by Tara Ellis
After what feels like too much time, she takes one more deep breath and gingerly stands, while looking around the new, round room. It’s very big, with a huge lamp fixed in the middle of it. There’s no light bulb in it, and it probably hasn’t worked for a long time, but Sam can imagine how bright it must have been. Happy to see that she’s alone, she quickly locates the door and tiptoes down the stairs, cringing at the creaking that can’t be avoided.
Breathing much easier once she reaches the landing and the bolted door, it takes her a few tense minutes to work the large bar loose. She’s finally rewarded with four huge grins waiting for her on the other side of the door. Ally is the first to gather her up in a big hug.
“I thought you fell!” she gasps, trying hard not to start crying again.
“Sorry,” Sam whispers, barely able to breath inside the tight embrace. “I was too scared to talk!” Pushing back gently from her friend, she looks anxiously over her shoulder, towards the descending stairwell. They’re a long ways from being free.
“We still have over four hours before the tide will be low enough for us to leave,” John explains, looking in the same direction.
“So we don’t wait,” Hunter says matter-of-factly. “Let’s just make a run for the trail and get as far away from here as we can!” Sam is tempted to agree with him, but Carrie is shaking her head.
“The first day they brought me here, I ran off as soon as I stepped on solid ground,” she tells Hunter. “I knew about the trail from the other times we came to the Cove. But it only goes for a couple-hundred feet on this end, before being totally blocked by rocks on one side, and a cliff on the other. I don’t think there’s anywhere on this point that we could hide without being found right away. They pretty much laughed at me when I tried.”
“What’s their routine?” John asks, choosing a different tactic.
“Well, I already had dinner. Jacque should be back up soon, since it’s getting dark. I usually hand the lantern out to him, and he goes away without even saying anything. He’s a man of few words. If I need to use the bathroom, I let him know. There’s an old outhouse in the back.”
“Where does he go after he takes the lantern?” Ally asks.
“He goes out to the shack. That’s where they sleep.”
“So then I need to go hide back upstairs,” Sam decides. “It’ll be dark in here anyway, with just the one small lantern, so I doubt he’ll even notice that I’m gone. Here, take the sheet,” she continues, untying it from her waist. “Bunch the shirts up under it to make it look like I’m lying on the mattress. After he leaves, I’ll come back down and let you out.”
Everyone agrees that it’s the best option they have, so Sam locks them back inside after another round of hugs. Once she returns to the light room, though, her restored bravery falters. With the sun quickly setting on the distant horizon, the shadows are already becoming thick around her. Trying hard not to think of the ghost story, she sits down behind an overturned table and hugs her knees tightly to her chest.
22
PIRATES AND A SEA MONSTER
Sam can’t be sure how long she’s been hiding, but nearly half an hour has passed since she heard Jacques finally come up the stairs for the lantern, and then go back down. There were several tense minutes while she waited to see if the footsteps would continue up to where she was, but he obviously didn’t notice she was gone from the other shadowy room.
It’s so dark now, that she can barely see her hand in front of her face. The constant feeling that someone is about to grab her back is driving her crazy. Sam has never really been afraid of the dark, but she’s pretty sure that from now on, she’ll want to sleep with a nightlight.
Crawling on her hands and knees, Sam peeks over the edge of what used to be windows, and confirms that there’s a very faint light glowing far below, reassuring her that Jacques and Regan are in the shed, not the lighthouse. Beyond the point, she can see small flickers of a different kind of light on the distant beach. Guilt momentarily replaces her fear, because she knows that it’s probably people out searching for them. She would give anything right now for a flare! But with no electricity, flashlight, or anything else to signal with, there’s nothing she can do. Unfortunately, while it looks like there are boats in the cove, there aren’t any coming their way. Stealing herself to move blindly through the dark, Sam takes a deep breath, scurries over to the door, and then feels her way out onto the stairs.
Scooting down the stairwell on her bottom, the way she used to as a child, Sam then stumbles across the familiar platform. When her hand closes over the cold steel of the latch, she feels an immense sense of triumph.
“It’s me!” she whispers into the room, when no one is waiting for her like before. In the couple of seconds of silence before John answers her, Sam imagines all the horrible possible reasons for an empty room.
“Stay there, Sam,” he orders.
Sam can just make out their shapes in the inky blackness as they move towards her. Hunter grunts as he trips over something, and Ally’s giggle lightens the mood.
Sam quickly fills them in on what she saw from the lookout. “Do you think they might come looking for us here before we can get the rowboat out?” she wonders aloud, while getting a firm grip on the bannister.
John is in front of her, leading the way, and Ally is literally clinging to her back. Hunter and then Carrie bring up the rear.
“Why would they?” Carrie asks. “You told your parents that you were going on the trail. They’ll be searching those woods for hours before even thinking of this lighthouse. The sheriff knows there’s only one way on and off, during low tide. They have no reason to think that you’re here, do they?”
“No,” Sam confirms, feeling even worse for withholding the whole truth from her mom and dad. “They know I was interested in it, but like you said…it’ll take a long time to get through the woods. I bet they think we’ve fallen off a cliff or been swept away by another landslide.”
Sam tries hard to keep the emotion out of her voice, but has to swallow around a rising lump. She suddenly wishes that her dad were here. He would wrap her up in his protective strong arms and make everything okay again.
The group falls silent, as they get closer to the bottom of the lighthouse, with no way of being certain that one of the men isn’t still standing guard there. Thankfully, they find the space empty and thin moonlight is shining weakly through the large, empty windows lining the walls.
“Now what?” Hunter asks John, his face looking a ghostly shade in the moon glow.
“We’ve got to get to the rocks,” he answers quickly, looking at the moon with apprehension. Right now, darkness is the best thing they have going for them.
“We can circle around the back of the lighthouse, and then follow the tree line instead of just running across the open space,” Carrie suggests. “They’ll be much less likely to spot us that way.” She leads the way outside without waiting for anyone to answer, and they all trail after her without a sound.
It doesn’t take long to pick their way through the low bushes and dry grass, its growth stunted by the constant wind sweeping across the point. Once they make it to the trees, they all relax a little and begin whispering to each other again.
“How late do you think it is?” Sam asks no one in particular.
“It’s got to be a little after midnight by now,” John answers. “So we’re still going to have to wait for the tide to go out more before we can leave.”
The wooden shack is now a hundred feet or so to their left and the ground suddenly falls away to reveal the steep, rocky trail. Encouraged, they scramble down, careful not to kick any of the rocks loose on the way. They have to stop short of the bottom because there is cold seawater in the way.
“There’s the boat!” Hunter whispers, pointing to the far side of the enclosure. When he starts to enter the water to retrieve it, Carrie grabs at him and yanks him back.
“Are you stupid?” she nearly shouts, her eyes
sparkling in the dim light making its way down to them. “The currents in there are crazy. You can’t see it, but each time a wave comes in and out, the water is sucked through the opening that’s still below the surface. We have to wait.”
“Okay!” Hunter retorts, pulling his arm out of her grasp. “I get it! But if we wait too long, then Kevin and his goons will get here first.”
No one has a reply to that, as they all consider the impossible situation that they’re in. After several minutes, John is the first one to find a rock to sit on. With no other options, Sam and Ally join him to wait. Hunter is too stubborn though, so he continues to pace along the edge of the water, watching the boat. Carrie eventually joins him and they talk to each other in hushed tones.
Even though it feels like forever, Sam knows that in reality, it takes about two hours for the water to retreat enough to reveal the tunnel. At first, she thinks it’s just her eyes playing tricks on her, but then John sees it, too.
“Finally!” he expels, slapping his thighs as he stands. “We’ve got to get the rowboat now,” he continues, taking his shirt off. He and Hunter had put the t-shirts back on at some point. “If we wait too long, it might go through the opening without us!”
Cautiously, he and Hunter enter the water. Although it only comes up to their waists now, the strong currents Carrie warned about tug at their legs, making the short walk to the boat treacherous.
When they finally secure it, the girls all quietly cheer, relieved to be another step closer to freedom. Sam notes that the tunnel is now halfway uncovered, almost enough to slip through. A sense of danger replaces her optimism at the realization that this also means Kevin could be waiting on the other side to come in.
“We have to go!” she urges, the first to climb over the side of the weathered boat. “Let’s at least get to the tunnel so that we can go through as soon as it’s low enough,” she pushes, when Carrie and Ally hesitate.
When all five of them pile in, they end up sitting rather low in the water. It was pretty much at its limit on their way over and no one had given much thought about an extra person on the trip back.
“Are we going to sink?” Ally worries. Splashing at the water just a few inches below the rim, she looks to her brother for reassurance.
“We’ll be okay so long as we aren’t hit by any big waves,” he answers, not exactly putting her fears at ease. “We never should have done this without the proper life jackets in the boat,” he chides. “I know better than that.”
Sam was right. By the time they reach the passageway, they’re able to slip inside. Ducking as low as they can, they use their hands to push their way through, water dripping on them from the rocks just inches above their heads.
When they finally emerge out the other side, it takes a moment for the victory to sink in.
“We made it!” Sam is the first to shout, looking back at Dead Man’s Point in disbelief. While the others join her in celebrating, Sam’s eye is drawn to the top of the lighthouse.
It can’t be! She thinks, rubbing at her face. But no, the light is there. Not like the white light, that’s still glowing from the shack, but the faint flickering of a candle! Spinning back to tell the others, Sam looks out at the ocean for the first time since descending down into the cavern. A thick fog is rolling into the cove, and it’s rapidly making its way towards them.
“Row!” John shouts to Hunter. “We could end up going in circles if we get caught in that fog!”
The boys dig at the water with all their strength, but the overloaded boat is slow to respond. Without really thinking about it, Sam kicks off her sandals and then slips out the back and into the cold water. The boat rises slightly, and she hangs onto the edge while kicking with her legs as hard as she can. It’s not much, but the added buoyancy along with the forward motion is enough to help get them moving.
Just when Sam thinks they’re making some progress, the sound of a motor erupts from behind them! Turning to look, she can see the vague outline of a dinghy not far away, at the edge of the wall of fog.
“That’s the cruiser that Kevin uses to go back and forth from his boat!” Carrie confirms, her voice tight.
“Maybe they haven’t seen us,” Hunter whispers. He and John stop rowing, and the ensuing silence seems intensified by the mist still quickly approaching. Sam also stops kicking; hoping that if they just stay still and quiet, they won’t be spotted.
Suddenly, a bright spotlight flashes on, illuminating the water around them before coming to rest on their upturned faces. The motor responds by revving louder, and they know that there’s no way they can outrun them.
“We have to try!” Sam shouts, kicking furiously again.
John and Hunter row faster than they ever thought they could, the years of being on various outings together paying off. Ally and Carrie lean out on opposite sides, paddling with their hands. Sam can’t help but to look back over her shoulder, and sees that the fog has overtaken the dinghy, it’s light now creating an eerie halo.
As their adversaries race towards them, a new sound erupts to fill the night. Somewhere between the wail of a crying woman and the haunting song of a whale, it’s like nothing Sam has ever heard before. The purr of the motor is drowned out by it as the fog seems to echo the call over and over again.
The hairs rising on the back of her neck, Sam stops swimming and desperately tries to pull herself from the water. But her arms are already tired, and she lacks the strength to haul herself out. Slipping back into the murky ocean, Sam feels something huge brush past her legs, just below the surface. Afraid to move, she watches in horror as the water begins to swell behind her, speeding towards the dinghy.
Strong hands grab at her from behind as the wail increases, and Sam is pulled over the side of the boat as the swell grows into a huge wave that slams into the other racing vessel. There’s a moment of chaos as the dinghy is launched into the air, its motor screaming, and men shouting. It comes down on its side with a horrendous crash, and the light is extinguished before silence settles over the water.
Stunned, the five friends huddle together in the rowboat, unsure of what just happened. The air cooled rapidly with the arrival of the fog as well as a distinct smell unique to the ocean. But Sam realizes that the mist is already thinning out when the goosebumps on her arms are soothed by the returning heat, left in the wake of the odd encounter.
When the men from the capsized boat start to call out to one another, the kids are forced back into motion. Taking up the oars, John and Hunter begin rowing again, laughing nervously about their good luck. But Sam knows that it wasn’t luck that saved them.
“Thank you, Captain Wood!” Sam shouts into the night, as they head for the distant lights on the beach. Lights that represent their safety…and their triumph.
23
A NEW TALE TO TELL
Warm blankets and hot chocolate go a long ways towards making things better. At least, that’s what Sam is thinking while staring into the steam that’s rising from the mug she’s holding firmly in her hands. It reminds her of the fog, and this causes her heart rate to accelerate again.
“Sam!” Jerking her head around, she looks sheepishly at her father. “The officer asked you a question. Can you describe the color of the boat?”
Sam’s head is swimming from the interrogation they’ve been enduring for the past two hours. She’s quite certain that she already answered that question twice already. She’s about to tell the sheriff a third time, when his radio squawks and he puts up a hand to stop her. After several minutes of scratchy conversation, he smiles at everyone.
“The Coast Guard located them!” he announces, looking around the large family room of the beach house that’s nearly full of people. “It’s just how the kids told it. Lisa and Erica were locked below deck, but unhurt,” he continues, nodding towards Carrie, who starts to cry from relief. “If the documents they found are really what you kids say they are, then those men will be facing some pretty stiff penalties, in addition
to kidnapping and false imprisonment. The FBI and Homeland Security should be here in the morning,” he adds, sounding a bit overwhelmed.
Sam’s mom puts a hand on her shoulder, the reminder of how serious the situation was likely sinking in. Karen and Ethan were both understandably furious when the kids were first pulled from the water, but as the story unfolded, the anger turned to relief that everyone was okay.
Her parents had started going door-to-door at seven, when dinner passed and they were still gone. At ten, they contacted the sheriff and a search of the woods was organized. When Captain Brown got wind of what “all the fuss in the cove” was about, he quickly made his way to the beach house. He arrived not long before the fog started to form, so that everyone was already out of the woods and arranging for a boat to take them to Dead Man’s Point by the time they rowed ashore.
Now, Captain Brown is leaning against the kitchen counter, the ever-present pipe hanging from his mouth. A grin has been stuck on his face since Sam’s telling of their nearly disastrous capture during the escape.
No one else believed them. The sheriff referred to the ‘unexplained event’ as a rogue wave. He even wrote that out on the witness statement that Sam and the others each signed.
“What about Regan and Jacques?” John asks the sheriff. He’s been unusually quiet this whole time, and Sam suspects it’s because he’s embarrassed. He’s sure to feel that he let her parents down, but she plans on making it clear to them how important a role he played in keeping them all safe.
“They’ve been arrested,” the officer replies. “They didn’t go easily though, and it nearly came to gunfire. But when the Coast Guard arrived to back up my men, they realized they were outnumbered. Turns out they’re criminals, but not stupid.”
Hunter laughs at this, and he and John high-five each other. In spite of everything that’s happened, the four of them are much closer than ever before. Sam can’t imagine how things would have turned out if John and Hunter hadn’t been there this time to help.