The Creature from Club Lagoona by R.L. Stine

1

    â€œâ€˜C lub Lagoona,’” Mom read from the booklet. She had to practically shout to be heard over the small plane’s engines. “ ‘The water adventure of a lifetime!’ ” She grinned at me.
    I pointed to my ear and shook my head. Maybe if I pretended I couldn’t hear her, she’d give up.
    But she continued reading. “ ‘Relax in Club Lagoona’s fabulous saltwater Atlantis Swimming Pool. You’ll think you’re in the ocean.’” She stopped and squeezed my arm. “It’s the biggest pool in the world, Tad! Sounds great, huh?”
    I tried to smile. “Can’t wait.” I put my copy of Jaws down on my lap. The plane was really small, and we were the only passengers, so I glanced out the round airplane window.
    Maybe I shouldn’t have. Below me was endless ocean. Probably crawling with sharks.
    â€œI’m going to snorkel! And learn to scuba dive!” Polly, my younger sister, shouted from across the aisle. She’s nine and loves to swim.
    â€œListen to this,” Dad chimed in. He had a copy of the booklet too. “They’ve got a glass-bottomed boat, a Log Flume of Doom, and something called the Creature Water Slide!”
    â€œGreat!” Polly shouted. She would have bounced out of her seat if she weren’t strapped in.
    â€œHow about you, Tad?” Dad flashed the booklet at me. “You ready for the Log Flume of Doom?”
    â€œCount me in,” I replied. I gave him two thumbs-up.
    I picked up my book again and flipped nervously through the pages. How could I tell them the truth? I’d kept my secret for twelve years. I covered it up so well that no one guessed.
    They probably wouldn’t have believed the truth anyway. They would never have imagined that I, Tad Hawkins, captain of the Shadyside Middle School soccer team, king of slam dunks, all-around jock, was actually scared to death of—
    â€œLet’s get wet!” Polly squealed, interrupting my thoughts. “That’s Club Lagoona’s motto. Cool!”
    I slammed my book shut.
    Water . Water scares me to death.
    I hate the way water gets in my nose and eyes. I hate the way my wet hair sticks to my face and neck. And I particularly hate not knowing what’s under the water. I guess I hate everything about water.
    All these years I avoided swimming lessons by being too busy with soccer and basketball.
    But at Club Lagoona, there would be no escape!
    â€œReady to get wet, Tad?” Polly shrieked at me. She kicked her feet against her seat.
    I ignored her.
    â€œDon’t be such a wet blanket, Tad,” Polly teased. “Get it? Wet blanket?”
    I shot her a nasty look. She tugged her baseball cap low over her dark hair. But I could still see her green eyes laughing at me.
    Polly and I look alike. “Like two peas in a pod,” Mom always says. But, boy, are we different. Especially when it comes to water.
    â€œCan you keep it down, Polly?” I complained. “I’m trying to read.”
    â€œHow can you read now?” Polly demanded. “We’re going to Club Lagoona! All the kids in Shadyside are totally jealous. Club Lagoona looked awesome in the TV commercials! And even better in the booklet!” She waved a brochure at me. Then she opened it up to read from it.
    â€œEverything in Club Lagoona has to do with water,” Polly reported. “The rooms are decorated in blueand green. There’s an underwater restaurant. And there’s even a video arcade with the new, advanced Underwater Terror 2 game!”
    â€œGreat,” I grumbled.
    It all sounded like torture to me.
    I’ve been scared of water for as long as I can remember. I still think about the time I lost my tooth in the bathtub. It was sucked right down the drain.
    I shuddered, trying to shake off the image of that vanishing tooth. Swirling and swirling down that dark hole. I lowered my eyes to my