Nancy Drew takes off on a trip for a much needed relaxing vacation. Instead, she's greeted by a strange gift shop, filled with hundreds of strange antiquities. Among them is a hidden mermaid figurine in a bottle, and quickly learns of its ancient le...
On the way back to the bed and breakfast, Nancy had noticed a local museum. It didn't look like much on the outside, however, she wondered what treasures awaited visitors. As she entered a small elderly man greeted her. She must have interrupted his lunch break because he came out of a doorway carrying a sub sandwich. After paying the five-dollar fee to get in, Nancy made her way through the many exhibits.
As you entered, there was a large mural on the wall of a harbor at sunset. Beneath the mural stood two large tanks. The first came up to waist height and was filled with many starfish and a few horseshoe crabs you could pet. The other tank was much larger and had a tight lid on top. It was meant to depict a natural tide pool and was filled with starfish, sea urchins, crabs, and many kinds of tiny fish.
The next room was painted a sandy color and felt very calming. On the wall to the right, where a large sign listing what seashells could be found in the area and their rarity. Down in cases below were examples of rare shells and even some sea glass. Nancy grabbed a pamphlet from the top of a display case. It listed how to find sea glass and shark teeth. It also talked about the best beaches in the area to find seashells and what time of day to look.
Nancy explored the rest of the room. In the far corner was a massive driftwood sculpture. It looked to be a huge lion made of too many different pieces of wood to count. For eyes, it made pieces of amber that seemly glowed from within. On a large plaque in front, was listed the title of the piece, "Haggard Lion". It was crafted by the hands of an artist named, "Wesley Andre". the pieced was said to be on loan from the Gibbes Museum of Art, in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Nancy visited many more exhibits in different parts of the museum. One room she visited held the history of the once small town, from its beginning to the present. Another area was designed for fun pics. With many props like a mermaid statue, rowboat, and large wooden board that was painted with a vintage pin-up model on the front.
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In the last room, Nancy was surprised to find an exhibit dedicated to scuba diving. It contained many small tanks filled with native species of aquatic creatures. Nestled between a vending machine and antique diving suit from the early 1900s, was a large diving mural. It portrayed a group of divers exploring a sunken warship as sharks circled above it. "I had no idea England had a thriving underwater diving industry," she commented while studying the painting.
"See that castle hidden towards the bottom of the mural right there?" said a young man who seemed to pop out of nowhere. This spooked Nancy, causing her to take a step back.
"Yes, what of it?" she asked the man. He was about six feet tall, with tossed bleach blonde hair, cute dimples, and captivating hazel eyes.
"It was once on a cliffside that collapsed hundreds of years ago," he explained.
"Why would anyone want to build a castle on a cliff? That just seems stupid." Nancy replied.
The guy grinned at her relay, then added "I thought the same thing at first. That is until my boss explained the true reason. It wasn't actually built on a cliff, to begin with. That seas side castle is so ancient that the waves and storms had eaten away at the earth until all that was left was a cliff beneath it. The whole thing is made of smooth black stone and it still has some of its stain glass windows remaining."
"You talk as if you've been there?" she asked while looking up at him with curious eyes.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have visited there a few times. It is actually very close to the Mermaid Cove. I work as a sort of tour guide for Max's Undersea Wonders. "He said before pulling a handful of hard candies from his pocket.
"What mermaid? Is it the one from the legend?" she questioned.
"Yeah well sort of..." said the young man while ruffing up his hair, lost in thought. "It is a metal and stone statue that lies on the seafloor. But no know ones who put it there or why."
Nancy was quiet for a moment as she thought. "There had to be some kind of expiation for the statue being there."
"Some of the old-timers insist that a pirate sunk it there on purpose hoping to lure out some kind of creature. O the other hand, most of the locals think that it was thrown overboard during a storm in an attempt to keep a merchant ship from sinking," he explained before checking his wristwatch.
"I'm sorry to cut this short but I was supposed to help my boss today. If I don't leave now I'm going to be late. Here take this if you are interested in going diving." he said before handing over a wrinkled flyer. Nancy watched him run out of the building.
"He was kind of cute but I didn't even catch his name. "Nancy went outside and sat upon the museum's large concrete stairs, as opening up the flyer. It promised adventure, exploring, and a treasure. "What kind of treasure?" she wondered.
Authors Note*
This is what out mystery man would look like in real life.
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