Nellie Long at Sapphire Lake (F)

Nellie Long adjusted her swim goggles and pulled her hair up and back into a ponytail. She rocked forward on her toes and then back on her heels. One, two, three—down the old dock she ran as fast as she could.

Splash! Into the cold water, and holding her breath, down, down, down, she swam. Deeper and deeper. The water was blue, and then darker blue, like dark ink. Deeper and deeper, the water nearly black.

So dark. On she swam. Then she saw it, a yellow light.

Just as she needed to take a breath, Nellie made it to the light—a cave! She came up from the water into the small opening.

The yellow light was a lamp—two lamps, in fact. In the dim light she could see a small tunnel in the far wall of rock. She pulled herself out of the water and slid her goggles down around her neck.

Slowly she entered the small tunnel and followed it up and down, back and forth, into the mountain.

Be brave, be bold she told herself.

The path was wet and cold under feet. Above her head, water dripped. And it was so quiet. Not a sound other than her feet as she stepped along.

Soon Nellie saw what looked like a steel bar across her path. She somersaulted under the bar and back up to her feet into what was a much larger cave, with a dozen lamps, as big as the library at her school.

Across the underground room was a large wooden chest with a large iron lock. Nellie, looked left, then right. Nothing. She took one small step toward the chest.

“Wait!” a deep voice boomed. Nellie stood as still as she could.

Again the voice sounded. “Green light!”

“What?” Nellie said out loud.

“Green light!”

“Who are you?”

“Green. Light.”

“Okay. Okay!” Nellie stepped forward. She stepped forward again. Again, but this time faster.

“Red light!”

Fine, Nellie thought. I can play this game. She waited.

“Green light!

Nellie broke into a trot. Now she was almost halfway across the cave.

“Red Light!”

She paused.

“Green light…red light!”

Nellie almost fell on her face. But she stopped.

“Green light.”

Closer and closer she got to the chest, only a few more steps.

“Red light!”

“Oh, let me get there,” Nellie fussed.

A few seconds went by. Some more seconds went by. And some more. Nellie didn’t know if she should wait or go ahead.

“Hello” she called out.

Nothing.

“Green light!”

Nellie ran as fast as she could to the chest.

“Home!” the voice called.

“Thank you! Wait, is there a key?”

Nothing.

“Hello. Hello.  Is there a key?”

Nothing.

“Hello?”

“What is 2 times 8?”

“What? Two times 8? Well, 16.”

“Who is your best friend?”

“Eliza Jane Barr.”

“Spell Eliza.”

“E-l-i-z-a.”

“What is the best ice cream in the whole entire world?”

“Mint chocolate chip.”

The old wooden chest began to shake. The chains rattled. Nellie stepped back. Suddenly the lock changed into sand and fell to the floor of the cave. The chains turned into smoke, and the top of the chest popped off and broke into a hundred small pieces.

“Wow!”  Nellie slowly moved forward. What would be in the chest? Gold and silver? Rings and necklaces? A magic lamp? Money? Lots and lots of money?

Carefully Nellie looked into the chest.

“What?” She reached down and pulled the pair up.

“Baby shoes! Baby shoes? Old baby shoes?”

Nellie shook her head. Old baby shoes? Where was the treasure? Where was the gold? Where was the magic lamp?

She turned around and went back down the tunnel to the smaller cave. Back on her swim goggles. A deep, deep breath, and back into the water.

The long underwater swim to get out into the lake. And then up to the sunlight she swam. A few more long pulls with her arms and she was at the dock.

Climbing up the ladder, Nellie saw Antonio sitting on the dock bench. He had a stack of white towels next to him.

She shook for a moment in the cool air and stepped toward him.

“Red light!” he said.  Nellie’s eyes widened, and Antonio laughed.

He gave her a large towel that she wrapped around her body, and then he gave her a smaller one for her to wrap her hair now down below her shoulders.

“Nice swim, Nellie?”

“Yes. Kind of.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No.”

“Maybe next time.”

Nellie looked at him and shook her head. Maybe next time? Next time?

A voice called, Uncle Seve. “Nellie, time for breakfast!”

“Hey, Nellie, green light.”  Antonio laughed again.

Nellie laughed, too. “Yes, maybe next time.” Off she ran up the dock toward the family cabin.

Lyman 2021