Edward Lee: Monster Lake

“Not really,” Terri answered. “Just that it has something to do with genes, and all living cells have these things in them called genes.”

“Right,” Mr. Seymour agreed. “Genes are like little codes in our cells which give us the special traits that make each person different. And animals and plants too. For instance, a tomato has different genes than a banana, and you have different genes from me.”

“Because you’re a man and I’m a girl?” Terri figured.

“Exactly, and because of lots of other things too. Like because you have blue eyes and I have brown, and I wear glasses and you don’t. And today there’s a special science called genetics , which involves changing the way genes are arranged in living cells.”

“Changing,” Terri said, “like that one word there, mutation. That means change, doesn’t it?”

“Right again,” Mr. Seymour said. “And this word here, transmission, refers to how this mutation, or change, is transferred from one type of cell to another.”

Hmmm, Terri thought. “Can genetics change how big things get?”

“Why, sure, and that’s why genetics are good for the world. Today, genetic scientists can change all kinds of genes, so farmers can grow rice that’s more nutritious, they can grow wheat that grows faster in different climates, they can grow bigger ears of corn, bigger heads of lettuce, things like that, so that food is cheaper and more plentiful. There are a lot of countries in the world where people don’t have as much to eat as we do, and it’s the science of genetics that will help those poorer countries.”

This sounded like a truly great thing to Terri, helping feed poorer countries that didn’t have as much food as America. She’d seen commercials on TV advertizing for charity money for a lot of these poor countries, to help feed kids that didn’t have any food to eat, or running water, or medicine when they got sick. Or anything, for that matter.

Mr. Seymour went on, “And not only will we have more food to give to people who don’t have enough to eat, genetic scientists can make better seeds too, so people in countries with less food can grown their own vegetables. See, some countries can’t grow many vegetables because they don’t have good soil, or enough water, but now, with genetically changed seeds, they’ll be able to grow vegetables that don’t need as much water or fertilizer, and vegetables that can grow in different kinds of soil. Plus, all these vegetables grow better and bigger.”

“What about bigger animals?” Terri asked the next logical question.

“Well, sure, the same goes for livestock, too, like cows and chickens. With genetics, we can grow cows and chickens that are bigger and healthier and more resistant to disease.”

But, of course, this wasn’t what Terri meant. “What about other animals. Like…toads? And salamanders?”

Mr. Seymour scratched his chin, and pushed his glasses back up on his nose because they kept slipping down. “Well, yes, probably toads and salamanders too. It’s a fairly new science, but it’s progressed enough that they could probably do that too. They can probably make any kind of animals bigger by using special genetic scientific methods.”

Terri leaned over and pointed to the word reagent on her piece of notebook paper. “And would scientists use reagents to do it?” came her next question.

Mr. Seymour nodded. “Yes, I guess they probably could. They could make a special reagent that could change the genes in a toad or salamander that would make them bigger, or smaller, or stronger, or…well, just about anything. And of course, a counter-reagent, would be a substance that would reverse the change, like an antidote.”

More and more, it was sounding like Terri was right all along. That’s what Mom and Uncle Chuck have been doing in the boathouse, doing experiments to make special reagents that make toads and salamanders bigger, and—

Her thoughts stopped short then.

“What about carnivores?” she asked next. “A carnivore is an animal that eats meat, right? And has…teeth?”

Again, Mr. Seymour nodded. “It sure is. You seem to know an awful lot about this kind of stuff, Terri. See, there are four different kinds of animals. But remember, most of them have teeth. Carnivores, as you already know, eat only meat. Herbivores are like rabbits, animals that only eat plants and vegetables. Then there are omnivores, animals that eat both meat and vegetables. Human beings are omnivores. And—”

“Insectivores,” Terri cut in, “are animals that only eat insects, right?”

“Right, just like, well…” Mr. Seymour’s forehead wrinkled up again. “Just like toads and salamanders,” he said.

««—»»

Terri’s excitement carried her back home like a rocket.

She knew!

Now she knew exactly what was going on!

Experiments! she realized. There could be no other answer. Her mother and Uncle Chuck had invented a reagent that could change the genes of toads and salamanders, make them bigger, and make them carnivores—with teeth! Yes, Terri was excited about finding this out, but she had to admit it was a scary sort of excitement. She knew what was going on, yes, but there was still one thing she didn’t know.

Why? Why were they doing these experiments?

For what reason? she wondered, still running along as fast as her sneakered feet could carry her. This question bothered her. It didn’t seem right, to change toads and salamanders into things that they weren’t. Obviously, as Mr. Seymour had told her, there were a lot of good things that genetics could do for the world, like making bigger vegetables and livestock so poor people had more to eat. But—

Toads? she wondered. Salamanders?

Terri just couldn’t figure it.

But I’ll find out, she told herself.

When she got back home she wasn’t surprised to find the house empty; her mother and uncle were obviously still down at the boathouse and probably would remain there till dinnertime, if not longer. By now, Terri realized she had only one course of action.

I’ll have to confront Mom and Uncle Chuck, she knew. I’ll have to tell them that I know what they’ve been doing down there, and then they’ll have no choice but to tell me why.

This was a daring move; Terri knew they might get very mad at her for snooping in their business, but what else could she do?

I’ll have to go down to the boathouse, she thought. I’ll have to go down there right now and get to the bottom of this.

Boldly, then, Terri went out the sliding door and marched across the back yard. Yes, she fully remembered that she was forbidden to ever go down to the boathouse but, again, she knew she had no choice. She stepped onto the gravel path between the trees and began to descend.

She had to know why. Her curiosity wouldn’t let go of her, and it was just a moment later when her questions actually began to scare her.

What reason can there be to do what they’re doing? she asked herself, marching on over the gravel trail. Why make toads and salamanders bigger, and give them teeth?

It almost seemed… evil.

It almost seemed as though her mother and Uncle Chuck were doing evil experiments on the toads and salamanders to turn them into—

Into…monsters, she thought with a sudden and very creepy chill.

Like the toad she’d dreamed about last night. Huge. As big as a car. And with giant fangs…

Monsters, she thought again.

Suddenly the path seemed darker and more narrow. The sunlight barely filtered at all through the branches of the trees overhead. She began to get scared; she began to think that she was being watched, not by people but by toads.