Out of Season (7 page)

Alone for the first time on
the island he calls home, Simon is looking forward to a day of swimming and slacking off. His sister Ellen only wants to make sure they get their chores done. Neither Simon nor Ellen is prepared for the mysterious and potentially dangerous visitor who brings with him an unexpected storm and a riddle that may lead to treasure. Simon and Ellen have to work together to solve the riddle before the stranger—or the weather—destroys their chances.

Chapter One

Today is going to be great. I head down to the dock to wave goodbye to Mom and Dad. They're going to Victoria for the day. That means that apart from my sister Ellen, who doesn't really count, I am totally alone on the island for the whole day.

On my way back to the house, I plan my day. I can do whatever in the world I want. I've lived on this island all twelve years of my life, and this is the first time I have been alone on it for an entire day. If it warms up, I'm going to swim in the water hole. Then I want to check out the spring salmon run off Rudlin Bay.

First I need a couple of sandwiches, one for right now and one to take with me. I'm going to start the day with a hike to the midden on the other side of the island. A midden is basically an ancient First Nations garbage dump. That sounds gross, but it's actually really cool. All the gross stuff has decomposed by now, and all that's left are shells and bones covering a long stretch of beach. I go over there sometimes and sift through it. I have a good collection of bones from that site. But first things first, it's time to head inside for a snack.

Unfortunately, as I pull the ham and cheese out of the fridge, Ellen walks in.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

Ellen's voice has this mocking edge that would normally tick me off, but the last thing I want today is to fight with her, so I answer simply, “Making a sandwich.”

“I can see that, Simon, but why?” Ellen says. This time there's no ignoring the you-are-so-stupid tone in her voice.

“I'm hungry.”
Duh!
I don't say that out loud. I don't want to risk my day of freedom, after all.

“
That
hungry?” she points to the huge amount of food.

You'd think she could figure it out, but I patiently explain that I'm making food to last a while.

“What about your chores?” she says.

“What about them?” I ask.

Ellen puts her hands on her hips and stands between me and the fridge. I'm uncomfortable with where this conversation is going. I don't want to fight with Ellen today, but I can see my plans for the day disappearing if I let her tell me what to do.

“Mom and Dad expect the chores to be done. We're the keepers while they're away. They've got enough to worry about. You are not going anywhere until you've done your chores.”

I hate it when Ellen speaks to me like that. But I have to admit it's true. Mom and Dad have a hard day ahead of them. The government's been closing lighthouses all around here. Dad is sure Discovery Island Lighthouse Station is next. He and Mom are going to tell the people at the ministry about all the things they do: rescue boaters, keep weather records and help the biologists collect data on waves and currents. Man, I hope they can convince them that the lighthouse station should stay open. This is my
home
!

“I'll have lots of time for chores,” I say. I start spreading mustard on the bread. Ellen stands there and watches me. She looks so much like Mom right now. Mom doesn't have to say anything. She has this look. Ellen has it too. Someday my sister is going to make one scary mother. I look back at her, trying to ignore the Mom look, but it's useless. The look is working. I can feel it.

“Okay, okay, I'll do my chores first,” I say.

“You'd better. Then you can do whatever you want.” Ellen smiles sweetly.

Ha.

My main job is the boat shed. I keep it tidy so we can pull the boats in quickly during storms. I was rummaging in the shed looking for my fishing rod yesterday, so I know exactly how messy it is. This is going to take forever, half an hour at least!

I start with the ropes. I coil them properly and hang them in their spot on the wall. Then I organize the crab traps and the motor parts and oars and paddles and life jackets. After a while I start thinking that something feels different. I can't put my finger on what it is, but something is out of place. I feel like I've half noticed something, but it's taking a while to get into my brain. I look around. Everything looks the same, doesn't it? What's different?

I walk back to the entrance of the shed and look outside. Nope. Everything looks right there—the rubber tire that we use as a bumper on the dock, the bucket and hose we keep for rinsing salt water off our gear. There's a barrel of strawberries Mom planted to make the place prettier. I turn back to the shed and look around inside. Everything is in the shed that should be. Isn't it? Maybe it's just my imagination.

I put this thought out of my mind and finish cleaning. When I'm done, I step onto the wooden planks leading from the shed to the dock. And I figure out what is missing.

A chill creeps up my back. I swear, when I walked into this shed half an hour ago, there were muddy footprints on the dock. They aren't there now.

o
rca
currents

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