Summer at Forsaken Lake Read Online Free Page A

around.” She took a good long look at Nicholas, tilting her head slightly as if she recognized him. “You look familiar. Have you been in before?”
    Nicholas shook his head. “Um, no. First time. Ever.”
    “He looks like his dad,” said Nick. “
Just
like. He used to come in, too. Will Mettleson.”
    “Oh, of course.
Will
. I remember him; he liked books about sailing … and movies, I think. How about you, Nicholas? You look like a baseball player to me. We havea wonderful section devoted to sports. Are you a sailor, too?”
    “Not yet,” said Nicholas.
    “But he will be soon,” Nick said.
    * * *
    Dear Dad
,
    The first official postcard! I’m waiting at the library for the twins. Deming doesn’t seem too bad, so far. My room + Nick’s truck = awesome. He’s like a rock star around here—everyone waves at him when he drives by
.
    Love,     
Nicholas
    PS The librarian thought she recognized me, but it was really you. People here remember everything. Scary
.
    * * *
    Arriving at the house in the midst of another downpour, they made a mad dash for the door, with Pistol leading the way. After the groceries had been put away, Nick searched the bookshelves that lined an entire wall of the living room.
    “Ah, here it is,” he said, holding up a worn, much-loved hardcover. “
We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
. ArthurRansome. A classic. You girls read this today, and you will truly be ready to go sailing tomorrow.”
    “Looks kind of old,” Hayley said, flipping quickly through the pages.
    “It is old. It’s the book that made
me
a sailor. And if it worked for a knucklehead like me, I’m sure it can do the job on you two bright young ladies.”
    Hayley smiled at the flattery, but Hetty wrinkled her nose. “It looks kind of
long
. I’m not really a reader, like Hayley. I prefer TV.”
    “I see,” said Nick. “Well, seein’ as we don’t really have TV out here—not what you’re used to, anyway—why don’t you give it a try. Maybe you and your sister can take turns reading it out loud.”
    “I guess so,” Hetty said with a sigh. Hayley took the book from her and pulled her by the hand onto the porch.
    With that task complete, Nick turned to Nicholas. “All right, your turn. I was going to find you some sailing books, too.”
    “And a projector, remember?” Nicholas said. “So we can watch the movie.”
    “Right. Almost forgot.”
    Nicholas thought he detected a little reluctance on his uncle’s part, but he didn’t say anything—he really wanted to see the movie.
    “I know there’s one around here somewhere. Your aunt Lillie tried to get me to clean out this closet for years. Now, getting it to work may be a whole ’nother kettleof worms. Cross your fingers that the bulb is still good.” He opened a crowded, disorganized hall closet and started taking boxes down from the top shelf.
    “Have you ever seen it—
The Seaweed Strangler
, I mean?” Nicholas asked.
    Uncle Nick looked uncomfortable, like a witness who knew the answer to the question but, for some reason, didn’t want to give it. “Well, uh, sure. The parts that are done. But it’s been twenty-five years or more, and I don’t remember much about it. Some … things … came up, and your dad never finished it. Seem to remember something about the final scenes not turning out right. He set the exposure wrong and they’re too dark—can’t see anything. Something like that. Those old cameras were kind of tricky. Ah, here we go,” he said, setting the projector, enclosed in a sturdy steel case, on the table.
    “Wow—they don’t make ’em like that anymore,” Nicholas remarked, feeling the heft of the thing.
    A quick test run revealed it to be in perfect working order, but Nick talked Nicholas into waiting until after dark—which meant after nine o’clock—for the screening. “We can take a look at these home movies, too,” he added, holding up a small reel of film that had been lying in the bottom of the