R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 Read Online Free PDF Page A

him, he'd laugh at me. He'd tell me to quit making up dumb ghost stories.
    Then he'd probably hit me so hard I'd stop breathing for an hour or two. And he'd tell me it was for my own good.
    So—no way to talk to Colin.
    Maybe the only way to save his life was to find the pendant. But how could I do that?
    We waded through tall grass and came to the lakeshore. My sneakers sank into the soft mud. The water rippled gently, flat and blue under the clear blue sky.
    Far to our left, two silvery canoes bobbed in the water, tied to a short wooden pier.
    Shielding my eyes from the bright sun, I gazed out over the lake. I heard frogs croaking and birds chirping in the trees behind the lake.
    “Welcome to Snake Lake, guys,” Colin said. “Awesome-looking, huh?”
    We mumbled a reply.
    A kid picked up a small stone and made it skip over the water.
    “Hey! Don't disturb the snakes,” Colin warned. “This lake is filled with poisonous snakes. Big ones. They've killed most of the fish. And now they're always hungry.”
    My heart started to thud in my chest.
    Behind me, a couple of kids snickered.
    “This is no joke,” Colin said. “We don't swim in this lake. And I'm not making this up. You put one foot in Snake Lake and the snakes come swimming for you instantly.”
    He pulled off his flip-flops and took a few steps into the water. “Here. Let me show you,” he said.
    We watched as he stood perfectly still, water up over his ankles. A few seconds went by. Then I thought I saw ripples in the water.
    “Owwww!”
Colin let out a scream. He jerked his bare foot out of the water. Staggering on one leg, he frantically rubbed the foot. “
Owwww
. They
got
me! It
hurts
!”
    A few kids gasped. Others grew silent. The Wilburs laughed.
    Colin stepped out of the water and bent to put on his flip-flops. “Okay, that was a joke,” he said. “But everything I said about Snake Lake is true. You cannot swim here because the snakes own the place. No lie.”
    “Then where do we swim?” a boy asked.
    Colin pointed behind us. “In the smaller lake by the girls' cabins. Be very careful around here, guys. I'm totally serious. Most of these snakes are deadly. If you get bitten, you die in thirty seconds.”
    Colin brushed his blond hair off his forehead. “That's the tour, dudes,” he said. “Now here's a little test for you guys. Let's see if you can get back to your cabins without me.”
    He turned and took off, running through the tall grass toward the trees. We stood and watched him.
    When he reached the trees, he turned back. “Hey, Maxie!” he shouted. “Maxie, check this out!”
    He reached under his T-shirt, struggled with something—pulled it out and held it up.
    The pendant!
    “See ya, dude!” he called, laughing. Then he disappeared into the trees.

12
    C OLIN HAD LIED . He still had the pendant. Was that good news or bad?
    I didn't have time to think about it. I heard shouts behind me.
    I turned and saw the Wilbur brothers grab Jakey. He squirmed and struggled. But they lifted him off the ground and raised him to their shoulders.
    “Let me go! Let me go!” Jakey was squawking like a chicken.
    Everyone else just stood and stared as the Wilburs carried Jakey like a canoe to the water. “Let's test the water!” Billy exclaimed.
    “Let me go! Please! Stop it! Stop!
    ” “Nice day for a swim, hey, Jakey?” Willy said.
    “No! I don't want to! I don't want to!”
    The Wilburs were too strong for Jakey. No way could he squirm free. They lifted him high over their heads and stepped up to the edge of the water.
    “No! Don't!” I heard Traci scream.
    Willy Wilbur tossed back his head and laughed.
    “Hey, snakes! Here comes lunch!” Billy shouted. He and his brother raised Jakey higher and prepared to heave him into the water.
    Jakey was pleading and wailing.
    “Calling all snakes! Wake up!” Billy shouted. “Here comes some fresh meat!”
    “Let Jakey go!” I shouted. I took a deep breath and ran to rescue the poor