“But the sandbar—” Will began.
“Exactly!” Sam said, starting to get excited. “Everyone concentrated on the sandbar that forms the bay near the town, but there’s another sandbar down by Henry’s house that forms the marsh below the lavender field. One of the things that can change the location of a sandbar is a flood from a river, which is something that might happen during a hurricane or a severe storm.”
“Like the one 200 years ago,” Will said, nodding his head as the reality of what that might mean became clear.
“Yes. Or like the one that happened this morning,” Sam added.
“Are you saying the Dragonfly has been sitting down by Henry’s house for 200 years?” Rocky asked, standing up and grabbing his hat without waiting for an answer. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go find us some treasure!”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Sam said. “I could be wrong.”
“You? Wrong?” Libby asked. “I’m with Rocky. Let’s go find that treasure.”
Sam carefully rolled up the maps and put them in his backpack. Together, the group walked along the boardwalk into town and on to the remains of Henry’s house. The scent of lavender wafted towards them and they followed it over the dunes to where the lavender bloomed. Ahead of them was the ocean. Below them were the remains of the marsh.
“I’m not seeing a ship,” Rocky said, taking off his hat and scratching his head. “Just a lot of mud and uprooted plants.”
“And a lot of trash,” Eliza said.
“At least it smells good,” Libby added.
Sam studied the scene below. “It looks like the storm forced ocean water inland, well above the normal high tide mark. You can see it got all the way up to some of the lavender. When the water receded, it took away most of the soil the plants were growing in with it. The water filled in where the dirt was and now it’s more like a lagoon.”
“Looks like there’s still water coming in from the river,” Will said.
“The tide’s taking all that trash out into the ocean!” Eliza said sadly.
“But it’s also taking more of the sand and soil, which is exposing what’s buried below,” Sam said, watching as what looked like planks of wood started to emerge from the sand
“Let’s go check it out!” Rocky shouted.
The group picked their way down the dunes for a closer look at what had been dug up by the storm. Sam picked up bottles frosted by years and years in the ocean. From their shape, he knew they hadn’t been made this century and his heart started beating faster. More and more water flowed by, taking more and more sand and plants with it. A post-like shape began to emerge further out and Sam saw tatters of sailcloth clinging to it.
Sam waded out to catch a piece of wood floating towards him. Running his hand over the wood, he felt something other than the expected wood grain and hurried back to shore. Using the hem of his shirt he dried the piece of wood as best as he could. Then he laid one of the maps on top of it, blank side up. Grabbing a handful of dirt, he carefully rubbed it over the paper.
“Are those letters showing up? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rocky asked, almost breathless.
Bit by bit the lines on the paper formed into one word: “Dragonfly.”
Chapter 26
Sam sat back in the dirt and stared at the word. “How about that? I guessed right. The storm really did bring the Dragonfly home last night,” Sam said, astounded he’d figured it out without facts.
“That’s crazy!” Will said. “I can’t believe the Dragonfly’s been here all along.”
“And since you deed includes both the marsh land and lavender fields—” Libby started.
“Then anything and everything above and below the water here is yours!” Rocky said.
Will plopped down on the ground, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to say. I can’t thank you guys enough. Clearing the Stover name was all I’ve ever really wanted and now…” he stopped and swallowed hard. “Now Betty and I have a future. She can put that crazy history degree of hers to good use and I…well…. I’ve always wanted to do my own tours. You know, like Mr. Henley’s, but better. Lots better.”
“If you put in half the energy you put into telling us the story of the Dragonfly into your tours, you’ll be a huge success,” Sam said.
“You’ll have a restored house to show them too,” Libby added.
“I don’t know how, but y’all seem to have forgotten about the treasure,” Rocky said, nearly jumping with excitement. “Since we found parts of the ship and Sam figured the lavender up there came from the trunks, then shouldn’t the trunks with the loot be in the marsh? Shouldn’t we be going out there to look for them? If you don’t, then I might just have to get over my fear of water and go out there and look for it myself!”
Sam laughed. “You’re right. The treasure should be out there, but I don’t think it’s going to just float up to the surface.”
Rocky pulled off his sneakers and waded out towards the sail post, cringing slightly as the waves lapped at the hem of his shorts. “Maybe not, but I think I feel something hard under my feet!”
Sam moved his backpack and the maps up the dunes and they all joined Rocky in the water. With some help from the current and everyone digging with their hands, they soon had the edges of a trunk exposed. Around it, something glistened in the water.
“Whoee!” Rocky shouted, reaching into the water and scooping up the gold coins. “Treasure! We finally found the treasure!” He scooped up more sand, tossing it in the air looking for more coins.
Sam looked up the dunes to see the tall lanky figure of Mr. Wellbottom looking down at the scene. He nodded, then bowed slightly before ambling away.
“I guess the secret’s out,” Will said. “I’d better let Betty know. She knows who to contact about salvage and stuff.”
“You’re going to need some security too,” Sam said, looking at the small crowd that had begun to form on the dunes. “And a cover story.”
“How about once Betty found the deed, we came back to see where the property lines were and saw something in the lagoon?” Will suggested.
“That should cover everything,” Sam said and the others agreed.
The rest of the day was a blur of people and questions. They stuck to their story and after a few hours, the girls headed back to the campground for provisions. The boys refused to leave the Dragonfly, determined to stay on the beach until a security system was put in place. As the sun began to set, the crowds thinned and Eliza and Libby came back down with their arms loaded.
“I’ve got some sandwiches and drinks,” Eliza said. “And marshmallows too.”
Libby dropped two sleeping bags in the sand. “Mrs. Wilson let us borrow some sleeping bags so we could all camp out tonight. The rest of them are still up on the dunes.”
Sam and Will retrieved the sleeping bags and joined the others around the campfire Rocky had started. The water from the river had slowed to a trickle and the tide was out, leaving a small lagoon above the remains of the Dragonfly.
“This vacation turned out a lot better than I thought it would,” Eliza said. “By the end of that first day I didn’t think I could stand another lecture from Mr. Henley…or you,” she said turning towards Sam.
“You did seem to know it all,” Libby said. “And that got annoying real fast.”
Sam smiled. “I know, and I’m sorry. I just never knew any other way to talk to people.”
“Now you know first-hand what will happen if you keep it up. You’ll turn out just like Mr. Henley,” Rocky said. “And nobody wants that.”
“Are you still bummed about missing your technology camp?” Sam asked.
“I think we can pick up most of it online,” Eliza said, looking around. “But this, this isn’t something you can just read about. This is the kind of stuff you just have to experience.”
While the others roasted marshmallows, Sam gazed at the lagoon hoping the ghosts were truly at rest. The moon had risen high enough for moonbeams to dance along the water and a ghostly ship appeared above the wreckage, complete with a crew of ghostly men and women. Sam leaned over and nudged Will. “Look out there. Do you see it?” Sam asked, pointing towards the ghostly ship. “I think maybe the ghosts really have been protecting the Dragonfly for 200 years and will continue until she’s safely recovered.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Libby asked, then gasped when she saw the ghostly ship and nudged Eliza.
“Is that for real?” Eliza said. “I know you guys were talking about ghosts and all, and I believed you. But it’s different seeing them for myself.”
“It looks like there’s a big crowd out there,” Rocky said.
“I think the crew brought their families along with them,” Sam said.
The crew separated itself from their families and saluted the group on shore. Sam, Rocky, Will, Eliza, and Libby watched in amazement as the ghosts and the Dragonfly faded away until they were nothing more than a shimmer on the water.
Will tossed more driftwood on the fire while Sam and his new friends talked about their adventures with ghosts, how much treasure there might be, and about their plans for the future. Rocky was happily flipping one of the five coins he’d found near the shipwreck that morning. Since exactly five coins had washed up, Will had taken it as a sign to give one to everyone.
Three days ago Sam hadn’t believed there was a treasure worth searching for. Now, all he had to do was look around at his new friends to know he’d found the greatest treasure of all.
A Ghostly Twist Page 16
