Summer Island

by Dori Hillestad Butler

  “Is it my imagination or is the water getting higher rather than lower?” Sai asked.

  “It’s definitely getting higher,” Marly said. “Look at our sandcastle.” The water lapped closer and closer to it.

  “This is fun, but I don’t think we’re ever going to be able to walk to that island,” Isla said with disappointment.

  “And I don’t see any new islands appearing in the water,” Marly said. “Maybe we should go back to the cabin and make a new plan.”

  “Fine,” Sai said. “I’m getting hungry again anyway.” But Marly could tell he hadn’t fully given up on that island.

  * * *

  Back at the cabin, Marly, Isla, and Sai helped Stella make tacos, chips, and guacamole for dinner. While they were cooking, the kids told Stella all about the driftwood house they’d discovered at Hidden Bay Beach, the metal box that was buried in the sand, and the puzzle they’d found inside.

  “Maybe it’s just me, but figuring out how to solve the puzzles seems easier this time around,” Sai said as he mashed an avocado with the back of a fork. “It’s the next part that’s hard.”

  Marly glanced up from the cheese she was grating. “That’s true,” she said.

  “What do you mean by ‘the next part’?” Stella put the taco shells in the oven and set the timer.

  Isla went to get their notebook. “Here’s our latest puzzle,” she said. She pulled out the paper with the solved code and showed it to Stella.

  “ ‘Go to hidden island, find another house,’ ” Stella read.

  “We solved the puzzle pretty easily, but we have no idea where the hidden island is,” Marly said.

  “There’s a little island not far from shore on Hidden Bay Beach,” Sai explained. “I still think that’s it, but we can’t get to it. Unless you know where there’s a boat we could take.”

  Stella shook her head. “I don’t think Harry would want you all in a small boat out on the ocean,” she said.

  “That’s what we said,” Marly chimed in.

  Sai groaned.

  “Cheer up, Sai,” Isla said. “I really don’t think that’s the hidden island.”

  “Then where is it?” Sai threw his hands in the air.

  “I don’t know,” Isla said.

  “You’ll find it,” Stella said with confidence. “I know you will.”

  Marly hoped Stella was right. They only had two more full days on Summer Island. And no idea how many more puzzles there were to solve.

  “What should we do today?” Isla asked as they cleared their breakfast dishes the next morning.

  “Find the hidden island,” Sai said.

  “Duh,” Marly said. “How are we going to do that?” She set her dishes in the sink, then went to get their map of the island. She spread it out on the counter, and Isla and Sai peered over her shoulder.

  “We could start by following Main Path,” Isla said. “We haven’t been to this part of the island at all.” She waved her hand over the whole northeast part of the map.

  “While we’re over that way, we should also check out this lake.” Sai slapped it on the map. “And look! There’s an island smack dab in the middle of it.”

  “It’s not exactly hidden if it’s on the map,” Marly pointed out.

  “It’s still worth checking out,” Isla said.

  “Sounds like you know what you’re doing today,” Stella said. “I think I’ll be spending another morning on the porch. I’m really starting to get into this ‘vacation’ thing.”

  The kids helped Stella with the dishes, then headed outside. It was another crisp morning. Isla tucked a small bag into her bike basket.

  “Do we need the metal detector?” Marly asked.

  “We’ve still got our shovel from yesterday,” Sai said, pointing to his bike basket.

  “If we need the metal detector, we can come back and get it,” Isla said. “For now, let’s just explore.”

  They got on their bikes and started pedaling. When they got to Main Path, they turned right, and kept going past the turn-off to Hidden Bay Beach. They’d never been this far on Main Path, but once again, all they saw were trees, trees, and more trees. Finally, they came to a sign that said Lake. An arrow pointed the way.

  “Should we turn?” Isla asked over her shoulder.

  “Do it!” Sai said, zooming ahead of her.

  This trail was muddier than Main Path, and Marly needed to watch where she was going so she didn’t get stuck or wipe out.

  About a quarter of a mile down the trail, they arrived at a lake that was so still, it looked like glass. And there, in the middle of the lake, was an island covered in trees.

  “What do you think?” Sai asked, leaning on his handlebars. “Could that be the hidden island?”

  “It’s kind of hidden,” Isla said. “This whole lake is surrounded by trees.”

  “Same problem as before. How do we get there?” Marly asked.

  There was a dock ahead. A green-and-blue flag rose from a pole at the end of it. But there was no boat in sight.

  “I wonder how cold that water is,” Sai said as they got off their bikes. “Maybe we could swim over.”

  “I don’t know,” Marly said nervously.

  “We don’t know what’s in that lake or how deep it is,” Isla said.

  “Fine,” Sai said, letting out a big breath. “Let’s at least go out onto the dock and get a closer look.” He raced ahead of the girls, right through a patch of tall grass and daisies.

  Marly and Isla both sighed at the same time, then followed Sai. Marly had to admit that his excitement was contagious.

  But when they got close to the water, Isla suddenly stopped. Something off to the right had caught her attention. “What is that?” she asked.

  Marly turned. “What is what?” She squinted. “Oh, that box or whatever on that post? I’ll go see.” She jogged across the sand.

  Sai wasn’t paying any attention to Marly. He stood at the end of the dock, peering at the island. But Isla watched Marly intently.

  “It’s a telephone!” Marly yelled to the others.

  “Really?” That got Sai’s attention. “Out here?” He clomped down the dock, and he and Isla ran toward Marly.

  “Maybe we’re supposed to call someone for a ride to the island?” Isla suggested.

  “Who?” Sai asked.

  Marly picked up the receiver and put it to her ear. “No dial tone,” she said, hanging up. “So calling someone is out.”

  Then she noticed something else. Behind Isla and Sai. Past the dock. She squinted. “What is that?” she asked, staring at a tree that was bent over the water. Was there some sort of picture carved into that tree?

  The three friends ran over. “It’s a carving of a bear,” Isla said, shading her eyes.

  Marly stopped beside the patch of daisies. “It reminds me of the bears outside the library at home,” she said. The Sandford Public Library had carved statues of Mama Bear and Little Bear outside. In fact, Marly, Isla, and Sai had solved one of their earliest puzzles there.

  “Wait a minute,” Sai said, turning around in a circle. “Bear. Telephone. Daisies. Where have we seen these things before?”

  “In the tree house and in the tower room at Mr. Summerling’s house,” Marly said. “But we’re missing a globe.” The other two times they’d come upon pictures of a bear, a telephone, daisies, and a globe, they had needed to “make a T.” They’d imagined lines running between the four objects, and right where those lines crossed, they’d discovered something hidden below. Both times.

  “Maybe there’s a globe on that flag?” Isla said. “There’s no wind so I can’t tell what’s on it.” The flag hung limply against the pole.

  Sai climbed back up onto the dock and ran all the way to the end. He stood on his tiptoes and stretched his arm as high as he cou
ld, but he wasn’t tall enough to reach the flag. He tried jumping, but still couldn’t reach it.

  “Let’s assume it’s a globe,” Marly said. She found the spot where imaginary lines between the bear, telephone, daisies, and the flag at the end of the dock came together on the sand. “We should dig here!”

  “I’ll go get the shovel,” Sai said, barreling back down the dock.

  Isla dropped to her knees beside Marly and they started digging with their hands. Sai returned with the shovel. He crowded in between them and made their hole deeper and deeper. It wasn’t long before they heard the familiar clang of metal hitting metal. And a few minutes later, they pulled out another metal box.

  They opened it up and found a paper inside. It read:

  Blf droo urmw z ylzg zg Nroovi Ozmwrmt

  “Great. Another code,” Sai said in a tired voice.

  “Don’t worry. We’ve still got plenty of time to finish this treasure hunt,” Marly said.

  “I’m not worried,” Sai said. “I—”

  “Ouch!” Isla yelped and slapped at her arm. Her eyes grew large. “Oh no. No, no, no . . .” The color drained from her face.

  “What?” Marly turned to Isla.

  “I-I—” Isla dropped onto the sand. Her eyes were red and watery. Her face and neck were swelling like a balloon.

  Marly gaped. “Did you just get stung by a bee?”

  “I-I—” Isla nodded.

  Sai’s mouth fell open. “B-but you’re allergic to bees,” he said.

  Isla couldn’t talk. She was struggling to breathe.

  Sai grabbed Marly’s arm. “What do we do? What do we do?”

  Marly’s heart felt like it might explode from her chest. She didn’t know what to do!

  “Go get Stella,” she said finally.

  Sai bolted for his bike.

  Marly couldn’t tear her eyes away from the angry red splotch on Isla’s forearm. It was growing larger by the second. Stay calm! she told herself. But that was easier said than done.

  Isla clung to Marly’s arm. Tears ran down her swollen face. “Ep-ep-ep,” she gasped.

  “EpiPen?” Marly guessed. “You need your EpiPen?”

  Isla nodded.

  “Where is it?” Marly asked, looking around. Obviously, it wasn’t here in the sand. Had she even brought it?

  Isla raised a shaky hand, but Marly didn’t understand what she was trying to do.

  “I DON’T KNOW WHERE IT IS!” Marly cried. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. Then she realized Isla was trying to show her.

  “On your bike?” Marly asked.

  Isla nodded. A horrible rasping, wheezing sound came from her mouth.

  Marly ran to the bikes. There was a bag in the front basket on Isla’s bike. Marly grabbed it and hurried back to her friend. “Is it in here?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She dumped the whole bag out onto the sand.

  Isla grabbed one of the green tubes and shoved it at Marly’s chest.

  Marly shrank back. “You want me to do it?”

  Isla nodded desperately.

  “I don’t know what to do with an EpiPen!” Where are Sai and Stella?

  Isla pounded the tube against her thigh, then pushed it at Marly again, her eyes wild with fear.

  Tears poured down Marly’s cheeks. She didn’t have a choice. She had to do this. She knew what could happen to Isla if she didn’t.

  She took the EpiPen. Thank goodness, there are directions right on it! She moved her eye patch so she could read the directions clearly. There were only three steps.

  I can do this, Marly told herself. She flipped open the green cap and slid the device out. Then she popped the blue cap. The only thing left to do was inject it. She put one hand on Isla’s thigh, took a deep breath, and jabbed the orange end of the tube into Isla’s leg. There was a short click. Marly held it there for three seconds like the directions said, then pulled it out.

  Her heart raced. She met Isla’s eyes. Was that it? Was that all she had to do?

  Marly turned the tube around in her hand. She didn’t see any needle. Was it inside the orange thing? There was still liquid rolling around in there. Uh-oh. Maybe she hadn’t done it right.

  “Do we need to do it again?” she asked.

  Isla shook her head and started rubbing the spot on her leg where Marly had injected the medicine.

  “Does it hurt?” Marly asked.

  “Yeah,” Isla said.

  Stupid question, Marly thought. Of course, it hurt to get a needle shoved into your thigh.

  Marly was still worried about that liquid inside the tube. “Um,” she said. “We didn’t get all the liquid out. Are you sure we don’t have to do it again?”

  Isla was still breathing really hard. “I-it . . . doesn’t all . . . come . . . out,” she said.

  “Oh. Okay.” So Marly had done it right. That was a relief.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t talk,” she said, patting Isla’s non-stung arm. “Just rest. Sai went to get Stella.”

  “Good.” Isla nodded. Her eyelids looked heavy.

  She’s not going to pass out or anything, is she? Marly wondered. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, forgetting she’d just told Isla not to talk. But it seemed like the swelling on her face and throat was going down.

  “Yeah,” Isla said.

  A few minutes later, Marly heard a vehicle. Then Stella’s voice: “Marly? Isla?”

  Finally! Marly thought. “We’re over here,” she called as Stella and Sai flew toward them.

  Isla tried to sit up. “I-I’m okay,” she told Stella. “Marly . . . used my . . . EpiPen.”

  Stella crouched down beside Isla. “If Marly had to use your EpiPen on you, you most certainly are not okay,” she said. “And without cell phone service, I’m not sure what to do.” She said the last part under her breath, almost like she was talking to herself.

  “I’m feeling better,” Isla said.

  “How many times have you been stung by a bee?” Sai asked.

  “Three,” Isla replied.

  “What do you do when that happens?” Stella asked.

  “I . . . don’t really remember . . . the first time . . . ,” Isla panted. “Last time my mom gave me my EpiPen . . . then called 9-1-1 . . . and we went to the hospital . . .”

  Stella’s eyebrows knit together with concern.

  “B-b-but I didn’t have to stay at the hospital,” Isla went on. “They didn’t have to give me any more medicine . . . I really am feeling better now.” She managed a small smile. “I’m just . . . tired.”

  “Well,” Stella said finally, “let’s get you back to the cabin and we can figure out what to do from there.” She put her hands under Isla’s body, but Isla wiggled away.

  “I can walk,” she said. “I just . . . have to go slow.”

  Marly and Stella helped Isla to her feet and walked her slowly over to the ATV. After getting her settled in the back seat, Marly said, “What about the bikes?” Sai had ridden his back to the cabin, but the other two were still here. And they were too big and awkward to put in the back of the ATV.

  “You and I can ride them back,” Sai said, elbowing Marly.

  Stella nodded. “Yes, why don’t you do that,” she said. “We’ll see you back at the cabin.”

  Isla yawned and stretched on the sofa.

  “She’s awake,” Sai announced as Isla’s eyes fluttered open.

  Stella set her book on the table and Marly scooted forward on her chair. “How are you feeling?” Marly asked.

  Isla seemed a little stunned by all the attention. “Fine. Just tired. I was tired after the last time I got stung, too. What time is it?” The swelling in her face and neck was completely gone and her face was a normal color.

  “Almost five o’clock,” Sai said.

  “I slept
all day?” Isla said with dismay.

  “It’s okay,” Marly said, patting her leg.

  “You needed the sleep,” Stella said.

  “But the treasure hunt.” Isla’s bottom lip quivered. “We wasted the whole day. Unless you two solved the new puzzle. Did you?” She looked up hopefully at Marly and Sai.

  “Of course not,” Marly said.

  “We waited for you,” Sai added.

  Isla tossed her blanket aside. “Then, let’s get to work.” She started to sit up.

  “Hold on there,” Stella said. “Your health is far more important than any treasure hunt. Your parents are going to have my head on a silver platter when they hear about this.” She tried to guide Isla back down on the sofa, but Isla refused to lie down.

  She grabbed her cat ears and plopped them on her head. “I’m okay. Really!” she insisted. “I had my medicine. I had a nap. My arm doesn’t really even hurt anymore.” She slapped her arm lightly to prove her point.

  Stella looked doubtful.

  “We read about bee sting allergies in the encyclopedia,” Sai said. “Marly saved your life!”

  “Thanks, Marly,” Isla said.

  Marly blushed. “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said.

  “Can we please, please, please work on the puzzle?” Isla begged Stella. “I promise I’m well enough to do that, and it’ll take my mind off the bee sting.”

  “We only have one more day here,” Sai pointed out.

  Marly could tell how badly Isla wanted to work on the puzzle. And she seemed better. “We won’t let her work too hard,” Marly told Stella.

  Stella pressed her lips together. “You can work on the puzzle as long as Isla doesn’t leave the sofa,” she said finally. “And while you’re doing that, I’ll go see what there is for dinner.”

  Sai sat down beside Isla. “I bet we’re close to the end of this treasure hunt,” he said.

  “Really?” Marly said. “What makes you say that?”

  “We had to make a T! That always comes at the end,” Sai said, confidently.