Preview from The BLUE POOL — Pages 18-19
We rushed along the tracks to the Blue Pool, retracing our earlier steps. It was all Will could do to keep up with us. With the beams of the setting sun slanting into the bucket, I could clearly see the glowing colors on the fish. And, I promise you, I thought that fish winked at me!
As we approached the path leading down to the pool, it seemed as if the birds suddenly stopped their singing again. The insects quit their droning. The breezes no longer stirred the grasses or rustled the leaves on the trees. Even Little Will was quiet. The unexpected stillness shouted at me as the eerie feeling was even stronger than before. Slowly, we eased our way down the darkening trail. Edward and I set the bucket at the edge of the deep pond. Then, ever-so-carefully, we tipped it over, emptying the water and the fish back into the pool. We watched for an instant as it swam away, lost in the depths. And that was when it happened! In our determined efforts to return the fish safely to its home, we had completely forgotten about young William. Suddenly, we heard a cry and a splash. We jerked our heads around just in time to see our little brother slipping down that slick, mossy trail of creek water that ran into the pool. He was falling, head over heels, straight for the pond. In that split second, both Edward and I were frozen statues. We couldn’t move. We couldn’t breathe. We could only think, “He can’t swim!” |