Mara Louis; Girl of Mystery

by Timothy Paterson

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  “Where did you go?” he asked her angrily. “Nowhere” Mara fibbed. “There is an underground stream, but it leads to a dead end. That’s why I had to come back.”

  Mr. Cooper told Mara to join the other hostages. When Tony, Scott and Betsy rushed up to Mara, she whispered that help was on the way. Mara knew that she had to calm Mr. Cooper down, before the federal agents arrived in the cave.

  “Mr. Cooper”, said Mara, “You can’t hold Emperor Motohito responsible for something that happened over sixty years ago. He was not even alive then. In war, people die, leaving behind wives, children and other family and friends as well.”

  Mr. Cooper seemed to be listening, so Mara continued talking in a soothing calm manner. “Would your father want you to avenge his death? How about your mother, how would she feel about it?”

  Then Mara got an idea that she thought might work. “Mr. Cooper,” she said, “Do you remember how sad you were when you were told that your father had died? Well, think how sad the Emperor’s children would be, if you kill their father, or how sad our families would be if you blow us all up.”

  “I love my father and I know that I would feel very bad if he were killed. I cannot imagine how frightened and alone you were when your father was killed. You were only six. That was very young. I am so very sorry for your loss.”

  Mr. Cooper began to cry. “I grew up without a father”, he said. “I cried myself to sleep for several months after he died.”

  Just then, they all heard noises coming towards the entrance to the cave. Mr. Cooper grabbed the detonator of the explosives and pushed in the button, holding it down with his thumb.

  “I don’t have a chance now”, said Mr. Cooper. They will kill me for sure now. However, I will not go alone. When my thumb comes off this button, we all die.”

  Mara slowly walked towards Mr. Cooper. “We will make sure that you get the help you need. We understand why you did this. No one will kill you. We promise,” said Mara. Then, Mara gave Mr. Cooper a hug. She slowly reached for the detonator and carefully pushed Mr. Cooper’s thumb off the detonator, while replacing his thumb with her thumb at the same time.

  Mr. Cooper sat down and started crying. Suddenly, several federal agents rushed into the cave, with their guns drawn and pointed at Mr. Cooper.

  “Stop”, shouted Mara. “Don’t shoot him. He just has emotional problems. He is not dangerous. He is just a boy emotionally, who never got over the loss of his father.”

  Betsy, Scott and Tony moved in front of Mr. Cooper, so that no one could shoot him. Prince Toshihito and Princess Katsu joined them in protecting Mr. Cooper.

  The agents put away their weapons and handcuffed Mr. Cooper. Mara told everyone to leave, except the bomb squad. Scott and Tony refused to leave. “Please get out of here”, Mara shouted at them, trying not to cry, as she held down the button to the detonator with her thumb.

  As everyone left the cave, four agents started to disarm the explosive device. As they worked, one of the agents looked over at Mara and noticed that she was very scared. “How much longer can you hold that button down?” he asked her.

  Mara looked at him, with tears in her eyes and replied; “For the rest of my life.”

  As the agents held their breath, they cut the last two wires. Then, they told Mara to let go of the button. Mara stood perfectly still for a moment, closed her eyes and said a little prayer. Then, she released the button and nothing happened.

  An agent removed the detonator from Mara’s hand and she started to shake and sob uncontrollably. The agent held her tight and told her that it was all over.

  When the agents walked out of the cave with Mara, Mara’s parents and friends ran towards her and started hugging her. The president told Mara that he was very proud of her for what she did. “You stayed calm and kept a clear head. We can never thank you enough.”

  Emperor Motohito bowed to Mara, out of deep respect for her and thanked her for her bravery, and her quick thinking. “If there is anything that I can do for you, please tell me”, he said.

  Mara bowed in return and said; “Please don’t let them put Mr. Cooper in jail. He needs help. He is not a criminal, just a deeply troubled old man.”

  Both the emperor and the president promised that Mr. Cooper would get the help he needed. Emperor Motohito also invited Mara, her friends and their parents to visit Japan, as his personal guests.

  Princess Katsu hugged and thanked Mara, as did Prince Toshihito, who also kissed Mara on the cheek.

  Mrs. Louis told Mara that she was sorry that Mara did not get a chance to swim with the dolphins. Mara smiled and said; “But. I did swim with the dolphins”. Mara then proceeded to tell them of her shark adventure, and about the dolphins who rescued her.

  Tony looked at Mara, shook his head and said; “Mara, I have to tell you something. With you around, there is never a dull moment.” Everybody started laughing.

  Mara asked the emperor if he and his children could stay in Hawaii a few days longer, so that her and her friends could get to know the prince and princess a little better.

  The emperor agreed, and over the next few days, Mara, Betsy, Tony and Scott spent a lot of time with the prince and princess, just doing normal teenager things, with double Secret Service protection, while their parents spent time getting to know the emperor. The incident brought the United States and Japan closer together.

  President Morgan and Emperor Motohito agreed to keep the cave incident a state secret. Mara did not think the publicity would be good for Mr. Cooper and Mara did not want the publicity for herself either. Everyone else agreed to keep quiet about the incident as well.

  On Thursday, everybody said goodbye to the emperor and his children, and then they boarded Air Force One for their flight back to Washington.

  During the flight, Mara relaxed and reflected on the events of the week. She was beginning to realize that her visions were not just a special gift, but a responsibility as well. She wondered when and where she would be called upon next, to solve more of life’s mysteries.

  Three days after Mara returned home, she received an airmail package from Japan. It contained a letter from Emperor Motohito, thanking her once again, along with a very delicate porcelain tea set, a silk kimono, and a box full of ‘Hello Kitty®’ products from Japan. These gifts helped to remind Mara that the best part of the vacation was making new friends and being with old friends.

  The Case of the Missing Gold

  Even though Mara loved Hawaii, she was glad when she was back in Baltimore, in her own house, in her own room and sleeping in her own bed. The first night sleeping in her bed was a comforting experience. When she woke up, it was Christmas Eve. Because she had a two week winter break, Mara was able to spend a week in Hawaii, and be back home for Christmas.

  That evening, Mara and her parents attended the Christmas Eve Service at their church. Mara was filled with the true meaning of Christmas. Before they went to Hawaii, Mara had told her parents that the trip was all she wanted for Christmas and that she wanted no other presents.

  As Mara listened to the Christmas music, and looked at baby Jesus in the manger, Mara was filled with the true spirit of Christmas. She was full of love and peace, as she stood between her parents, singing and feeling a warm sensation in her chest, which she knew was God’s love.

  On Christmas morning, Mara gave her parents the presents she had made for them. She had written several poems for her father and had painted a picture of a horse for her mother. Her parents loved their gifts. After they had opened their gifts, Mara’s parents gave Mara an envelope with a ribbon and a bow on it.

  “I told you not to get me anything for Christmas”, said Mara. Her parents told her that it was something for her summer vacation. Mara opened the envelope and found a brochure for a dude ranch in Texas. It was called the Red Rock Ranch.


  Mara loved horses, so her parents had arranged for her to spend two weeks at a ranch in Texas. Mara was thrilled with the gift and hugged both of her parents.

  After the holidays were over, Mara returned to school and life was back to normal for a while. She saw Scott every day, and she saw Betsy often. She slept peacefully at night for the next two weeks. Then, one night, Mara woke up in the middle of the night terrorized. It was the dream about the cave again. Mara thought that after nothing happened in the cave in Hawaii that the recurring nightmare would stop. She was sadly mistaken.

  In early March, Mara began having a vision, a particular vision, several times over a period of a week. She had the visions during the daytime while she was awake, and Mara realized that she was having the visions for a reason. They were trying to tell Mara something.

  From the visions, Mara began piecing together the clues. There was a man named Douglas Conway, who lived in Hartford, Connecticut. He was upset about something. Mara also sensed that a man named Greg was involved, as well a tree, a padlock, a pile of bricks and chicken soup. Mara thought that she must have misread her visions, because the pictures she saw in them made no sense.

  Spring break was scheduled for the following week, and Mara convinced her parents to take her to Hartford. When she told her parents the reason why, they agreed. They had