Perusina, Perusino, and Franz at Laguna Azul

Franz didn't trust Laguna Azul from the start.

Not because it looked dangerous. That was the problem. It looked too beautiful. The water was so blue that Perusino immediately said, "If you fall in there, you'll probably come out as the sky again."

Franz stood on the pier, sniffed, and squinted. "The lake doesn't smell like the sky."

"What does the sky smell like?" Perusina asked.

"Like nothing. This lake smells like wet wood, fish, boat varnish, and..." Franz paused. His ears perked up. "...like someone who doesn't want to be seen."

At that moment, something moved under the water.

Not on the surface. Not as a wave.

Deeper.

A long dark shadow glided under the pier.

Perusino jumped back, stepped on a loose board, flailed his arms, and almost fell into the lake. Perusina just managed to grab him by his backpack.

"That wasn't a fish," she whispered.

An old boatman approached in a narrow rowboat. His name was Don Eusebio, and he looked like he had seen more secrets than rain clouds.

"So you saw him too," he said.

"Who?" Perusino asked.

Don Eusebio looked over his shoulder, as if the lake could overhear. "The shadow. For three days now, it's appeared at the same time. After that, things disappear."

"What things?" Perusina asked.

"A paddle. A lantern. A basket of yucca." He pointed to his boat. "And this morning, my blue amulet. I don't go far out without it."

Franz blinked. "A shadow that steals yucca? He has taste."

Perusina knelt at the edge of the pier. Laguna Azul was so clear that she could see bright stones, water plants, and small fish. But between them were dark lines on the bottom.

Not random.

Like a trail.

"We're going out," she said.

The boat glided over the blue water. Reeds rustled on the left. A bird fluttered low over the surface on the right. Perusino held on with both hands.

"Just to be safe," he said. "I trust boats. But not shadows with an appetite."

Then the shadow returned.

It shot under the boat.

The boat tipped.

Franz clung to a rope ring. Perusino screamed so loudly that a heron startled and flew away. Perusina just saw something blue disappear among water plants.

"The amulet!" she cried.

"And the shadow?" Perusino called.

"It's pulling it!"

Don Eusebio rowed faster. The shadow snaked towards the shore. But it didn't move like an animal. More like something attached to a string.

Perusina grabbed a spare paddle and tapped the water.

Clonk.

"There's something hard down there," she said.

Franz leaned forward. "If it has teeth, I'd like to be informed beforehand."

Beneath the surface lay an old log. A tangle of ropes, water plants, and lost boat items had caught on it. With each wave, everything moved together. That's how the shadow was created.

"So no lake monster?" Perusino asked, disappointed.

Then the rope jerked.

Not on its own.

A boy emerged from behind the reeds on the shore. He held the other end of the string. When he realized they saw him, he let go and ran.

"After him!" Perusina cried.

Franz was the first to jump out of the boat. Perusino followed, slipped in the muddy bank, and got back up on all fours.

"I'm doing this on purpose," he panted. "For better ground knowledge."

They chased through wet grass, past banana trees, fishing nets, and a pile of old boat planks. The boy was fast. But Franz was faster.

He stood in front of him, perked up his ears, and looked very official.

"Stop. I have questions. And possibly hunger."

The boy stopped.

His name was Mateo. And he hadn't invented the shadow to scare anyone. His little brother had lost Don Eusebio's amulet while playing. Mateo wanted to secretly retrieve it before he got into trouble. In doing so, he had pulled the wrong ropes and moved the entire mess in the water.

Perusina exhaled. "Then we'll get it out properly."

Back at the boat, they tied the net to two paddles. Don Eusebio pulled from the left, Perusino from the right. Mateo held the boat. Franz gave very loud instructions, none of which were particularly helpful.

Perusina plunged her arm up to her shoulder into the water. Her fingers felt over slippery plants, wood, rope. Then she grasped something hard.

"I've got it!"

At that moment, the log came loose. The net shot up. Paddles, a lantern, a yucca basket, and a completely offended crab splashed out of the water. Perusino got the basket to his chest and fell backward into the boat.

"I saved the yucca," he coughed.

In the evening, the blue amulet hung back on the boat. Laguna Azul lay calmly, as if nothing had happened. But now they knew: Sometimes a shadow isn't a monster. Sometimes it's a mess that someone has hidden for too long.

Franz looked suspiciously at the lake. "I still don't trust it."

"Why?" Perusina asked.

Franz pointed to the rescued yucca basket. "Because it clearly swallows good supplies."