Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 The next day the guys came by the diner, smiling like everything was normal. Chet didn't wave back. He slipped into the kitchen before they sat down at the counter and didn't come out until they were gone. After the breakfast rush was over, Uncle Jerry handed Chet a mug of root beer and told him to have a seat.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" he asked, sitting on the stool next to Chet's. "I see you've been avoiding your buddies." "They're not my buddies," Chet said. "I hardly know them." Uncle Jerry peered at Chet. "Is this because of that stunt at the creek?" "You heard about that?" Chet said. Uncle Jerry chuckled, but not in a nasty way. "They didn't mean any harm," he said. "You should be flattered." "How's that?" Chet said. "They made me feel like an idiot." "It means they like you, that you're one of them," Uncle Jerry said. "Now they're expecting you to get them back. Didn't you know that's how it works?" How could Chet know? He'd never had any real friends before. He wanted to know more. But before he could ask, Mr. Colton and Dr. Jay came through the door. They were Uncle Jerry's oldest friends. Mr. Colton owned the hardware store. Dr. Jay took care of practically everyone in town. They came in every day for coffee and to chat about baseball with Uncle Jerry.

But today the men didn't want to talk about Babe Ruth's pitching record. Mr. Colton held up the morning paper so Uncle Jerry and Chet could read the front-page headline. SHARK KILLS SECOND BATHER IN NEW JERSEY JULY 7, 1916 SPRING LAKE, NEW JERSEY A shark attacked Charles Bruder, 28, while he was swimming alone in the ocean yesterday afternoon. Lifeguards rushed to his rescue, but the young man's wounds were so severe that he bled to death before they reached shore. Bruder, a well-liked bell captain at the Essex and Sussex Hotel, was known to be a strong swimmer. But he was no match for the beast, which attacked without mercy. Before he perished, Bruder was able to tell a remarkable story to his rescuers. "He was a big gray fellow, and as rough as sandpaper," Bruder said. "I didn't see him until after he struck me the first time….

That was when I yelled…. I thought he had gone on, but he only turned and shot back at me [and]… snipped my left leg off…. He yanked me clear under before he let go…. He came back at me… and he shook me like a terrier shakes a rat." Bruder tried to say more, but he became too weak. He died of massive blood loss and shock before lifeguards could get him back to the shore. Officials are warning people not to swim alone. "I still don't believe it," said Uncle Jerry. "Someone is cooking up these stories to sell newspapers." "Could be," Mr. Colton said. "Folks are terrified, though. My wife's cousin lives out there, and she says nobody will go near the ocean. They have fishermen out with rifles shooting at anything that moves." "You know what this reminds me of?" Dr. Jay said. "The Creek Devil." "What's that?" Chet asked.

Mr. Colton and Dr. Jay chuckled. Then Mr. Colton shifted his hefty body forward on the stool. He leaned closer to Chet. "Old-timers say there's a monster that lives down near the creek. He's covered with mud. Eats snakes and bats and makes a terrible hissing sound. Moans, too. Legend is that he comes out every decade and drags a kid back into the mud with him." "People believe that?" Chet said. "Everyone in town knows the legend," Uncle Jerry said, "but nobody really believes it." "Except for Jerry here," Dr. Jay said, slapping Uncle Jerry on the shoulder. "When we were little, he wouldn't go near that creek!" "Bah," Uncle Jerry said, waving his hand at Dr. Jay. "I don't know what you're talking about. Doesn't someone need a wart removed or something?" Was Uncle Jerry blushing? Imagine Uncle Jerry being afraid of a made-up monster! Chet smiled to himself. Maybe there was hope for him yet. Suddenly Chet had an idea for the greatest prank ever. Folks would be talking about it for

years. And then he'd be part of the gang for sure. Dewey, Monty, and Sid were going to come face-to-face with the Creek Devil.