Come in Number 5

By Simon Wood

'Right, you get ten minutes and ten minutes only. Understand?' the gaunt attendant instructed.

Olli nodded, eagerly. He was secretly pleased with himself, having stood on a rock to meet the minimum height requirement for the paddleboats. Meeting the necessary forty-eight inches meant he didn't need an adult and that meant he was in charge. He pressed the two one-pound coins into the gaunt man's hand and raced off for the boats.

'Oi, wait up.'

Olli stopped and turned, before his excitement got the better of him.

'You're in number 5, the yellow one at the end. Remember, you come in when I call you. Alright?' The attendant brandished the megaphone to illustrate his point.

Olli nodded again. Maybe I'll make it fifteen minutes, he thought and raced onto the jetty. His pounding footfalls caused the landing to bob on the lake. The dizzying effect of running on the moving surface made him stumble. He pitched headfirst, landing on his knees at the edge of the jetty and narrowly missing the water.

'Be careful, son,' the attendant warned, his disapproval obvious. Then, with his megaphone, 'C'mon, number 12, time's up.'

Olli stopped in front of his first command. Sun-bleached, number 5's fiberglass hull was crazed. The seat was wet and footwell was waterlogged. But, Olli didn't care. This was the first time he had solo control over any vehicle other than his bike. This was adult stuff. The closest he had come before was driving a forklift, albeit on his dad's lap when no one was around at his dad's job.

He dropped onto the seat and got comfortable as the water seeped into his shorts and trainers. He pumped his legs and the water boiled under the boat, rocking the jetty even more than his running had.

But for all Olli's effort, his speed was disappointing. He had expected the front of the boat to lift up the way the powerboats did on TV. Instead, number 5 eased steadily across the lake, even with the traumatic wake left behind. After two minutes of trying to wring the life out of the paddleboat and only receiving wet feet and ankles as his reward, he gave up on speed and went for distance. If he couldn't go fast then he would go far. He ignored the other screaming kids going round in circles and backwards in some cases and set course for the boundless limits of the lake.

The attendant called out for another boat to come in. Funny how it always sounded like he was whining.

As Olli left behind his fellow boaters, he spotted something floating in the water ahead of him--tennis balls by the look of them. As he got closer, he saw the equally spaced balls were connected by a wire, like pearls on a giant necklace left behind by a sea princess.

It was a fence. Unfair. Olli believed he had the freedom of the lake, not just the corner. Well, it wasn't going to stop him. Peddling furiously, he charged the cordon. He was busting out. Number 5's speed increased and he braced himself for the impact.

Number 5 struck the barrier. It stretched like a rubber band. He felt the boat lose momentum and he peddled harder to overcome it. Unfortunately, it was a lost cause. The elastic barrier started to contract, dragging Olli back.

'Oi!' the attendant boomed through the megaphone, sounding like he was at Olli's shoulder. 'Get back from there!'

Olli stopped peddling and let the barrier push number 5 back into the confined corner of the lake. The attendant kept a watchful eye on him until he returned to the rule-abiding, fiberglass flotilla.

Olli burnt his remaining time returning to the main huddle of boats and he expected the inevitable.

'Come in number 5, your time is up,' the attendant called.

Olli pretended he hadn't heard.

'Come on number 5, you heard me.'

Olli guided the paddleboat in the opposite direction of the jetty. The attendant called again. His fellow junior captains stared at him.

'Number 5, I told you ten minutes and no more. You'd better get back here for you own good.'

Olli reached the barrier again and turned the craft round to see the red-faced attendant issuing commands. He decided to make a lazy journey back to the jetty.

He hadn't gotten far when the water started to churn.

'Number 5?' The attendant sounded worried.

It was difficult to control the paddleboat. The swelling waters dulled all Olli's efforts. He checked over his shoulder. Air bubbles larger than his boat rose lazily from the depths. His legs were a blur as number 5 powered away.

Number 5 accelerated and accelerated. The speed defied Olli's abilities. He realized his pace wasn't dependent on his leg power. He was riding the swell.

Panic swept through the other children like the speeding wave across the lake. They screamed and raced for the water's edge and the waiting arms of their terrified parents. The attendant urged everyone to safety. What they saw behind Olli was all the incentive they needed.

The guttural roar of whatever burst through the surface drove him to pedal faster. The wet disgust in its voice made him focus on the jetty alone, too terrified to turn around.

Olli's pace slowed. He no longer rode the wave; it had past him by. No help now, it was down to him.

The creature was close. Its fettered breath ruffled his hair. The stench of cat pee and moldy gym socks was everywhere.

Three-toed feet as big as Olli clamped onto number 5, splitting its hull and dragging it back. The lake gushed over Olli's lap. Light became shadow and stinking saliva dripped down his neck.

'Oh, number 5, why didn't you listen?' the attendant lamented.

Olli gagged on the reek as the creature's mouth closed over him.