by Tara Ellis
“Sam, what are you talking about?” Hunter asks in frustration. Sometimes he just can’t figure out how his sister’s brain works, and it drives him crazy.
“It isn’t because the people in the boat are dangerous,” she says, unfazed by her brothers tone. “It means that the kind of work the company does is dangerous and uncharted. What if the vaccine or drug, or whatever it is they’re creating, is something never seen before and considered dangerous?” Sam asks, her eyes wide. “Kevin and Lisa must both work for this company. But why are they here in Wood’s Cove? And I have no idea why Erica and her missing sister, Carrie, would be involved,” she adds, a bit deflated.
“Whoa…,” John says, holding his hands out defensively and grinning. “We might be getting ahead of ourselves here. I admit that this new info makes this company a lot more suspicious, but there’s a good chance that it doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on here. Heck, we don’t even know if those rumors are true!”
“But what about the missing, fourth man that Bucky saw?” Sam presses, refusing to let it go. “And the late nightly trips that the boat makes? They have to be going to the lighthouse! I’ll bet that the light I’ve seen is from them.”
“That’s another big leap to make,” John says, his frown deepening. “We’ve never even seen a boat out there!”
“Well, I think that Sam is right about the boat’s name,” Ally says, coming to her friend’s defense. “And there’s enough evidence to link it, Kevin, and those other guys to BioCore Resources. Since they only do secret work for governments, and make vaccines, and they’re getting stuff mailed to them here from the company in Denmark, then it’s safe to assume that they’re up to something.”
“Or they could be on vacation,” Hunter suggests, back to playing his game. “I’m sure that even mad scientists have to take a break sometime.”
In spite of wanting to be mad at Hunter’s lack of enthusiasm, Sam laughs. He could very well be right. But that little nagging voice in the back of her head won’t allow her to believe it.
***
Once again, it’s a fogless night. The four of them are huddled on the small deck, patiently watching the dark ocean for any signs of the gathering mist. They’ve been out there for over half an hour already, and Sam is cold, tired, and very frustrated.
“Can we go back inside now?” Hunter asks, visibly shivering.
Gripping the railing tightly, Sam leans back from it and gazes up at the endless twinkling stars above them. Maybe Hunter is right, she thinks forlornly. I might be trying too hard this time to find a mystery where there really isn’t one.
“There obviously isn’t going to be any fog,” John observes. “I vote we go to bed before your mom and dad discover we aren’t in our rooms, and come yell at us.”
The two boys begin their retreat as Sam pulls herself back up to look in the direction of the lighthouse. “Wait!” she cries. “Look at the lighthouse!”
Joining her again, they strain to see what she’s all excited about. Sure enough, in the distance is a weak light, clearly visible above the cliffs. As they watch, it blinks out and then back again.
“Odd,” John murmurs, more to himself than anyone else.
The light continues to flicker, and it’s quickly apparent that it’s a consistent pattern.
“Why is it doing that?” Ally asks, both confused and enthralled at the same time.
“It wasn’t doing that the last time I saw it,” Sam tells her friends. “What do you think it means?”
“That someone is using a cheap candle?” Hunter suggests, always the comic.
“It’s Morse code!” John exclaims, tapping out the rhythm on the bannister. “Three quick flashes, three slow ones, and then three fast ones again: SOS. It’s the universal message for distress!”
He’s right, Sam realizes, as she watches the message repeat one more time. “How in the world do you know that?”
“Scouts,” John replies. “It’s pretty much standard learning for any kind of survival training.”
“What are we going to do?” Ally demands, more concerned with how to handle the distress call.
“We’ve got to go get my parents,” Sam says without hesitation. “Then they’ll have to believe us!”
“Good luck with that,” Hunter says flatly.
“Why do you always have to be so negative?” Sam questions, going to the door. “Can’t you just agree with me for once?”
“I’d love to, but I don’t think our parents are going to believe anything, because now the light stopped.”
Her hopes crashing, Sam spins back and searches frantically for the flashing message….but Hunter is right, it’s gone. Dejected, she flops down on one of the two folding chairs, and covers her face with her hands. “They’ll never believe it,” she says, her voice muffled. “If I go in there and try to convince them that somehow there is a girl name Carrie in the lighthouse signaling us for help…I’ll be going home in the morning.” Looking up, she struggles to see their faces in the faint starlight. “And then no one will help Carrie, or whoever it is that’s out there!”
“Then we have to go there ourselves,” Ally says with surprising resolve. Normally, she’s the one who needs to be persuaded to do anything dangerous or against the rules.
“How?” Hunter asks. “The trail is gone. Plus, we don’t even know that the signal is real. I mean, it could just be some kids that think it’s funny….you know, scare the tourists with the whole ‘ghost in the tower’ thing.”
“The only way we can know for sure is to check,” Sam says. “At least get close enough to hear any calls for help. I promise to let it go if we don’t find her there, ok?”
Hunter and John lean towards each other and talk quietly for a moment, before turning back to Sam and Ally.
“Okay,” John agrees. “But only if it isn’t dangerous, and we can do it during the day, without lying about it.”
“The old man who told us the story said that there’s a way to get there by boat,” Sam answers, her spirits already lifting. “We just have to go back, find him, and convince him to tell us how.”
17
CAPTAIN BROWN
The next morning, they are in Wood’s Cove before nine a.m. They didn’t even have to come up with an excuse. Turns out, they have to pre-register for the sand castle contest happening early that afternoon, and the booth is in the town center.
After standing in line briefly with some sunburned tourists with cheap gift-shop sand buckets, they sign up, then slowly wander around the boardwalk in front of the stores.
Sam bites nervously at her already short nails, worrying that the old man won’t show up. After forty minutes, they are all hot and getting hungry. This is the first time that Sam hasn’t been sure about what to do. With their other mysteries, it’s always been so clear.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already Friday. So not only does Sam feel time slipping away because of the distress call last night…but they have to go home in a couple of days. Groaning in frustration, she wipes the sweat off her forehead and flops down on a bench.
“You’re looking like you lost your best friend there, missy.” Leaping to her feet, Sam spins around eagerly to face the man she’s been searching for. He’s wearing the same dirty clothes as before. Leaning against a lamp post, he has the unlit pipe sticking out of his mouth, bobbing up and down in time to his laughter.
“Ally!” Sam calls out, without looking around for her friend. She’s afraid the old storyteller will disappear if she turns away. Ally, John, and Hunter are soon beside her. As she goes to introduce them, Sam realizes she doesn’t even know the man’s name.
“Captain Brown, at your service,” he announces when asked, with the typical dramatic flair the girls have grown accustomed to. “One of the last real sea captains left in this town,” he adds somewhat grudgingly.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” John says politely, shaking the man’s old, weathered hand. “My name is
John Parker. You’ve already met my sister, Allyson. This here is Hunter Wolf, Sam’s brother.”
Turning his attention to Hunter, Captain Brown scrutinizes him for some time before breaking out in a fresh smile. “Hello, lad. Did you come to hear the Wood’s Cove story?” he asks a bit eagerly.
“Actually,” Sam interrupts, stepping around the bench so she can stand next to the captain. “We were looking for you for another reason.”
Raising his bushy eyebrows questioningly, Captain Brown tilts his grizzled head and looks at each of them in turn. “What other purpose could you possibly have for an old captain?” he asks suspiciously, pulling absently at his long beard.
“We’re hoping you can tell us how to get to the lighthouse,” Sam explains. “You said before that you can get there by boat. I figure there must be a special place to go, because the whole thing looks like a cliff.”
Already shaking his head, Captain Brown spits out his pipe and waves it at them earnestly. “I told you before that the place is dangerous!” he barks. “Besides, I haven’t used my rowboat for years and you two girls have no business trying to handle it.”
“A rowboat?” Ally repeats, looking at Sam with a smile.
“But we won’t be by ourselves!” Sam rushes to say, making a note of Ally’s observation. “Our brothers would be with us. My parents won’t allow us on the trails without them.”
“I can handle just about any rowboat, sir,” John adds convincingly.
“And we aren’t going to go inside the lighthouse,” Sam continues when the older man seems to hesitate. “We’re just looking for something fun to do this afternoon, and thought it would be neat to see it up close.”
“You boys would be with them?” Captain Brown finally asks, after drumming his chin thoughtfully for a full minute.
When John and Hunter nod in response, the old man lets out a deep sigh, coming to a decision.
“About a mile up the trail that starts at the beach, there’s a smaller path that veers down towards the water. You have to watch for it, because it hasn’t been used in a long time. It’s marked by a large tree that was struck by lightning over twenty years ago.”
“Oh, I remember seeing that!” Sam shouts. “We’ve been on the main trail already.”
“Don’t interrupt me, child. I’ll forget what I was saying.”
Sam apologizes and then has to wait another minute while the captain gathers his thoughts together again.
“That trail ends at a small, hidden cove. It’s flooded when the tide is up, but nearly dry when it’s out. That’s when you have to go…at low tide. It’s the only way that you can get to the lighthouse. Stay close to shore, just beyond the breakers. When you see two tall rocks shaped like triangles touching at the top, that’s where you need to go. These are under water at high tide, but when it’s low, you can pass right through them, like a tunnel. Beyond them is a protected spot to pull the boat up and go to shore. The trail leading up is steep and rocky, so be cautious. You mustn’t stay once the tide turns, or you’ll be stuck. Do you understand that? Because I won’t be held responsible for any foolishness on your part.”
“We promise that we’ll be careful!” Sam assures him, trying not to sound too excited. “And we’ll take good care of your boat.”
“It’s not the boat I’m concerned about,” he mumbles, already shuffling away. “Beware of Wood’s Sea Creature!” he adds over his shoulder. “He’s always watching his cove.”
***
The Sand Castle Festival is a grand affair, with everything from cotton candy vendors, to paragliding rides off jet skis. Although they begged their parents endlessly, Sam and Hunter were forced to watch the daredevils, rather than participate.
“You couldn’t pay me to do that!” Ally gasps as yet another person is hauled into the air like a kite. The two girls are sitting on top of what is left of their attempt at a sand sculpture. Thinking it would be a popular concept, they had tried to make a replica of the lighthouse. But they underestimated the weight of the sand. When their masterpiece was only half built, it collapsed in on itself. Rather than being upset, they laughed at themselves.
Realizing they didn’t have enough time to create anything before the three o’clock deadline, they decided to make a throne out of it. It’s working rather well in that capacity, giving them a great view of the festivities. Sam spots her mom and the twins at the far end. The two little girls are carrying huge globs of spun sugar, their faces and hands covered with it.
There are at least twenty teams working under the hot sun, with only a few minutes left to go in the contest. Sam is very impressed with John and Hunter’s entry. When John asked to borrow her small wooden carving of the sea creature earlier, she should have known better. He’s using it now as a guide to carving out their masterpiece.
“Where did your brother learn how to do that?” Sam asks Ally.
“Who knows? Probably some random sand castle class in Scouts,” Ally adds sarcastically. “Or maybe it’s a natural talent. He’s good at working with clay, too. You should have seen the sculpture he did in his pottery class last year at high school. I obviously missed out on that artistic trait.”
Laughing, Sam starts burying their feet in the cooler, damp sand, but then stops when she sees a familiar form standing close by. “Erica!” she exclaims, sitting up straight and shielding her eyes from the sun.
The little girl spins towards her, startled. When she sees Sam and Ally, her small mouth forms an o, and her eyes register alarm. Without a word, she takes off towards the water and quickly runs in up to her waist before being knocked down by an incoming wave.
Lunging forward, Sam is momentarily tripped up by the sand covering her feet, and she flails her arms to keep her balance. Ally has better luck and reaches Erica before Sam. Scooping her up under the arms as a wave begins to cover her blonde head, Ally hauls her out of the water just in time. Coughing and sputtering, Erica begins to cry.
“What are you doing? Get away from her!”
Startled, Ally turns and quickly sets Erica on the ground, in front of Kevin. Looking awkward in his street clothes among all of the beachgoers, he picks Erica up and scowls at both Ally and Sam. “You’ve been asked before not to bother my daughter,” he says angrily, stepping away from them.
“We weren’t bothering her!” Sam argues. “She just ran past us and out into the water. You’re lucky that Ally was so quick.”
Unfazed by her comment, Kevin turns to go.
“I don’t wanna go with you!” Erica hollers, wiggling to get out of his grasp. “I want my mom! I want Carrie!”
Ignoring her pleas, he shushes her and stomps back through the sand, towards their house.
Looking at Ally in frustration, Sam then turns her attention to the receding ocean and the distant lighthouse.
We’re coming soon, Carrie, she promises, more sure now than ever that the missing girl is real.
18
NO TURNING BACK NOW
John and Hunter take fourth place in the sand castle contest, and are proudly wearing their victory t-shirts when they meet up with the girls at the trailhead. It’s a little past four and the tide is getting close to its lowest point. They got permission to go on the trail after promising to stay away from the cliff, so Sam’s parents know where they’re going. She’s feeling a bit guilty about the obvious omission of their visit to the lighthouse, but it’s necessary in order for their plan to work.
“Nice shirts,” Ally laughs, holding her sides. Sam was too anxious to pay attention, but now that Ally points it out, she has to agree that they’re silly. On the front is the lighthouse, a murky light shining out from the top. The back of the shirt says ‘Wood’s Cove Annual Sandcastle Festival, 2015’ and the word, ‘Winner!’ in bold letters. Underneath that is a cartoonish picture of the Wood Cove Sea Monster.
“Thanks,” John says, leading the way. Smoothing out the wrinkles, he then tugs at the hem of the shirt. “I think it brings out the blue in my e
yes.”
“At least we actually made a sandcastle,” Hunter adds, not taking the joking as well as John.
“I thought you should have gotten third.” Sam surprises her brother with the compliment, and he hesitates, unsure of how to respond. “I heard some people talking about it, and I guess that the mayor’s kid made the shipwreck that won. It was good, but not as good as your monster.”
They’ve gone a ways up the trail by now, and Hunter stops for a moment to look at his sister. “Really?” he asks, all mocking aside.
“Uh-huh,” Sam confirms. “But I think the only other thing third place got that you didn’t, were white ribbons.”
“We don’t need no stinkin’ ribbons,” Hunter says in his best cowboy voice, hopping over a fallen log. “We got these awesome shirts!”
They all keep up the nervous banter and senseless conversation until they reach the tree that was struck by lightning. Now that they’re at the fork, their moods change and they become more serious. With silent looks of confirmation, they take the overgrown trail to the left.
Pushing through the underbrush, Ally is the last to head into the denser forest, and she watches the others with interest. She doesn’t understand how they can all seem so relaxed, because she’s terrified.
“You okay, Ally?” Sam is holding back a long branch to prevent it from snapping at her friend. She can see the fear on her face.
“Well…let’s see,” Ally states, crossing her arms over her chest. “We’re in the middle of the woods, trying to find a boat that we don’t even know will still float, to take out into the ocean to a secret location we might not be able to find. Once there, our goal is to figure out if there is a girl being held against her will by some big scary guys inside a falling down, haunted lighthouse. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Sam can’t stop herself from smiling. “I guess I can see your point. Want to go back?”