Free The Monsters of Morley Manor by Bruce Coville

after him. Bob followed close at his heels, but I suspect that was mostly because he liked the water. Though he was still in his semihuman form, he barked exuberantly as he bounded through the rippling waves. Suddenly he plunged in over his head, as if he had just gone past a drop-off. He came up once, splashing and spluttering, then disappeared again. This time he didn’t come backup.
    â€œMust be the breathing thing works,” said Sarah.
    â€œEither that, or something ate him,” replied Albert.
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous,” snapped Gaspar. Squaring his shoulders, he waded into the water after Bob, the Wentar, and Chuck “Come along, Albert,” he said, without looking back “Destiny awaits.”
    â€œWhatever you say, boss,” said Albert. He glanced back at me and Sarah, rolled his eyes, spread his hands in a what-can-you-do? kind of gesture, then turned and followed Gaspar into the water.
    That left Ludmilla, Melisande, Sarah, and me standing on the shore.
    â€œWhat about my hair?” muttered Melisande.
    It wasn’t the kind of girl question it sounds like, since her snakes were twisting and writhing around her head in great alarm. Even so, it did make me realize that it was just me and the girls on the beach.
    So I stepped in.
    â€œAnthony, wait!” cried Sarah. She came splashing after me.
    The water was cold, and had an odd, lemony smell. The smell was actually kind of pleasant, it was just weird. It was also weird to go in with my clothes on. Though the legs of my jeans were already damp from the walk to Morley Manor, now they clung tightly to my skin, feeling cold and heavy. I was glad I hadn’t put anything important in my pockets before we left home that night.
    As we moved deeper into the lake, I heard Melisande and Ludmilla wade in behind us, grumbling and hissing as they did. I figured they were even unhappier about getting their clothes wet than I was. But I didn’t look back. I was busy peering into the water around me, worrying about everything from man-eating plants to giant slime fish to living mud. Given the creature we had already met, who knew what sorts of things might live in the lakes of this planet?
    Suddenly Gaspar stuck his head above the surface. Water streamed off his long snout.
    â€œFor heaven’s sake,” he shouted. “Hurry up!”
    That was a good sign. The fact that we had not seen any of the others who had gone under had had me worried. Turning to Sarah, I said, “Ready?”
    She nodded. Joining hands, we waded forward. Since she was shorter, her head went under first. I stood and watched.
    Okay, I know that makes me sound really rotten. But I figured if there was a problem, it would be easier for me to haul her out than vice versa.
    A second later she stuck her head up and called, “Hurry, Anthony! This is really neat!”
    Then I was annoyed because I hadn’t gone under first.
    I plunged in after her. I tried holding my breath, but I quickly realized that that couldn’t last for long. Besides, the point was to breathe the water. Cautiously
—very
cautiously—I let some of it trickle in through my nose.
    Utterly cool! Instead of choking and burning, the water felt good in my lungs.
    Feeling bolder, I drew in a deep breath, filling my lungs with lemony water. It was heavy in my chest, but not uncomfortable.
    I looked around. The Wentar’s spell must have done something to our eyes as well as our lungs, because I could see perfectly. Strange, fishlike creatures swam all around us. Some of them were transparent, like ghost fish; others had big goggling eyes, or fins that trailed behind them like ribbons. Ahead of us weird plants stretched toward the surface, bending back and forth like ghostly, grasping hands. A variety of brilliantly colored flowers, some as small as thimbles, some as big as dinner plates, bloomed on the bottom.
    Boy, I bet Mom and Dad would love some of those for the