The mystery of the frozen lake

Winter approached quickly, and this excited a little girl named Annie, because the lake near her house, would become frozen for her to skate on. But what she enjoyed most about winter, was spending time with her Grandpa Earl. The ice had always created a smooth lake, surrounded by forests with white snow. This snow covered the village below the hilltop and the hill above, Annie had an older sister, named Lucy who didn’t enjoy winter as much, because it brought sad memories a Portuguese Water Dog named Olly, who belonged to her grandfather. She heard stories from her grandfather, about a mysterious sea creature, who lived under the lake. A sea creature no one had seen, but had taken Olly from the boat that when they were fishing. Grandpa Earl, encountered a monster two years ago which lived beneath the ice, taking his long-life friend Olly, who had silky black curls from head to toe. The lake connects through the village creating a river, which flows down into the ocean from the top of the hill, located in Portorosso, Italy. In summer, the hilltop looks over the beach and the village. Annie and her family lived on the hill on their farm, with a lake at the back of their house. Annie was the only one who hadn’t heard the story of Olly. Annie and Lucy’s parents created a farmhouse many years ago before they were born, which stretches over a few acres before the forest.

The farm had beautiful paddocks of animals who lived between the meadow banks and forests. Sometimes the girls would sit along the banks, and watch the ducks swim by, or sit on the edge of the hilltop and watch the ocean and birds fly across the skies. Other days, the girls went down to the beach to see Flipper the dolphin and Willy the killer whale. The farmhouse, was a beautiful red colour, home to horses, pigs, cows, chickens, roosters and ducks. Next to the farm, lived Grandpa Earl, who lived alone with his furry friends, right up until the passing of his wife. Grandpa Earl met his wife in their early twenties and had three children, including the girls’ father, his younger sister and brother who both lived in different parts of Italy. Their grandfather had a dog named Beethoven and a cat, named Lucifer, whom he loved very much. He would take them fishing, or on his little adventures anywhere and everywhere. His adventures used to include Olly, and he never spent a day without his furry friends. Beethoven and Lucifer always sat on Olly’s bed, or near the bed waiting for Olly to return home. Grandpa Earl never threw out Ollys’ things away, because he believed that Olly would return and was just on an adventure. That long adventure turned into two years but, Grandpa Earl never gave up on Olly.

Snow appeared everywhere, on the hill, on the grass and even on Lucifer’s nose, who was now irritated trying to remove it, that he fell off the rail of Grandpa Earl’s house. He shook off the snow and went through the door flap inside. Everyone had winter coats on, made by the girls’ mother, who knitted a coat for each animals to keep warm. Grandpa Earl was getting ready for his fishing adventure, he, Beethoven and Lucifer would go fishing at the lake during winter. ‘Everyone ready?’ Grandpa Earl asked, putting on Lucifer’s coat with great difficulty, Lucifer was refusing because he was too busy licking himself. On opening the door, the girls were waiting outside. ‘Hi Grandpa!’ they exclaimed, ‘hi girls’, Grandpa Earl said, ‘I would love to stay for morning tea but, we’re off to the lake now’. ‘We know Grandpa!’ continued Annie, ‘and we want to come too!, and so does Fufu, can we Grandpa please?’ Annie said, jumping up and down. ‘Okay girls, come on then, but run along and tell ya mum’, Grandpa said. Fufu ran down the paddock like a shooting star, and carried out the message to the girls’ mum. Fufu was a beautiful Arabian horse with soft skin, she was proudly wearing her pink knitted coat, which matched her pink bow braided in her hair. She was Annie’s favourite horse, and so, off everyone went heading towards the lake. The lake was located at the back of Grandpa Earl’s house, you had to walk through the forest to get there. Grandpa Earl and Fufu would wheel the boat to the lake and push it onto the ice, just in case the ice broke apart. As this happened last time with Olly.

Grandpa Earl and Fufu pulled the boat along across the sea, with Annie, Lucy, Lucifer and Beethoven inside. Finally coming to a halt, near the fishing hole, Lucifer a furry and fat Persian cat with a pink nose, sat on top of Beethoven’s head to relax. Beethoven didn’t mind having his head kept warm, Beethoven, was a proud Saint Bernard, who was once the best rescue dog of the snow. Beethoven being a sensitive dog, always blamed himself for not being able to rescue his dear friend Olly. At the fishing hole, everyone cast their rods into hole from the boat, ‘here fish, fish, fish! Where are you?’ said Lucifer, who thought fish would magically come to him and became impatient. He started pushing the bait into the hole, instead of attaching it to his fishing rod. ‘You know Lucifer, if you put bait on the end of the hook, and toss the rod out, you’ll catch a fish’, said Beethoven, who was unimpressed with losing bait. ‘Meh’, said Lucifer, ‘I would rather not’, Lucifer turned with his tail stuck up in the air, went to sit on the lid of the bait. ‘Now we wait’ said Grandpa Earl, putting his fishing rod down steadily in its holder. ‘Grandpa, can we go out onto the ice? Asked Annie’, ‘No!’ said Lucy, ‘it’s not safe for us, in case it breaks’, Lucy was so worried. Lucifer noticed this and went to comfort Lucy by sitting on her lap, as Annie was about to speak, she saw something underneath the ice, it moved suddenly. ‘Wha-what was that?’ Annie said pointing to it, ‘Where!’ said Grandpa, as he woke up from dosing off, but the creature disappeared fast. As that happened, the clouds came over the boat, a thunderstorm was approaching quickly. Grandpa Earl was once a marine scientist, and a sailor back in the war days. He built boat, making sure it had necessary tools for stormy weather. Annie kept looking around, so with the animals, all worried about what could happen next. Annie began with, ‘what were you saying before Lucy?’, Lucy was about to talk, when Grandpa Earl interrupted, ‘It’s time you knew the story Annie, ‘What story Grandpa?’ Annie asked. ‘How Olly disappeared’ continued Grandpa, ‘two years ago, we were fishing with Olly, Lucifer and Beethoven’, as Grandpa said this, Lucifer sat up meowing and crying, because he didn’t like this story. ‘We were fishing and I was trying to bring the fish up to the boat, while Olly and Beethoven were barking at something. The net was getting heavier, and Beethoven and Lucifer helped me pull it up’. Annie was looking at Lucifer in amazement that he even helped, Lucifer was sitting up right because he was so proud of himself. ‘Then’ Grandpa continued, ‘something knocked the boat over, and we lost hold of the fish, something nudged the boat and it capsized with us going overboard. Flipper was nearby, and thanks to him and his family, they helped us turned the boat over and get back on. Fortunately, Beethoven swims and he recused Lucifer, but there was no sign of Olly. Beethoven had been barking once we got back on the boat. Flipper and his family tried searching for Olly, they saw something big and pink in the water, and quickly swam off because it was something they feared. They came back once it disappeared, and Olly was in the water a few meters away. Flipper and Willy, the killer whale were nearby and quickly swam to Olly. Then a pink leg came up, I’ve never seen anything like it, it took Olly and Willy down into the sea’.

‘The dolphins quickly swam after Olly and Willy, but after 10 minutes, they came back up to the surface either of them’ Grandpa Earl continued. ‘The water was too deep and dark for them to go down, and dolphins fear the dark ocean. The creature raised it’s legs from the water, making the dolphins scatter, and tug onto the boat, in hoping to take us down into the water. I quickly grabbed my axe and chopped part of its leg, making it let go of the boat. We kept looking for Olly and Willy till the sun disappeared, but we had to go back to shore. It wasn’t safe to be in the water at this time, but over the next few days we searched for both of them, still no sign, but I believe they are out there, on an adventure together’. Just as grandpa continued, the boat felt a sway, Grandpa Earl looked at the sky, a storm was coming and the ice melted. Flipper greeted everyone and quickly swam away because of the storm. The rain started, and Grandpa Earl pushed a button from inside of the boat, and suddenly the boat merged with a roof, the sides of the boat went up and stretched out. This boat now had a kitchen, three bathrooms and three bedrooms, an area equipped with beds for animals. ‘Meeeow, it’s so beautiful’ said Lucifer who was now massaging his soft bed.

Just as this was happening, Lucy screamed ‘Ahh Grandpa!’, she pointed to something which moved quickly to the other side of the boat. ‘Hold on’ Grandpa shouted, this reminded him about the day he lost Olly and Willy. Looking outside the window Grandpa saw dark clouds and then he heard, ‘oh my God, what do we do neeeigh’ said Fufu who was running up and down the boat. Grandpa Earl, shouted, ‘get a hold of yourself Fufu!’. Grandpa Earl knew if the boat keeps swaying, it could capsize the boat. ‘We need to remain calm’ he insisted, ‘we need to turn the engine on’, ‘why do we need to wait?’ said Lucifer swinging on the lamp from the ceiling. ‘Woof, it will disturb the woof, woof under the ice, get off the lamp!’ Beethoven said, ‘ice has melt boy’, Grandpa said, ‘it’s melting quickly and patted Beethoven on the head. The storm was over the boat and, began raining heavily, with lightning and thunder. Grandpa Earl started the engine, needed to move the boat because of the storm coming. Now it was just pitch black and lights of the boat, the seas continued crashing, and Grandpa Earl was trying to steer towards land. Everyone was scared and, Lucy looked out the window and saw a big pink creature, grew bigger over the boat, two arms rose, she shouted, ‘Grandpa! It’s here! The creature is here!’, she noticed both legs had suckers on it, thinking it was an octopus, but then saw claws at the end of its tentacles. Both legs wrapped itself around the boat, ‘everyone, buckle up and hold on right now!’ Grandpa shouted. Grandpa designed his boat to have folded seats, just like airplanes. Everyone was strapped in, even Lucifer, Beethoven and Fufu who had special seats. Everyone saw the legs which now appears to be three was wrapped around the boat. ‘Hold on!’ shouted Grandpa Earl, who had a life jacket on and holding the wheel, pushing another button as the boat when under water. The boat turned into a submarine, a replica of The Nautilus, once commanded by Captain Nemo. The submarine now was inside the mouth of this sea creature along with a pear tree. That’s a story for another time.