Free Creature in Ogopogo Lake by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1
A Monster Lurks
    “Do you think it’s true?” asked six-year-old Benny. The youngest Alden had his nose pressed up against the window of their rental car. “Is there really a monster in Ogopogo Lake?” His eyes were huge.
    “You mean, Okanagan Lake,” corrected twelve-year-old Jessie, who often acted like a mother to her younger brother and sister. “Ogopogo is the name of the famous Canadian monster that lives in Okanagan Lake.”
    “I like Ogopogo Lake better,” insisted Benny. “After all, it’s the monster’s home.”
    Henry, who was sitting up front beside Grandfather, smiled back at his little brother. “There’s no real proof the monster exists, Benny.” Henry was fourteen. He was the oldest of the Aldens.
    Grandfather slowed down for a curve in the road. “They’ve even used underwater cameras to search for the creature,” he said, “but nothing’s turned up. Of course, that doesn’t stop folks from keeping their eyes peeled. Everybody hopes to catch a glimpse of Ogopogo.”
    “Good thing I brought along my binoculars.” Benny grinned.
    “And I packed my camera,” put in Violet, who was ten. Photography was one of Violet’s hobbies. She almost always brought her camera along when they went on vacations.
    James Alden and his four grandchildren—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny—had just arrived for a holiday in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. They were on their way to the Ogopogo Resort in Peachland. Grandfather was renting a cabin from his good friend Abby Harmon.
    “Should I check the map, Grandfather?” asked Jessie, who was the best map-reader in the family.
    “That’s okay, Jessie. I haven’t forgotten how to get to Peachland.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” said Jessie. “You used to come here all the time. Didn’t you, Grandfather?”
    “We came every summer when I was growing up. My parents always rented a cabin from the Harmon family. Abby was about my age, and we soon became great friends.”
    “And you never lost touch,” said Violet. “Right, Grandfather?”
    “No, we didn’t.” Grandfather smiled at his youngest granddaughter through the rear view mirror. “We’ve been pen pals ever since. After Abby’s father died,” he went on, “she inherited the Ogopogo Resort. She still rents out cabins and runs a small gift shop.”
    “Sounds like fun,” said Henry.
    “Abby does enjoy it,” said Grandfather. “But …”
    “But what?” asked Violet.
    “The place is getting old,” Grandfather answered. “From what I hear, it’s badly in need of repair. I’m afraid, with all the new resorts springing up everywhere, people aren’t coming to stay at Abby’s cabins.”
    Henry looked puzzled. “Why doesn’t she just spruce the place up a bit?”
    “Abby doesn’t have the money for repairs, Henry. In fact, she’s even been thinking of selling the resort.”
    “How sad!” Violet sighed.
    “Abby hasn’t made her mind up yet, Violet,” Grandfather told her. “But someone said he would buy it. She’s trying to decide what to do.”
    “That must be hard for Abby,” Jessie said. “To make a decision like that, I mean.”
    Grandfather nodded. “The Ogopogo Resort is the only home she’s ever known.”
    “We kept our old home,” Benny said. “Thanks to you, Grandfather.”
    After their parents died, the four Alden children had run away. When they discovered an abandoned boxcar in the woods, they made it their home. Then their grandfather found them and brought them to live with him in his big white house in Greenfield. He even surprised his grandchildren by giving the boxcar a special place in the backyard. The Aldens often used the boxcar as a clubhouse.
    They were all enjoying the car ride as they looked out the windows and saw the beautiful green orchards and vineyards. In the distance, dry brown hills were scattered with tall trees. Benny was the first to break the silence.
    “I was just wondering,” he said, sounding a bit