flow of water that blocked
all vision.

Rick set up his microscope on the kitchen table and plugged in the
substage illumination. Then, while the others watched, he selected a
well slide, took his pipette, and captured a drop from the jar of pool
water. The drop went into the well slide. He put on a cover glass, then
applied his eye to the ocular.

After a moment of focusing and shifting the well slide, the drop of
water suddenly turned to a strange aquarium populated by fantastic
animals. He watched, counting the species aloud. "Lots of paramecia. A
Volvox. Two Stephanoceros. One hydra. Not bad for a single drop. Want to
look, anyone?"

Everyone did. Rick waited while the girls exclaimed over the microscopic
creatures, and Mrs. Miller remarked to her scientist husband, "And we
drink that water?"

Dr. Miller smiled. "No, dear. We drink the water from the pipe. This
sample came from the pool."

"But if the animals are in the pool, they must have come from the
spring!"

The scientist shook his head. "The spring water is pure. It probably has
a lower bacteria count than our well. But the pool water is exposed to
the air, and provides an excellent breeding place. Most of these animals
propagate from spores, which are in the air."

Rick added, "That's right, Mrs. Miller. When I want a culture I just put
some water with a little broth in it out in the open for a day or so,
then put it out of direct sunlight. Within seventy-two hours I have a
bigger mob of animals than this in every drop."

"Then the Blue Ghost didn't hurt the water of the pool?" Scotty asked.

"Can't tell," Rick explained. "There was no permanent harm done by any
chemicals. We can say that much. But you can get a collection like this
in three days, and it's been that long since the ghost appeared. So
these animals would be in the pool by now, even if the Blue Ghost had
done something to adulterate the pool temporarily."

The storm punctuated his remarks with a gust of wind that rattled the
windows.

"It's getting worse," Mrs. Miller exclaimed. "I do hope that it doesn't
damage the little apples on the trees. They're so good. We're planning
to have bushels shipped to Spindrift when they ripen."

Jan Miller brought them back to the subject. "How could chemicals be
harmless to the little animals, Rick?"

"Chemicals might kill off those in the pool, but the constant dropping
of spring water would soon dilute the solution. Or, some chemicals woul