The Preposterous Adventures of Swimmer Read Online Free PDF Page B

again.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œI—I’d rather not talk about it.” She swallowed and turned away. “We’d better hurry. It’s getting late.”
    But the tragic picture that had come to Penny’s mind was entirely too vivid for Swimmer to miss. It was a bitter winter scene with an otter frozen in the ice of a small pool, one foot caught in a trap. Another otter crouched near it, crying.
    Swimmer could not help asking, “Was it Willow’s mate you found?”
    She gasped and stared at him, then nodded slowly.
    â€œIt was last winter,” she told him. “If it hadn’t snowed and turned so mean and cold afterward, maybe I could have found him in time to save him. But it dropped ’way below zero, and I couldn’t come down here and see how everybody was ’cause I didn’t have boots and a coat. But, please, let’s don’t talk about it.”
    For a while they moved along in silence. Then Swimmer asked curiously, “Has Ripple got a brother?”
    â€œWhy, yes! How did you guess?”
    â€œOn the way here yesterday I was following an old trail made by others of my kind. Two of them must have been Willow and Ripple. But I was sure there was a third.”
    â€œOh, that was Splasher. He’s a perfect rascal! You’d never guess what he did. When he came back last week he didn’t pay a bit of attention to my warning. Instead, he slipped up to the house, gave his little bark to let me know who he was, then dashed to the trout ponds and tore through them like crazy. Why, he scared those poor fish out of their ever-loving minds—they were jumping all over the place! Of course, he did it just to devil Mr. Sykes. And I never saw Mr. Sykes so hopping mad. He yelled for Tattle and grabbed his shotgun and started blasting away at where the trout were jumping—and all he did was to kill a bucketful of his own fish. And Splasher got clean away.”
    She giggled and added, “It was awfully foolish of him to take such a chance, and, of course, I bawled him out afterward. But I know how he felt. The funny thing is that Mr. Sykes thinks the otters are stealing him blind, but they’re not. Golly, Splasher wouldn’t even touch a trout if he could find enough crawfish. Would you?”
    â€œI’m all for crawfish,” Swimmer affirmed. “But it’s precious few I’ve had in recent years. Where’s Splasher now?”
    â€œDown the creek somewhere. I haven’t seen him since Monday, so I think he’s gone to hunt for a mate.” She stopped. “Here’s the beech.”
    Swimmer peered up with awe and deep respect at the great trunk spreading its branches over a wide stretch of the creek. It wasn’t the biggest tree he had ever seen, but it was certainly the oldest. He could feel its age as its sheltering leaves whispered a welcome to him, telling of the countless feathered ones who had nested under that arching roof, and of the generations of his own kind who had taken refuge in its secret hollows. One glance at the beckoning tangle of roots dipping down into the water and he could almost see the hiding places under the huge trunk.
    Penny scrambled down to the water’s edge and began tapping on a rock. At the first signal two sleek dark heads periscoped at the far end of the pool then streaked toward her, barking and chirruping happily. As they reached the bank she leaned forward, laughing, and touched noses with each of them.
    â€œWillow, Ripple,” she began. “I’ve brought a new friend to meet you. His name is Swimmer. He’s been a prisoner a long time, but he’s just escaped and he’s got a broken leg. Please be nice to him, ’cause he really needs help.”
    Willow and her daughter came up the bank, eyes bright and curious while they briefly touched noses with him. Swimmer, momentarily forgetting his aches, burbled with happiness. It was pure heaven