Читать книгу Casaday Girls, Book 2: The Creature Returns - Michael Markey - Страница 3

The sun peeked from behind dreary clouds at daybreak on that crisp November morning. Dense fog lay over Stamford Lake, a calm body of water nestled in the Dunbar Lakes development, near Voorhees, New Jersey.

How serene for the moment.

Two frisky grey squirrels scampered down one of the pines nearby, annoying each other with idle chatter until one of them ventured near the water’s edge. He paused a moment, letting down his guard as he took a refreshing sip.

Huge mistake.

The young tree dweller failed to see the ominous winged beast circling over him in the dense haze. Swiftly the creature bore down on its prey. A piercing scream echoed across the lake as the behemoth nosedived to snatch the unsuspecting little squirrel from the sandy beach. It leveled at a height of three feet above ground and then slashed down at the bushy-tailed rodent.

Food. I need food, the creature thought. I shall not be denied this day.

Could it be the attacker possessed the face of a horse? Perhaps a camel?

That demon made brief contact with its hoof-like feet on the frosty beach and poised for the kill. The squirrel suddenly realized his imminent danger and made a frantic jackknife for safety. He landed alongside a rotting log partially buried in the sand. The clumsy hooves crunched on the rotting wood as they touched down--splinters exploding over the flabbergasted bushy-tailed critter. The beast attempted another flyby seconds later to snatch his seemingly helpless quarry. That little squirrel made a frantic dash toward the underbrush beneath the pines, shrewd enough to escape and elude his nemesis for another day.

The flying predator then disappeared--rebuffed.

No one knew what happened that morning except for those terrorized grey squirrels.

A huge winged monster in the fog, this early on a frosty late October day?

Unthinkable.