The Riddle (Keepers of the Key Book 1)

by L. M. Abbott

  “Aunt Luperca, why are you here?”

  “Do I need a reason to visit?”

  “What do you want?” Cailean felt her grandfather’s fingers press ever so slightly into her shoulders.

  “To see how my little grandniece is doing, of course.”

  “I’m twelve, not a baby.”

  “Luperca,” Gramps said in his most pleasant tone. “You must be tired after the long drive from Brook City. How about some tea to freshen you up?”

  “A wonderful idea, Dermot.” As she turned, Luperca’s gaze strayed towards the living room. A hooked multi-coloured rug lay in the centre of the floor. Yellow wallpaper trimmed with red roses covered two walls. The horse shaped clock on the mantle chimed the hour. “I’ve always loved this room.”

  “Mom did too.” Cailean indicated the oak bookcase across from the fireplace. “Gramps built that for her when she was my age.”

  “I remember.” Luperca looked away as if she’d lost interest. “Dermot, I’d like Cailean to spend some quality time with me, get to know her better.” She bent down to her grandniece. “No doubt you’ll enjoy the big city.”

  “Loon Cove is my home and I don’t want to leave.” Cailean held her head high. “For any amount of time.”

  Gramps shooed his granddaughter towards the stairs. “Love, go wash up for lunch.”

  Cailean trod slowly to the top of the stairs, then crept back down. She slunk into the workshop Gramps shared with her father. A clear view of the kitchen, she peeped through the crack in the door. She’d find out the real reason Luperca had suddenly shown up. Especially when her father was away.

  Gramps put the kettle on the stove. “Luperca, you must forgive Cailean’s less than gracious greeting. It’s only been six months since her mother...” He paused briefly “...since the accident. She hasn’t spoken to you in all that time.”

  “Dermot, I feel terrible for ignoring her and want to make amends by having her stay a few days with me.”

  Cailean’s eyes went to the Vampire Crow’s webbed-like fingers clutching her black purse. She wasn’t going anywhere with the Vampire Crow.

  Gramps took two China cups from a glass cabinet and laid them on the table. “I’ll speak to her father about it. In the meantime, you’re welcome to visit us anytime. I’m sure Sam would appreciate it.”

  Cailean tip toed from the workshop, fled out the front door and sat on the porch swing. Barlo lounged at her feet. “Why does Aunt Luperca have to spoil everything?”

  The dog growled deep in his throat. Cailean knew he agreed with her.

  The front door opened. “There you are,” Gramps said. “Lunch is ready.”

  Cailean dragged herself inside.

  Luperca stirred milk into her tea. The clang, clang of the spoon resounded around the kitchen. “It really is wonderful to see you again, Dear.” She brought out a department store bag from under her chair. “Dear, this is for your birthday.”

  Cailean gawked at the design of a red dress with puffed short sleeves and a million frills. She pulled out an exact duplicate.

  Gramps blew out his breath. “What an unusual...ah...beautiful garment. If my memory hasn’t failed me, you gave a similar one to Larentia.”

  “Yes, and she adored it.”

  No way, Cailean thought. Ready to dump the dress back in the bag, Gramps smiled at her. “Isn’t that thoughtful of your great aunt?”

  “Thank you, Aunt Luperca.” Cailean neatly folded the dress and returned it to the bag.

  “You’re very welcome, my dear.”

  My name is Cailean, she ached to say. “So, Gramps, how about giving me a hint about your present for me?”

  “Your father gave in to you, but I won’t. You’ll just have to wait until everyone arrives this evening.” Gramps offered Luperca more tea. “Sam is taking her to Disney World over the Christmas Break.”

  “How delightful my dear!”

  “We’d love you to join us for dinner,” Gramps said. “You’ll meet two of Cailean’s best friends.”

  Cailean crossed fingers of both hands behind her back. Please say no. Please say no.

  Luperca bit into a thick ham sandwich. “That’s very kind of you, but I have to get back to the city.”

  Cailean wolfed down tomato soup and a yogurt. Her aunt raised a disapproving eyebrow. “Dear, inhaling food like that isn’t good for the digestion.”

  “I’m meeting my friends in five minutes. They won’t wait if I’m late.” Cailean downed a glass of milk and pushed her chair away from the table in one quick motion.

  “Supper’s at six,” Gramps reminded her as she flew out of the kitchen.

  She ran down the hill, passed by her grandfather’s house on the right and went into the forest. Luperca intruded into her thoughts. “She might be Mom’s aunt,” she grumbled, “but she looks and acts nothing like her.” Cailean stomped through the trees, mud sloshing under her feet, ignoring the wet leaves breaking free and clinging to her hair. She inhaled the sweet smell of pine needles, the scent reminding her of her mother’s perfume. Aunt Luperca smelled like stale donuts.

  Cailean reached her destination, a flat, rectangular boulder, about eight feet high and six feet wide. She scaled the well-worn footholds to the top and sat down. One leg grazed the railway spike hammered in decades before. The head was rusted, yet the number 1900 was visible. She closed her eyes and recalled the first time she`d come here. Only five years old, her mother had held her hand as they sat on the rock. Wet snow melted into their coats. “There are three more boulders like this one,” Larentia had said. “Everyone calls them the Railway Rocks.”

  Cailean caught a snowflake on her tongue. “Because of the railway spikes in them?”

  “That’s right. All the land in between the rocks belongs to our family. We must never sell.”

  Cailean kicked the heels of her boots against the rough boulder. “Why not?”

  “It’s our responsibility to take care of the forest, to protect the animals.” A sad expression dulled Larentia’s yellow-green eyes.

  “Mommy, what`s wrong?”

  “The animals wouldn’t have a home if the trees were destroyed.”

  The memory fading, Cailean opened her eyes and glanced at her watch. A mere ten minutes had elapsed since leaving the house. Aunt Luperca was sure to be still be there boring Gramps, gabbing on about nothing. A twinge of guilt sneaked into Cailean’s heart. Her aunt shouldn’t criticize her every time she came around. A trip to the other three Railway Rocks would take an hour, plenty of time for Luperca to be on her way. A crow cawed overhead as Cailean slipped to the ground and scuffed through soggy leaves, soiling the toes of her sneakers lime green.

  Her socks water logged when she reached the third railway rock, Cailean decided to go home. She stopped behind a spruce tree at the edge of the woods outside her house and parted the branches to check for the blue car. Aunt Luperca came outside accompanied by Gramps. “Don’t forget to speak to Sam about Cailean visiting me,” she said. “It’s very important.”

  “I won’t,” Gramps said and went back in the house as she drove away.

  Cailean stepped out into the open to a greeting from Barlo. He planted his two front paws on her shoulders, almost sinking her to the ground. “That’s my fella. You’re happy the Vampire Crow’s gone too.” He pushed through the front door beside her.

  “You have remarkable timing,” her grandfather called from the workshop. “Come tell me where you hid.”

  Cailean frowned. “Aunt Luperca’s voice squeaks like a family of mice cornered by a tom cat.”

  Gramps cleared his throat but Cailean suspected he was trying to disguise laugher. He whittled away at a small log. “She does love you in her own way.”

  “I went to the Railway Rocks.”

  “You feel close to your mother there, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Me too. Your parents played together on them as children.”

  To pass the time until supper, Cai
lean dusted shelves, rearranged tools and swept wood chips from the floor. Gramps sang ‘My wild Irish Rose’ while he applied a third coat of varnish to a flute. She returned the straw broom to its hook in the corner and pulled up a chair next to him. Eleven carved flutes were aligned on the shelf above the bench. Cailean reached for one and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. “Are all those for the craft store?”

  “Indeed they are. Mellie’s had an extra lot of tourists this summer.” Gramps recapped the varnish tin. “Keep that one. Maybe one day you’ll play by ear like your mother.”

  “Mom wanted me to learn, but I was never interested.”

  “Give it a try. You may surprise yourself. Did I tell you about the first time I tried to play the flute? Well,” Gramps continued, not waiting for an answer. “I was about your age. When I blew into it my dog Bugles ran away for a whole day.” He laughed out loud. “I found him in the barn under a pile of hay.”

  Cailean had heard the story often, but as always pretended she hadn’t. “What happened the next time you-” She snapped her head to the window.

  “What is it, Love?’

  “I’m sure someone was watching us.”

  Gramps took another flute from the shelf along with a tin of brown paint. “A bird probably perched on the ledge.”

  “I guess the Vampire Crow has me freaked out. For years, she was hardly more than a framed picture on our mantle. Why’s she butting into my life now?”

  A drop of paint spilled onto the bench. Gramps cleaned it up with an oily cloth. “Aunt Luperca,” he corrected.

  “Even after she moved back from Montreal she never visited us. That ugly dress is the first thing she ever gave me.”

  Gramps kissed Cailean on the top of the head. “I promise you’ll only see Aunt Luperca on special occasions. Make an effort to treat her with a little respect when you do.”

  Cailean carried the flute upstairs and got comfortable in the wicker chair with her doll. Barlo lazed on the bed. “Well, Fergus, might as well give it a try.” She blew into the mouth piece emitting a sound similar to a hissing snake. The dog burrowed his head under the pillow. “Can’t say as I blame you.” She laid the flute on the desk, picked up the Little Red Riding Wolf book and silently read her mother’s inscription once again. A sob escaped.

  Two pairs of feet hurried up the stairs, one set heavier than the other.

  “You’re too slow,” Seamus said, skirting around Josh into the room. Each boy held a parcel. Seamus flung himself on the bed. Barlo didn’t move.

  Josh looked at the book on Cailean’s lap. “I finished that one last week. Do you know real wolves run on their toes and can hear up to fifty miles away and they aren’t as bad as everyone thinks?”

  Seamus rolled his eyes. “Tell someone who cares.”

  “Cailean’s interested.” Josh went to the white bookcase by the closet and ran a finger along each of the packed four shelves. “See, she’s got every book ever written about wolves. Hold on. Except Little Red Riding Hood. That’s the classic wolf story. Too bad I didn’t know earlier.”

  “Mom wasn’t too keen about that one.”

  Josh handed Cailean his parcel, the perfect size and shape for a book. “I think you’ll like it,” he said, sitting down at the desk.

  Seamus rubbed Barlo’s great rump. “You’ll never guess what it is,” he said with exaggerated wonder.

  Cailean ripped open the silver paper to reveal a hard cover book. “‘The Origins of the Newfoundland Pony,’” she read out loud. “This is great. Maybe I’ll get to see the two in Murphy’s Field soon.”

  “You’re in luck,” Josh said. “They showed up again this morning.”

  Seamus presented a large square box, neatly decorated with pink paper and a deeper pink ribbon.

  Josh grinned. “Such a pretty colour. Did you choose it yourself?”

  Seamus blushed redder than strawberry jam. “I told Mom not to buy girly paper. She wouldn’t let me change it.”

  Cailean tore away the wrapping and opened the box. She lifted out a brand-new basketball inscribed with her name and dribbled it around her feet. Barlo barked in tune with each hollow bonk.

  “Here’s my birthday girl,” a tall sandy-haired man said, coming into the room. “And her two best pals.”

  Cailean threw her arms around him. “Dad, I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I had to make it in time for your birthday.” He tapped the tip of her nose with his forefinger. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  “Gosh,” Seamus said when her father left. “He was only gone for two days, not two years.”

  Josh looked up at a framed map of the four Railway Rocks over the desk. “Never saw that before.”

  “Mom sketched that on her twelfth birthday. I decided to hang it for mine as her gift to me.”

  Josh studied the pencilled drawing. “The diamond formation of the boulders is outlined to scale. And look,” he said, fingering the rock closest to Murphy’s Field. “She’s even omitted the spike from that one.”

  “Supper’s on the table.” Mellie’s melodic voice floated up the stairs.

  Seamus sprang off the bed. “Cailean, it better not be vegetables and that toey stuff you like that tastes like cardboard. Why don’t you eat meat like a normal person?”

  She giggled. “It’s called tofu and is really good for you. Gramps made something that even you will like.”

  The children scampered into the kitchen, narrowly missing the happy birthday banner strung across the room. Twelve green and white balloons, filled with helium, were tied to a basket of lilacs in the centre of the table. Gramps dished out the last plate of pizza topped with extra cheese and crispy bacon. “Before we eat, I’d like to give Cailean her present.” He took out a cherry red laptop from the pantry.

  “Gramps, it’s exactly what I wanted. How did you know?”

  “Perhaps all your lectures on the importance of a home computer may have given me a clue. The man’s coming by tomorrow to hook up the net thing.”

  Mellie peered at Gramps over the top of her glasses. “My goodness, Dermot. Even I know it’s called internet. Not to worry, though. Josh will make you an expert in no time.” She withdrew a green pouch from her dress pocket. “Cailean, this is the perfect surprise you’ll cherish.”

  Cailean pulled open the strings. A bracelet consisting of four dog-like figures, carved from small Labradorite stones slid into her hand. Each one was linked by an inch of sliver chain, “Oh, Mellie. It’s exactly like the bracelet Mom lost.”

  Sam wiped his mouth with a cloth serviette. “It must’ve taken ages to chisel out the shapes with such precision. Larentia would be delighted.”

  “This is her bracelet,” Mellie said. “I came across it sticking up from the grass under the bench outside my store.”

  Cailean fastened it around her wrist and admired the way the stones reflected blue light. “This is the most magical day ever.”

  The pizza gobbled up, Mellie brought out a chocolate cake with twelve yellow candles. Cailean blew them out to a chorus of Happy Birthday. Josh almost drooled when Mellie cut the homemade dessert and served him an extra big chunk.

  The table cleared and the dishes done, the children left for Murphy’s Field. Cailean stared at the houses as they walked, all varying shades of bright blue, yellow, red and green.

  “What’s so fascinating about them?” Seamus said. “They haven’t changed any since this morning.”

  “They look like clumps of jelly beans. It never occurred to me before.”

  Josh hauled out a bag of Bullseyes from the front pocket of his jeans, threw a candy in the air catching it with his mouth. “Jelly beans can’t compare to these.”

  They turned left at the pharmacy and proceeded down a long rocky laneway leading to Murphy’s Field. Birch trees lined both sides blocking out the evening sun. Seamus untied the thick rope used to keep the wooden gate closed and let it fall in the tall grass. Josh threw him a look and picked up the rope as Cailean
went inside the field overgrown with yellow buttercups. He closed the gate and retied the rope.

  They trudged through the knee-high grass with Seamus in the lead. Josh lagged farther and farther behind.

  “Don’t tell me you’re tired already?” Seamus said.

  Josh unzipped his jacket. “Okay. I won’t.”

  “If you played sports you wouldn’t huff like an old man.”

  “I’ll play basketball when you read a book.”

  Cailean looked around. “I don’t see the ponies. Where are they?”

  Josh inclined his head towards a gentle slope just ahead of her. “They should be on the other side of that rise.”

  Cailean hurried on leaving Seamus standing over Josh.

  The last rays of the early evening sun shone on two ponies grazing on a pile of hay inside a picket fence. One was chocolate brown, the other greyer than storm clouds. Both had thick silver manes which glittered like ice chips, reflecting the colours of the rainbow. Cailean clicked her tongue to get their attention. The brown pony made spitting noises. The grey one neighed, flapped its tail against its hind legs and resumed eating. “I didn’t realize you’re half the size of a regular horse.” Cailean opened a tissue containing sugar cubes. “I have a sweet treat for you. Come get it.”

  A shadow fell over her. “You must be Cailean Wadly. Glad you got rid of those two losers.” Cailean glared at a boy she’d never seen before, about her age with wavy hair and green eyes. “I don’t know any losers. Who are you, anyway?”

  “Steve Murphy.” He swept the width of the field with his hand. “This is my dad’s land.”

  “That’s no secret. How come I’ve never seen you around here before?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t live in Loonie Bin Cove. We have a big house in Brook City.”

  “Good for you.” Cailean said, her attention back on the ponies. She turned to the crunch of feet on pebbles.

  “If it isn’t Mr. Intelligent,” Steve snickered. “How did you find your way here all by yourself”

  “Hey,” Cailean said. “What’s your problem?”

  Seamus strolled to the fence. “Ignore Stevie boy. He likes to hear himself talk.”