The Legends of Lake on the Mountain by Roderick Benns

Stone Mills, he was generally in a good position to keep an eye on the community, both below and above the mountain.
    Oh, he knew something more difficult was bound to happen on his watch. That’s just the way things are. He would never have suspected this, though – not in a hundred years. The whole village was going mad. Lake serpents! And now he had a missing person and a bloody shirt was found.
    Constable Ogden was interviewing each and every person who had claimed to have seen this lake serpent. He surveyed the faces of the two boys in front of him, John Macdonald and George Cloutier. Both had been involved in their fair share of mischief – especially the Macdonald boy – but only of the typical variety for this age. Apparently John’s younger sister had been there, too, but Hugh Macdonald had wanted to spare her any more talk of lake serpents. The younger ones were prone to nightmares and he couldn’t blame him for wanting to leave her out of this.
    The constable glanced over at Hugh who was nervously smoothing his large moustache beside them. Seeing Hugh Macdonald made him think about Lieutenant Colonel Macpherson again. What was a retired British colonel doing in his village anyway, other than visiting family? He had never liked the colonel. He always got the impression from him that he had little time for common folk.
    â€œNow when you say ‘lake serpent’ just exactly what might you mean by that?” asked the constable.
    John and George looked at one another. Hugh nodded, urging them to get to the point.
    â€œIt was getting dark, sir, Constable Ogden,” began John. “But what we saw seemed to have two humps and a long, snake-like neck.”
    Hugh fidgeted. “Like he said, Charles, it was dark. Could have been anything, right? I didn’t even know about this until John told everyone last night, after Peter Goslin’s story.”
    The constable looked at John who was clearly irked at the lack of belief from his father.
    â€œAre you saying you think they imagined it completely?” the constable asked.
    â€œNo, I’m not saying that, Charles. But a lake serpent? It seems...” his voice trailed off.
    â€œCrazy?” the constable finished.
    â€œYes – crazy as can be,” said Hugh.
    The constable drank the rest of his tea and set it on the table. Within a few seconds his wife had cleared the cup and began to wash it.
    â€œThe trouble is, Hugh, these boys aren’t the first now, are they?”
    â€œI suppose not,” said Hugh.
    â€œAnd it’s not just old Wilson we’re talking about either, as you know,” said Constable Ogden. “In addition to the Goslin’s, who we just heard from, William Blair also said he saw something when he was fishing that he couldn’t explain. A long neck, then humps moving through the water. He was so sure of what he saw that he left his fishing pole and even his farm. He loaded what he could on a large bateau and hitched a ride off to Kingston. That was just two weeks ago. You knew that.”
    Hugh nodded. “Just thought there had to be another reason – that Blair was exaggerating, was all.”
    â€œAnd the thing is,” said the constable, “it’s always the same description of this thing, too. Not sure how I account for that.” Hugh said nothing.
    â€œAnd Frank and Eleanor Eddy were taking an evening walk near the lake when both of them felt there were moving shadows across the lake at first, then a long neck and head. She wants to move to York and he’s not sure at this point.”
    John and George looked at each other in tight-lipped vindication.
    â€œThe interesting thing is that it was either evening or night when folks said they saw this thing.”
    Hugh folded his hands in front of him. “Do you know how terrible this is for business, Charles? If the farmers around the lake end up moving away how am I supposed to make a