Snack Food Hero

Chapter 18: Serpent in the Lake

Bash bent down and tested the water. "Cold," he said.

Rainbow looked at the little man and said, "How did you get across this lake ... and don't you have a name?"

"I ran," the little man said in his high-pitched voice. "I always run so I don't get eaten by the serpent. And its Bevel."

"Bevel is your name?" Asked Lance.

"Yes."

"But how?" Asked Duncan. "The lake looks too deep to run across."

"Oh no," said Bevel. "It'll only come up to about your knees."

"What about the serpent?" Asked Bash. "That's not deep enough for a serpent."

Bevel leaned down and loudly sipped lake water from his cupped hands. Then he looked at Bash and said, "Its size is in its length. Like a skinny and tall monster ... that swims ... and bites."

"So, it's like a giant puddle," said Bash, looking at the large body of water."

"With a serpent in it," added Lance.

"We just need a boat," reasoned Duncan.

"Oh, right," said Bash. He turned to Bevel and asked, "Could you take us to your underground boat store, please?"

Everyone but Duncan laughed.

"Come on," said Bash. "Everybody line up along the water's edge. The serpent can't bite all of us at the same time. I say we just count to three and run across. What do you think, Bevel?"

Bevel got in a racing stance and yelled, "One! Two! Go!"

The group was halfway across the water when Bash saw a long ripple sliding across the water. It headed straight for them.

"Faster!" Yelled Bash.

Then the others saw the long snake-like figure just under the water getting closer. Commotion, yelling, and screaming accompanied loud water splashing as they ran as fast as possible toward the other side.

It was closest to Duncan, who then tried running sideways away from it, as well as running forward toward land. This caused even louder screaming from the group.

Finally, within ten feet of the land, the serpent raised its head out of the water and looked at them as if they were lunch. It opened its tiny mouth, which was about the size of a quarter, and eagerly displayed its rows of tiny flat teeth.

Bash and the group made their final leap onto land. In mid-air, Duncan felt something pinch the back of his leg. When Duncan landed, he realized the serpent was latched onto his leg like an enormous leach.

Duncan bent down and punched the slimy serpent.

Slithering backward into the water, the serpent said, "You got lucky!"

Duncan scowled and yelled, "YOU got lucky! Go sharpen your tiny teeth, salad boy!"

Bash laughed. "Tiny salad boy!"

"That's crazy. That serpent is like thirty feet long and it couldn't get that tiny mouth around a donut hole."

Lance said, "Does it hurt, Duncan?"

"Nah, it's like a mosquito bite."

"Here we are," said Rainbow to Bevel. "On the other side of a giant puddle with a harmless talking serpent. Now what?"

"Aye," said Bevel, "So you thought that was easy, huh? Now you must simple pass through the Tunnel of Doom."

"Isn't there another way?" Begged Duncan.

"No," said Bevel. "There is no other way."

"But it sounds bad! Why is it called the Tunnel of Doom?"

"It's not really the Tunnel of Doom. It doesn't have a name, but I like that name. Anyway, it's for people like me."

They looked at Bevel, not understanding.

"Little people!" Said Bevel. "Good luck fitting through it!"