needed help.

  She ran up the dock and was about to jump off when she noticed a signpost that had fallen over. Pushing the green blades aside, she read the sign’s message.

  Lonely?

  A knot formed in Pearl’s gut. She didn’t like that word. It had been a rough couple of years in Buttonville since most of the kids and their families had moved away. Even though she’d tried to keep herself busy with adventures, playing alone was a drag. Loneliness had become a common feeling for Pearl, as common as the ache of an empty stomach in the morning. But now it made sense. The creature had taken Ben and the leprechaun because it wanted friends.

  A shadow fell over Pearl’s face, and she darted away before the lake monster’s jaws snapped shut. The creature had sneaked up on her. Its long neck reached the length of the dock. “You’re not taking me to your island,” Pearl told it. It batted its lashes innocently. Then it made a soft sighing sound. Pearl craned her neck, looking up at the huge green face. Was that a tear sparkling in the corner of its eye or just lake water? “I’m sorry you’re lonely,” she said, softening her voice. The creature cocked its head, listening. “I wish I could find you some friends, but I don’t know any other lake monsters.” If the creature had some friends, it might let Ben and the leprechaun go.

  And then, a plan as brilliant as the sun filled Pearl’s mind.

  Maybe the friends didn’t have to be real lake monsters.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  15

  Pearl was determined to make everything right, all by herself.

  Once she reached the front of the hospital, she started across the lawn, then stopped dead in her tracks. A police car was parked on the road next to Mrs. Mulberry’s car.

  “Aunt Milly,” Pearl grumbled as she crouched, out of sight, in the tall grasses.

  Aunt Milly, known as Officer Milly to the residents of Buttonville, worked the day shift for the Buttonville Police Force. She was standing next to the squad car, her thumbs hooked in her belt loops, her navy shirt neatly tucked into her navy pants. Sunlight gleamed along the polished rims of her dark glasses. Mrs. Mulberry was talking to Officer Milly. Pearl couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was waving her arms around in frantic gestures. Victoria Mulberry sat on the sidewalk reading her book, paying no attention to her busybody mother.

  Moving on all fours, as slyly as a tiger, Pearl made her way across the field. The last thing she wanted was to talk to her aunt and the Mulberrys, so she headed toward a distant section of the wrought-iron fence. The fence had been designed with sharp points at the top, which made it dangerous to climb over. During their first visit, when they’d brought the dragon hatchling, Pearl and Ben had climbed over the front gate, which didn’t have sharp points. But with Aunt Milly and the Mulberrys in the way, the gate was not an option.

  Luckily, on one of her adventuring days, Pearl had discovered a narrow fence segment where the points had rusted away. The area was partially camouflaged by a cluster of trees. After tossing her flip-flops to the other side, she pulled herself up and over, then landed on the sidewalk. Darting behind a tree, Pearl quieted her breath and listened. Although her aunt Milly and Mrs. Mulberry stood many yards away, the breeze carried the conversation right to Pearl’s ears.

  “Let me get this straight,” Officer Milly said. “You called the police department to report an emergency, and the emergency is that you saw a small person.”

  “It was a very small person,” Mrs. Mulberry said.

  “You saw a child?”

  “No, not a child. For goodness’ sake, how could he be a child? He had a beard. He was very small and very bearded.”

  Officer Milly cleared her throat. “There are no laws against being small.”

  “But who is he? That’s what I want to know. I’m the president of the Buttonville Welcome Wagon. It’s my job to know if someone new comes to Buttonville.”

  “Maybe he’s a friend of Dr. Woo’s,” Officer Milly said.

  “But he was with your niece, Pearl Petal.”

  “Pearl is working for Dr. Woo. So is Ben Silverstein.”

  “And why is that?” asked Mrs. Mulberry. “Pearl is a known troublemaker, and Ben just moved here. Why didn’t Dr. Woo hire my daughter? Victoria is a straight-A student and never gets into trouble.”

  “I don’t want to work for Dr. Woo,” Victoria complained. “I don’t like worms.”

  “Be quiet, dear, and read your book,” Mrs. Mulberry said. Then her voice grew louder and more insistent. “Officer Milly, your job is to help the residents of Buttonville, and we need your help. This entire situation is very mysterious and sneaky. The gate is locked, and we can’t get in. I want you to order Dr. Woo to open this gate.”

  “There are no laws against locking gates on private property,” Officer Milly pointed out.

  “But I am the president of the Welcome Wagon!”

  Pearl didn’t have time to listen to this nonsense. After s
lipping back into her flip-flops, she hurried across the road, glancing over her shoulder to make certain she hadn’t been spotted. Mrs. Mulberry and her aunt Milly were still talking. Victoria was still reading. As fast as she could, Pearl ran to town, wishing all the while that she were wearing a pair of leprechaun running shoes made from the wind.

  How many rules had she broken today? She’d lost count.

  After charging through the Dollar Store door, she bumped right into her mother. “What’s the matter?” Mrs. Petal asked, grabbing hold of Pearl’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” Pearl wiped beads of sweat from the back of her neck.

  “Why are you out of breath? And why is your face red?” But before she could ask more questions, a bell rang. Mr. Bumfrickle, a retired button-factory worker, was waiting at the checkout counter with a basket of shoe polish and greeting cards. Mrs. Petal leaned close to her daughter and whispered, “You’re not in trouble, are you?”

  “No,” Pearl replied honestly, because she wasn’t in trouble—not yet. And she wouldn’t be if she got back to the hospital before Mr. Tabby noticed that the leprechaun was missing.

  Mrs. Petal smiled with relief and kissed Pearl’s cheek. Then she began to ring up Mr. Bumfrickle’s items on the register.

  Pearl had come to the Dollar Store to collect two things. She hurried past Lemon Face, who clung to his perch, singing to his reflection. At the top of the stairs, she veered left and into her bedroom, where she grabbed the Pot O’Gold game from the shelf. After tucking the Sasquatch Catching certificate inside a different game, Pearl dumped the plastic leprechauns, rainbows, and gold pieces onto the carpet—she’d clean them up later. Empty pot in hand, she hurried back downstairs.

  The second thing she’d come to get was in the beauty-supply section of aisle five, where Pearl’s father was straightening shampoo bottles. “Say, that’s a nice lab coat,” he said. “You look very official.”

  “Thanks.”

  He looked at his watch. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the worm hospital until three o’clock?”

  “I’m taking a break.”

  “Where’s Ben?”

  “He’s back at the hospital doing… worm stuff.”

  Mr. Petal scratched his blond head. “Worm stuff? What kind of worm stuff?”

  Pearl’s entire body tensed. “Uh… he’s feeding them. It’s lunchtime.” She scanned the shelves. Toothbrushes, shower caps, loofahs, nail files… Aha! Mirrors.

  “Worms have lunchtime?” Mr. Petal laughed. “What do they eat?”

  “Worm food.” Pearl grabbed the biggest mirror, a round one with a pink frame. “Can I have this? It’s for the hospital.”

  “For the worms?” Mr. Petal raised his eyebrows. “Why would a worm need a mirror?”

  Pearl cringed. If there was a moment when she needed Ben, it was this moment. He knew how to come up with the best stories.

  “Uh… uh…” she stammered, her thoughts racing. Would a worm want to look at its own reflection? Do worms have eyes? They live in the dark. Maybe they don’t have eyes. Pearl realized she didn’t know the first thing about worms. She chewed on her lower lip. “Uh… uh…” And wouldn’t a mirror be dangerous to a worm? Mirrors reflect sunlight. If a mirror reflected the sun onto a worm, the worm would get all dried up. Isn’t a dried-up worm a dead worm? “It’s not for the worms,” she said. “It’s actually for Dr. Woo. She’s very pretty. I wanted to give her a thank-you present for letting me work at her hospital.”

  Mr. Petal nodded. “That’s very considerate.” Over in his cage, Lemon Face twittered as if in agreement. “I’m wondering, now that there’s a worm hospital in Buttonville, maybe we should start carrying worm food in the store.”

  “Good idea,” Pearl called as she hurried up the aisle. “See ya at three o’clock.”

  Then, success nearly at hand, she ran around Mr. Bumfrickle and out the Dollar Store door.

  16

  When Pearl arrived back at the old button factory, she sighed with relief. The Mulberrys and her aunt Milly were gone. Phew! That made things a lot easier. But it was probably best not to climb over the gate in full view, just in case someone came driving past. So, after crossing the street, she ran toward the cluster of shady trees that hid the rusted section of fence, then skidded to a stop.

  A very pink, very frilly Victoria Mulberry stepped out from behind a tree. “Hello, Pearl.” She said the word Pearl as if it tasted like cod-liver oil.

  Pearl narrowed her eyes. “Hello, Victoria.” She said the word Victoria as if it tasted like boiled brussels sprouts, which it did. “Where’s your mother?”

  “She went to get sandwiches. Spying on people makes her super hungry.” Victoria tucked her book under her arm, then slid her glasses up her nose. “Whatcha doing with that golden pot and that mirror?”

  “None of your beeswax,” Pearl said. How was she going to climb over the fence without revealing the secret climbing spot? She had to get rid of Victoria. “If you want an appointment to see the doctor, you need to have a worm.”

  Victoria sneered. “I don’t have a worm, Pearl.”

  “Then you should find one, Victoria.”

  The sneer rose higher. Turned out, Victoria’s upper lip had gotten caught on her blue braces. She pulled it free, then said, “I don’t know where to find a worm.”

  Pearl looked around, then stepped closer to Victoria, as if she were about to reveal a big secret. “Dr. Woo told me that on nice summer days, worms like to go swimming. They take their families to the park and float in the water.” Pearl nearly laughed. Ben would be so impressed by her crazy story.

  Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Dr. Woo said that?” Pearl nodded. “Well, guess what? I already knew worms like to go swimming.” After a persnickety “humph,” Victoria hurried away, her frizzy red hair and pink ruffled dress bouncing with each step.

  Pearl didn’t waste another second. After sliding the mirror and flip-flops through the bars and tossing the plastic pot over the fence, she climbed quickly, landing on the other side with a victorious smile. Then she ran to the lake.

  Ben and the leprechaun were still sitting on the island’s beach, a growing pile of fish between them. While the lake monster pulled reeds from the shallows and chewed, watching its captives with a satisfied smile, Pearl went over her plan in her head.

  The goal was to get Ben and the leprechaun off the island. The leprechaun had said that lake monsters have tiny brains. Lemon Face, Pearl’s parakeet, also had a tiny brain. Pearl figured that if a tiny-brained bird thought his reflection was a friend, a tiny-brained lake monster might think the same thing. So her plan was to distract the monster with the mirror. Then Ben and Cobblestone could make their escape.

  Pearl hurried to the dock’s edge, where the rusty coffee can still sat. “Hello!” she called. “Hello, lake monster! I have a present for you!” But the creature ignored her. “Hey, you!”

  The lake monster’s head snapped around. A ray of sunlight had bounced off the pink mirror, casting a glow on the creature’s face. It darted toward Pearl, slicing through the murky water like a knife, leaving two perfect waves in its wake.

  Wow, it can sure move fast.

  In a split second, the creature loomed overhead, its great round eyes peering down with interest.

  “Hello,” Pearl said with a nervous smile. The creature lowered its long neck until its face was level with the mirror. Then it blinked and stared at its reflection. A soft purring sound vibrated in its throat. Great! The plan was working.

  “That’s right,” Pearl told it. “It’s another lake monster, just like you. It’s a friend.” The monster’s purring grew louder.

  “Pearl!” Ben yelled. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m saving you—that’s what I’m doing! Start swimming!”

  And that was when Pearl came to realize that sometimes plans don’t always go as… planned.

  The lake monster snorted, then opened its mouth, reveal
ing a row of sharp teeth and a glistening green tongue. And before Pearl could say “Hey, have you ever thought about chewing on some breath mints?” she was lifted into the air.

  “Whoa!” she cried, her stomach clenching. Then she realized that she was riding in the mouth of a lake monster, which was a pretty cool thing indeed. At least the monster didn’t spin like the Whirl-a-Tron at the Milkydale County Fair. She stared worriedly at the hospital. Fortunately, no faces appeared in any of the windows. She held tight to the mirror in one hand, the golden pot in the other. As the creature picked up speed, its little teeth prickled through the waistband of her basketball shorts. Just as she thought she might forget how to breathe, Pearl landed on the beach with a plop.

  Ben rushed to her side. His short hair was drenched in monster slobber. “Where’s Mr. Tabby?”

  “We don’t need Mr. Tabby, because I have a plan,” she said, scrambling to her feet.

  “A plan?” Ben’s voice got kinda screechy. “A plan? Your plans are terrible. You took a leprechaun out of the hospital. A sick leprechaun.” Right on cue, gold dust sprayed out of Cobblestone’s nose. “What if he gets sicker?”

  “I know, I know,” Pearl interrupted. “You don’t have to yell at me.”

  Ben snapped his mouth closed. “I’m not yelling,” he said between clenched teeth. “I’m pointing out the fact that this is a big mess. I should have listened to my grandfather. He told me you were a troublemaker.”

  Tears stung the corners of Pearl’s eyes, but she held them back. “That’s a really mean thing to say.”

  “You’re the one who talked me into leaving the hospital. And you’re the one who brought Cobblestone outside. And now we’re all stuck on this stupid island.” The leprechaun grunted in agreement.