The Legend

The bugle blew to signal that it was time to get up. Byron rolled over in his sleeping bag. Today was the day they could earn their swimming badge; but after the 10-mile hike yesterday, Byron wondered if he had it in him. Byron grabbed his water shoes and left.

As the boys lined up, there was talk about the legendary monster that lived in the lake. It had been a rumor for years. No one dared admit that he believed in the lake monster.

The whistle blew for the first set of boys to dive in. Byron watched from the shore. Before long, it was time for him to swim. He readied himself and dove in at the sound of the whistle.

He was swimming gracefully across the water, but he was not at the front. He knew he’d have to really push himself to make the cut. Just then, he felt a push on his back. It felt like a tail of sorts. Spectators from the shore were hollering about the monster on Byron’s back. Byron didn’t know what to think, so he just kept swimming. He managed to take the lead and promptly set the camp record.

The crowd went wild. He had never gone that fast before in his life. Was it really the tail of the monster? He knew he had felt something scaly on his back. But was it really the monster? Byron shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the showers.