The Och Ess Onster

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flitcr A huge, glowing object moved slowly toward o her. As it approached, the glow grew more intense and the ft water warmer. Vanessa stopped swimming, waiting for the inevitable... the the

anessa’s dreams are haunted by cryptids—mysterious

Vcreatures that may or may not exist. Her mother used to L

study them, gathering scientific evidence that at least some och of them are real. Vanessa longs to continue her mother’s research. At the moment, though, she also has more pressing concerns—like a family trip that includes her N father’s new girlfriend. e ss But the visit to Scotland gives Vanessa a chance to

explore the eerie secrets of Loch Ness. With the help of her M mother’s cryptid files, can she solve the mystery of the most famous cryptid of all? on s ter investigate all of the files: #1 THe loch NEss Monster #2 the chupacabra #3 THe Pacific Giants #1

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# 1 THE LOCH NESS MONSTER LOCH NESS MONSTER JEAN FLITCRO FT

MINNEAPOLIS First American Edition published in 2014 by Darby Creek, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

First published in Dublin, Ireland in 2010 by Little Island as The Cryptid Files: Loch Ness by Jean Flitcroft

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Darby Creek A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com.

Front cover: © Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Main body text set in Janson Text LT Std 12/17. Typeface provided by Linotype AG.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Flitcroft, Jean. [Loch Ness] The Loch Ness monster / by Jean Flitcroft. pages cm. — (The cryptid files ; #1) Summary: “Vanessa’s dreams are haunted by cryptids, mysterious creatures that haven’t been acknowledged by science. She longs to complete her mother’s search for Nessie, the most famous one of them all. Can she finally solve the mystery of Loch Ness? She gets her chance on a surprise trip to Scotland, but no one could have foreseen the consequences”— Provided by publisher. ISBN 978–1–4677–2602–3 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) ISBN 978–1–4677–3482–0 (eBook) [1. Loch Ness monster—Fiction. 2. Scotland—Fiction. 3. Horror stories.] I. Title. PZ7.F65785Ne 2014 [Fic]—dc23 2013024083

Manufactured in the United States of America 1 – SB – 12/31/13 To my children, Oliver, Myles, and Callum, and to children all over the world.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY

The word cryptozoology comes from the Greek word kryptos, meaning hidden, and zoology, meaning the study of animals. Cryptozoologists study animals that may exist in nature, but whose existence has not yet been accepted by modern science. The animals cryptozoologists search for are called cryptids. The Loch Ness Monster, “Nessie,” is the most famous cryptid of them all, with thousands of recorded sightings.

1 2 PROLOGUE

It was the last day of October. The light was fading fast and dark shadows rippled across the water’s sur- face. A cold wind had picked up and, in the blink of an eye, Loch Ness had changed from a place of yel- low sunshine and charm to metal-gray clouds and bleakness. No one saw Vanessa Day fall. No one saw the tar-colored water close over her head. For a moment, she was stunned by the icy cold. Then terror gripped her and she thrashed about, kicking and slapping the

flitcr A huge, glowing object moved slowly toward o her. As it approached, the glow grew more intense and the ft water warmer. Vanessa stopped swimming, waiting for the inevitable... the the

anessa’s dreams are haunted by cryptids—mysterious

Vcreatures that may or may not exist. Her mother used to L

34813_F.indd 1 9/30/13 9:34 AM