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Authors: Dan Poblocki
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simply by reading their expressions. But they all looked the same: annoyed.
“I glanced around the table one last time, and slowly, the answer came to me. I knew the culprit. Do you?”
“Trying not to sound sheepish, I spoke up. ‘Dad, if you thought the sauce looked so delicious, then why did you toss the asparagus in the garbage?’ His mouth dropped open, along with everyone else’s. I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful, but the way my dad looked at me proved to me that I was right. How had I known?”
“Dad had first claimed that he hadn’t seen any asparagus dish when he was setting the table. Then, after my mom had finished scolding us, he added that it was a shame someone had tossed it, since the sauce looked so good. He wasn’t around when Mom was cooking dinner, and he hadn’t gotten up from the table to look in the garbage. Therefore, he never should have
seen
the sauce … unless he was the one who had dumped it out to begin with. Confronted, he had to admit what he’d done. His excuse? He hates asparagus.
“My mother was furious with him, but my siblings were even angrier that he tried to blame us. He knew he would have to do some serious damage control if he were to escape the dining room alive. So he announced that after dinner, he’d drive us all out to the ice cream parlor at the mini-golf course for hot fudge sundaes. Also, he promised to eat all his vegetables next time, or at least let us know if he didn’t feel like it. It was funny to realize that my parents aren’t perfect.
“When we got back home from the golf course, my brothers and sisters all congratulated me for catching him in the act. So many times, I feel like I’m invisible in that house. It felt good to actually be recognized. My oldest sister, Grace, even let me brush my teeth first before bed.”
16
THE BEAST IN THE RIVER
(A ?? MYSTERY)
A few weeks into September, the summer warmth returned. One Saturday morning, from her bedroom window, Viola watched a number of boaters reveling on the river. The buzzing of the engines sounded like cicadas. It made her think of another sound. She hadn’t heard the tapping from the basement in a while and wondered if it had stopped for good.
When she went downstairs for breakfast, her mother was sitting at the table, writing in a notebook and drinking from a steaming coffee mug. Noticing her daughter, Mrs. Hart lit up. “Honey,” she said, “I’ve got some exciting news.”
Moments later, after quick phone calls to the others, Viola met Rosie, Sylvester, and Woodrow outside. Before any of them could ask her whatthis was all about, Viola blurted out, “There’s a beast in the river.”
“A beast?” said Sylvester, wearing an expression of horror.
“What kind of beast?” Rosie asked, looking more skeptical than frightened.
“A huge serpent,” said Viola, with a dramatic flourish of her arms. “Mom said that people have been calling in sightings to the newspaper for decades. Some say it’s long and green with flaming red eyes, and it twists its body as it hunts along the shore. Others claim that they’ve seen it farther out in the middle of the river, poking its narrow head just above the waves, spewing water from its nostrils. And one person says the thing knocked up against his boat, nearly capsizing it. This year is the fortieth anniversary of the first sighting.”
“I’ve heard about this before,” said Woodrow. “My mom gets all kinds of monster-sighting calls at the park service in the mountains. It’s pretty common. The monster always turns out to be an upturned tree root or a rock or something completely normal.”
“Well,” said Viola, “my mom told me that the
Herald
is holding a contest for the anniversary. They made the announcement in thismorning’s paper. Whoever can provide the best photographic proof that this beast actually exists will get a cash prize — and they’ll also be allowed to name the creature! The
Herald
plans on
“I glanced around the table one last time, and slowly, the answer came to me. I knew the culprit. Do you?”
“Trying not to sound sheepish, I spoke up. ‘Dad, if you thought the sauce looked so delicious, then why did you toss the asparagus in the garbage?’ His mouth dropped open, along with everyone else’s. I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful, but the way my dad looked at me proved to me that I was right. How had I known?”
“Dad had first claimed that he hadn’t seen any asparagus dish when he was setting the table. Then, after my mom had finished scolding us, he added that it was a shame someone had tossed it, since the sauce looked so good. He wasn’t around when Mom was cooking dinner, and he hadn’t gotten up from the table to look in the garbage. Therefore, he never should have
seen
the sauce … unless he was the one who had dumped it out to begin with. Confronted, he had to admit what he’d done. His excuse? He hates asparagus.
“My mother was furious with him, but my siblings were even angrier that he tried to blame us. He knew he would have to do some serious damage control if he were to escape the dining room alive. So he announced that after dinner, he’d drive us all out to the ice cream parlor at the mini-golf course for hot fudge sundaes. Also, he promised to eat all his vegetables next time, or at least let us know if he didn’t feel like it. It was funny to realize that my parents aren’t perfect.
“When we got back home from the golf course, my brothers and sisters all congratulated me for catching him in the act. So many times, I feel like I’m invisible in that house. It felt good to actually be recognized. My oldest sister, Grace, even let me brush my teeth first before bed.”
16
THE BEAST IN THE RIVER
(A ?? MYSTERY)
A few weeks into September, the summer warmth returned. One Saturday morning, from her bedroom window, Viola watched a number of boaters reveling on the river. The buzzing of the engines sounded like cicadas. It made her think of another sound. She hadn’t heard the tapping from the basement in a while and wondered if it had stopped for good.
When she went downstairs for breakfast, her mother was sitting at the table, writing in a notebook and drinking from a steaming coffee mug. Noticing her daughter, Mrs. Hart lit up. “Honey,” she said, “I’ve got some exciting news.”
Moments later, after quick phone calls to the others, Viola met Rosie, Sylvester, and Woodrow outside. Before any of them could ask her whatthis was all about, Viola blurted out, “There’s a beast in the river.”
“A beast?” said Sylvester, wearing an expression of horror.
“What kind of beast?” Rosie asked, looking more skeptical than frightened.
“A huge serpent,” said Viola, with a dramatic flourish of her arms. “Mom said that people have been calling in sightings to the newspaper for decades. Some say it’s long and green with flaming red eyes, and it twists its body as it hunts along the shore. Others claim that they’ve seen it farther out in the middle of the river, poking its narrow head just above the waves, spewing water from its nostrils. And one person says the thing knocked up against his boat, nearly capsizing it. This year is the fortieth anniversary of the first sighting.”
“I’ve heard about this before,” said Woodrow. “My mom gets all kinds of monster-sighting calls at the park service in the mountains. It’s pretty common. The monster always turns out to be an upturned tree root or a rock or something completely normal.”
“Well,” said Viola, “my mom told me that the
Herald
is holding a contest for the anniversary. They made the announcement in thismorning’s paper. Whoever can provide the best photographic proof that this beast actually exists will get a cash prize — and they’ll also be allowed to name the creature! The
Herald
plans on
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