Murky Manor

Meredith looked up dumbfounded. Tony poked his head back out of the cabin. Argon stood on the pier with arms crossed. She looked almost normal in cut off jeans and a sleeveless tank top, but her biceps made the vine tattoo look tight around her arm. Her hair had dried in stiff strings, and her mouth was set in a firm line.

  "If you really think that cup is so important, we'd better take my boat."

  No one moved. Meredith was feeling lightheaded again.

  "Well?" Argon said. "Do we wait for Spencer or should we leave now?" There was the hint of a smile, and her eyes sparkled.

  Tony scrambled out of the boat and the girls followed. Argon strode down the walkway, her long legs covering the distance quickly. Meredith trotted to keep up. They stopped in front of a boat about the same size as the Chessy.

  "This is it?" Tony said. "I thought you had a bigger boat."

  Meredith laughed as she read the name printed on the side.

  "The Amazon is not a bigger boat," Argon said. "It just has a better driver. Me. But we must hurry. Spencer will not be far behind."

  They clambered on board. The boat roared into life, and Argon deftly steered it out into open water.

  "Now where are we headed exactly?" she asked.

  Tony looked questioningly at Meredith. She felt her face getting hot. Why was he asking her? He was the one who lived here. She felt dumb, and didn't have an answer. Obviously she couldn't say head for the last water bell.

  "Eastport," Tony said.

  Meredith was annoyed, but impressed. Eastport was directly across the water and would take them in the right direction.

  "Eastport it is," Argon said. A nice little town. Lived there long?"

  "I worked at the inn in the port before setting sail," Amari said.

  "Well, we should be there in about an hour."

  She gunned the motor. The bow slapped the water in a gentle rhythmic cadence as they skimmed over the soft waves.

  Meredith tied her hair back. The sun warmed her skin, and the cool, salt spray mist felt refreshing. Thin strands of hair worked their way out of the pink tie and whipped around her face.

  She stole a glimpse at Tony. He slouched in the seat with his foot on the railing. With a little direction on picking out clothes, he would be quite handsome. Even so, he had a certain unrefined appeal.

  Behind the boat stretched a wide wake from the motor. White, puffy clouds dotted a clear blue sky. A sailboat leisurely pulled away from the dock. It turned, and wind filled the sail. As it billowed out, the sharp outline of a golden trident appeared. Meredith sucked in her breath. The Antediluvian. She squeezed Tony's arm and jutted her chin toward the boat.

  "Spencer," she said into his ear.

  Tony stared for several moments then leaned toward the front of the boat. "I think we're being followed," he shouted.

  Argon glanced back. Her reaction, if there was any, was hidden behind dark sunglasses. She opened the throttle.

  The boat jumped forward. Meredith tightened her grip on the side rail. The bow slapping the water was now jarring. Spencer was obviously using a motor along with the sail, for the Antediluvian was keeping pace. Tony was right. It was a fast boat.

  CHAPTER 25 - THE CHASE

  Behind the Antediluvian, another boat was leaving the port. Meredith could only tell that it was a motorboat. She squinted at the Antediluvian.

  "There's three people on that sailboat," she said. "Who would Spencer have with him?"

  "If I had to guess, I'd say our friends from the dock," Tony said. "That tall one looks like Smiley."

  A shadow passed over the boat. Blue skies and fluffy clouds disappeared. The sun became a white disk just visible through a gray curtain of mist.

  Meredith felt clammy. Her legs were cold. The loose strands of hair coiled into ringlets.

  Argon cut back on the throttle as the mist deepened into a fog. Everything became the same gray color. It was difficult to tell where the water ended and the sky began. Soon they couldn't see the Antediluvian at all.

  The engine was just idling now, and the boat rocked on the waves as it crept through the water.

  Argon took off her sunglasses. "We're going to have to wait for the fog to lift," she said. "I can't risk running into something."

  A whiff of tart cinnamon made Meredith apprehensive. Once the engine noise subsided, the rhythmic clanging of a buoy bell was heard.

  Tony touched her hand and whispered, "This is it."

  Something bumped against the side of the boat, and his fingers closed around hers. It was a long piece of wood with jagged edges as if it had broken off something.

  The mist in front of the boat shifted and separated. The odor faded. A clump of mist descended on the bow, and the front of the boat dipped slightly.

  Argon stiffened. Her knuckles were white on the wheel. "Everyone stay put," she said. Her voice was low and strained.

  The mist wavered and rose in a shimmering column. Pieces floated out from its sides like arms. Thin streaks of mist rippled around an elongated head like seaweed drifting in a current.

  "It is time." The words sounded hollow and distant as if spoken through a tube. "The Sea Hawk is almost here. You must board with the sensor. I will help you. Prepare now."

  The boat bobbed gently, and the mist blended into the fog bank.

  "What was that?" Argon said. She turned. Her face was drawn, and her eyes showed fear.

  "It was a water wisp," Amari said. "They mean no harm. They are guardians of the Misty Way. The sensor must be taken back to my world."

  "The sensor?" Argon looked confused.

  Meredith untied the scarf and held up the cup. It was now clear with just a hint of pink. A flower glowing with blue light was etched in the glass.

  "That's not Spencer's cup. It was blue. That cup is beautiful."

  "It is a sensor from my world," Amari said. "We're almost there."

  Meredith wound the scarf around the cup and glanced at Tony. He nodded. She turned back to Amari and took a deep breath. "Ready?"

  Amari raised her arms. "Tie it tight."

  Meredith slipped the scarf around Amari's waist and pulled the ends taunt. As soon as the cup pressed against her the boat began to rock. Meredith stumbled. Wind blew strands of her hair in her eyes. Blindly she fumbled with the scarf and managed to tie a double knot.

  A rolling hill of water flowed under the boat and carried it into the air. It teetered on the wave's crest. Meredith looked down the wall of water. The bottom was hidden in fog. A wave of dizziness made her nauseous.

  The bow tilted forward, and the boat started to fall. It picked up speed and rushed down the side of the wave. Meredith screamed.

  Water splashed over the sides, and her feet slipped. She threw out her hands, and Tony grabbed her arm. Together they tumbled to the deck.

  Then the wind ceased, and the surface was calm. The scent of cinnamon was strong. A long, twisting clump of vines with blue flowers floated past them.

  "We are in the Misty Way," Amari said. She looked down at them and smiled.

  Meredith struggled to her feet. Swaying unsteadily, she slipped off her jacket. The pocket crinkled softly. "You should wear this," she said "It's more waterproof than your fleece." Amari shrugged out of the pink jacket.

  Meredith heard the sound of voices. Sailors called out instructions to each other. It was happening. Just like it did when Amari ran into her in the lobby.

  "It is the Sea Hawk," Amari said. "They are very close. We must take care not to collide."

  A dark shape loomed in front of them. Argon cried out and jerked the wheel sharply. The Amazon turned, and the engine stalled. It rocked violently. A mist settled on the bow, and the boat steadied. It bumped gently against the hull of a large ship.

  A knotted rope dangled over the side just out of reach. Meredith followed it up with her eyes and read the name printed on the side. Sea Hawk.

  "Hurry, Amari." It was the voice of the water wisp. "I can not hold the boat long.
"

  Amari looked up at the rope, then back to Meredith.

  "Go!" Meredith said. "It's just a short jump. We'll balance the boat."

  Amari nodded. She crouched. Then sprang, and seized the rope. Her hands slid but caught on a knot. With effort, she began to pull herself up. Halfway, she stopped and looked down. The Amazon had drifted back from the ship leaving open water beneath her. Argon muttered under her breath as she tried frantically to start the motor

  A mist surrounded Amari hiding her from view. It floated up the rope, and Amari emerged at the top. She swung herself over the railing.

  They could see her kneeling next to someone who was lying on the deck. She placed the cup in his hand, and he rolled over. She scurried across the deck and up the rigging to the crow's nest. The man sat up holding the cup. It was still glowing.

  Fog covered the water between the two boats. The crow's nest poked out above the mist. The Amazon's motor roared into life, and Argon grunted with satisfaction. A hand extended from the crow's nest and the blue scarf fluttered out. Then the fog closed around it and swallowed the ship completely. The voices of the sailors stopped and the ringing buoy could be heard behind them.

  A cold breeze swept over the boat. Meredith shivered and put on the pink jacket. It smelled of cinnamon. The fog swirled around them and thinned. In a couple minutes it was gone, and the sun was shinning. There was no sign of the Sea Hawk.

  "Where's the ship?" Argon said. "It couldn't have sailed away that quickly."

  There was laughter and barking. They all turned in surprise. Carlo maneuvered the Chessy toward a capsized Antediluvian, while Pirate stood on the bow and barked. Most of the sailboat was under water. A gold pennant flapped gently on the tip of the mast.

  Smitty threw a life preserver into the water.

  "Grab the line," Carlo called.

  Meredith then saw that three people bobbed in the water. Spencer swam over and pounced on the floating ring. Soon all three, Spencer, Bart, and Smiley were on board the Chessy, dripping and shivering. Doris gave them each a blanket, and waved to Meredith.

  The Antediluvian turned sideways. With a last flutter of the pennant, the boat slipped beneath the waves.

  CHAPTER 26 - BACK TO MURKY

  Voices drifted up from the living room at Murky Manor. Meredith brushed past the wooden statue and hurried down the stairs. She sat on the last step and hugged her knees. Carlo was reading aloud from the newspaper.

  "Although several fishermen and pleasure boats were caught in last week's freak storm, no one was injured. Spencer Jenson's hopes for sailing to the Mediterranean were sunk along with his boat, the Antediluvian. He claims that two old sailing vessels suddenly appeared out of the fog. After avoiding collision with what appeared to be a galleon, his boat was rammed by a 19th century clipper ship. He showed reporters a piece of wood that appears to be a carving of a foot with a sandal. He believes it was broken off the figurehead on the clipper ship. His story was corroborated by two young crewmembers that were on the boat with him."

  Doris leaned close to Carlo. "What is he doing in the picture?"

  "The caption says he's holding a piece of the clipper ship. Looks like that piece of driftwood he threw in the boat and almost hit Smitty.

  "They don't mention he thought the fleet was from Atlantis?" Doris said.

  "It does mention Atlantis. Listen to this." Carlo read on. "The boat was named after the Society of Antediluvian Sailors. They meet every other year in the Mediterranean where they believe the island of Atlantis sank seven thousand years ago. He plans to purchase a new boat with the insurance money, but the accident has left him without a boat for this year's convention. He has signed up as a crewmember on another of the Society's vessels. He'll be sailing to Crete on the Cataract." The newspaper crinkled as Carlo folded it up.

  "Does make you wonder what happened out there. Something sank his boat," Carlo said.

  Doris shrugged. "We didn't even get honorable mention for pulling them out of the water."

  He chuckled. "Smitty and Pirate aren't mentioned either. They probably want to forget about them. That dog seemed to have it in for the boys."

  Someone knocked at the door. Meredith got up. "I'll get it."

  Sunlight filtered through the curtains on either side of the door. A breeze moved the filmy material making it sway like the misty creatures on the water.

  As she reached for the door, the curtain wrapped around her arm in a wet embrace. She jerked her hand back, then laughed at herself. It was just dew from the windowsill. She opened the door.

  Bright sunlight flowed in. A tall, dark figure stood on the porch holding something. The scent of cinnamon was strong. Meredith blinked.

  "May I come in?"

  Meredith stepped back from the door. The figure entered and pushed the door shut. It was Argon. She was holding a flowerpot.

  "I was hoping you could give this a home. It's a fascinating plant, but it doesn't fit in my rainforest. I didn't quite feel right about throwing it out."

  She held out the pot. It was full of water. The vine that floated on the surface was covered with tiny blue flowers.

  "I don't believe I've ever seen you in pink," Argon said. "It's a good color for you."

  Doris stepped into the hall. "Hello, Ms. Argon. How nice of you to visit."

  "Please, call me Renee. With Spencer leaving in such a hurry I wanted to see how the work turned out."

  "Let me give you a tour," Doris said. She took her by the arm. Together they walked down the hall with Doris pointing out the new electrical fixtures. Edison paced behind. His tail twitched, and his occasional meows added emphasis to what Doris was saying.

  "Guess I'll go make some coffee," Carlo said. "Tony should be here soon. This might be a good time to bring out the pastries I brought from the Clipper." He winked and headed to the kitchen.

  Meredith carried the flower up to the turret. The water sloshed against the sides of the pot as she climbed the stairs. She put it in the windowsill and knelt on the cushioned seat.

  The sky was a perfect blue with no clouds. A breeze stirred the willow tree branches, and they caressed the grass. It was still early morning, but the fog that usually covered the ground was gone.

  Tony was crossing the yard. He looked up and waved. On her way out, she paused by the photograph in the hall. The boy seemed to look out to her from across time. His fingers coiled around the cup. Her eyes moved to the figurehead. She could still hear Tony and Amari discussing the sandals, but the figurehead now had bare feet. She squinted at the photograph. There was a fine line, like a crack, where it looked like the wood might have been repaired. The feet were a slightly different shade.

  She hurried down the stairs and opened the front door. Tony was whistling as he bounded onto the porch.

  "Looks like you're going to have to rename the place," he said. "The fog seems to have disappeared with the cup."

  "I'll miss the murky part."

  "When do you go back home?" he asked.

  She shrugged. "My birthday is next week. The forecast here is for rain."

  "That's not too good for a fancy party."

  "Well?it always rains on my birthday, and I thought maybe having my party here would be nice." She held her breath waiting for his reply.

  "Sort of an all girl party with the latest in fashion and gourmet food? I guess you could bring the whole crowd down and have a mystery party kind of thing. They rent fog machines in town."

  "So?I take it you're not interested in coming?"

  "Wouldn't know what to wear," he mumbled.

  She grinned. "The fashion police won't be coming. Just a couple friends. What you're wearing would be fine. Or maybe we could both find something stunning in the clothing donation box. Did Amari show you how to open the combination?"

  "She didn't share that secret."

  "Just as well. You're already too far along on your life of crime."

  Silence settled in. Meredith felt a panic
rising inside. She had to say something.

  "It's just going to be pizza and snack foods. And watermelon." He wasn't responding. She blurted out, "You can even spit watermelon seeds if you want. Are you going to come or not?"

  He grinned. "If you put it that way, how can I refuse. You can't have a party without a champion seed spitter."

  She sighed with relief. That was settled.

  "You still owe me a tour of the house," he said. "I'm not doing anything special right now?" He gave her a hopeful look.

  "I thought we were planning my party," she said with a smile. "Come on. There's a lot to explore and I haven't seen most of it myself. We can start with a picture I want to show you."

  EPILOGUE

  The first stars were just coming out. Warm breezes passed through the round glossy leaves of a squat shade tree. A young woman leaned against the trunk. Her dark hair reached just past her shoulders. It was braided with a blue silk scarf twisted through the strands. Highlights in her hair complimented the scarf's color.

  Two children sat on the grass in front of her. The boy was about ten and his sister a little younger.

  "What do you think of my watermelon?" the woman asked. The boy took a big bite, and chewed thoughtfully. Then tilting back his head, he spit a seed. It flew a short way and disappeared into the grass. The young woman laughed.

  "Not bad," she said, "but I think Tony's record was about twice that far."

  "It's not polite to spit seeds," the little girl said. "Isn't that right, Amari?" She dabbed at her mouth with an embroidered cloth.

  "Well, Meredith didn't seem to think it was," Amari said. She leaned forward and whispered. "But I think Tony had more fun."

  "That's a story," the boy said. "You just made it up for us."

  "Did I?" she answered. "How about the watermelon? Did I make that up too?" She handed him another slice. "Someday my watermelon will be famous. Ships will come to our port just to buy my shadow world fruit. I will be rich."

  "But then you will leave us. Who will take care of us and tell us stories?" the little girl asked.

  Amari laughed. "By then you will be grown up and married. You will probably have a dozen children of your own."

  "What will you do with all your money?" the boy asked.

  "I will have a place for homeless children. I will teach them how to read. Maybe some of them will grow up and become sailors. And maybe, just maybe, one of them will visit the shadow world and bring back more tales of wonder.