Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon Read online

  A faint A was scratched into the lichen.

  “What are we supposed to do with it?” asked Wu. The trio looked back at the patrol on the far side of the canyon, where everyone was miming a lifting motion.

  “There must be something underneath,” suggested Arlo.

  Indra was dubious. “It’s too heavy. We could never lift it.”

  “Maybe we can tip it,” said Wu. “If we all push on one side, we can get it on its edge.”

  Standing shoulder to shoulder, the trio each found a spot on the massive block. On a silent three-count, they started heaving with all their might. The massive stone finally moved, one edge lifting off the ground almost six inches.

  “Can you hold it?” asked Arlo.

  “No!” said Wu and Indra in loud whispers. But Arlo suspected they probably could, if only for a few seconds.

  “Just try!” Arlo took his right hand off the block, feeling blindly under the granite. The dirt was wet and cold. He touched something he assumed was a worm. It wriggled away.

  Indra suddenly gasped, her hands slipping a bit. “Hurry!”

  Arlo reached deeper under the stone, sweeping with his whole arm. If his friends lost their grip, he’d be pinned or worse. But he was certain there had to be something hidden here.

  Indra and Wu were straining. He could see it in their faces, their knuckles going white. They braced their bodies against the block, desperate to keep it up.

  “Arlo, get your hand out!” whispered Indra. “We can’t hold it!”

  Arlo kept reaching, now all the way up to his shoulder.

  Wu grimaced, the stone sliding through his hands. “It’s gonna drop!”

  Just then, Arlo felt it. Something metal. Something that shouldn’t be there. He grabbed it.

  The massive stone suddenly crashed down. “Arlo!” gasped Indra.

  Arlo rolled back onto his butt. He had just gotten clear. His right arm was still attached and unsquished.

  He smiled. “I got it.”

  He held up a metal flashlight. It was standard-issue, the kind that took two D batteries. Originally silver, it was now completely rusted. Even the lens was cloudy, the bulb barely visible through the glass.

  “Does it work?” asked Wu, helping Arlo to his feet.

  Arlo tried the switch. It took the strength of both thumbs to slide it. Once it finally scraped into position, he checked the bulb. Nothing.

  “Batteries only last a few years,” said Indra. “It’s probably rusted inside, too.”

  Arlo held the flashlight over his head, showing it to the patrol across the canyon. Their reaction was immediate: jumping and high fives. He hadn’t seen that kind of enthusiasm since the Alpine Derby.

  “Why are they so excited?” asked Indra. “It’s just an old flashlight.”

  “Maybe it’s actually a light saber,” said Wu. He took it from Arlo, holding it like the hilt of a sword. He shook it, trying to get it to activate. But nothing happened. “It might need a code word.”

  “Or maybe it really is a flashlight,” said Indra.

  “There could be something inside it,” said Arlo. “Like a map or something.” Wu tried twisting it open. It was badly rusted.

  Indra stopped him. “Wait! They don’t want you doing that.” Indeed, on the far side of the canyon, the four Blue Patrol members were waving their hands frantically and shaking their heads.

  “Maybe it’s a grenade or something,” said Arlo. Wu handed Indra the flashlight like a hot potato.

  “They’re moving again,” said Arlo. He watched through the binoculars as the other patrol headed for their tower. They disappeared behind it, then emerged from an entrance onto the broken bridge itself.

  Other Wu gestured directly to Arlo—C’mon!

  That’s when Arlo spotted it—something he didn’t tell Wu or Indra.

  On the left shoulder of Other Wu’s uniform was a patch with two red bars. Arlo knew exactly what it represented—not a rank, but a position: patrol leader.

  Maybe that explained why Connor was missing from the other Blue Patrol.

  On that side of the canyon, Wu was in charge.

  3

  THE CATCH

  AN ARCHED PASSAGE ran through the center of each tower, the worn granite slabs of the floor extending to become what was left of the fallen bridge.

  To Arlo, it resembled an open mouth with its tongue sticking out. Across the canyon, the other tower was poking out its tongue as well. They were like two bratty siblings petrified in childish bickering.

  “Who do you think built this?” asked Wu as they made their way through the arch. “The Eldritch?”

  That was Arlo’s guess as well. He knew almost nothing about the civilization that lived on the far side of the Long Woods—in the Realm—but something felt familiarly odd about this place, from the oversized proportions to the ornate metalwork of the gates dangling from their hinges. It was all grander than it needed to be, more artistic.

  “Whoever they were,” said Indra, “they were hauling something.” She pointed to the deep grooves in the stone, presumably worn down by wheels.

  What were they transporting? wondered Arlo. And where were they taking it?

  The trio emerged from the tower to find themselves on the bridge itself. The remaining spur extended roughly a quarter of the way across the canyon before abruptly ending. Arlo noted that there was no railing. Stepping just five feet left or five feet right would send one falling over the edge into the bottomless chasm.

  As they moved forward, Arlo chose to stay smack in the center, between the two grooves.

  The four Rangers on the far side of the canyon had come to the end of their bridge segment. Other Wu motioned for them to circle up to discuss something. Just like a patrol leader would do, thought Arlo.

  Wu had always been one to blurt out whatever he was thinking, a contrarian rather than a consensus builder. But Other Wu seemed to be listening to the patrol’s opinions, nodding along.

  A decision was reached. As the huddle broke up, Jonas approached the broken edge of the bridge. He waved to Arlo across the gap, then made a beckoning motion. He held both his hands out, ready to catch.

  “What’s he doing?” whispered Indra.

  “I think he wants us to throw him the flashlight,” said Arlo.

  “No,” said Wu. “He wants you to throw it to him.”

  Indeed, Jonas was pointing emphatically at Arlo. When Arlo gestured handing off the flashlight to Wu, Jonas waved his hands no.

  It was time for their own huddle.

  “We can’t just give it to them,” said Wu, glancing back at the patrol. “We don’t know who they are.”

  “They’re us,” said Arlo. “Well, you. They’re Blue Patrol.”

  Wu corrected him: “They look like us…”

  “I don’t look like that,” said Indra.

  Wu rolled his eyes. “Fine. The point is, they could be impostors. Or Eldritch! Maybe they can’t even speak English, and that’s why they’re not talking. Or maybe they’re holograms!”

  Indra scoffed. “Why would they be holograms? You’re being ridiculous.”

  Wu said nothing, quietly seething. Arlo had seen this happen more and more often over the past few months: Indra brusquely dismissing Wu’s ideas. She seemed to be unaware of how much it stung, or why Wu had stopped inviting her over to pan for gold in the creek behind his house. Are they even friends? he wondered. Or are they both just friends with me?

  Arlo tried to refocus the discussion. “Why would they impersonate you guys but not me?”

  “Maybe because you trust us more than you trust yourself,” said Indra. “I mean, if you saw another Arlo Finch over there, you’d be wondering who he really was. But because they look like me and Wu, you’re probably going to do whatever they tell you.”

  Arlo was a little offended, but had to admit she was right. His instinct was to trust his friends.

  “Well, what do you think we should do?” As he said it, Arlo realized he was proving her point. He was always relying on Indra and Wu’s advice. He had a hard time making decisions on his own.

  Wu shrugged. “You’re going to do whatever Indra tells you to do. You’ll side with her. Because that’s what always happens.”

  Arlo was stunned. “No, it’s not,” he said—though he couldn’t think of any examples to prove his point. He didn’t like being in the middle of this.

  Indra turned on Wu: “Why are you being weird?”

  “Because I don’t know why I’m here,” snapped Wu. “Or there.” He pointed across the canyon. “You’re the super Ranger know-it-all. Arlo is the one with mystical-destiny stuff. I’m just the other guy.”

  You’re patrol leader, thought Arlo. At least on the other side of the canyon.

  Indra looked at Arlo. “You found the flashlight. It’s your decision.”

  Arlo peered across the canyon at Blue Patrol. Maybe his friends were right: he was a follower rather than a leader. Part of that was because he’d moved three times in the last three years; he was always the new kid trying to learn names. But part of it was just his personality. Some kids loved the spotlight. Arlo loved standing a few feet away, where it wasn’t so bright.

  Still, watching from the sidelines helped Arlo spot things other people might miss. He recognized the way Other Julie looked at her brother, a mix of sisterly concern and annoyance. He saw Other Jonas’s physical confidence, his focus. He observed how Other Indra nervously twisted her hair, always scanning for new threats. He saw Other Wu biting his lip as his head bobbed up and down, as if willing the future to work a specific way.

  The choice was obvious.

  “They’re not impostors,” he said. “I don’t know why they need this flashlight, but they do. So I’m going to give it to them.”

  Arlo carefully approached the edge of the bridge, willing himself to not look down. The final few stones sloped a bit, not fully supported. He inched forward as far as he dared. A cold breeze dried the sweat on his forehead.

  The other patrol had picked Jonas as their receiver. He held out his hands, ready to catch, but Arlo wondered if he could even throw it that far. Together, the two sections of bridge spanned approximately half the canyon. But that still left quite a distance. Even under perfect conditions, with no crosswind and no bottomless chasm, Arlo wasn’t sure he could make it.

  He needed to test it out first.

  Tucking the flashlight into his waistband, he picked up a crumbled fragment from the bridge. It was the wrong shape, but roughly the same weight as the flashlight.

  Jonas recognized what he was doing and gave a thumbs-up.

  Arlo silently debated between overhand and underhand, settling on the latter. He lobbed the rock at Jonas. It traced a gentle arc in the air. Jonas reached up and snagged it with both hands.

  A perfect toss and a perfect catch. Easy. Rangers on both sides of the canyon silently cheered.

  Now it was time for the real thing. The rusty flashlight felt gritty in his hand. It was also a bit heavier than he had expected. He was suddenly less confident about his throw. Even if he repeated the last toss exactly, it might not make it. But if he tried to throw even ten percent harder, he might overshoot. Since the bridge had no railing, it could easily bounce over the edge.

  But was the flashlight really any heavier than the rock? He began second-guessing his second-guessing.

  Shaking off his doubts, he locked eyes with Jonas. They were both ready. They only had one chance.

  Arlo threw the flashlight.

  The moment it left his hand, he knew he’d messed up. Some drop of stray adrenaline had goosed his arm, causing him to throw too hard. Plus he’d given it an extra flick of the wrist. The flashlight was now tumbling end over end. All he could do was watch as it sailed across the endless void, off course and uncatchable.

  Jonas knew it was doomed. It was going to fly over his head, and maybe over the edge of the bridge. He turned to the rest of the patrol.

  Other Indra stretched up her arms, but she wasn’t anywhere close to it. Julie squeezed her eyes shut. Only Other Wu was in the vicinity.

  The flashlight clanged on the bridge just left of center, ten feet from the nearest Ranger. It skidded and scraped before finally coming to a rest.

  Arlo breathed a sigh of relief. At least it hadn’t gone over.

  Except that momentum kept the flashlight rolling towards the edge. It was a foot away. Six inches. Three. Two. One …

  Other Wu dived for it. Arlo expected to see the flashlight dropping into the chasm below.

  But it didn’t.

  After a few seconds, Other Wu rolled over onto his back, holding up the rusted flashlight like an Olympic torch. He’d done it. He’d saved it.

  The patrol huddled around him, silently celebrating. Other Wu seemed scraped up, but otherwise unhurt.

  Arlo stepped back from the edge. He resumed breathing, smiling with relief.

  Indra was watching the other side through the binoculars. She seemed puzzled. “They’re opening it.”

  “What do you mean?” said Arlo.

  “The flashlight. They’re unscrewing it.”

  Arlo took the binoculars. The other patrol kept moving around, so it was hard to focus on exactly what they were doing. But he saw the flashlight in two pieces, and then an object being slid out. It was wrapped in blue cloth. All he knew was, “It wasn’t batteries inside. It was something else.”

  “We shouldn’t have given it to them,” said Wu.

  “Can you see what it is?” asked Indra. “What was in it?”

  Arlo adjusted the focus on the binoculars, but couldn’t get a clear image of the bundle.

  Other Indra turned back to look directly at Arlo. She could see him watching through the binoculars.

  She held a finger to her lips: silence. Then she nodded with a smile, heading off with her patrol towards the tower arch. They seemed to be in a hurry.

  “Wait, they’re leaving?” asked Wu.

  Arlo watched as Jonas discarded the rusted flashlight. It rolled off the edge of the bridge, falling into the bottomless chasm. The flashlight was just the container; they had only wanted what was inside.

  And Arlo would never know what it was.

  He felt something rising inside him. It was more than curiosity. More than a question. It was anger. Betrayal. Whatever was hidden in the flashlight, he had found it for them.

  He had risked his arm and his friends to retrieve it.

  He had a right to know.

  Arlo Finch shouted at the top of his voice: “TELL ME WHAT IT IS!”

  After so many minutes of whispering, it was jarring to feel his whole body shaking with the words. But it felt good, too. A release.

  On the far bridge, the patrol turned to face him, stunned and panicked. Jonas and Julie were backing away.

  Other Wu and Other Indra traded a look. They yelled at the same time: “Run!”

  Then they took their own advice, racing to catch up with the twins. The whole patrol disappeared into the mouth of the tower. For just a moment, Arlo thought he saw a fifth person in the passage.

  Arlo turned back to face Indra and Wu. All three were confused.

  Then they heard the sound.

  Technically, it was a howl. But had Arlo encountered it out of context, he might have thought it was a fork scraping across a steel drum, or a peal of thunder slowed down and distorted. It made his bones vibrate. He could feel it in his teeth and jaw.

  “There!” shouted Indra, pointing to the far tower. A massive arm was reaching over the top of the bridge from the chasm below. Finding a handhold, a mottled green creature began pulling itself up.

  His hands shaking, Arlo lifted the binoculars.

  A second arm grabbed hold of the bridge. The creature’s skin was dried and cracked, with tufts of hair sprouting in random places. Finally, the monster’s head rose up over the edge. Its yellow eyes were set far apart, its face smushed like discarded clay.

  Arlo, Wu and Indra were so busy staring across the canyon, they failed to notice an identical beast rising right behind them.

  And then it howled.

  The trio spun around to face it. Arlo dropped the binoculars. He heard them smash.

  The creature climbed all the way up onto their bridge. It sat back on its haunches like a baboon, yet it was easily fifteen feet tall. It took up the entire width of the bridge, blocking the entrance to the tower.

  And it smelled as bad as it looked: a combination of rotten garbage, dead skunk and a backed-up toilet. The stench was so strong that Arlo’s eyes watered.

  “I think it’s a troll,” said Indra. She tried to back away, but there were only a few feet of bridge left. Three more steps and they’d be falling into the bottomless chasm.

  Wu looked at her. “How do we…”

  “I don’t know.”

  Arlo had stopped carrying a salt shaker in his pocket, but this didn’t feel like the kind of creature it would work on anyway. Salt dispelled summoned creatures; this was the troll’s lair. They were the trespassers.

  The troll was slowly approaching, its clawed hands gripping the sides of the bridge. Its mouth opened in a smile of broken teeth.

  Wu grabbed Arlo’s arm. “Use a snaplight. Like the hag.”

  Months before, during the Alpine Derby, Arlo had managed his first-ever snaplight. It erupted from his fingers with such force that it knocked the forest witch down. But ever since, Arlo’s snaplights had been completely unremarkable, no better or different than any other Ranger’s.

  Still, they had nothing to lose. Arlo cocked his arm back, rubbing his fingers to generate the familiar tingle. Then he snapped his hand forward, sending a glowing ball of light streaking at the troll.

  The snaplight hit the beast square in the face. And did nothing—it was just an ordinary snaplight. The troll barely registered that it had happened.

  It kept approaching. Indra and Wu grabbed Arlo’s arm. They took another step back. Arlo’s gaze drifted over the edge of the broken bridge. He felt a wave of vertigo.

  The troll reached for them. Its claws were black and splintered, like charred wood from a dead campfire.

  Then, from the far side of the canyon, came another unearthly howl.