The bicycle ride up to the reservoir was harder than Adam had imagined. Even though they had to pedal on an incline most of the way, it was the temperature that really sapped Adam’s strength. He was feeling wobbly when they arrived and climbed off their bikes. Fortunately, they had each brought a large plastic bottle of water.
“I feel a lot cooler now,” Adam said sarcastically as he opened his bottle and held it up to his lips. “Now that we’re here.”
“It’s like being in an air-conditioned mall,” Cindy agreed, playing along and reaching for her water bottle. Her face was red from the sun and exertion.
“Give it a chance. It actually is cooler here,” Watch said, stepping to the edge of the reservoir, which was a rough oval, maybe a quarter of a mile long and half that in width. The water was a strange gray color. The surrounding bank was almost entirely devoid of trees. All of their words seemed to die in the air the instant they left their mouths. Watch continued, “It’s got to be at least ten degrees cooler.”
“I feel refreshed from our ride,” Sally said, although she had already plopped down on a boulder and drained half her water bottle. “I think my suggestion was a good one.”
Cindy had brought a bag of sandwiches. Finding shade beneath one of the few trees, they sat down and ate. As they munched and talked and drank, Adam did begin to feel cooler. They had set off for the reservoir after four. It was now quarter to five and the heat was just beginning to ease up. But it was still too hot to do much exploring, not that any of them were in the mood to poke around another cave.
Watch had a pack of cards on him and wanted to play poker. Apparently Watch and Sally played together often. Adam was curious, although he had never played the game before and didn’t know the rules. But Cindy was uneasy.
“My mother doesn’t approve of gambling,” Cindy said. “She says it’s immoral and disgusting.”
“Those two words fit me nicely,” Sally said jokingly. “Listen, we’re just going to gamble with pebbles. We start with twenty each. It’s not really gambling unless you have real money at stake. I mean, how can your mother be upset if you lose a pile of rocks?”
Cindy chuckled. “You have a point. All right, I’ll play as long as I don’t have to wager my next week’s allowance.”
Watch explained the rules of five-card stud, and for the next hour or so they played many hands. But Watch and Sally were way ahead of Adam and Cindy when it came to the subtleties of the game. Adam and Cindy quickly lost all their pebbles, and even fierce Sally was steadily withering to Watch’s apparent skill. She got down to five pebbles, but finally seemed to be holding a strong hand because she bet two of them at once. Watch was unmoved; he matched her bet.
“I think you’re bluffing,” he said confidently.
Sally caught his eye. “You think so, babe?” She picked up the remainder of her pebbles. “I raise you another three. Count them.”
Watch was unimpressed. “I still think you’re bluffing.”
Sally sneered. “Thoughts aren’t rocks. Put your pebbles where your mouth is.”
Watch coolly matched her bet.
Sally was momentarily taken aback.
“What have you got?” Watch asked.
Sally threw her cards down. “Trash. You win. Darn.”
“It was an impressive bluff,” Adam told Sally.
“I fell for it,” Cindy agreed.
“It’s not impressive unless it works,” Sally muttered.
The sun was near the horizon and they were thinking of returning home when a minor disaster struck. Cindy, still curious about the Haunted Cave, had hiked up to peek at the opening to see if it was closed. They allowed her to go by herself because she had promised not to step inside if it was open. She was on her way back down the hill when she must have stepped on some loose gravel. The ground seemed to go out from under her before she started toppling.
“Cindy!” Adam shouted when he saw what was happening. Sally and Watch looked over, and soon all three were running to Cindy. She hadn’t toppled far, maybe twenty feet. But it was enough to pick up several scrapes and bruises. She was wearing shorts, and her legs were bleeding slightly in a few places. But that was not the major problem. As they reached her side, they saw her clutching her right ankle. Adam knelt by her side.
“Did you twist it?” he asked.
Cindy grimaced. “Yeah. It hurts.”
“You didn’t break it, did you?” Sally asked, concerned. “Your bone isn’t sticking out, is it?”
“If you did break it, there won’t be an ambulance coming for you,” Watch said matter-of-factly. “Spooksville’s ambulance drivers have all disappeared.”
“Would you two shut up?” Adam said. “Can’t you see she’s in pain?”
Cindy forced a smile. “It’s not too bad. I want to try putting some weight on it.”
“You might want to ice it first,” Watch suggested.
“Like we just happen to have bags of ice with us,” Sally said sarcastically.
Adam helped Cindy up. The moment Cindy put her right foot down, she let out a soft cry. “Ah,” she said, breathing heavily. “It really hurts.”
Adam pointed to the reservoir. “Maybe you should soak it in the water. It will help with the swelling.”
“I wouldn’t put my foot in that water if I’d just had sulfuric acid splashed on my toes,” Sally said.
Watch strolled over to the water and crouched down. Before any of them could say a word, he reached over and cupped a handful of water. He raised it to his lips and swallowed, then nodded, satisfied.
“It could use a little fluoride, but otherwise it tastes fine,” he said.
“We should wait a minute to see if he falls over dead,” Sally whispered to Adam and Cindy.
Watch walked back to them. “I don’t think it will melt your skin off, Cindy. But leave your shoe on when you put your foot in the water. The pressure of the sides of the shoe will help keep the swelling down as much as the cold water.”
“OK,” Cindy muttered as Watch and Adam helped her to a spot close to the water. Cindy sat down and added, “I feel like such a klutz, falling like that.”
“I fell,” Sally said proudly. “Once. But I regained my balance before causing myself any harm.”
“Was the Haunted Cave open or closed?” Watch asked.
“It’s still closed,” Cindy replied, as she carefully placed her aching ankle into the water. “I didn’t have the nerve to try to open it with one of the magic words we learned from the witch.” She twitched. “Hey, this water is really cold.”
“Some people say the reservoir is bottomless,” Sally said. “None of the bodies dumped in here over the years has ever floated back to the surface.”
“I think I’m going to talk my parents into buying a water purifier when I get home,” Adam said. He clasped Cindy’s hand and spoke in a gentle voice. “Is the pain letting up?”
“Oh, Watch,” Sally said, touching her heart. “Look at his bedside manner. He’s a born doctor. Dr. Adam—maybe he could be a brain surgeon.”
“It feels better, thank you,” Cindy said, ignoring Sally. “If I can just soak it for a few more minutes, I may be able to ride back home.”
“You can ride a bike with one foot,” Sally said. “Jaws does it all the time.”
“He’s David Green, the kid who lost a leg to the great white shark who stays off our coast,” Watch explained in case Adam or Cindy had forgotten.
“You’re lucky there are no sharks in the reservoir,” Sally added.
“We’ll wait here until you feel ready to travel,” Adam told Cindy.
Watch nodded toward the west. “The sun is setting. It’ll be dark soon.”
“This is what I was afraid would happen,” Sally said. She took a step away from the water and sat back down. “There’s no moon tonight. It will get black as ink up here.”