“ One, if you don’t get out you’ll not see me again this holiday. Two, I shall know you do not love me whatever you say in the moonlight. Three, I shall tell your father you have disobeyed him and he shall beat you as you deserve. Four, if you did get out I might let you kiss me again but why I should I don’t know. Five, you look very stupid just now with your silly goggles pushed up on your forehead and your hair all standing up. Six, you’re not even trying to get out so perhaps I shall make you!”

She dove off the rock and grabbed me before I had a chance. We wrestled around and my mask was knocked over my eyes so I couldn’t see very well and I pushed her away but she was laughing at me and grabbed me around the middle. While she was trying to pull me toward the shore she felt it! For a second she didn’t know what it was so she didn’t move her hand right away. Suddenly she realized. Then she was the one who acted like she had been bitten. She pulled her hand away and her face got a little red. She giggled suddenly and splashed water in my face and laughed at me and started saying over and over again, “All is explained! All is revealed! All is explained! All is revealed!”

I got mad and embarrassed all at once and shouted, “Shut up!”

She laughed even more and said, “Poor thing. Do we want to take It for a walk? Does It want to go out?”

I couldn’t believe she would talk like this. So I just stared at her dumbfounded.

Then I realized that it had at last gone down. I swam over to the rocks and climbed out and Jennifer climbed out after me and didn’t say any more about it. I guess she understood that I didn’t think it was very funny. We both pretended nothing had happened and after a while I said, “I think I’d better get back to the beach before the rest of the family wonders where I am.” We agreed I’d go first, then she’d wait about ten minutes so we wouldn’t be seen together in case Dad or Janet had the binoculars out today.

By the time I got back to the beach I had decided I’d never wear the small tight Italian kind of swimming trunks again. As I walked up the sand to where I saw our family spread out around the deck chair I wondered how Mom was. And if Dad knew about Jonathan Edwards. But everything seemed normal and everyone just looked up at me, then went back to reading their books.

Mom smiled at me and the way she smiled was sorrowful, not her usual cheerful way.

I asked, “When’s lunch?”