Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 Chet rose to his knees and threw up. When he could stand, he staggered over to his clothes. His hands were shaking so badly that he could barely button his shirt. He shoved his feet into his boots, not even trying to lace them. And then on wobbly legs, his blood pounding in his ears, he ran up the hill and found his way to Main Street.

He pushed past the ladies with their shopping baskets. He crossed the street, ignoring the honking motorcar that swerved around him. A man in a buggy shouted at him to watch out. The horse whinnied. Chet barely noticed. He staggered into Mr. Colton's hardware store, tripping across the doorway and knocking over a display of watering cans. The clattering brought three customers to the front of the store. Mr. Colton hurried out from behind the counter. "Chet?" he said worriedly. "What's wrong?" Chet opened his mouth. But he couldn't speak. "What happened?" Mr. Colton said. "Why is your shirt covered with blood? Are you bleeding? Who did this to you?" A small group of customers clustered around him, their eyes filled with concern. Finally, Chet got the words out. "A shark." "What?" Mr. Colton said. "A shark," Chet repeated. "Has there been another attack on the shore?" Mr. Colton said. "I didn't see anything in the newspaper." Chet shook his head.

"There's a shark in the creek," he said. "I saw it. It crashed into me." The crowd erupted into loud laughter. Mr. Colton offered a sympathetic smile and a hand on his shoulder. "It's the heat, my boy. It's driving us all a little mad." He asked one of the customers to go into the back and bring Chet a drink. He led Chet through the laughing crowd and sat him on the stool behind the counter. A man handed Chet a tin mug of water. "Take a drink, son," Mr. Colton said. But Chet pushed it away, and water splashed onto a pile of seed catalogs. "We have to warn people!" But Mr. Colton just shook his head, like Chet was a little kid who was sure he'd seen a unicorn galloping down the sidewalk. "There's so much garbage floating in that creek," Mr. Colton said. "It could have been a plank from the dock, or a barrel, or a —" "No," Chet said. "It was a shark!" "I think maybe all those pranks are getting to you," Mr. Colton said.

Chet knew that he must sound crazy, that he could spend all day swearing that he'd seen a shark. Nobody would believe him. Why would they? A shark in the creek? It was impossible! Except that Chet had seen it with his own eyes. If he'd been a step slower, he'd be dead right now, another name in the newspaper. "It's all right, son," Mr. Colton said. "How about I call Dr. Jay and he'll give you a ride home. You've never been in his motorcar, have you?" Mr. Colton headed to the back of the store to use the telephone. The customers drifted away, shaking their heads and chuckling. No, nobody would believe it. Meanwhile, that shark was still in the creek. And then it hit Chet… that there was one person in town who just might believe him, who might know what to do. He wasn't sure, but it was his best hope. He slid off the stool and rushed out of the store.

"Chet!" Mr. Colton called. "Where are you going?" Chet didn't turn around. He had to find Captain Wilson. He'd wasted enough time already.