sborek
The day Gabrielle Lopez's Abuelita disappeared haunted the family. They waited for a year for her return, before pronouncing her deceased and holding a memorial service. But Gabrielle never believed her Abuelita was dead, especially when a seagull dropped her a charm bracelet at the service.
Years pass. The heartbreak and sadness turns to a dull feeling within the family. That is, until Gabrielle stumbles upon a hollowed out book containing a cipher and a long letter describing where Abuelita disappeared to. She had disappeared to mystical Lemuria, a sunken continent that thrives with merfolk, or at least that's what she claims.
Gabrielle, along with her two friends Damian and Jamie, decide to decode the cipher and follow the clues. Along the way, they'll meet encounter adversaries, crack codes, and hopefully, discover the elusive Lemuria.
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This is my entry to the 2022 Open Novella Contest! I'm using this prompt:
7. When reading a book, you find it's more than a story. It consists of clues, some hints, and a hidden map to a hidden treasure. Assemble the clues together, find the map, and head towards adventure in search of the hidden treasure!