“That doesn’t belong to you,” Jeff whispered. “Leave it alone.”
Simon flashed an annoyed sideways glance at his buddy.
“Someone probably dropped it on their way through here,” he said. “No sense in letting it go to waste. They won’t be back.”
Jeff jostled next to his friend, peering off into the darkness. The little hunk of treasure glistened in a patch of murky moonlight just beyond the next outcropping.
“But what if they do come back,” Jeff said. “Then you’ll be stealing.”
Simon heaved exasperation and pushed away from Jeff — hard — launching himself through the leaden night.
“You’re going to get caught!” Jeff called after him.
But he knew it was no good — when his stubborn friend latched onto an idea, the best Jeff could do was stay close by and try to help him stay out of real trouble.
Jeff rolled his eyes and darted toward the beckoning bounty. He had to admit that it all seemed pretty enticing.
Too enticing.
He picked up his pace and soon caught sight of Simon again.
“Simon, wait for me!” he called.
Simon hesitated, just a beat, and peeked back at his tagalong.
“I knew you couldn’t resist a little adventure,” he said. “And a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!”
He sneered and snickered then put his head down and drove toward the light.
“C’mon!” he called as he picked up speed again. “Race me for it!”
Jeff was close enough to the dusky glow now that he could start to make out details of the scene.
There in the spotlight was Simon’s prize.
A string was tied around it, leading up, skyward.
His eyes followed its path, stretching for the moon. At the other end, a red and white balloon bounced in the night.
Panic clutched at Jeff’s chest as realization washed over him.
“Simon! Stop!” Jeff shouted as he rushed toward his pal.
Simon jerked and snaked around to face his blitzing companion, surprise flooding his eyes as Jeff plowed into his side. The two friends tumbled sideways, but Simon looked back just in time to glimpse the bottom of the bobber snap out of the water and disappear into the night above.
The barren metal hook trailed along behind like a stealthy, disembodied dagger searching for its prey.
The two fish watched a hunk of nightcrawler drift into the muddiness below.
“Well,” Simon said, straightening himself and swimming toward the center of the lake. “At least one of the catfish will get a treat tonight.”