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Chapter Six — Part One

The Return of Ole Mister No Shoulders

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The evening had settled softly over Blue Shoe Lake.

The rocking chairs creaked.

The coffee was warm.

The frogs had started their nightly choir.

Then…

CRACK!

SPLOOOOSH!

Something enormous hit the water out in the middle of the lake.

Mark and Gator both jumped.

​

They stared toward the sound.

The ripples spread wider and wider until they reached the old dock, lapping gently against the weathered boards.

Lap… lap… lap…

Then a strange wind rolled across the lake.

Not a normal breeze.

The kind that comes from nowhere.

It swirled through the trees, rattled the coffee cups…

…and snatched Mark’s hat clean off his head.

​

The old cap sailed through the air.

Mark lunged after it.

Too late.

Ellie saw it.

Right there on top of his head…

…a perfectly round little bald spot where time had quietly won another battle.

He scooped up his hat and jammed it back on.

“Now that’s a whole lotta hoo-haw all of a sudden.”

​

He pointed toward the lake.

“First a crack and a splash…”

Then he patted his hat.

“…then a wind that blowed my cap clean off.”

He turned toward Ellie.

A little red around the ears.

“I’m mighty sorry you had to witness that, Miss Ellie.”

He tugged the brim down.

“Normally this thing stays glued on real tight.”

Ellie smiled softly.

​

“Oh, Mark…”

“I wasn’t looking at your hair.”

Mark blinked.

“You… you wasn’t?”

She shook her head.

“I was wondering why you’ve got fishing lures sewn inside your hat.”

Silence.

Gator slowly lowered his coffee mug.

Mark looked inside the hat.

Three old bass hooks dangled from the lining.

One still had part of a red plastic worm attached.

Gator cleared his throat.

“You told me them was for ventilation.”

Mark looked up.

A long pause.

“I may have exaggerated.”

Ellie burst into laughter.

Mark shrugged.

“Well… I reckon that explains why birds keep followin’ me around.”

​

Then…

SPLOOOOSH!

Everyone turned.

Mark pointed toward the lake.

“There it goes again!”

Another heavy splash echoed across the water.

“Whatever that is has done got restless… like it had plans and cancellations at the very same time.”

He rubbed the gray stubble on his chin.

​

“Gator…”

His voice dropped.

“You don’t think…”

“…uh… you don’t reckon…”

But Gator wasn’t listening.

He had wandered over to where Pearl had been floating earlier.

Standing at the end of the dock, he held his paws up around his eyes like homemade binoculars.

Slowly scanning.

Left.

Right.

Left again.

Mark stomped over, took off his hat, and—

WHACK!

Smacked Gator right upside the head.

“Dadgum, Mark!”

“My thinkin’ ear!”

Mark shoved the hat back on.

“Boy, pay attention.”

“We got us a crisis brewin’.”

Gator rubbed his head.

“I was conductin’ surveillance.”

“Surveillance?”

“Yep.”

“You was lookin’ for Pearl.”

“I was multi-taskin’.”

Mark squinted.

“You can’t even regular-task.”

​

Ellie folded her arms, trying not to laugh.

Mark leaned over close to Gator.

Almost whispering.

“Gator…”

“You don’t think…”

“…ole Mister No Shoulders has come back, do ya?”

Gator’s eyes got big.

Real big.

The breeze stopped.

The lake grew still.

Even the crickets seemed to hush.

Ellie looked at them.

​

“I’m sorry…”

“…who exactly is Mister No Shoulders?”

Mark looked at Gator.

Gator looked at Mark.

Finally Mark nodded.

“You tell her.”

Gator pointed back.

“Nope.”

“You seen him first.”

“I seen a shadow.”

“You screamed.”

“I absolutely did not.”

“You hollered like a church lady that found a snake in the baptistry.”

​

Ellie blinked.

“There… is actually a story behind this?”

Gator swallowed.

“It was three summers ago.”

“Moon was full.”

Mark nodded.

“We was catfishin’.”

Gator looked out across the lake.

“And somethin’ come up outta the water.”

Ellie waited.

“…Well?”

Mark looked at Gator.

Gator looked at Mark.

Finally he whispered,

“It didn’t have no shoulders.”

Just then…

Two little pink eyes appeared beside the dock.

Ellie smiled.

“Oh.”

“It’s Pearl.”

The white alligator drifted silently toward them.

Mark let out a long breath.

“Whew.”

“I thought we was fixin’ to meet Mister No Shoulders.”

Gator puffed out his chest.

​

“I wasn’t scared.”

Mark looked at him.

“You was holdin’ onto my leg.”

“I was protectin’ you.”

Pearl floated beside the dock.

Her bright pink eyes locked onto Gator.

“…Why’s she lookin’ at me like that?”

Ellie tilted her head.

“That’s curious.”

Pearl moved closer.

Gator took one careful step backward.

“Now hold on there, Miss Pearl.”

“I’ve always spoke highly of your people.”

Pearl lifted her snout.

​

Then—

FWOOOOOSH!!

A giant stream of lake water blasted straight into Gator’s face.

SPLAT!

His hat flew backward.

His coffee mug landed in the lake.

A tiny minnow slid off the end of his nose.

Mark doubled over laughing.

Ellie covered her mouth.

Pearl simply floated there.

Looking entirely pleased with herself.

Gator slowly wiped the water from his eyes.

“You…”

Another pause.

“…are lucky you’re endangered.”

Pearl answered with one lazy slap of her tail.

SPLOOSH!

A second wave soaked Gator from the knees down.

Mark collapsed into his rocking chair.

“Oh, Lord have mercy.”

“She done baptized you.”

Gator stood dripping.

“Mark…”

“What?”

“…go get my hat.”

“No sir.”

“You done made a friend.”

“You go get it.”

But Pearl wasn’t looking at Gator anymore.

Her pink eyes were fixed on the middle of the lake.

She had seen the splash too.

While everyone else had been laughing…

…Pearl had been watching.

Ellie noticed first.

“She’s looking at something.”

Pearl slowly turned away from the dock.

Mark pointed.

“I think your alligator’s fixin’ to leave.”

​

She slipped forward.

No hurry.

No fear.

Just purpose.

Then…

She exploded across the water.

The white alligator shot toward the middle of the lake like a living torpedo, leaving behind an incredible V-shaped wake.

Mark stood up.

“Holy smokes.”

Gator squinted.

“I didn’t know she could move like that.”

Ellie whispered,

“Neither did I.”

​

Pearl reached the center of the ripples.

Without a sound…

…she disappeared beneath the water.

Silence.

The porch.

The dock.

The woods.

Everything waited.

One second.

Five.

Ten.

Tiny bubbles rose to the surface.

Then more.

Then dozens.

The lake began to boil.

The water churned harder and harder.

A whirlpool formed.

Ellie’s eyes grew wide.

​

“Something’s happening.”

Then—

KABOOOOOOM!!

Water exploded into the air.

Up came Pearl.

Wrapped all around her was a gigantic black serpent.

They twisted.

Rolled.

Flipped.

Scales and teeth and tails flew everywhere.

It looked less like a fight…

…and more like somebody had dumped nineteen-year-old Christmas lights out of a box and expected them to untangle themselves.

Mark grabbed Gator’s arm.

“GATOR!”

“I SEE IT!”

The serpent lifted its head.

Higher.

Higher.

Its cold yellow eyes stared straight toward the dock.

A long scar crossed its snout.

Gator’s jaw dropped.

His hat slipped off again.

“No…”

Mark whispered.

“It can’t be…”

Gator pointed with a trembling finger.

“It ain’t just any snake.”

“…it’s him.”

He slowly looked at Ellie.

His voice barely came out.

“Miss Ellie…”

“…that’s Ole Mister No Shoulders.”

The giant serpent coiled tighter around Pearl.

Pearl snapped back with a tremendous bite.

Water exploded again.

The snake hissed.

Pearl growled.

Gator quietly reached over…

…and took Mark’s hand.

Mark looked down.

“Gator…”

“What?”

“…you holdin’ my hand?”

Gator never took his eyes off the battle.

“No.”

“…you holdin’ mine.”

Another explosion shook the lake.

Mark squeezed tighter.

“…let’s just leave it like it is for now.”

The great white alligator rolled once more.

The giant serpent coiled tighter.

Water exploded skyward.

Pearl disappeared beneath the surface.

Ole Mister No Shoulders vanished with her.

The lake boiled.

Then…

Silence.

Not a bubble.

Not a ripple.

Mark stared across Blue Shoe Lake.

Gator slowly realized he was still holding Mark’s hand.

He let go.

“So…”

Mark never looked away from the water.

“So.”

A long moment passed.

Ellie finally whispered,

“Do you think Pearl won?”

Neither of them answered.

Far out in the middle of the lake…

…one lonely bubble rose to the surface.

Blurp.

Gator swallowed.

“I reckon…”

“…Chapter Six ain’t over yet.”