The Haunting of Tranquility Cove

“Shh,” said the woman, striding over and placing a finger against his lips. Now that he could see her properly, he could see that she really was rather pretty. She had bright green eyes and her lips were painted a striking shade of red, both of which he would get a good look at as she brought her face to within a few inches of his.

“Don’t talk, Charles,” she said. “Listen. Your friends are coming, and I don’t want them. I want you. Come here tonight at midnight, ok? Come here on your own and we’ll go somewhere fun. We’ll do something fun. Wouldn’t you like that, Charles? If you tell anyone, I won’t show up. I wanna be a secret. Your secret.”

Before he had a chance to respond, she grabbed the back of his head in a sudden, aggressive motion. Pulling his face down to hers, she kissed him on the mouth, throwing her other arm around him. Up above, Charles would be able to hear the sounds of Theo and Barbara making their way down the cliff.

“Here,” said Theo, picking his way down the rocks as carefully as he could. “Let me carry that camera bag, Barbara. You won’t get anywhere carrying that thing. Stay here, Clipper. I don’t want you falling.”

Clipper sat, ears drooping. The dog was clearly unhappy about being left at the top of the cliff alone, but obeyed the order with nothing more than soft whine.
 
Charles gulped several times as he stared after the beautiful woman. "But... name... I don't even know your name," he called feebly. Then he smiled, the dopey expression taking over his face. "Gosh." He swayed slightly. A secret admirer! Him! Oh, he'd totally be here, Barbara be damned. He could hear the scrambling and calling behind him, but he didn't turn.

Barbara was only too glad to hand over the camera bag, and strangely enough, she wished the dog could come with them. At least it had teeth and would probably fight for them. She shook off the thoughts as she focused on getting down through the rocks without falling. "Charles!" she tried to call and ended up gasping. "Where are you?"

She finally spotted the tall, fluffy-haired teen standing by the water with stars in his eyes. She had to look twice to make certain the stars weren't literal. "Charles! What on earth were you thinking? You scared me to death! Don't ever dash off like that again when we're on a case!" she snapped, relief coloring her anger. She slid up to him and glanced in the direction he was facing. Fog and sea. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just met a g-" He visibly stopped himself and smirked. "Gull. Yep. I saw a seagull and thought it was something else. That's all."

Barbara stared. "A gull? All this for a bird?"

"Yep!"

Charles voice had an odd sing-song quality to it, and now that Barbara thought about it, she hadn't seen a single bird since arriving on the island. That was weird for an island, wasn't it? Especially a fishing island? Weren't there supposed to be a lot of birds flocking to eat fish guts? She turned, trying to spot Theo and get some support.
 
Theo took a little longer to make it down the cliff, struggling under the weight of the heavy camera bag and trying not to break his neck. Why had he volunteered to carry the damn thing? They should’ve left it with Clipper. Next time Barbara could carry her own bag, chivalry be damned.

Once he finally reached the bottom, he spotted Barbara standing next to the dazed teenager and hurried over in time to catch the last part of their conversation. Seagulls? What was going on?

“Did we seriously come all the way down here for a bird?” he asked, tossing the camera bag at Charles. “Really? Just a bird?”

He looked around at the sand, but any footprints that might have been there had already been washed away by the surf. Why had Charles practically sprinted down a cliff just for some seagull? It didn’t make sense. He’d done some strange things when he was a teenager, but surely he hadn’t been like this! Sighing, Theo shook his head and looked back up at the cliff. At least Barbara couldn’t blame him for this one, he thought.

“I don’t see any seagulls, so I guess we’d better head back. Why were you so excited about a bird, anyways?”
 
Charles caught the bag and suddenly scowled defensively. "Hey! Watch it! This stuff is legit expensive, hoser! And So what if I like birds? That don't make me a narbo. Lemme be." He started walking back the way he'd come.

"Wait, Charles! What is going on?" Barbara demanded again, bewildered. "You are acting really strange."

Charles rolled his eyes. "Like, yeah, no duh! This place is bitchin' creepy and I just want to book it, but you wanna hang. No dice. I'm going back to the inn to get dry. I can't feel my chonies, you dig?"

"Okay. You go get warm, then we'll talk," Barbra said, frowning. She watched him go then turned back to stare at the ocean. "Something isn't right." She glanced at Theo and raised a brow. "You dig?"
 
Trying to figure out what Charles was talking about made Theo’s head spin, and it was a moment before he realized that Barbara was talking to him. What was a narbo? Was he a hoser? How had he gotten so old and so out of touch with the hip kids and their lingo? Was it still ok to call something gnarly?

“Uh...I dig,” he said. “At least, I think so. Something weird is definitely going on here. Has he gotten into drugs? Maybe he’s just huffed too much hairspray.”

Shaking his head, he started the long walk back up the cliff. Nothing was making sense today, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“I suppose you’re going to go cover the whale festival now?” he asked. “It’s supposed to start pretty soon, isn’t it?”
 
"Drugs, no, though I'd believe the hairspray," Barbara said, staring out into the water. She chewed her lip, thinking. "Yeah," she mumbled, answering Theo absently, "there's the whale festival... that's going to be a pain if I can't get my cameraman sane again."

Suddenly, Barbara spun around to face Theo. "The water. It's got something to do with the water. It's not the eels, but the eels are a product of whatever this is, and it's targeting men. I mean, not being able to see who hung themselves off the lighthouse, it's an assumption, but the police weren't acting like they would with a female, though maybe these ones are just weird. Water and men."

She started pacing, kicking at the water a bit. "Water... men... lighthouses..." She paused and turned to Theo, a new light gleaming in her eye. "I think I've got it! Well, a start, anyway."
 
Theo frowned. He didn’t understand what was going on at all, but at least Barbara seemed to be onto something. How could she make sense of all of this? Maybe it was just her reporter’s instinct...or maybe she really was crazy. It seemed like one would have to be a little bit crazy to manage living here among all these mysterious happenings.

“You’ve got it?” he asked. “Well, don’t leave me in the dark. What’s going on? I can’t make heads or tails of the whole thing. I dunno much about water, but the water here looks pretty normal to me…”

Still, he took a few steps away from the surf, watching the foamy grey sea nervously. How many eels lurked beneath those depths? What else lived down there? Most importantly, what did any of this have to do with Lucy?
 
Barbara ran a hand through her hair. "This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out. You've heard of sirens, right? The pretty ladies who are some kind of strange creature that lure people into the sea and drown themselves? Usually sailors. They call them into the water and drown them, always men. That fits exactly what we are seeing now!"

She stopped pacing and faced him. "Now. Obviously these things aren't real, but wherever there are suggestive people, there are weird cults or similar, and definitely people ready to seduce them. Pastors, speakers, messengers, those sorts of things. This place is ripe for rumors and legends and myths. What if someone is making these myths come true and killing people to solidify it?"
 
Theo stared at her, entirely baffled. Sirens? Cults? It all sounded like crazy talk to him, and he was pretty sure that Barbara’s logic had some holes in it. Still, it wasn’t as though he had an explanation for these things.

“But why?” he asked, trying to make sense of the situation himself. “Who would benefit from making people think there were sirens around here? Besides, what about the eels? I don’t suppose there’s some dude out there dumping boatloads of eels into the sea just for people to catch. You might be onto something, but I definitely think there’s more to this mystery than that.”

As he made his way carefully back up the cliff, he risked a glance over his shoulder back at the beach. Through the swirling fog, he almost thought he saw someone standing in the water, but on second glance there was nothing there. Must have just been his imagination.

“So let’s say there’s someone out there making people think sirens are real,” he said. “I guess that weird tv broadcast fits in with that, but what about Charles? What happened there? I still think he was huffing hairspray.”
 
Barbara looked around then shivered. "Let's get out of here. It's cold and... okay, fine, it's creepy. I'll admit it." She started climbing back up. "First, the eels. The eels could be a quote, unquote happy accident. Maybe the fishermen were right and it's something to do with tides or currents. I don't know, I'm not a sea-expert, I'm a reporter. Still, someone might be taking advantage of a natural phenomenon. They happen."

She paused and situated herself on the rocks before she kept climbing and kept talking. "Next, gain. What does any cult leader gain from scaring his people? He gains power and egotistical stroking and possibly money or at least control over a lot of stuff. Some people - especially men - will do anything for that kind of a hold over others. It's not that hard to imagine that.

"As for Charles, his reaction fits right in with seeing a pretty, probably wet, girl. When I first asked him what was going on, he said, and I quote, 'I just met a guh.' He then changed it to 'gull,' but who says they met a gull? No, they say they met a girl. A sexy girl who drives his interest by being mysterious. Besides, he's never shown any interest in girls before, seagull or otherwise."
 
Theo thought this over, wondering whether his cousin had somehow gotten mixed in with some crazy cult. It made sense, but the thought of it made him shudder. What sort of secrets could an island like this possibly hide? With the thick blanket of fog everywhere, he felt as though hooded cultists were going to reach out and snatch at him at any moment. Shaking his head, he tried to put the image out of his mind. Spooking himself wouldn’t help.

“That makes sense, I guess,” he said. “So you think there’s a group of people, then? Or at least some leader dude and a pretty girl? Sounds like you’ve got quite a story on your hands, Barbara. Maybe you’ll get a Pulitzer.”

Pulling himself up to the top, he sat down heavily on the ground to catch his breath. This whole business was starting to get out of hand, and he was beginning to think that he was way out of his depth. Still, there wasn’t much he could do about it. Who was he going to go to? The police? They’d think he was playing some kind of joke and laugh him out of the office.

“Let’s talk this over somewhere warm and dry,” he said. “See if we can think more clearly when we’re not out in the cold. How about we go back to the Whalebone Inn? Come on, Cli-”

He froze suddenly, looking around. Where was Clipper? He’d left the dog right here, and Clipper had never been one to wander. He whistled into the fog, waiting for the dog to come running. No dogs came.

“Clipper!” he shouted, voice starting to tremble with concern. “Clipper, come here!”

The only response was the echo of his own voice, bouncing off the cliffs and distorted in the fog. Clipper the dog was nowhere to be seen.
 
Barbara wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. "Are you serious? The dog is gone?" She looked around. "We didn't hear any barking, right? And he'd bark if someone he didn't know tried to take him, so maybe he went after something on his own. Like a seagull."

She started scrambling carefully over the rocks as she searched for signs of a wagging tail. Now and then, she tried calling the dog, but her heart sunk. This was hopeless. They never should have left the dog. Someone with a bit of sausage probably lured him away with ease, but she couldn't say that to Theo. She felt she owed it to him to at least try to put on a brave face.

When she reached the top, she called out to Theo. "Come on! Maybe he went back to the inn. I have to get Charles and start filming, but I bet someone saw him."
 
Theo found himself running to and fro, becoming increasingly frantic as he called for Clipper again and again. Where was he? The dog wouldn’t have just walked away! When Barbara suggested heading back to the inn, he shook his head, checking under a shrub as though the dog might have somehow hidden himself underneath.

“No, he’s got to be out here somewhere,” he said. “He wouldn’t have just wandered away, that’s not like him. He’s a good dog! Besides, have you seen any seagulls or squirrels or anything like that? I don’t know where he could have gone.”

Still, even he could see that searching here was fruitless. There were no dogs here, that much was obvious. If Clipper were around, he would have come running or at least barked. Unless, of course, he was lying somewhere in the fog, hurt badly...but Theo didn’t want to think about that. That simply wasn’t possible. Besides, it wasn’t as though there was any blood anywhere. He nodded reluctantly, following Barbara back down the road towards the town. Clipper must have gotten cold and decided to go back to the inn. That had to be it! They would get back and see the lazy dog sitting on the front step and wagging his tail and everything would be alright...but even he couldn’t convince himself of that. Someone must have taken him, and there was nothing Theo could do about it.
 
Barbara still felt wary of Theo, and she had no love for the dog, yet she found herself reaching out and gingerly patting his shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Theo. Dogs always come back home, right? And he seems pretty devoted to you. He must have just gotten distracted, that's all."

She hoped the stupid dog would be on the porch or something. Maybe wandering down the street looking for them. Or maybe - she'd best not mention this or they'd never get back to the Whalebone - the dog had picked up the scent of the elusive cousin. It was a possibility. She'd get Charles to focus again, and they'd start with the lighthouse, talk about the tragic death, then move to the stupid whale festival. Why was nothing ever simple??
 
Unfortunately, when they finally made it back to the inn, Clipper was nowhere to be found. Theo frantically began questioning everyone and anyone in the vicinity, to no avail. Nobody around had seen the dog since they’d left earlier that morning, and he found that the islander opinions ranged from unsympathetic to downright hostile. Nobody around seemed to like mainlanders much, he found.

“Maybe I should put out posters,” he said, once he met back up with Barbara and Charles. “Y’know, with pictures of him. It’s a small island, someone will see him eventually. You don’t think someone grabbed him, do you? I don’t know why anyone would just snag a dog, but there’s crazies out there everywhere. Oh, I should have stayed up there on that cliff with him. Why did we have to go down there, anyways? For your seagull?”

The last question was more of a demand, directed at Charles with more than a little venom. If only the empty-headed kid hadn’t run off, Theo was sure, he’d still have Clipper with him. This was, at least in part, Charles’ fault.
 
Charles seemed a bit more clear-headed after spending some time in the inn away from the fog and the sea. Even so, he was a bit edgier than usual. He scowled at Theo's acusation. "Hey! Don't be blaming me, dude! I ain't to blame for you not tying up your dog or keeping hold or whatever, and I didn't ask you to follow me."

"Alright, simmer down," Barbara inturrupted, stepping between them. "I'm the only one allowed to throw around accusations, remember? Charles, get the camera ready." She waited until Charles turned to look over the camera bag before facing Theo. "Look, I'm sorry about your dog, really, but yelling at Charles won't get you anywhere. I don't think posters will help, not with the way people were glaring at us when we asked. If you want to try, go for it. I'm sorry, but I have to report on this whale thing or I'm out of a job. I'll keep an eye out for Clipper, and if I get the chance to ask people, I will. Okay?"

Charles took out the video camera and set it on his shoulder. "Ready," he said grudgingly.

"Good. Let's go." Barbara started for the door. "Catch you later, Theo."
 
“Doesn’t seem much like a fifty-fifty partnership to me,” grumbled Theo. “You do whatever you want. I’m going back to the cliff to look for Clipper. Maybe he’ll come back there, or maybe he’s hurt or something. He could have gotten hit by a car! Who knows what could have happened. You keep doing your reporter thing and I’m going to find my dog. Don’t go chasing any more seagulls, Charles.”

He ran back out into the fog, leaving Charles and Barbara behind. The innkeeper walked over to the two of them, a large black eel slung over her shoulder.

“You two had best get going,” she said. “That is, if you want to report on the whale festival. It started ten minutes ago!”
 
"Kind of hard to have a fifty-fifty when one of us isn't doing anything but run after a dog, and one of us has an actual job they are supposed to be doing," she grumbled under her breath, ignoring Charles' grumbles. She turned as the innkeeper came up to her. "Wait, already? It's started??" She started running for the door. "Charles! We gotta move or we are so fired!"

Charles gave the slimy eel an uneasy look then trotted out after Barbara. "Where to first? The lighthouse?"

Barbara shook her head in agitation. "We don't have time. We'll have to catch the parade as best we can and report on that. To the middle of the route! Hurry!"

She led the way, rudely pushing through the few clumps of people here and there, running when she could to get to the middle of the parade route and set up. They found an unoccupied balcony, and Barbara primped a bit before Charles turned the camera on her. She smiled and began her report, telling viewers everything she could about the festival and hinting at the sad events surrounding the apparently happy town before indicating the front of the parade as it came down the road.
 
The sun had started to come out by the time the parade reached where Barbara and Charles had set themselves up, shining through the clouds and burning away some of the fog. The parade itself was quite elaborate for such a small town, with marching bands and senior citizens’ choirs leading the way for huge floats in the shape of ships and whales. It seemed that the entire town had turned out to watch the parade, lining the streets and crowding into every available nook and cranny that offered a view. Barbara’s unoccupied balcony didn’t stay unoccupied for long, with islanders quickly finding their way to her vantage point to watch the parade.

“Hey,” said one of them, squinting suspiciously at her. “Hey, you’re not from our news station. You two mainland TV?”

“Eel oil!” called another man, trying to edge his way into the camera shot. “Eel oil for sale! Moisturizes your skin! Strengthens your hair! Burns fat! Five bucks a bottle! Get it while it’s fresh!”

He held up a basket of small jars, each filled with a viscous black goop.

“You want some eel oil, news lady?” he asked, popping a jar open. “Nice and fresh! It’ll give you curves where you want’em and make you flat where you don’t! It cured my bunions, too! Special deal for you, nine bucks for two!”
 
"I'd rather buy snake oil, thank you very much," Barbara said without missing a beat or losing her smile. She edged around so Charles could cut the oil merchant out of the shot then answered the other question. "Yes, we are from the mainland," she told him, indicating the name of the station on the side of Charles' camera. "I have to say, this is fantastic! The floats are amazing, and would you hear those choirs sing!"

Actually, the floats were really good, but the choirs were... interesting. Even so, Barbara did her best to keep the shots clear and clean, gesturing with a bright smile to the parade below as Charles kept filming.

Barbara glanced at the oil seller. After a bit of debate, she stepped out of the shot so Charles could get shots of just the parade and faced the seller. Oh, she did not want to do this! "Alright, I'll buy a jar, but I was wondering if you could give me information? My friend lost his dog, and we've been looking everywhere for him. Have you seen him?" She showed the seller the picture, keeping a strong grip on it.
 
Back
Top