16 THE PLUNGE

CHAPTER 16 THE PLUNGE Mr. Beaver's angry voice was echoing across the pond. He was always grumbling about something or other, but this time he sounded unusually upset. Roz marched over to see what all the fuss was about, and as she went, she began to hear squeaking and splashing, and through the foliage she caught glimpses of otters leaping off the beaver dam and into the water. Roz stepped out from the trees and onto the dam. It was a low wall of branches and rocks and mud that stretched along one side of the pond. She had crossed it hundreds of times without any difficulty. But the pond had recently been dredged to hold more water, and now it was so deep that she couldn't see the bottom. The robot had fallen into deep water once, and it had nearly destroyed her. So she didn't hurry, but carefully made her way across the dam, toward the commotion. "Come back here so I can scold you!" hollered Mr. Beaver as he swam after the otters. The otters ignored him. They kept climbing onto the dam and splashing into the water, happily squeaking all

the while. Mr. Beaver's son, Paddler, was floating nearby, and he couldn't help giggling. "Don't encourage them, son!" said Mr. Beaver. "These creatures are a menace!" Paddler frowned and said, "After what they've been through, it's nice to see them having fun." "The otters can have all the fun they want. Just not in my pond!" "Dad, I know you made this pond, but that doesn't mean it belongs to you." "That is precisely what it means!" When the otters took a break from playing, Shelly swam up to the beavers and said, "I'm sorry if we're disturbing you. We know we're out of place here. We're sea otters! We should be in the sea! But we have to find a new home somewhere on the island, and we like it here." Mr. Beaver grunted, "I don't understand why you have to live in my pond when there are so many new ponds to choose from." "Those new ponds are just holes filled with water," said Shelly. "This pond has plants and fish and geese and insects… and beavers! This pond is full of life! It feels more like a home." Mrs. Beaver's head poked up from the surface. She glared at her husband and said, "Remember how you asked me to point out when you're being stubborn and

rude? Well, you're being stubborn and rude!" Then she smiled at the otters and said, "You are very welcome to live here. This pond is big enough for us all." And with that, Mrs. Beaver disappeared back below the surface. Reader, the next few events happened very quickly. First, the otters resumed playing. They burst into action, squeaking and splashing and climbing onto the dam. This made Paddler giggle, but his father was not amused. In one swift motion, Mr. Beaver smacked his broad tail against the water. That was his way of warning the otters to keep their distance. However, he ended up startling Roz, who had been quietly approaching this whole time. She stumbled and wobbled and swung her arms to keep her balance. Then she toppled off the dam and into the pond.

Kersploosh! The robot sank like a stone and vanished into the murky depths. Around the pond, animals turned and stared. Worried faces peered out from the trees. Glimmer and Brightbill came flying.

"My mother can't survive in deep water!" squawked Brightbill. "Somebody, do something!" screeched Glimmer. The beavers and otters were about to dive down when they saw a shape rising from the bottom. A moment later, Roz hauled herself out of the water and onto the dam. She was covered in muck, which started oozing down her smooth sides. A fish wiggled out from a muddy clump on her head and plopped back into the pond. "Are you okay, Ma?" said Brightbill. "What do you need?" said Shelly. "Speak to us!" said Mr. Beaver. "Thank you for your concern," said Roz. "But I seem to be perfectly fine."