The Wally Lake Monster

In the Krystal Kove cottage community, nothing much ever happened, even in the heat of summer. Rumor had it that some of the cottage owners were Hell's Angels, double agents, hit men, or off-duty ninjas. Some even speculated that those anonymous folks at the end of Persimmon Path, who wore sunglasses all the time and kept to themselves, were incognito movie stars, or perhaps even royalty. People came to Ogopogo Island for a single reason: to relax, relax, relax. 
 
There was no bridge to the island, just a small self-serve muscle-propelled ferry attached to a cable from shore to shore. Boats and seadoos with noisy engines were not welcome. Sailboats and paddleboats were tolerated, as long as they didn't disturb the swimmers, waders and floaters. Electric golf carts were the preferred method of travel, even though there was no golf course on the island.
 
Krystal Kove was the unofficial nap centre of the universe until the Summer of the Wally Lake Monster. At first, everyone speculated that Anita Turnbull, the owner of Krystal Kove's only retail business, was high on drugs when she saw the giant creature emerge from the waves and swallow Archie Lane's rowboat. However, the boat was missing, along with a bag of freshly-caught fish, and nobody was able to provide an alternative explanation. Archie refused to believe the monster story, and claimed that Anita was covering for her boyfriend Drew, who was nowhere to be found, and was therefore the prime suspect for the theft of the boat. 
 
Archie’s brother Charles insisted that the monster had swallowed Drew as well, and that there must have been a monster decades ago, or why was the island named after one? Archie said that was a joke to keep strangers at bay. Charles said no, tall tales of a giant monster in the lake would be more likely to attract curious thrill seekers than deter them. The two brothers almost came to blows over their difference of opinion, but that was no surprise because they had never agreed on anything.
 
Everyone hoped that the excitement would die down quickly, but it was only two days later that a CBC helicopter landed with journalists, photographers, and all manner of equipment in search of an exclusive story. They were followed by more members of the press, scientists, and an avalanche of curious tourists with power boats which disrupted the tranquil daydreams of the locals.. 
 
Anita sold more potato chips and pop that first week than she had the entire season. She called for reinforcements.  Her unemployed brother Ken rushed to her rescue with his family, and they set up an impromptu restaurant. Ken's wife Janice made excellent perogies, which were gobbled by visitors as fast as she could produce them. Ken re-branded his special fishburger as the Wallylake Monster, and his children posted photos of his gastronomic creation on the Internet, along with photoshopped pictures of the monster. New businesses sprang up like mushrooms, renting out watercrafts and selling all manner of trashy souvenirs custom-produced in China and Montreal. The sleepy hamlet of Krystal Cove was transformed into a noisy amusement centre.
 
George Hasseldorf was the first to declare that all the noise and activity was giving him a perpetual headache. He put his cottage up for sale at a grossly inflated price, and sold it four days later. Wally Lake real estate had become prime property.
 
Winter came, and everyone went home, full of stories and speculations. The next summer, the investigation continued, with less enthusiasm.  Anita sold her store and hired a ghost writer to create an account of her experience. It never made the New York Times best-seller list, but it generated a significant windfall for Anita after she bribed the local Director of Education to make it required reading for grades 6 to 12.  
 
The summer after that, sensational events in other parts of the world captured public attention.  Krystal Kove relapsed back to its normal stupor and integrated the new cottage owners into the community. Ken’s restaurant business survived and thrived, serving residents who were not in the mood to cook, supplemented by Janice’s new catering venture, Pierogies Plus. Their kids happily made deliveries on their bicycles, because the tips were good, especially from the mysterious customers on Persimmon Path.
 
The Wally Lake Monster was never found, nor was Anita's boyfriend Drew. The wreckage of Archie's boat washed up on a sandbar, with no clues that anyone could interpret definitively. The damage to the hull suggested bite marks, but the evidence was far from conclusive.  From time to time, someone would report a monster sighting, but no one paid much attention, although the sightings were always followed by a surge in sales of the Wally Lake Monster fishburger.
 
Archie, who was inclined to shoot his mouth off when he was drunk, claimed that Anita made the whole thing up because her business was faltering and she needed an infusion of cash to avoid bankruptcy. He and his brother Charles had a fist fight over the matter, and Anita was so flattered by Charles' defense of her honour that she married him. They moved to Port Alice, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Rumor has it that there were two monster sightings the week of their arrival.