[ IP ] Finders Keepers . A picture is worth a thousand words . Image link in text .

Kyle was miserable. It was hot. The kind of hot that makes your shirt stick to your back, and ice cream melt before you can lick it. Heat like that can be a good thing, Kyle knew. It melts the snow and comes from sun that makes the flowers grow. And sometimes, you get to go swimming. 
 
 Kyle called his dog, Bean-bean, and went looking for his mom. `` I want to go swimming,'' he said when he found her in the kitchen. 
 
 `` Sorry, Kyle,'' his mom said. `` The pool does n't open till next week!'' 
 
 Kyle thought about that for a minute. `` We could get our own pool. Billy has his own pool.'' 
 
 `` Billy does n't have a great big lake behind his house either.'' 
 
 `` Can I go over to Billy's pool?'' 
 
 `` They're on vacation, Kyle. No one is home.'' 
 
 Kyle kicked at the floor. `` Well, can I swim in the lake then?'' 
 
 His mom turned around real fast, and bent down to take his shoulders. `` You must never swim in the lake by yourself, Kyle,'' she said. `` You know that. It's dangerous.'' 
 
 Kyle knew that already. He was a big boy who knew the rules. `` I *know*,'' he said. `` I want *you* to take me.'' 
 
 `` Oh honey,'' his mom said. `` I ca n't right now, I'm busy. Maybe later, okay?'' 
 
 Kyle knew what'maybe' meant. Maybe meant almost never.'Maybe' meant'leave-me-alone-now' when adults were too nice to say it. Like'go play'. 
 
 `` Okay,'' Kyle said. 
 
 Mom turned back to her dishes. Kyle called Bean-bean again and took him outside. In the yard was a beach ball, brightly colored -- red and yellow and blue. Kyle rolled it to Bean-bean. `` Fetch,'' he said. 
 
 Bean-bean jumped away from the ball and barked at it. He was a little dog. The beach ball was bigger. Maybe he was scared of it. 
 
 Kyle rolled the ball *away* from Bean-bean. The dog chased it, barking the whole time. 
 
 Kyle and Bean played for a little while. Then it got too hot, and Kyle had to stop. He laid down on the ground and pulled up some grass with his hands. `` Hot, Bean-bean,'' he said. `` It's too hot.'' 
 
 Bean-bean laid down beside him and licked his face. `` That's no help,'' Kyle said. He sat up. 
 
 His play had brought him near the lake. That's when Kyle had an idea. It would be bad, he knew, but *maybe* he would n't get in trouble. 
 
 Mom was always telling him to take care of his toys. She'd be mad if he lost one. If his ball *accidentally* rolled into the water, he'd have to go get it, right? And she'd said he could n't swim in the lake. Not that he could n't get his ball *out* of it. 
 
 `` Right, Bean-bean?'' he said. 
 
 Bean barked. 
 
 `` That means yes.'' Kyle stood up and rolled the ball. It rolled almost right up to the edge of the lake. `` Hi, Bean-bean!'' he said, pretending like he was n't paying attention to what he was doing. He kicked the ball as hard as he could. `` Oops,'' he said. 
 
 The ball landed in the water with a *plop! * It started to float away. 
 
 `` Come on Bean!'' Kyle shouted. He ran along the lake, following the ball. At one point, there was a little piece of lawn-covered-rock that hung out over the water. Kyle ran onto it, getting ready to jump in and save his ball. 
 
 Then the ball started to raise up in the air. It was flying! It was floating, cold blue water rising with it. Kyle froze. As it continued to rise, he realized the blue was n't water, but scales. Scales of a giant... lake monster. 
 
 `` Monsters are n't real,'' Kyle whispered. He closed his eyes and opened them again, to see if the monster would disappear. It did n't. 
 
 Kyle forgot about the heat. He worried that monsters, like Billy had said, might really eat little boys. He worried more that he would be in Big Trouble. He decided he was more worried about Mommy and Daddy than the monster. 
 
 `` That's my ball,'' he said, very very bravely. 
 
 Bean-bean stood at his side, barking, backing him up. 
 
 The monster seemed to understand. He pulled the ball in to his chest, away from the boy, in that way of holding a thing that says unmistakably `` Mine.'' 
 
 `` It's mine,'' Kyle repeated. `` My ball.'' 
 
 The monster growled a little. Bean-bean growled back. 
 
 `` You give it to me, now!'' Kyle said. 
 
 The monster growled some more. Bean-bean looked like he might jump into the water at any moment. 
 
 `` Please,'' Kyle said. `` My daddy got me that ball.'' 
 
 `` Ooo?'' said the monster, tilting its head. It leaned in and put its eyes right next to Kyle. One eye was bigger than the boy's whole body. 
 
 `` Ooo?'' it said again. It reached toward Kyle, ball in hand. 
 
 Kyle yelped and jumped back, frightened. Bean-bean yelped and jumped forward, protecting his boy. 
 
 Bean-bean bit the monster. 
 
 The monster yelped and dove under the water, ball still in his hands. Bean-bean ran, barking, up and down the bank. Kyle sat on the grass and began to cry. 
 
 A cool mist of water sprayed his face as the monster rose again. 
 
 `` Ooo,'' the moster said, placing the ball beside the boy. `` Ooo.'' 
 
 And it went below the water again. Kyle took the ball and called to his dog. Bean-bean came back to his side. 
 
 As they walked back to the house, Kyle decided his mom was right -- he should n't swim in the lake alone.
