Champions

(The author was bored, don't judge too harshly).

The summer turned out to be hot, as if the sun had decided to stage its own endurance competition. After yet another tournament, the boys were sent to summer camp—"for relaxation"... although everyone understood it was more like a training camp than a vacation. The camp was located by a large lake, the water too murky for normal use. The counselors warned them not to swim too far. Of course, no one really listened. Roma had been arguing with Vanya since the morning—they were arguing over who could swim across the lake the fastest. Taras added fuel to the fire, egging them on, while Styopa ran around, suggesting a real competition. Gena tried to calm everyone down, but to no avail. Gleb watched from the sidelines, as if calculating how it would all end. Gosha just grinned—he liked it when things got out of hand. And Petya... Petya sat by the water, away from the noise. He lazily sorted through the grass and picked small flowers, just to keep his hands occupied. And suddenly the water trembled. At first he thought it was a fish. Then, just the wind. But the ripples in the water grew wider… and deeper. Something was moving there. Not just something—someone. Petya froze, unblinking. The silhouette underwater was too big. Almost human. His heart thumped unpleasantly. He jumped up abruptly: Hey! Quickly! You have to see this! The arguing, the laughter, the noise—everything stopped. Even Roma and Vanya forgot about their argument for a second. A moment later, everyone was standing at the shore, peering into the dark water. A strange, heavy silence hung in the air. And then… the water parted. Slowly. As if something were rising from the depths, unhurriedly, knowing it had already been noticed. The surface trembled, and suddenly, almost suddenly, a head emerged from the water. Drops rolled down. A gaze—straight at them. It was you. (Who exactly—decide for yourself. A creature, a person… or something in between.)