Monster From the Deep

A pleasant excursion turns unexpectedly into a desperate battle with a deadly monster . . .

It was fine and sunny, so after lunch the three chums decided to motor to Stokes Point to paddle in the ocean and look at the lighthouse.

They paused along the way to admire rolling fields and picturesque lakes.

As they approached the southernmost point of the island, the road wound through mysterious sand hills. "What wonderful scenery!" Elizabeth exclaimed, trying yet again to get a good snapshot from a moving vehicle.

Further along the coast they were enchanted by a flock of small grey bushes grazing placidly by the roadside.

Most galloped away as the motor approached,

but one old bull stood his ground. The chums decided not to linger and they drove quickly by.

Suddenly Mary cried "Oh! What is that?" Off in the distance they saw a red and alien shape lurking among the rocks.

"Oh! no! I do believe it is a Net!"
At that moment two more friends drove up.
"Let us drag it in so that it will not be washed out to sea again when the tide comes in." they suggested. "Ghost nets roam the ocean and entangle innocent sea creatures. We must not let this one escape!"
Everyone agreed this was a matter of life and death and they must do whatever they could to defeat the monster.

 Excitedly, the chums scrambled over the rocks to inspect the Net.

"We'll drag it up there." Alison decided. "That should be far enough."

They tugged and tugged, but the Net refused to budge. It was far too big and heavy to move.
"We'll have to cut it up" Tim declared. "Has anyone brought a knife?"
Everybody searched their pockets, but nobody could find anything useful. For a moment they feared they would have to give up, but then Alison remembered she had some scissors in her car and hurried off to fetch them.

The scissors did the trick, but it was slow and tedious work cutting through the tangled strands of Net.

Elizabeth took her turn with the scissors

then she wandered off to take snapshots of rock pools and interesting boulders. There was so much to look at!

They all helped drag pieces of Net to higher ground. Even after it was dismembered the Net fought back. It was heavy and awkward, and inclined to catch hold of rocks, but the chums persisted and eventually they were satisfied it would never again return to the water.

"We can pull it right up to the road and take it away tomorrow." Tim said. Everyone felt very pleased with themselves. They waved goodbye to Tim and his mother and resumed their excursion.

Alison had a little paddle.

Elizabeth took a nice snapshot of the lighthouse.

Then they all went home for tea.
Next morning Tim took a big knife and went back to the foreshore. He cut the dried up monster into little pieces and took them away to the tip. The man at the tip said "you should get a medal for this. Or at least a photograph in the paper". "No" Tim replied modestly, "I would rather not have any publicity."