Sydney: 4-in-1 Mysteries for Girls

by Jean Fischer

  “Are you going to spend the rest of your life selling junk you find on the beach?” Mr. Wright asked his son. “Or are you going to face your fear and live the life God gave you. Remember what the Cap always says.”

  “‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,’” Digger replied.

  “That’s what Captain Swain said to me when I was afraid to climb the lighthouse,” Bailey whispered.

  “I know,” Sydney answered. “I want to look inside and see what’s going on.”

  “Me too,” Bailey said. “But I’m scared.”

  The girls stood, still wrapped in the tarp. They dropped it around their shoulders and peeked through the dirty window.

  “Oh my.” Bailey gasped.

  “Awesome,” Sydney exclaimed in a whisper.

  In the center of the shed sat a vehicle beyond her imagination. It was about the size of a small car, but round. It was painted a soft gray-blue, the color of the ocean on an overcast day. The paint sparkled the way sunlight dances on waves.

  In the center of the craft a cockpit was covered with a clear glass bubble. It reminded Sydney of pictures she’d seen in school textbooks of fighter jets. As she watched, Digger climbed into the cockpit and flipped a switch. The flashing colored lights encircled the craft and spun around its middle. Drake Wright sat in the driver’s seat and grinned.

  “What do you think it is?” Bailey asked.

  “I don’t know,” Sydney replied. “It’s not like anything I’ve seen in my whole life. It’s kind of beautiful.”

  “But scary too,” Bailey added.

  “Maybe it wouldn’t be if we knew what it was,” said Sydney.

  A muted whoosh came from the craft. It sounded like a choir softly singing “Shhhhhh …”

  As Bailey and Sydney watched, the machine rose off the ground. It hovered several feet above the floor. Then it slowly began to rotate. It spun around faster and faster, and the girls heard Digger laughing gleefully. Slowly, it stopped and dropped gently back to the floor. Drake opened the cover on the cockpit and said, “Well, if it doesn’t make it as a water sport, maybe I can market it as a carnival ride.”

  Mr. Wright chuckled. “You’re a Wright, my boy,” he said. “You always have a backup plan.”

  Sydney motioned to Bailey to sit. The girls sank back to the ground and covered themselves with the tarp.

  “Now I’m really confused,” said Bailey. “I’m not so sure it’s a spaceship anymore, are you?”

  “I was never sure it was a spaceship,” said Sydney. “I just don’t know what it is yet.”

  She started to crawl out from under the tarp again.

  “What are you doing now?” Bailey asked.

  “Stay put,” Sydney answered. She crawled to the window. When she was sure the Wrights had their backs to her, she took several photos of the contraption. Then she climbed back under the tarp.

  “I didn’t use the flash,” she said. “I think it’s bright enough in there for the pictures to turn out.” She looked at the display on her phone and saw she was right. The photos were clear enough to show the craft in the middle of the equipment shed floor.

  “Now what?” Bailey asked.

  “I’m texting Kate,” Sydney replied. “And sending her these pictures. You know how smart she is about technological stuff. She might know what this is.”

  SYDNEY: K8, WE’RE HIDING OUT NEXT TO THE WRIGHTS’ EQUIPMENT SHED. LOOK AT THESE PICTURES. THEY’VE BUILT THIS THING. IT HAS FLASHING LIGHTS THAT SPIN AROUND IT. IT CAN HOVER A FEW FEET OFF THE FLOOR AND IT ROTATES REALLY FAST. WHAT IS IT?

  Sydney sent the message and stuck her phone back in her pocket.

  “I don’t think the Wrights are aliens,” she told Bailey. “It looks like that thing is just another one of their crazy inventions. But what is it?”

  “Digger said something about a water sport,” said Bailey.

  “I don’t think a water sport would be remote-controlled,” Sydney said reluctantly. “And we’ll wait to hear back from Kate, but I think anything that is as big as that would be too heavy to be remote-controlled …”

  “Unless the battery was as big as a bus!” Bailey said.

  “Hmm. Could they have a giant battery in that bus of theirs?” Sydney asked. “Nah. I don’t think that’s the answer.”

  “But they talked about battles and enemies. That doesn’t fit with any water sport I know of. And what about the lighthouse lady? Where has she disappeared to? And then there’s Captain Swain. Who do you think he really is? And where is he? Wasn’t he supposed to be here helping the Wrights tonight?”

  “I’m right here, Bailey Chang,” said a voice in the darkness. “And I can answer all of your questions.”

  Answers

  Bailey and Sydney crawled out from under the tarp.

  Captain Swain stood in the shadows looking at them. He was still wearing jeans, as he had been that morning, and now he had on a sweatshirt that said NAVY on its front. His captain’s cap sat squarely on his head.

  “What are you girls doing here?” he asked gently.

  “You answer our question first,” said Bailey. “Who are you, really?”

  “You know who I am, Bailey Chang,” said the captain. “I’m Captain Nathan Swain.”

  “No you’re not!” Sydney answered. “Captain Nathan Swain is dead. We saw his picture in an old paper. He was the lighthouse keeper here about a hundred years ago, so you can’t be him unless you’re an imposter.”

  “Or a ghost!” Bailey added.

  “Well, I don’t think you’re a ghost,” Sydney said with a smile. “But Captain Nathan Swain, the lighthouse keeper, didn’t have any sons, so you can’t be his son. But I suspect you’re another relative.”

  The captain smiled. “Kudos. Congratulations to you for figuring it out, Miss Sydney Lincoln. Captain Nathan Swain, the lighthouse keeper, was my uncle,” he said. “I resemble him, but I can assure you, Miss Bailey Chang, that I’m not his ghost. Now, as far as being an imposter, Sydney Lincoln, I’ll admit to that. I sometimes masquerade as my uncle.”

  “Why?” Sydney asked.

  Before the captain could answer, Bailey interrupted.

  “If you’re for real, why did you disappear when we were at the top of the lighthouse?” She climbed out from the tarp and stood up. “One minute you were there, and then you were gone. And the same thing happened on the beach. You were there walking your dog, we talked to you, and then you disappeared. What’s up with that?”

  The captain leaned against the side of the equipment shed.

  “Bailey, my girl, you have quite the imagination. I’m sorry if you thought I had abandoned you. Once you girls were safe on the lookout, I hurried to an appointment I was already late for. I should have said farewell, at least. I sincerely apologize for being rude.” He tipped the brim of his cap. “As for the incident on the beach, McTavish saw a cat and ran off. I ran after him. McTavish is a good boy, you know, but he hates cats and would do harm to one if he caught it. I’m sure by the time you looked for me, I was chasing my dog across the dunes.”

  The clues were beginning to add up for Sydney. There was no ghost of Captain Nathan Swain, and she was certain the captain wasn’t helping the Wrights build a spaceship.

  “But you were wearing a captain’s uniform at the lighthouse,” she said, getting off the ground. “The kind captains wore years and years ago.”

  “I was acting,” said the captain. “I volunteer at the lighthouse where I play the role of Captain Nathan Swain, the lighthouse keeper. When schoolchildren tour, I tell them the story of the lighthouse and about the pirates and shipwrecks of the Outer Banks. In fact, years ago, I did work in the lighthouse, helping maintain the beacon up top.”

  Bailey was beginning to feel a bit foolish for thinking that the captain was a ghost, but she still had some unanswered questions.

  “So why were you on the beach yesterday morning with Digger?” she asked. “We heard you talking with him about not putting
the vehicle in the water until after I went home. What exactly is he up to, and what’s that thing in the shed?”

  The captain shook his head. “‘Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord …’ Just me and God talking out loud,” he said. “I know that folks around here call him Digger, but Drake Wright is the young man’s name. And Bailey, before I tell you what young Mr. Wright and I were discussing yesterday morning, why don’t you tell me why you girls are hiding here in the dark.”

  Bailey sighed. She was almost certain her theory about space aliens and space wars was wrong. “We thought … well, actually I thought the Wrights were space aliens and you were helping them get back to the Mother Ship after their spacecraft crashed into the ocean. I thought Digger, I mean Drake, was picking up pieces of the spacecraft along the beach and that the Wrights were rebuilding it in their equipment shed. And I think they’ve kidnapped the lighthouse lady. I thought they were going to take her to wherever with them. We’re spying on them to find out what’s going on.”

  The captain chuckled. “And you, Miss Lincoln, do you believe in aliens from outer space?”

  “I guess I always thought there was a logical explanation,” Sydney said. “But I agree with Bailey that a lot of things are happening that just don’t add up. Why did you and the Wrights put a telescope on the lighthouse lookout this morning?”

  The captain chuckled again. “That telescope is part of the lighthouse renovation. It’s there so visitors can view the ocean from the tower. And, Bailey Chang, the lighthouse lady—I assume you mean the young woman who works at the lighthouse and is named Meghan Kent, by the way. She’s—”

  “Wait, don’t tell me,” Sydney said. “She’s just taking a day off and when the Wrights were referring to ‘she’ they meant their invention.”

  “Again, cheers to you, Sydney Lincoln,” said Captain Swain. “Miss Meghan Kent is on vacation for a few days while some remodeling takes place. People who are vacationing here don’t stop to think that sometimes we natives need vacations ourselves!”

  The captain paused and smiled at the girls.

  “Come on inside,” said the captain. “There are a couple of fellows I’d like you to meet.”

  The girls walked with Captain Swain around the side of the equipment shed and through the open front doors. Drake turned and greeted the captain with a smile, but when he saw the girls, his smile faded. “Oh,” he said, softly.

  Mr. Wright walked toward them wiping his hands on a rose-colored rag.

  “Hi, Cap.” He greeted his friend with a handshake. “I see you’ve brought some visitors.” His voice held a hint of disapproval, and his blue eyes flashed at Sydney and then at Bailey.

  “It’s all right, Nate,” said the captain. “These are my friends and they can be trusted. This is Sydney Lincoln and Bailey Chang.” His right hand swept toward the girls.

  “You’re the kid who looked at me through the lighthouse window this morning,” Mr. Wright said gruffly.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Wright,” Bailey apologized.

  “The girls have been watching us test Drake’s invention, and they’re curious to know more about it,” the captain said.

  Sydney noticed that Drake’s face had turned a bright shade of red. He looked shyly down at his feet as he stood next to the mysterious craft. Sydney walked up to him with a smile, “Hi, Drake,” she said, extending her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Drake Wright looked up, but not directly into Sydney’s eyes. He grasped the tips of her fingers, gave them a little shake, and then dropped his hand to his side. “I’ve seen you around,” he mumbled.

  “Drake, why don’t you tell the girls about the Wright D-94 Wave Smasher?” said the captain. “It’s okay to talk about it now. You own the patent. I have the paperwork to prove it.”

  Drake swallowed hard. He looked more embarrassed than ever.

  “Go on, son,” Mr. Wright encouraged him. “Tell them what this is.”

  “Yeah,” Bailey said, stroking the shiny blue paint. “We can’t wait to know.”

  When Drake saw Bailey’s hand touch the paint on the D-94, he stopped looking embarrassed. “Please don’t touch it,” he said firmly.

  Bailey quickly pulled her hand away and stepped backward. “Why? What’s it going to do?”

  “It’s not going to do anything,” Drake answered. He pulled a rag out of the back pocket of his blue jeans and polished the spot Bailey had touched. “I just finished waxing it.”

  “Oh,” said Bailey.

  “So tell us about this,” Sydney said. She walked around the craft so she could see it from all sides. “You were talking about a rudder. Let me guess. This is a new form of transportation.”

  Drake said nothing.

  “‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,’” Captain Swain said. “Just me and God talking, Drake.” He walked over to the young man and put his arm around his shoulder. “Think of this as a rehearsal. Tell them about the next great Wright invention, the one that’s destined to change life on the Outer Banks forever.”

  Drake looked at his feet for a few seconds. Then he took a deep breath and began what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. “This is a vehicle called the Wright D-94 Wave Smasher. It’s a new recreational water vehicle that I’ve been working on for the past several years. The D-94 is unlike any other recreational water vehicle because it can ride on the water or sail up to thirty feet above it with the flick of a switch. It’s built tough enough to withstand a ten-foot wave, and the driver is completely protected in the cockpit, so he won’t get hurt or wet.”

  “Or she,” Bailey corrected him. “Girls can use it too, right?”

  When Bailey saw Drake’s shy smile she was positive that he fell into the “cute” category.

  “Yes, girls can use it too,” Drake answered. “But it’s not a toy. It’s for professional sportsmen—I mean sports people,” he corrected himself.

  “So why did you invent it?” Sydney asked.

  “Well,” Drake went on, “you can travel up and down the Outer Banks and see all sorts of fun things to do on the water. You can kite sail, hang glide, water ski, kayak, sail a boat … there are all kinds of activities. But there’s nothing like the D-94. In the daytime, it’s a superfast racing boat. You can zoom across the water, leap over waves, and even hover or sail up to thirty feet above the water. In fact, it even works on the beach. You just press a button, and it becomes a hover craft that rides on a cushion of air, or it can walk on its feet.” He pushed a button, and four tennis-racket shaped platforms came out of the bottom of the craft.

  “So you made those strange footprints and passed us on the beach,” said Sydney. “You scared us half to death.”

  “Sorry about that.” Drake smiled. “But I didn’t think anyone would be out that early in the morning. I’ve had to be real careful so no one stole my idea until Cap here got me the patent.”

  “So you only tested it at night?” Bailey asked.

  “Yeah,” Drake answered. “But there’s a reason for that. That D-94 is not only a daytime recreational water vehicle, it’s actually a very expensive game piece.”

  “Huh?” asked Sydney.

  “Well, you see,” Drake said, “I’ve also invented a new water sport.” He walked over to one wall of the equipment shed and pointed to a big drawing on a sheet of paper stuck to the wall. “Come over here,” he said.

  When the girls got closer, they saw the drawing looked like a football field off the shore of the ocean. There were pictures of D-94s positioned on the field and a goal post on either end.

  “I don’t have a catchy name for it yet,” said Drake, “but it’s all done with lights. Players compete on teams, and the goal is to get all your D-94s safely into your end zone. You play in the dark on an imaginary field on the ocean. A floating string of lights outlines both end zones. The only other lights are on the D-94s. The lights can be stationary or flashing, and they’re used as a way to signal plays
to other members of your team.”

  “Baseball players use hand signals, and in this game, the players use light signals instead,” said Sydney.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Drake said, looking like his confidence was growing.

  “Wow, this is so cool!” said Sydney. Just then, her cell phone started to vibrate. She excused herself and read a text from Kate. I THINK IT LOOKS TOO HEAVY TO BE A REMOTE-CONTROL DEVICE. I GOOGLED NATE WRIGHT. HE HAS A REPUTATION FOR CREATIVE FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION, SO I WOULD GUESS THAT IT’S AN EXPERIMENT THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT. INVENTORS ARE OFTEN HUSH-HUSH UNTIL THEY HAVE THE KINKS OF THEIR EXPERIMENTS WORKED OUT AND UNTIL THEY GET A PATENT. B CAREFUL! K8

  Sydney texted back: YOU’RE RIGHT. IT’S A WRIGHT D-94 WAVE SMASHER. MORE LATER.

  “Can you imagine how awesome a game would look from the beach?” Bailey asked. “With all those lights scooting around and flying over the water?”

  “I can,” Sydney answered. “It was pretty exciting when we thought your D-94 was a UFO. People are going to love watching these things at night.”

  Mr. Wright was standing near his son, grinning. “And Drake here has taken extra-special care to make sure that it runs quietly so it doesn’t disturb the residents. They already think we’re crazy, you know. They don’t get it that some of the craziest-looking ideas might change the world someday.”

  “Like the Wright brothers’ flying machine,” said Bailey.

  “That’s right!” said Captain Swain. Everyone laughed. “Girls,” he said with a serious tone. “Always remember: ‘Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement.’ That’s just me and God talking to you,” he said.

  “You like to quote God, don’t you?” said Sydney.

  “I do,” the captain replied. “His Bible gives me the words, and I just speak them aloud.”

  “Just like our friend Bettyboo,” Bailey answered. “She likes to quote scripture verses too.” She walked over and stood next to Drake. He was about a foot taller than she was, and he had deep brown eyes. She was happy that he finally looked at her instead of down at his feet. “What are your plans for the D-94?” she asked.