Paranelope, a ghost hunter who's been cancelled for faking evidence, must discover the truth behind a local cryptid in order to clear her name.
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Penelope, better known as the ghost hunter PARANELOPE to her millions of followers, has only ever want...
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By the time her dad exited the diner, Penelope was back in the truck, curled up in her seat. Her dad smiled at her and raised his bounty so she could see: a grease-stained paper bag. But Penelope's responding expression wiped the smile from his face.
He came to the truck and opened the door. "Back already?" he asked, climbing inside. "I thought you might want to explore—"
"I did," Penelope replied, turning to him. Her eyes were as cold as the early morning air. "I was right, wasn't I? We have been here before."
Her dad attempted another smile that quickly faltered. "Yeah, we have," he said. "We stopped here on our roadtrip to Bella Coola when you were a kid. Do you remember?"
"I remember," Penelope mumbled, turning away again to look out her window. The memories were a little foggy—it had been over ten years ago, just before her eighth birthday—but she did remember it.
In her childhood, Penelope's mom and dad had taken her many a road trip. They had spent most of their summers camping and hiking all over the country. And while Penelope had enjoyed it, she had always preferred the drive to the destination. She loved stopping in many small towns along the way, spending an afternoon exploring them, discovering their secrets. Her favourite towns were always the towns with an odd claim-to-fame, like a UFO landing pad or a lake monster like the Ogopogo.
The Raven had been one of them.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," her dad said, interrupting her trip down memory lane. "I thought it would cheer you up."
Penelope didn't respond.
Her dad was silent for a moment, too, then dropped the heavy bag beside her on the long seat. "I got you that donut."
Penelope reluctantly took the bag and held it in her lap. On top of the greasy breakfast sandwiches and wax-paper-wrapped hashbrowns was a small plastic container. Inside, as he had promised, was a donut with pink icing and silver sprinkles.
The sight of it softened Penelope, just a little. "Thanks, dad," she said in a small voice and closed the bag.
Her dad just nodded as he started up the truck again and backed out onto the street. Instead of getting right back on the highway, he went the long way, looping around the town square. Penelope tried not to look at the Raven statue as her dad rounded the park. But the monstrous statue seemed to draw her in, its shining eyes following her as they passed. From afar, it looked a lot more intimidating.
