NANCY DREW AND THE SECRET OF MERMAID COVE

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nancy's air supply was drastically depleted to the point where her head felt dizzy and her vision blurred.  She struggled to keep her eyes open. Just then there was a strange sound. It reminded her of a whale song mixed with human-like vocals. 

It sounded like the song was calling out to her, "Follow the spinning arrow. Let it point the way to were your destiny lay." As Nancy was on the verge of blacking out, a strange shadow appeared in her field of vision. It began to slowly move closer just as she lost consciousness. 

Back on the boat, Bess was in tears, while Chase was on the ham radio calling for help.  After ten minutes waiting without a response, Chase started the engine and headed back to land. He was sure Nancy was dead, however, he still felt the need to try to save her. 

The water was choppy as they made their way back, causing both of them to feel sick to their stomachs. Despite this fact, they carried on. Thankfully, in the span of thirty minutes the shoreline was in sight. 

Chase slowed the engine as they neared the boat deck. That was when Bess noticed something strange laying half summered in the water. Bess jumped up on to the wooden deck.  Then edged herself closer to get a better look. "Oh my God, it is Nancy!" she exclaimed. 

Bess raced to Nancy, who lay on the sand with only her upper torso out of the water. Interestingly enough, most of her diving gear including the scuba mask was missing.  Even more puzzling was the strange spiral-like marks surrounded her in the sand. Bess held Nancy in her arms as Chase kneeled down to check for a pulse. To his surprise, there was a very faint heartbeat. 

Without hesitation, he carefully lifted Nancy up off the ground to carry her to the jeep. Bess opened the passenger side door before moving out of the way. As Chase was laying Nancy across the back seat, Bess noticed something fall to the car floor.  She picked the object up to find that it was a compass. "How strange.." she commented. Once they were all loaded up in the car, they took off like a bat out of hell for the nearest hospital.

A few hours later, Nancy was headed back to the inn with strict orders to rest. 

"I am so glad you are ok, Nancy. I thought you were dead when we found you." Bess explained. 

Nancy smiled weakly, "Sorry to have worried you."

Chase cleared his throat, "Do you have any idea how you ended up on the beach?"

"I am afraid not. I remember being trapped and panicking. When my air supply got too low I blacked out." answered Nancy. 

Bess turned round in her seat to look at Nancy, "Perhaps it was an angel that saved you."

"Or an evil sea witch, who saved you only to claim your body for her own." Chase teased. 

Bess stuck her tongue out at him, "You are so silly."

Once they had arrived back at the inn they were greeted at the door by the owners, who wore worried expressions. "We were only gone for an hour, only to return to find the place had been broken into. Your room appears to have been the only one to be ransacked. We are not sure what was taken to call the police."

Nancy and Bess looked at each other and gulped. As fast as they could, the teens dashed up to their room to investigate. They found that some of their jewelry was taken but also the antique pocket watch. Nancy wondered if this could be the work of the gang she had read about earlier? 

They spent an hour filling out a report with the police before grabbing something to eat for dinner. The innkeepers were kind enough to offer for the girls another room to sleep in until they could clean up their original room. Surprisingly, they even offered Chase a place to sleep for the night. 

Bess looked through a magazine as Nancy rested in bed.  The day's advents filled Nancy's mind like a wild windstorm. The girl's thoughts finally settled on the song she heard in the underwater castle before drifting into a peaceful slumber.

Later on that night, the sound of rain pounding on the slate roof woke Nancy from her relaxing sleep. "It must be raining cats and dogs out there," she grumbled. Nancy turned back over to try to get some more sleep. This did not last long, however,  she was reawakened by the sound of metal scraping. It sounded like it was coming from down the hall. 

"This better not end up being something stupid," she whispered. Reluctantly she sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Her body felt so heavy and drained. She slipped out of the room, then down the quiet hall. In her hand, Nancy held a metal flashlight to light the way. 

Once Nancy had reached the door to her original room, she was shocked to find wet boot prints leading into it. What is going on here? she wondered.  Then she realized the door was slightly agar. Peering through the opening she could make out the figure of a person.

With the element of surprise on her side, she crept forward with the flashlight held high in the air. Nancy held her breath, got behind the intruder, and hit them hard on the head. The thief crumbled down on the floor like a broken china doll as Nancy yelled for help. Moments later, the others came running to find Nancy standing over the body of a young boy. In the child's hand was a handkerchief with the letters J.S. embordered in gold on it.

Authors note*

The creature's song would have sounded similar to this. BTW this is my fave mermaid/siren scene ever!