‘OK, but you know you’re going to have to come with us all the same.’
‘Me? But I just told you: I don’t do swimming!’
‘Who said anything about you having to swim? Wait here, I’ve got an idea… And tell the fish to wait, too!’
Leaping down from the jetty, he ran back along the path to where he recalled having recently seen a large piece of discarded Styrofoam. It was still there, and apart from a few chips in it, it looked ideal for the job. Returning with it, the cat stared at him in horror.
‘No, no, that’s no good at all. I’ll get seasick for sure.’
‘It’s a lake, Cat, not the sea.’
‘Then I’ll get lake-sick. Either way, listen to what I’m trying to tell you.’
‘Sure… Now don’t worry, you’ll be just fine.’
‘I’m serious!’
Arthur placed the Styrofoam into the water and got in. Pushing down on it to make sure that it would float OK, he distracted the cat, grabbed him, and placed him on top.
‘Argh! Now look what you’ve done—all my paws are wet!’
‘Yeh, well, don’t worry about that. Just think what a hero you’re being. Anyway, I’m the one who’s going to be doing all the work. All you have to do is sit there.’
‘Said the captain to the rest of the Titanic!’
With a fin visible above the surface and keeping to the edge of the reed beds, the fish led them out deeper than Arthur had ever been before. The water, which had been warm near the shore, soon began to feel cold, and discovering that the jetty had disappeared from view, he began to panic.
‘Cat, how much further?’ he asked nervously.
‘Actually, we’re here already.’
‘Really?’
‘Apparently. And all you need to do is dive down and look under a stone inside the reeds below us.’
‘OK, but that sounds a bit vague. It’s going to show me exactly where, right?’
‘I’m thinking not.’
‘What! Why?’
‘He said that it wasn’t part of the deal.’
‘Of course it was part of the deal! Tell him!’
‘I would but it’s too late. He’s already gone.’
‘Blast!’
Tempted for a moment to just forget it and swim back to the shore as fast as he could, Arthur gazed across the lake at the people swimming.
‘Come on, you can do this,’ he mumbled to himself. ‘It’s not that deep.’
‘That’s right, champ—you’ve got this,’ purred the cat. ‘Now, please hurry up before any of those pickle fish decide that I look like a tasty snack.’
‘Pickle fish? I think you mean pike, and I doubt they’d be interested in you.’