CHAPTER 3
A RUMOR OF MONSTERS
Max awoke to the sound of barking laughter, the slosh of waves over sand, and the whoosh of wind past his ears. The air was still cool, the sun newly risen, but already the beach was alive with animals—dozens of dogs, cats, and other pets.
After a mouthful of kitty chow, Max padded slowly through the sand. He didn’t see snout or tail of Rocky or Gizmo or any of the cats, but he assumed they were out there somewhere.
Music met Max’s ears, carried to him by the ocean breeze. He followed the sound until he found several young dogs surrounding a large radio. The music was peppy with a fast drumbeat, and several of the dogs leaped up onto their hind legs to mimic human dancing. They couldn’t keep it up for long, though, and soon they fell into a furry heap.
Not far from the dancing dogs, a trio of puppies tossed a branch wildly over the sand. A herd of cats swatted playfully at ocean weeds as though they were cornered mice. Two Border Collie puppies chased a rainbow-striped beach ball.
And in big piles all over the beach were sacks upon sacks of dog and cat food. Some bags were open, their pellets spilling onto the sand, but most were stacked neatly. The cats had been right—the lady in the hat, whoever she was, had left more than enough food to last these animals for months.
Max spun in a circle, absorbing all that he could see and hear and smell. Everywhere he looked, there were animals enjoying themselves. No one was fighting. It seemed like one big, never-ending party.
Max knew he should find Rocky and Gizmo so they could continue their journey. But he couldn’t stop staring at the ocean. Its vastness, its smells, and its beauty were unlike anything he’d ever seen.
Before he could stop himself, Max raced into the surf.
The sand beneath his paws went from dry, shifting, and warm to packed and wet as the waves rushed toward him in a burst of wind.
The cold water crashed into his body, almost toppling him. Closing his eyes tight, Max dug his paws in the sand—and the waves receded, leaving him soaked and dripping.
Max laughed, loud and long. What a teasing thing, these waves! Splashing him before running away! Well, two could play at that game. Darting forward, he met the waves head on as they rushed back in, sending a big splash right back at the ocean.
He opened his jaws—only to take in a big gulp of the seawater. It wasn’t like the river water, which had a strange taste but was drinkable. No, the ocean water was foul and vile, like a cocktail of fish and plants and salt—so much salt.
Soggy and cold and with his mouth filled with that awful taste, Max padded back toward the dry sand. He saw other big dogs splashing in the waves, and he guessed they’d already figured out not to drink the water. It looked like fun to splash with dog friends. Too bad Rocky and Gizmo were much too little to face the ocean’s full strength.
Barking echoed from above. Max looked up to see Rocky and Gizmo back by the resort, next to the two Border Collie puppies. The puppies were yipping loudly—apparently trying to get the attention of Grendel on the deck railing.
Max shook his whole body, sending water splashing off his fur in every direction. Then he ran through the sand to hear what the commotion was about.
“Come on, Grendel, tell them the story!” the boy puppy barked.
The girl puppy spun in a circle. “Grendel, you’re not gonna let them go out there with the creatures, are you? They seem so nice!”
Grendel ignored the frantic puppies, carefully cleaning his orange face and little black mustache.
“What’s happening?” Max asked Rocky and Gizmo as he padded through the warm sand to join them.
“Oh!” Gizmo said. “Hi, Max! Rocky and I met these cute puppies and told them about our journey. They insisted we talk to Grendel first before we leave again.”
Rocky shuddered. “Supposedly there’s something dangerous in the swamps. Not that I’m afraid of danger, of course.” He ducked his head. “But, uh, I figured it couldn’t hurt to know what we’re up against.”
Realizing that someone new had arrived, the two black-and-white puppies stopped barking. They swarmed Max, sniffing at his fur, their furry tails wagging.
Max laughed. “Nice to meet you, too! I’m Max.”
The boy Border Collie jumped back. “I’m Seventeen!” he barked happily. “And my friend here is Twelve.”
“Hello,” Twelve said politely, though her yellow eyes were filled with worry. “We just met Gizmo and Rocky, and they said you were going west to Baton Rouge.”
“That’s right,” Max said. “A friend of ours who used to live there asked us to look for a dog named Belle.”
“Belle? Hey! We know her!” said Seventeen. “A Collie, right? Belle used to come play with us at the farm in Baton Rouge. She was so nice, wasn’t she, Twelve?”
“Sure was,” Twelve said, her voice still shaking with concern.
“Oh, you know Belle?” Gizmo asked. “How wonderful!”
“Everyone knows her!” Seventeen said. “Just ask around when you get near the city, and you’re sure to find her.”
“Oh, good,” Rocky said. “At least one part of this journey won’t be hard.”
Max looked down and saw that Twelve was shivering now, glancing past the resort at the road that divided the beach and the woods.
Nudging the puppy’s side, he asked her, “Is everything all right? When I ran up, I heard you barking about creatures in the swamp.”
From the railing above, Grendel yawned. “The puppies just have an active imagination.”
Twelve shook her head furiously. “That’s not true, Grendel! You know they gotta be careful out there.” To Max, Rocky, and Gizmo, she said, “There have been animals that started off to the mall and never came back. And some who went off and returned with stories of monsters in the woods. Dark things as big as houses, with skin made of iron scales and teeth like razors. And they like to eat us pets.”
Max chuckled. “I’m sure that’s just a story the bigger animals told to scare you. If any animals disappeared, they probably just decided to move on. There’s no such thing as monsters.”