Deep Trouble II by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: R. L. Stine
Tags: Children's Books
milk from the shell.
I wiped the sweet liquid from my chin. “A little,” I said. “But I could sure
use a hamburger. Make that two. And a double order of french fries with tons of
catsup.”
“Or a pizza,” Sheena added.
“We’ll catch some fish later,” Dr. D. promised. “We can build a fire and cook
them.”
We continued our way around the island.
“Maybe we’ll find a restaurant,” Sheena wished out loud.
But after about ten minutes, Dr. D. groaned. “Oh, no!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Look.” He pointed a few yards down the beach.
Our lifeboat. We were right back where we’d started.
“You mean, that’s it?” I asked. “We’ve seen the whole island in ten minutes?”
“That’s it.” Dr. D. sighed. “It’s tiny.”
Sheena sighed too. “I’m still hungry. And I don’t want coconuts!”
“Looks as if we’ve landed on a deserted island,” Dr. D. said. “But don’t
worry. We’ll find something to eat.”
I touched my face. My skin was hot. The sun had felt so good at first—but
now I was getting sunburned.
Another question nagged at me. But I was so hungry, I tried to push it out of
my mind.
“Billy, run into that clump of palm trees,” Dr. D. ordered. “See if you can
find some wood to build a fire.”
I wandered into the grove, hunting for something to burn. There wasn’t much
to be found. Mostly a lot of vines.
And that nagging worry wouldn’t go away.
We were stuck on a tiny island, with nothing but a rubber raft.
And I had one question, a question I was afraid to ask out loud:
How were we ever going to get off?
25
I found a few sticks and carried them back to the beach. Dr. D. was digging a
pit for the fire.
“Good job, Billy.” He took the sticks from me. “This will do for now.”
Sheena was wading near the shore. I sat down on the sand. “Dr. D.—” I began.
“What are we going to do? Do you think we’re far from the Cassandra ?”
Dr. D. sighed. “I’m afraid I have no idea where we are,” he admitted.
“So—what’s going to happen? Are we going to rot on this island?” I knew we
couldn’t last long. So far, we’d had nothing to eat but coconuts.
Dr. D. rubbed two of the sticks together, trying to get them to light. “Maybe
someone will see our fire. Maybe a plane will fly over us, or a boat will pass
by. Maybe someone will find the Cassandra empty and come searching for
us.”
I leaned back and gazed at the empty sky. “But that could take forever!” I
cried. “Nobody even knows we’re missing! Except Dr. Ritter—and I don’t want him to find
us.”
I heard a shriek. I turned and saw Sheena running up the beach, waving
something in one hand.
“Look! Hey—check this out!” she shouted. “I caught a fish! I caught a fish
with my bare hands!”
She held out a small, wriggling silverfish.
“It’s puny,” I said.
“So? Let’s see you catch one!” she shot back.
Dr. D. took the fish and set it on the sand. “It’s better than nothing.”
“I’ll catch a bigger one,” I declared.
Sheena and I raced back to the water. We waded in hip-high. A few small fish
darted around us.
“These are all pretty small,” I complained. “We need some of Dr. Ritter’s
plankton to make them grow.”
“I wouldn’t want to eat one of his giant fish,” Sheena replied, making a
disgusted face. “Yuck.”
“Maybe if we go a little deeper we’ll find bigger fish,” I suggested.
We waded in farther. A silverfish with a black stripe swam past me.
“That one is a little bigger,” I said. I made a grab for it. Missed.
I tried again. I swam out a little farther, chasing the fish.
I guess I waded out deeper than I meant to. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in
my foot.
At first I thought Sheena was pinching me. But the pain quickly swept up my
whole leg. “Hey—what’s going on?” I cried. I lowered my gaze to the water—and let out a frightened scream.
26
“Oh, nooooo!” I
I wiped the sweet liquid from my chin. “A little,” I said. “But I could sure
use a hamburger. Make that two. And a double order of french fries with tons of
catsup.”
“Or a pizza,” Sheena added.
“We’ll catch some fish later,” Dr. D. promised. “We can build a fire and cook
them.”
We continued our way around the island.
“Maybe we’ll find a restaurant,” Sheena wished out loud.
But after about ten minutes, Dr. D. groaned. “Oh, no!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Look.” He pointed a few yards down the beach.
Our lifeboat. We were right back where we’d started.
“You mean, that’s it?” I asked. “We’ve seen the whole island in ten minutes?”
“That’s it.” Dr. D. sighed. “It’s tiny.”
Sheena sighed too. “I’m still hungry. And I don’t want coconuts!”
“Looks as if we’ve landed on a deserted island,” Dr. D. said. “But don’t
worry. We’ll find something to eat.”
I touched my face. My skin was hot. The sun had felt so good at first—but
now I was getting sunburned.
Another question nagged at me. But I was so hungry, I tried to push it out of
my mind.
“Billy, run into that clump of palm trees,” Dr. D. ordered. “See if you can
find some wood to build a fire.”
I wandered into the grove, hunting for something to burn. There wasn’t much
to be found. Mostly a lot of vines.
And that nagging worry wouldn’t go away.
We were stuck on a tiny island, with nothing but a rubber raft.
And I had one question, a question I was afraid to ask out loud:
How were we ever going to get off?
25
I found a few sticks and carried them back to the beach. Dr. D. was digging a
pit for the fire.
“Good job, Billy.” He took the sticks from me. “This will do for now.”
Sheena was wading near the shore. I sat down on the sand. “Dr. D.—” I began.
“What are we going to do? Do you think we’re far from the Cassandra ?”
Dr. D. sighed. “I’m afraid I have no idea where we are,” he admitted.
“So—what’s going to happen? Are we going to rot on this island?” I knew we
couldn’t last long. So far, we’d had nothing to eat but coconuts.
Dr. D. rubbed two of the sticks together, trying to get them to light. “Maybe
someone will see our fire. Maybe a plane will fly over us, or a boat will pass
by. Maybe someone will find the Cassandra empty and come searching for
us.”
I leaned back and gazed at the empty sky. “But that could take forever!” I
cried. “Nobody even knows we’re missing! Except Dr. Ritter—and I don’t want him to find
us.”
I heard a shriek. I turned and saw Sheena running up the beach, waving
something in one hand.
“Look! Hey—check this out!” she shouted. “I caught a fish! I caught a fish
with my bare hands!”
She held out a small, wriggling silverfish.
“It’s puny,” I said.
“So? Let’s see you catch one!” she shot back.
Dr. D. took the fish and set it on the sand. “It’s better than nothing.”
“I’ll catch a bigger one,” I declared.
Sheena and I raced back to the water. We waded in hip-high. A few small fish
darted around us.
“These are all pretty small,” I complained. “We need some of Dr. Ritter’s
plankton to make them grow.”
“I wouldn’t want to eat one of his giant fish,” Sheena replied, making a
disgusted face. “Yuck.”
“Maybe if we go a little deeper we’ll find bigger fish,” I suggested.
We waded in farther. A silverfish with a black stripe swam past me.
“That one is a little bigger,” I said. I made a grab for it. Missed.
I tried again. I swam out a little farther, chasing the fish.
I guess I waded out deeper than I meant to. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in
my foot.
At first I thought Sheena was pinching me. But the pain quickly swept up my
whole leg. “Hey—what’s going on?” I cried. I lowered my gaze to the water—and let out a frightened scream.
26
“Oh, nooooo!” I