Pacifica poured syrup into her mouth, Minerva doing the same. The two were engaged in a syrup race, and the competition was intense. Gideon observed silently, hoping neither would choke. Right when it seemed that Minerva would be victorious, Pacifica slapped the bottom of her bottle, allowing the last drop to roll onto her tongue. Pacifica was delighted, only to burst into a fit of coughing moments later as the grey-nette pouted.
"Tuh-told you." Gideon stuttered out, glancing worryingly at the blonde. Pacifica straightened out, seemingly fine. That's when Stan waltzed in.
"Good news, kids." He told the trio joyfully. "It's family bonding day."
"Oh, can I come?" Pacifica bounced up giddily. "Where are we going? The amusement park? A puppy adoption center? The movies?!"
"You'll see." Stan winked. "For now, you will all put on blindfolds and get in my car."
The kids cheered. "W-wait. Wh-what?" Gideon suddenly processed the information. But a cloth already covered his eyes.
A car drove along the beach side. Driving it was a excited Grunkle Stan. Squished in the backseat were Gideon, Minerva, and Pacifica. All were blindfolded. Pacifica's wrists were also bound, as she kept trying to remove the cloth covering her eyes.
"S-seriously, Gr-grunkle Stan. Wh-where are we going?" Gideon inquired, his patience running low.
"Hold your horses." Stan retorted, swerving wildly ,making his vision questionable. "We're almost there." The car screeched to a stop. The kids clambered out. The second Pacifica's bonds were cut, she threw off the blindfold and squealed with pure delight.
The cousins also removed their veils. They were at Reverse Falls Lake, with the sign "Fishing Season Now Open" stretched between two posts. Gideon became suspicious. Minerva downright paled. "Wh-why do you w-want to form a b-bond all of the sudden?" Gideon glanced at his grunkle.
"I've never had fishing buddies before," Stan explained sadly. "Apparently, the guys at the lodge don't "like" or "trust" me. Plus I wanted to bond with my adorable grandniece and nephew... And their friend." He let out an exasperated sigh. He showcased the fishing boat, with "Stan-o-War" written crudely on the half rotten wood.
"Grunkle Stan, you know I can't." Minerva was still pale, looking at the water like it could attack her at any moment.
"You'll be fine." Stan replied, shoving her a life vest. "I even made fishing hats for you guys." He handed them each a poorly made straw hat, with their felt names hanging on by the stitches.
"Ciffy?" Pacifica stared at hers, questioning the odd nickname.
"At l-least all y-your letters are on r-right." Gideon glanced at his friend's hat before showing her his. "Half of m-mine are on ba-backwards."
"Help!" A raspy screech cut through the air. The trio immediately looked up to see an old man in a brown suit standing on the dock. He had a scruffy grey beard and a look of pure terror in his eyes as he backed away from the edge of the pier. A couple of policemen in boat pulled over.
"What appears to be the problem?" One of them asked.
"There's something in the water!" The old man exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at the lake. "Something big!"
This caused the cops to burst out laughing. "There's nothing in the water other than fish and boats," the other one explained through giggles.
The old man's gaze went downcast. "But... but I saw it." He said half heartily. He began to doubt the truth behind his own words. The trio, however, was intrigued.
"A lake monster!" Pacifica whispered to her friends. "We can find it and get rich!"
"Forget the monster!" Grunkle Stan said, annoyed, having overheard their conversation. "Would you prefer to go on a meaningless monster hunt or hang out with your Grunkle Stan?" He gave them a wide smile.
The friends glanced at each other, already knowing the answer. As much as they appreciated Stan's enthusiasm, they weren't going to let the opportunity of a lifetime pass them by. "I say we grab a boat and go look for it right now." Pacifica said, rearing to go.
"W-wait." Gideon cut in. "W-wouldn't it be be-better if we did some re-research first. Es-especially after wh-what happened l-last time we w-went in unprepared." Minerva gave a him a grateful nod. This caused Pacifica to reluctantly agree.
They turned back to Stan, who was waiting in the "Stan-o-War", holding their hats out to them. "Sorry, Grunkle Stan." Minerva said, giving the old man a quick hug before the trio took off in a sprint, racing back towards the Shack.
"Fine! See if I care!" Stan yelled after them. But, as soon as they were out of sight, his enraged face became a disappointed one. He stared at his unhappy reflection in the water. "Oh, I care, alright." He muttered to himself.
The trio arrived, panting, at the doorstep of the Shack. However, they weren't alone. A young teen with black hair was walking over. He was wearing a yellow checkered shirt and dark blue jeans. He stopped next to them. "Hi, Robbie." Minerva said politely.
"Oh, hi, Minerva." The teen returned the greeting. He turned to Gideon. "Who's this?"
"That's my cousin, Gideon. He's staying for the summer. Gideon, this is Robbie. He works here sometimes." Minerva explained.
"Pleasure." Robbie said, sticking his hand out, which Gideon shook. He seemed nice enough to the smaller boy, and certainly looked more like a teen than the gnomes did.
"Hey!" Pacifica jumped up to reach Robbie's height. "We are going to research a giant lake monster so we can find it in the lake and show it to everyone and get rich! Want to help us?"
"Um..." Robbie didn't get a chance to answer, as an eager Pacifica was already dragging him to the door by the collar. Gideon shot a questioning glance at Minerva, who simply shrugged. So they followed their friends inside, heading towards the Mystery Shack library.
Hi, people! It is I, Aglo! What do you think? This is part one of ark two. Exciting, isn't it? That's it. I having nothing else to say. This is Aglo, signing off (until next time)! Bye!
