Alec couldn’t have been prouder, and neither could I. In that moment, any doubts I had were completely washed away. I wanted to do whatever I could to help the people whose lives were haunted by the unfinished stories of the Library. The opportunity to do that was a gift from my father, and I was ready to accept it.
—
A few days later, Theo, Lu, and I were back out on the water in Lu’s father’s speedboat.
I had gotten some copper pipe from Home Depot and talked the shop teacher at school into melting it down and sealing the seams of the vessel. I told him it was an art project. He didn’t question me. I think he just liked to play with the furnace and pour molten metal.
My next stop was at a nautical-supply store, where I found the heaviest anchor chain I could load into my pack without it pulling me off my bike. I also bought a twenty-eight-pound navy anchor.
We checked some nautical charts online and found the deepest section of the Sound that was close enough to cruise to. It took only twenty minutes in Mr. Lu’s crazy-fast boat to get to the spot.
It was a still, sunny day. Once Lu killed the engine, all was peaceful and silent. Nobody said it, but we were all scanning the horizon for fear the Boggin might still be able to conjure up a rogue storm.
There was nothing to see but a clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds.
The Boggin no longer had any power.
This was its funeral.
A burial at sea.
“Should we say a few words?” Theo asked as we stood together in the stern of the boat.
The vessel sat on the bench seat, wrapped in chains that were hooked to the anchor.
“Yeah, good riddance,” Lu said.
“Part of me doesn’t want to do this,” I said.
“You can’t be serious!” Theo exclaimed.
“I’m not. Not really. I hope this thing stays down there for a thousand years.”
“How about forever?” Lu said.
“I know, but I can’t help but feel like the truth about what happened to my parents is going to be trapped down there with it.”
“Don’t go there, Marcus,” Lu cautioned. “Michael Swenor broke the seal, and look where that got him.”
“That’s another thing,” I said. “If my father captured the Boggin twelve years ago, you have to believe he would have hidden the vessel where nobody would find it.”
“Yeah, so?” Lu asked.
“So then how did Michael Swenor get it? Who was the guy that contacted him before he unsealed the vessel? And why did Swenor break the seal? What was he trying to do?”
The questions hung heavily as we stared at the chain-wrapped box.
“Maybe some mysteries are better off left a mystery,” Theo said.
I didn’t buy that for a second. That was one mystery I was determined to solve.
“Let’s do this,” I announced.
It took all three of us to lift the weighted-down container up onto the rail of the boat. We held it there, teetering on the edge. Lu took Theo’s arm and gently pulled him away, leaving me holding the vessel on my own.
“All you, Marcus,” she said.
I looked at the vessel and said, “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m going to find the truth. I’m going to get that book, and I’m going to figure out what happened to my parents. And you know what else? That library you hate so much? We’re going to finish a lot more of those stories, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You may have all the time in the world, but you’re going to spend it at the bottom of the ocean, wondering how you were outsmarted by a bunch of annoying children.”
I gave the box a gentle nudge, and it fell over, splashing down hard onto the water. Theo and Lu quickly joined me, and we watched as the metallic package quickly disappeared into the darkness of the green water.
My gaze drifted up and out over the expanse of the Sound. It was another perfect fall day. There were no other boaters out except for one lone sailboat that glided along in the distance, headed for the sea. It wasn’t close enough for me to know for sure, but I wanted to believe my birth parents were on board, maybe with Michael Swenor, enjoying another beautiful day out on the water.
“I’m going to finish your story,” I said aloud. “I promise.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
is the author of the bestselling book series Pendragon, the spooky Morpheus Road trilogy, and the sci-fi thriller trilogy The SYLO Chronicles. In addition to his published works, he has written, directed, and produced numerous award-winning television series and movies for young people, including Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Flight 29 Down, and Tower of Terror. D.J. lives with his family in Southern California. Visit him at djmachalebooks.com.
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