1. 1
6. Funand mysteryatWater City.
A strongshoutof excitementsoundedfromawetlittle girl,whowasholdingtightonadoughnut
shapedairblownfloat,slidingfromthe topof a reallylongwavyslide.The swimmingpool inside which
she was goingto landsoon,containedfourancientGreekcolumns,andtwobigmushrooms,one inlight
blue colorwithwhite spots,andanotherone inwhite colorandredspots. A numberof orange
umbrellashadbeenplacedalongapart of itsperimeter,and the addition of palmtrees made the pool
lookmore exotic,alongwith the presence of anareathat had beencoveredbygreengrass,forpeople
to siton. Rightabove the longyellowslide,wasawoodenbridge wherepeople eitherwalkedonthe
opposite side,ortheystoodonit and tookphotos or stared at the personswhoslidontheirdoughnut
shapedfloats. Some of the people onthe bridge,carriedtheirowncolorful floats. Rightunderthe
yellowslide thathadbeendividedintothree slidingparts,hadbeenbuiltanotherlong curvyslide,from
whichpeople wouldbe ejectedintothe pool.Some of itspartshad beenhiddenbybiggreentrees.
-‘Anemona!Here Icome!’Anotherveryyounggirl shoutedfromthe topof the slide,andstartedsliding
rightafterher friend,onthe adjacentlane.Theybothheldtightontheirdoughnutfloats,astheywere
carriedaway bythe wateruncontrollably. The pool startedlookingbiggerandbiggerintheireyes, when
Anemona’sfloatturnedarounditself withthe girl beingrotated three hundredand sixty degreestwice!!
In a fewseconds, she landedonthe water’ssurface withabigsplash. Herbumpylandingalmostcaused
herto fall off herdoughnut. She floatedinthe pool’scenter,whileherfriendwasapproachingthe end
of the slide.
-‘Are youwell?Youalmostfell off the float,Isaw you.Youneedto laydownon the float,insteadof
sittingonit.’The lifeguardwhowasattending the swimmers atthe firstpool suggested.
Anemonasmiledtohim.

2. 2
The girl withthe blondsilkyhairthatwascaught ina ponytail, wadedwithherhandstowardthe pool’s
greenestarea. She thenlookedbackward,tosee herfriend’sbigsplashatthe endof the ride. Andthere
it came. The latterone closedhereyesas thousandsof dropswere ejectedinthe air.Anemona laughed.
-‘Let’sgothisway!’Anemona prompted herfriend,andheadedtowardanalmosttriangularcornerof
the swimmingpool,wherethe palmtreeshadbeenstandingproudlyalongitsperimeter,withanumber
of shortgreenbushes.
-‘Thatwas great!!’Her friendshoutedtoher,whenawhistle soundedall of asudden.Itbelongedtothe
lifeguardwhoaskedthe girlstomove awayto the safe areawiththe mushrooms.
-‘Andwe can do itas many timesaswe want!’Anemonasaid.‘Ijustwishmomwas here withus…’she
expressedherthoughtinamelancholicway.
-‘She cancome nexttime withmymom!’ Herfriendsaid.
-‘Idon’tthinkshe would.’Anemonareplied.‘Shefoundoutshe couldnotafford a ticketof herown …’
-‘Oh…’Her friendsaid.‘ButWE are here!Andwe may have an adventure today!There are all these
slidestoexplore!’She managedtobringasmile backon Anemona’scheeks.‘Sowhatare we waiting
for?Let’s go again!’
-‘Whydon’twe try the nextslide thistime?’Anemonasuggested.
-‘The nextslide?Isthat‘the CrazyRiver’?
-‘Ithinkitis.’Anemonareplied.
All of a sudden, Anemona’s friendlookedthoughtful.

3. 3
-‘Itwouldhave beengreatif ‘Mapa’was here withus!’
-‘Mapa? Youcall himMapa?’ Anemonaaskedall astonished.‘Thatcutie little one?’She imaginedher
friend’spug.
-‘My daddoes.I call himAlexander,buthe’sgottenusedtothe name thatmy dadhas givenhim.’The
girl explained,whileAnemonawasstill surprisedwithherfriend’sdad’sdecisiontocall theirlittle doggie
‘frownedface’. ‘He wouldhave lovedthe rides!Itisa shame that dogsare not allowedinhere.’
Alexander’sownersaid.
-‘Itreallyisa shame.’Anemonaagreedandimaginedthe little pugsittingonherdoughnutfloat,while
theyslidall the waydownto the pool. She couldnot helpherselfbutlaugh.
-‘Let’sgoto the ‘Crazy River’then!’Herfriendpromptedher,andstarted wadingthe waterwithher
hands. Anemonafollowed. Some kidsthathadsliddownthe pool withtheirownfloats,hadbeentrying
to getback on them. Theywouldjumpagainandagain,but theirfloatswouldbe pushedforward. As
soonas the girlshadfoundthemselvesinfrontof the bigslide,three more kidslandedontothe watery
surface witha bigsplash.The ejectedfloatingdrops,fellontothe girls,andthe lifeguard’swhistle
soundedforonce again,wavingat the girlsto move outof the way. Anotherthree childrenweregetting
readyto ride on the top of the slide.Anemona’sfriendkept wadingusingherhands,towardthe Minoan
columnsthatstood infrontof a seriesof the pool’sinteriorstairs. A few people hadgatheredthere,
collectingtheirown doughnutfloatsintheirhands,fromthe personswhohadalreadyslid,andhadto
getout of the pool.
-‘Careful!’Anemonashoutedtoherfriend.A teenage boywasjustejectedbythe CrazyRiverslide,and
crashedintoher friend’sfloat.The latterone waspushedviolentlyandalmostlostherbalance.
Anemonamanagedtoreachher,while herfriend wobbledonheryellow doughnut,andhelpedher

4. 4
stabilize asherownfloattouchedher companion’s float. The lifeguardlookedquite annoyedwiththe
girlsfromwhere he wasstanding.
-‘Gotyou!’Anemonasaidandheldherfriendfromherhand.Whenthe girl foundher balance back,she
smiledtohercompanionandkeptusingherhands wadingtowardthe red-blue columns. Theywere
almostnexttothem,whenthe twobig mushroomsstartedthrowingwateringreatpressure,which
gave the girlsa boostclosertothe stairs. Theysteppedoutof theirdoughnuts,andontothe steps.They
grabbedthemfromtheirhandlesonwhichtheygotholdof themselves,andwalkedtowardthe leftside
where the maintrail forthe visitorshadbeen.Thistrail wassurroundedbysmall parkswithpalmtrees
and otherkindsof trees, like olive trees,pine trees,eucalyptus, withtheirgroundcoveredbygreen
grass.
-’Whichwayleadstothe CrazyRiver?’Anemonaasked.
-‘Thismustbe the onlyway,straightup the hill.’
Aftera fewsteps furtherahead,theypassedbyapitchblack closedslide thatlookedlike a tube.Itwas
long,witha numberof twistsand curves. Screamscouldbe heard fromwithin,bypeople whoslidalong
them.
-‘Here are the red and blackholes!’Anemona’s friendsaid.
-‘Ifindthemcreepy…’Anemonareplied.
-‘Of-course theyare!That’sthe point.’
TheykeptwalkingwhenAnemonastoppedall of asudden,andlookedtowardthe blackandredholes.
-‘Whatis it?Do youwant us to go there?’Herfriendasked whenshe saw herstaring.

5. 5
-‘IthinkI sawsomebody.’Anemonareplied.
-‘Of-course youdid.The parkisfull of people.’
-‘No.Thiswasan outsider.’Anemonasaidwithcertainty.
-‘Anoutsider?Were theywearingtheirclotheson?’
-‘Idon’tknow.It feltmore like ashadowat the cornerof my eye.’The girl describedherexperience.
-‘A shadow?Couldithave beenatree’sshadow?’
-‘No.Itwas a humanbeing.One withlonghair.’
-‘Idon’tsee anybody.’Herfriendsaidaftershe lookedcarefullyatthe curvy tubes,and at the treesthey
were inbetweenthem.
-‘That’sstrange.Ifeltas if somebodywastryingtohide quickly.’
-‘Some peoplemaybe playinghide andseek.’Herfriendsaid.
-‘Idon’tknow.’
-‘Come on!There isalwaysa reasonable explanation.Let’sjustmove ontothe nextride!’ Herfriend
suggested,sotheymovedonuntil theyreachedaturnto the left. Theykeptwalking,while Anemona
keptlookingonherleftside tothe trees,whereasherfriend’sattention wasdrawntotheirnexttarget.
They walkedpasta room underthe ‘blackhole’,withthe sign‘lifeguards’,andthey arrivedsoonatthe
nextturnleadingtothe right side up. Theykeptwalking,untiltheyfoundthemselvesinfrontof a big
roundbuilding,arotundawitha dome like roof thatwas consistedof twelve corners.
-‘Isthat the souvenirshoponthe leftof us?

6. 6
-‘Yes,that’sthe one.Andon the rightbuilding are the dressingroomswhere we changed. Anemona
pointedatthe longerextensiontothe rightside thatwas alsocovered by orange tiles,aswell asthe
firstone. Theyfoundthe queue thathadbeenformedinfrontof the slide,andwaitedfortheirturn.
Anemonalookedbehindher,withworryinherface.
-‘Where doesthe slide start?Ican’tsee it.’Her friendlookedahead atall these people whowere
carryingtheirowndoughnutfloats.‘Ohwell.Iamsure it isclose enough.’She said.
Aftertenminutesof waiting,Anemona’sfriendlookedanxious.
-‘If I knewitwouldtake thatlong,I wouldhave brought‘The treasure of the GoldenKingdom’,to
continue the game thatwe started.’
Anemonalaughed.
-‘Itis a greatgame,isn’tit?It was a good ideaof yoursto bringit at home.What a shame my firstdice
rollingwastwoAces…’Anemonatoldherfriend.
-‘Iam sure I will geta fewAcesmyself!’Herfriendreplied.‘We are still atthe Start.It isnot too biga
damage.’
-‘Well…itcouldhave startedwithbetternumbers.Justforgoodluck…’Anemonaexpressedherthought.
-‘We shall have it,nomatter howwe started!’Herfriendrepliedinacheerful way. ‘So,afterwe leave
the Water Park,we return to SouthAmerica!!’ She concluded.
-‘Yes!!There will be more funafterthis!We will continuefromwhere we stopped.’Anemonasaid. ‘Idid
not readthe card, I wonderwhatpunishment awaitsme.’

7. 7
-‘We’ll findoutnexttime we meet.Fornow,we canenjoyourcrazy ride!’ She saidand pointedatthe
one endof the white slide.‘We are almostthere!’She feltexcited,thenafterafew secondsshe started
admiringtwoforeigngirlsinfrontof her,wholookedveryprettywiththeirbrowneventan,theirblond
hair,and the pinkmacramé braceletsone wore onher hand. The purple macramé necklace withthe tiny
bellsattachedonthe girl’sneck,offeredthe girlsafew secondsof mesmerizingsounds. Anemona’s
mindfeltrelaxedforonce again. Itwasa lightsoundthatcouldjustbe noticedbysomebody’ssensitive
ears.Joy returnedinAnemona’sheart. She triedtostayas close to the girlsinfront of them, as possible.
Both Anemonaandherfrienddidnotsaya worduntil theyreachedthe slide. The water’scurrenton
thisslide, seemedtobe the same like the currentonthe yellow slide. A littleboysliddown,forgettingto
sitonto hisfloat.He lookedbehindhimwithaquestioninglook onhisface,while the lifeguardatthis
post,pushedthe boy’sfloatdownthe slidesasthe little one disappearedaroundthe firstturn. The girls
sat ontotheirdoughnutfloats,andwere drawnbythe water downward. Anemona’sfloatslidontothe
side of the slide,andshe feltthatshe wasalmostabout to be ejectedintospace the way herfloat
turnedsideward.Theyscreamedall excited ANDscared astheywere beingcarriedalongthe slide’s
snakyroute,amongthe tall trees.The girlslaughedwiththeirbumpyride,causingthemafew
spontaneousreactions. Afterashorttime, theyfoundthemselveswithinawatertank,alongwithother
adventurers, beingattendedandhelpedoutbyanotherlifeguard toslide furtherdown alongthe second
part of the slide. Anemonafelloff herfloatand swamquicklytowardthe exitpoint,before the next
personfell ontoherfromthe firstpart of the slide.She jumpedontothe low wall she hadinfrontof her,
and the lifeguardheldherfloatforher.She saton it,and slidfurtherdown.The uncontrollableride
continuedontothe doughnut,anda few twistslater,she foundherselfwithinasecondtankthat was
full of water. Anoverweightladylandedrightbehindthem, pushingthe girls towardthe corner.She
apologizedinherRussianlanguage. Fora few seconds,theytriedtofloattowardthe tank’sexitwhere
the wildadventurousslide wouldcontinue.Anotherlifeguardwasthere,toofferhisservices.Foronce

8. 8
again,theyjumpedonto the lowwall infrontof them that was risingupto theirshoulders,andsatonto
theirfloats,usingthe youngman’shelp.Theyslidpastagroupof orange umbrellasthathadbeen
placedsomewhereontheirrightside,theyslidunderthe woodenbridge, andgotejectedintothe same
swimmingpool,nexttothe redMinoan columns.
-‘Thatwas reallygood!’Anemonasaidall excited.
-‘Itwas amazing!!’Herfriendsaid.
-‘Shall we goagain?’Anemonasuggested.
-‘Yes!!’Herfriendrepliedatonce withhereyesopeningwide,all glowing. Theyfloatedtowardthe red
columns,andwalkedupthe stairs.What theydidnext,wasNOTwalkup the trail. TheyRAN up the trail!
Theyran barefootpastthe blackand redholeswithoutAnemonapayingmuchattentiontothem,and
theyarrivedforonce again at the queue.
-‘Oh,I forgotwe wouldhave towaitat the queue again.’Anemona’sfriendsaid.
-‘Iknowthere isa Photographerhere somewhere.Whydon’twe goandhave our picture taken,until it
isour turn to slide down?’
-‘That’sa great idea!’Herfriendagreed. ‘Whereisthe Photographer?’
Before Anemonahadthe chance to reply,aman witha camera appearedrightnexttothem, lookingat
them.He happenedtohave a close resemblance toSirHipparchus!
-‘Wouldyoulike me totake a photoof you?You are not obligedtobuyincase you don’tlike it.’The
man said.

9. 9
The girlsnoddedtheirheadsin a consentingway,andsmiled.The Photographertookthe picture,
makingsure the girlswouldlookrelaxed,havingtakenanatural pose,thenhe proceededtoother
people whowere waitingonthe same queue,andmade themthe same question.
-‘He feelssofamiliar…’Anemonathoughtsilently.
-‘Iam sure the photolooksreallygood!Ijustfeel it.’Herfriendsaid.
-‘Yes!’Anemonaagreedwithasmile.Theybothlookedatotherpeople whowerenow beingcaptured
withinthe camera,and noticedhowtheirfacial expressionschangedtoa more friendly andrelaxing
image. Afterafewminutestime of observingpeople’stransformationintopleasantapproachable
characters,the girlsarrivedfora secondtime infrontof the CrazyRiver. Aftertheyhadbeenstaringat a
man witha veryhairychest,whowas wearingareallyunusual swimmingsuitthatseemedtobe
coveringhisfrontprivate areaonly,andwithtwostripesbeingwornoverhisshoulders,holdingit
therefore tighttoitsplace,theysatonto theirdoughnutswithAnemonagoingfirstthistime,andthey
allowedthe currenttotransferthemfor a secondtime.More laughssoundedforonce againcoming
fromthe girlsonthe Crazy River,andalsofrom personswhoslidatthe same time rightabove them,on
the ‘HyperRace’ slide. Withinafew minutes of adrenaline risingadventure,the girlsgotspitoutbythe
slide,backintothe pool.Anemonalookedforherfriendbehindher. Theireyesmeteachother,and
theysmiled.Thentheyfloatedtowardthe Minoan Ioniccolumnswiththe darkblue tops,andwalked
ontothe stepsoutof the pool.
-‘Whichway?’Anemonaasked.
-‘Let’strythe trail onthe left.’Herfriendreplied.‘Ithinkitleads tothe otherslides.’
Theyboth walkedupthe stone builtground,carryingtheirfloats,andafterafew secondstheyturnedto
the left. Theywalkedalongatrail that had beenbuiltnexttoasmall swimmingpool, witharow of

10. 10
ancientGreekIoniccolumns appearingalongabridge, andtheystopped rightinfrontof the little
bridge.Theywere nowstandingamongthe ‘redandblackholes’,anda pairof verylong,high,white
slides.
-‘Howabouttryingthose ones?’Anemona’sfriendasked.
-‘Theylook toohighto me.What otherslidesare there?’
-‘Well,Idon’thave the mapwithme now…’her friendsaid.
-‘Doyou needsome help?’A lifeguardapproached.
-‘Thankyou.We are tryingto decide onwhichslide togo.’Anemonareplied.
-‘Letme bringyou a map. There are too manyslideshere torecall all of them.’ The youngman saidand
walkedtothe lifeguards’post.He grabbedamap thatwas lyingontoa table underan orange umbrella,
and gave it to the girls.Thenhe walkedaway.
-‘Thankyou!’The girlssaidinone voice,whileAnemonaunfoldedthe map.‘Sonow we are HERE. At
number‘sixteen’.Theseare the…letme checkthe numberninenteenhere…’she saidandlookedonthe
map’sleftside ata listof namesnexttotheiradjacentnumbers, the latterones beingprintedall over
the map. ‘So,that’sthe ‘Kamikaze’ride.These slidesinfrontof us.Rightnextto themare the…’She
checkedoutnumber‘eighteen’thathadbeenprintednexttothe slidesonthe list. ‘The Multi Race
slides…’
-‘The coloredones?’Herfriendasked.
-‘Yes.That’sthem…’Anemonaanswered,andlookedagainonthe map.

11. 11
-‘Thenwe have numbernine,whichisthose closedtube slidesoverhere…’She pointedattwocolored
slidesof blue andlightyellow,alongwithawhite openslide rightnexttothem.Sothat’sthe ‘Hydro
tubesandfree fall.’She readtheirmainname onthe list.
-‘Numbertenlooksverymysterious!Itlookslike abowl!’Herfriendsaid.
-‘Numbertenisthe ‘BodySlide Cyclone’.Theybothstudiedthe closedtube thathadbeendecoratedin
coloredstripesof yellowandlightblue,endingtoa big bowl like structure.
-‘Thatlooksa bit scary.I wonderhowdark itis inthere…’
-‘Are youafraidof the dark?’Her friendaskedher.
-‘Iam. Verymuch…Ididtell youso one dayat home.’Anemonareminded herfriend.
-‘Thenwe don’tneedtogo there.’Hercompanionappearedunderstanding. ‘Whatpoolsare those ones
on the top side?’
-‘Five andsix?Those are the ‘five children’sslides’ atsix,andthe ‘Jacuzzi,Whirlpool’atfive. Anemona
readon the leftside. ‘Oh!Andnumberfouristhe ‘Children’sPool 2’.’
-‘The onesthatWE are supposedtobe in,butwe are too crazy to be stayinginthat area!’The girl
laughed,andsodidAnemona.
-‘Itlookslike anice area to be though. See the grassall around?’Anemonanoticed. ‘Andthe slideslook
nice too.’
-‘Whatis thatbuildingoverhere?’
-‘Numbereight?Let’ssee…itisan‘Algidasnackbar’.’Anemonareplied.
-‘Miom,miom!!We will definitelytrythatone lateron! Andhow aboutthisone inthe trees?’

12. 12
-‘Numbertwentyfouristhe Receptionwhere we gotinside from.’
-‘Oh.I forgot.Andhowaboutthisone?’Her friendpointedlower,atthe rightside of the map.
-‘Numberthirteeniswhere we canbuy‘hot-dogs’and‘creppes’.’
-‘Oh,that’sa good one!’
-‘Andletme checkout numberfifteen…thisone offersfastfoodandgrill.’
-‘Sothisisthe one rightbehindus!’She lookedatthe space withthe tablesavailable. We will return
here whenwe are hungry.Look at thisarea here.’Anemona’sfriendshowedthe grasscovered,long
spreadarea towardthe lowerleftside of the map,whichalsolookedcoveredbymanyorange andred
umbrellas atthe same time,anarea that had beenplantedbyanumberof palmtrees.All aroundthis
longisland,wasa longnarrowriver.
-‘Andnumbertwelve,isthe ‘LazyRiver’!
-‘The Lazy River?We couldgo there andrelax afterlunch!’Herfriendsuggestedwithenthusiasm.‘But
firstwe needtotry that amazingpool here!’she showedareallybigpool onthe leftside of the map.
-‘Numberone isthe ‘Wave pool’.Andthere issomethingmore here atnumbertwo.Theyhave ‘Tarzan’s
game’.That mustbe fun!’
-‘Tarzan’sgame…we will definitelycheckitout!’Herfriendsaidwitha smile. ‘Lookatall those
umbrellas…’she pointedatsome more orange umbrellasthathadbeenplacedaroundthe pool. ‘Andis
that a separate pool here?’She pointedatasmallercircularspace that wasingrainedwithinthe big
pool.
-‘Numberthree isthe ‘Children’sPool 1withplaygroundandkiddie slides.’

13. 13
-‘So…where dowe gonext?Shall we trythe ‘kamikaze slide’,since we are standingrightinfrontof it?
Anemona’sfriendaskedforheropinion.
-‘Itdoeslooka little high…’ She thoughtforafew seconds,andlookedtowardthe pairof white slides,
thenshe admiredthe brightwhite AncientGreekstatuesthatstoodproudlyatthe sidesof the slides,
alongthe pool.
-‘Come on!Let’sdoit! We are here for an adventure!’Herfriendurgedher.
-‘O.k.then.Let’strythisone.Anemonawasaffectedbyherfriend’senthusiasmandwalkedoverthe
bridge tothe opposite side,while herfriendbroughtthe mapbackto the little table where the lifeguard
had takenitfrom. As soonas Anemonawalkedpastthe little bridge, throughthe brightwhiteshort
IonicancientGreekcolumns,she steppedontothe three stairsahead,andkeptwalkingwithherfriend
tryingto catch up behindher. Theywalkedupthe stone builttrail,pastanumberof palmtreesfrom
theirleftside,andarow of differenttreesontheirrightside. Afteraminute orless,theyarrivedatthe
stairsthat ledup to the startingpointof the slide. Anotherqueueof peoplehadbeenwaitingfortheir
turn to slide down. The girlswaitedonthe tall stairspatiently,andastheywaited,theynoticedabig
blue bubble floatingontothe water’ssurface,withamaninside it,atone of the poolsfarbelow them.
The man was tryingto findhisbalance,butwithgreatdifficulty.The see-throughairfilledbubble would
slide withthe slightestmove,andhe hadto use his feetrunningbackwardveryquickly,beforehe would
eventuallyfall ontohisback.
-‘He looksas if he isrunningon a treadmill,butbackward!!’ Anemona’sfriendsaid.
-‘He lookslike astringpuppetthatlearnshow to walk!!’Anemonaexpressedheropinion,andtheyboth
laughedinamuzement.Theyweresodrawnbythe show that theyhardlynoticedthe queue had
proceededfaraheadof them.Twoyoungboys tookadvantage of theirbeingdistracted,andtooktheir

14. 14
turn. They ran upthe ladder,asquietlyastheycould.Afterafew seconds,the girlslookedahead,just
on the time the boyshad reachedthe endof the queue.
-‘Come on!The queue hasproceeded.’Anemona’s friendwalkedfurtherup,andAnemonafollowed,
holdingherbigblue doughnutfloatfromitsone handle. Assoonasthe twomischievousboyssliddown,
the girlspreparedtheirownfloats. Theysaton themat the startingpoint,andthree,two,one…the
lifeguardwhistledhiswhistle,theypushedtheirfloats forwardontothe slide,andoff theywentdownin
great speed! Anemonaslidfromtheirleftside,whereasherfriendslidfromtheirrightside. Assoonas
Anemonahadreachedthe pointrightabove the firsttwopalmtrees theyhad walkedpast,she turned
herhead tothe leftside where the ‘redandblackholes’were,feelingdistractedbythe existence of big
waterbubblesinthe air. Her eyesightcaughtafloatingskeletonthatbelongedtoaladywith blacklong
hair,withinanarea that wasfilledwithwaterall around her.Anemona’sexpressionchangedtoa scared
one,andwhile herfriendwasscreamingbyenthusiasm, Anemonawasscreamingbysheerterror.What
was itshe had justseen? Was ita projectionof a deadladysomewhere inthe water? A lotof water
sprinkledontothemastheirfeetslidquickerthanthe slidingwater.The screamshardlystopped,until
theybothlandedintothe pool witha big,noisysplashthatmade them looklike mermaids.
-‘Didyousee it?Didyou see it?’ Anemonaaskedherfriendwithmuchworrydepictedonherface.
-‘What?’ Her friendhadnoclue whatAnemonawastalkingabout. She wadedwithherhands,inher
efforttoapproach the girl.
-‘The skeleton!She hoveredthere DEAD!!...withinthe water…’Anemonaalmostcried.
-‘Anemona,whatare youtalkingabout?Idon’tunderstand.’Herfriendlookedatherall puzzled.
-‘She wasthere.Rightoverthe redand blackholes.’She pointedwithherfinger.‘Andshe wasdead.’

15. 15
-‘Anemonayouare scaringme now.All thatis up there,isthe tubes.There isnowateranywhere.Apart
from‘within’the tubes.’Herfriendsaidtoher. ‘Have youseensomethingthatmaybe causedby
hunger?Are youhungry?’She askedAnemonashowingherconcern.‘Ithinkitistime we had some hot-
dogs,don’tyou think?Let’sgetoutof here andfill ourstomachs. You will feelalotbetterwitha filled
up stomach.Let’sgo!’The girl promptedherandtriedto floattowardthe pool’sstairs.Sodid Anemona.
Theywalkedtowardthe place withthe hot-dogsandcreppesthatwas builtjustnextto them, at
number‘thirteen’.
-‘Youlookas white asa Ghost.’You’ll see how muchbetteryou’ll feel afterwe have eatensomething.’
She wentto the counterand asked the sellerfortwohot-dogs. ‘Isthere some mustard?Thankyou.
Anemonawouldyoulike some mustardinyourhot-dog?’
-‘Yes,I’dlove some.’She smiled.The girl pouredinbothhot-dogssome mustard,andgave Anemonaher
ownportion.
-‘ThankyouLatania.’She saidfeelinggrateful,whileherfriendspreadherwristtothe seller,inorderto
have herspecial paperbraceletscannedin, one thateveryvisitorhadtowearon theirwrists,forthe
sellerstocharge the price on the computer.Inthe end,theywouldhave topay all of theirexpenses
made at the exit,where the ladyatthe till would eventually cutthe braceletsoff theirwrists. Thisway
theydidnot needtorun to the safetylockerswhere theyhadstoredtheirthings,tocollectmoney
constantly.
-‘There we go!Shall we go overandeat themunderan umbrella?Itisnice andpeaceful there.’Latania
suggested.Anemonanoddedherheadina consentingway.Theywalkedoverthe archedbridge that
had beendecoratedwithshortwhite Ioniccolumns,withtheirfloatsontheirlefthand,andtheirhot-
dogson theirrighthand.Latania walkedamongthe umbrellasthathadalreadybeentaken.

16. 16
-‘There isone available overthere.’ She rantowardit,and laidher floatontothe secondavailable
armchair,keepingitforherfriend before anyone else snatcheditall of a sudden underhernose.‘Itis
reallynice here!’She admiredthe environmentall aroundher,beingsurroundedbythe freshgreen
grass, witha limitednumberof small square plaquesimbeddedonthe ground, andtwotreesthat had
beenplantedinthe middle,one of thembeingapalmtree.
-‘Thisisa reallynice spot!’Anemonaadmired,while Lataniawasremovingheryellow floatfromher
friend’sseatassoonas Anemonahadarrived,andshe restediton herownarmchair. Theybothsat on
an uprightposition,eatingtheirhot-dogs.Anemonalookedabsentattimes,eatingmostlyina
mechanical way. HerfriendLataniafocusedherattentiononthe intense taste onthe otherhand,asshe
didnot wantto missit forany weirdexperienceinthe world. Timeshadbecome particularlyhard,so
she was feelingespeciallygrateful forwhatshe wasenjoyingatthe moment. Otherchildrenhardlyhad
the opportunitytofindthemselvesata huge waterpark, andenjoya nice hot-dog.
-‘Ilove thissausage.Ijustlove it!’Lataniasaid.‘It isso nice and tender!’
-‘Yes,it’sgood!’Anemonarepliedwithaslightsmile,andimmersedherself backintoherownthoughts.
She may had foundherself atthe nicestspotof the park,but she was there onlyphysically. Herownself
was absent.
-‘Ithinkitis a cruel name theyhave giventothese sausage sandwiches.‘Hot-dogs’…whowasitthat
gave thisname to them? probably somebodywhosaw dogsasanimalsto be eaten.It is justterrible.Are
youfeelingbetternow?’Lataniaaskedwithconcern.
-‘A little.’Anemonarepliedinamelancholicway,feelingtherewasNOwayshe wouldbe understoodby
herclose friend. Itwasnot herafterall the one whohad sucha weirdexperience.

17. 17
-‘Tell me again,whatwasit that yousaw there?’Lataniawantedtohearthe story fora secondtime, but
to alsoshowsome interestandconcerntowardherfriend.
-‘Itwas a ladyskeletonwithblack, longhair.She floatedabove the redandblackholes,asa deadbody.
But she was INSIDEthe water. There WASwaterall around.’Anemonadescribedthe scene thathad
shockedher.
-‘Yousaw waterabove the pipes?Inthe air?’Latania lookedsurprised.Anemonanodded‘yes’withher
head.Her eyesstill lookedveryworried.
-‘Howstrange…anda skeletontoo.Iwonderwhatthatmeans.’She pondered.‘Didyouhave breakfast
thismorning?She askedher.
-‘Yes.My momneverallowsme toleave the house,unlessIhave hadsome goodbreakfastfirst.’
Anemonarepliedandhereyesighthappenedtofall ontoanoverweightboyof theirage,whose short
pantshad justbeenrippedinthe middle of hisbehind,ashe bentover.He triedto coverit quickly with
hisT-shirt.
-‘Thenitcan’t have beencausedbyan emptystomach.’Lataniasaid.‘Ohmy Gosh…’She saidall of a
sudden.‘Whatif…’she ponderedforawhile.‘Whatif a ladyhas beendrownedinone of the poolsand
youhappenedtosee that?You know…asa vision?’
-‘Butit can’t be…there are somanylifeguardsaround.’Anemonasaidindisbelief.
-‘There are manypeople aroundtoo.Cantheywatch everysingle one of us?’
-‘Idon’tknow.’Anemonareplied.
-‘Whatif a poorladyis laying inside one of all those pools,andnobodyhasdetectedher?’

18. 18
-‘Incase you are right,we mayhave alreadyswamabove her…’Anemonasaid.Bothof the girls’hair
stoodup. ‘Youmay be right.People dogetdrowned,especiallythe foreigners whoswimwithafilledup
stomach.Theyhave no clue theyneedtowaitfor twohours at leastafterlunch.’She concluded.‘That
couldbe an explanation.Sowhatdowe do now?’
-‘Well,the onlythingwe CAN doforthe nextfew hours,iswalkaroundand searchthe remainingpools.
We justate,so we can’t swim. Andwe don’twantto become deadbodiesourselves.So,we willonly
walkaround,and see whetheranythingisvisible inthe pools.How aboutthat?
-‘Ithinkthat’sa good idea.’Anemonaagreed.The colorhad now returnedonher face.‘Imean,what
else coulditbe?’
-‘We’ll findout.We canleave ourfloatshere,andreturnlateron andmaybe enjoythe Lazy Riverhere.’
Latania suggested. Herfriendagreed,sotheylefttheirbigfloatsonthe armchairs,andwalkedamong
the rest of the occupiedumbrellastowardthe archedbridge.Theyhardlynoticedthe presenceof a
youngladywithblack,longhair,restingunderone of the orange umbrellas,playingchesswithherown
self. Theyreachedthe archedbridge,and walkedoverit.
-‘Whichway?’Lataniaasked.
-‘Shall we goto the left?The grownupsswimatthe pool on the leftareamostly.’
-‘Wasit the skeletonof agrownup ladyyou saw?’
-‘Ithinkso.’Anemonaanswered.
-‘Tothe leftside itis.’Lataniaagreed, andas theywalkedpastthe nextlittlepool ontheirrightside,
theybothlookedintothe water. Itwas a small pool where the three closedtubesended,the yellowand

19. 19
lightblue tubes,the white openslide,andthe thirdclosedtube of intenseyellow andlightblue
horizontal stripesthatendedtoabowl like shape.
-‘The BodySlide Cyclone…’Anemonasaid.
-‘Youhave a good memory!’Lataniaadmired.‘Idon’tsee anybodyhere…’
Anemonawaslookingonherleftside atthe same time as theywalked,wherethe LazyRiverwas
expanding. Theywalkedpastthe BodySlide Cyclone andafew palmtreesonthe rightand leftside,then
past the ‘massage salonwithfootspa’,andheadedtothe big ‘Wave pool’.
-‘Lookat all those umbrellas!Amazing!’Lataniasaid.‘Ithinkitwouldbe goodtostart searchingfromthe
leftside. PerhapsIcouldgothisside onward,andyoucould keepwalkingstraightahead.’Lataniatried
to protecther friendfromthe possibilityof asecondshock,incase a bodywas foundinthe deep
waters. Anemonaagreed,sotheirmissionstarted. The latterone walkedpastashedthat seemedtobe
some kindof Cretantavern.She keptwalking,while Lataniaheadedtowardthe queue of ‘Tarzan’s
game’.
-‘Whatif thisladyjumpedfromthismovinghook,andgot drownedwithinabigwave?’She wondered
silently.She approachedthe rowof redMinoanpillarsthathad beenbuiltalongthe pool’sperimeter,
and lookedinsidethe water.Nothingwasvisible.She keptwalkingalongthe perimeterwhileAnemona
had foundherself rightbetweenthe bigpool andthe roundchildren’spool, havingalookat the shallow
area.Her attentionwasattractedby the figure of a white elephantthathadbeenaddedinside the
children’spool.Lataniawasnowlookingata darkerarea withinthe pool thathaddrawn herattention.
Thisdarker arealookedlike abigdark blobof spilledinkfromadistance.
-‘Justsome differentcoloredtiles.’She thought.

20. 20
Anemonawasnowwalkingaroundthe children’spool,whereabignumberof happychildrenwere
havingfunon itscolorful slides. A bigwhite structure thatlookedpartlylikeaship’sdeckwithbalconies
and shortcolumns,wasinthe pool’scenter. A yellow,andapink-purple slideswere visibleonthe one
side,whereasasystemof sprinklerswasmakingaverylittle girl happywhileshe walkedunderthem
againand again,as a brownslide appearedonthe otherside too.
Latania wasnowlookingather rightside from the otherendof the pool.She walkedamongthe red
Minoancolumns,until she ranintoAnemonaat the endof the row.
-‘Nothing…’Anemonasaid.
-‘Let’swalkthisway.’Lataniapointedatthe children’spool’swall. The girlswalkedontothe flatwall,
lookingwithinthe bigpool’swaters.Everythingseemedtobe clear.Theyreachedthe shallow groundof
the pool that couldbe distinguishedbyaseriesof deeperblue tilesthatformedlines,andimmersed
theirlegsinside them.
-‘Let’sgoto the corner, there are far too manypeople infrontof us.’Lataniasuggestedandherfriend
followedtothe area where theycouldwalkunderthe umbrellas,backonthe maintrail.For once again,
theyfoundthemselvesinfrontof the ‘Wave Bar’.
-‘Whichwaynow?’Anemona asked.
-‘Whatif we wentto the ‘Jacuzzi’?Itis rightbehindus,nexttothe secondchildren’spool.’Latania
suggested.We cango eitherthiswayonthe right,or fromthe trail onthe left.’
-‘Let’strythe way on the left.’Anemonasaid.
Andso theydid.Theyleftthe righttrail withthe twobig AncientGreekstatuesonitssides,theywalked
past the ‘Wave Bar’, andturnedon theirrightwhere the trail hadbeenconstructedbetweentworows

21. 21
of greentrees. Afteraminute’swalk,theyarrivedatthe jacuzzi area.More orange umbrellasappeared
infront of them,withpeople restingonthe armchairs,alongwitha blackbigcrocodile,awhite big
turtle,a white bigcrocodile andablack bigturtle thatwere restinginfrontof the children’spool.Right
inside the pool itself,wasabiggreenfrogwithyellow spotsonhisback,and a bigyellow butterfly with
multicoloredspots.Lataniaranto the jacuzzi,lookingfora deadbody. Anemonaapproachedthe
children’spool.Anotherthingthatwasvisibleinthe children’spool,wasabigironmushroominred
color,withwhite spots,alongwithmanychildrenenjoyingthe water. Butnodeadbodyaround.The
girlsproceededatthe pointwhere the children’sslidesstartedfrom, anareawhichwascoveredby
manytreesand bushes.
-‘Badluck.No deadbodyhere either…’Lataniasaid,andwalkedtowardAnemona.
-‘There isnothinghere.’Anemonasaidtoherfriend.‘Isthere anyotherpool thatwe may have missed?’
-‘Ican’t remember.There isabigbillboardof the map,a bit furtherup.Let’sgo have a look.’Latania
saidand the girlswalkedupthe stone builttrail,until theyfoundthemselvesinfrontof the longframed
guidingposter. ‘We startedatthe ‘HyperRace pool’.Butwe didnot try numberthirtythree,thirtytwo
and twentyeight. The onlypool leftisthe one of twentyeight.
-‘Whichis…’Anemonalookedatthe listwiththe namesnextto the numbersbeingdescribed.‘…Turbo
Guns.It is a small pool though.’
-‘Sowhat?Do you finditimpossible forsomeone togetdrownedinsideasmall pool?’Lataniaaskedher
friend.
-‘No.Butin case there was a bodythere,woulditnothave beendiscoveredalready?’
-‘If everyone thoughtlike you,nobodywouldeverbe discovered!We maybe the firstonestosee it.
‘Come on!’Lataniapromptedherscaredfriendwhose hearthadstartedracing already.

22. 22
-‘Alright,Iamcoming!Whichway dowe needtogo?’
-‘Letme see whichisthe quickestway.’Lataniahada lookback onthe map.‘Hey!We can take thistrail
straightahead,and we’ll be there innotime. We will reachthe startingpointof the ‘TurboGuns’,and
thenwe’ll turntothe right trail all the way downto the pool. Goodthingtheyhave maps all around!’
Latania saidwithexcitement.
The girlsstartedwalkingbackto the pointwhere theyhadstartedfrom, theywalkedpastthe ‘Multi
Race’gatheringpoint,the ‘Kamikaze Slides’wheretheyhadalreadybeenon,the RedandBlackHoles
theyhad notdared experience,the rotunda‘Souvenirshop’,the ‘WildRiver’theylovedsomuch,the
‘HyperRace’theyhad triedfirstof all attractions,and theyfinallyarrivedatthe trail that leadto the
rightside,aftera quickstride thatlast a few minutes. Theyturnedtotheirright,andwalked underthe
trees.Inabout a minute’stime,theyreachedthe pool andrantoward it. Theywalkedupthe stairs,and
as soonas theyreachedthe upperpart, theylookedinside it.A white slide thatwashalf openandhal f
coveredendedthere,alongwithablacktube.
-‘Nothing…’Lataniasaidwithfrustration.
-‘Isthere anychance that somebodymayhave gottenstuckinside the closedtubes?’Anemona
wondered.
-‘Idoubtthat. The water carrieseveryone outside.’Lataniasaid.‘Unless…theirfloatmayhave been
caught somewhere,ortheymayhave beencaughtby theirswimmingsuit.Thatcouldbe apossibility,
especiallyatthe closedtubeswhere few peoplego. Let’sgo!’
-‘Where are we going?’Anemonaaskedherwithaslight suspicioninhermindthatshe didnotdare
express.
-‘Backto the blackand redholes.’Lataniareplied.

23. 23
-‘We didnot lookinside thatpool,didwe?’Anemonaasked.
-‘We didnot lookinside the tubeseither.’Lataniareplied.
-‘Waita minute…youare not thinkingof…’Anemonadidnotdare complete hersentence.
-‘Of-course Iam!’We needtoslide throughthe darktubes.’
-‘Are yououtof your mind?Itis darkin there!’Anemonasaidwithmuchintensityinhertone.
-‘Of-course itisdarkinthere!Thisis why theyare calledthe ‘blackandred holes’.Lataniareplied.
-‘Iam NOT goinginthere.The dark isparalyzingme.’Anemonastated.
-‘Youdon’tneedtomove anyhow.All youneedtodois holdon tight,andthe current will dragyou
around!’Lataniagave one of her simple tohersolutions.
-‘Idon’tcare!’ Anemonapersisted.
-‘Alrightthen,Iwill goinbymyself,andyouwill see how simple itis.’
Theyturnedon the left,andfoundthemselvesagainoutside the waterpark’smainbuildingof the
changingrooms,the safetylockers,the reception,andthe souvenirshops.Theywalkedpastmore
people whohadgatheredatthe slides’startingpoints,andtheysaw the park’sPhotographertaking
photosof otherpeople foronce again.
-‘Youdo whatyou want, butI am stayingoutside inthe light. Itispitchblackinthere,andyou KNOW
that I feel asif I cannot breathe everytime we are havingapowercut at home.’Anemonasaid.
-‘Evenfora fewseconds?’Lataniaasked.

24. 24
-Evenfora fewseconds.’Anemonastatedandtrembledwiththe ideaof beingcarrieduncontrollably
inside adark tube,feelingthatshe couldhardlybreathe due toherphobia,andpossiblycrashingintoa
deadbodyon top of everything.‘Thatwouldhave beenthe cherryontopof the cake…’She thought
silently.
-‘We are almostthere.’Lataniatoldherfriend.‘Youcango to the pool and waitfor me if you like.Unless
youdon’twant to see a deadbodyeither…inthiscase,youcan go backto our umbrellaand…’ The girl
saidbravely,since somewheredeepinsideher,she hardlybelievedshe wouldcrashagainstadead
body.
-‘No.Iwill waitat the pool…’Anemonainterruptedher.
-‘O.k.great!Sowe nowturn leftandkeepgoingstraightahead. The startingpointmustbe here
somewhere. Let’ssee…’ The girlswere lookingforittowardthe trees,on theirleftside. Afterafew
seconds,theysawa queue of people onatrail on theirleft.RedwallsappearedwithMinoanfrescos,
withthe sign:‘MINOTAUR’inbig letters,above theirheads.
-‘Thatmust be it.’Anemonasaid.Are youabsolutelycertainyouwanttodo it?There mightbe a dead
bodyin there.’
-‘Yes.Iam absolutelysure.’Lataniasaidbravelyandstoodatthe queue.
-‘Alright,thenIamgoingto waitfor youby the pool.’Anemonatookoff andwalked downthe trail
towardthe smallerpool. She walkedpastthe ‘Kamikaze’ride,andthe ‘RedandBlackholes’thatmade
herfreeze, justbytheirmere appearance. She reachedthe little bridge,and stepped downthe three
stairs. She passedoverthe bridge,andfoundherself atthe pool.Peoplewere beingejectedfromwithin
the tubes,screaming. Anemonastaredatthe tubes’exitsthatwere all darkfromwithin. She couldnot

25. 25
see Lataniayet. She saw adultsmostlylandingoutside, closingtheireyesunderthe intenselightof the
sun.
‘Woulda deadbodynot be draggedby themouthere?’She wondered.‘Unlessithasbeencaught
somehowonthe upperpart of the tube…’ She thought.That attractionwas theirlasthope of
discoveringsomething. Herheartstartedpounding.Herfriendcouldcome outanysecondnow,withthe
companyof a decomposingbody.Especiallyfromthe blackhole where fewpeople daredslide down.
‘Anysecondnow.’She thought.‘Anysecond…’