Meranda and the Legend of the Lake by Meagan Mahoney

Author:Meagan Mahoney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Owlkids Books Inc.
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Legends of the Lakes by Sarah Chapman, 2010

Chapter 16

The rain is really pelting down now, but the block before the library is lined with shops that all have colorful awnings over the sidewalk, so we walk at a comfortable pace. The air is sweet with the smell of rain and wet leaves, and it starts to soothe my anger, settling it back down deep where it belongs. Claire turns off the sidewalk, and I follow her up the steps to the library. It’s a single-story red brick building that looks newer than most of the rest of the town. We walk in, and the beautiful scent of old books fills my lungs and melts away what is left of my dark mood. I close my eyes for a second to let the smell crash over me until I’m submerged. I could float away.

“Prepare yourself,” Claire whispers. “The librarian is Gus’s wife. She’s not creepy like him, but she chatters more than the gulls when the fishin’ boats come in.” She walks straight to the desk. “Hi, Mrs. MacDonald, have you got today’s Gazette?”

“Oh, hello, Claire, dear.” Mrs. MacDonald is a short, round lady with wildly frizzy hair and laughing eyes. When she talks, her voice is a giggle. “There should be a couple of copies on the reading table over there. Whatcha lookin’ for?”

Claire ignores the question. “’Kay, thanks!” She waves me over to a table across from the librarian’s desk. I count four stacks of shelves on each side of the long narrow room. It looks like there would be barely enough space between them to browse the books. In the far corner sits a small table with an old desktop computer and in the other corner are two faded armchairs. The whole library is hardly the size of the kids’ section of my local library at home. Claire and I find sections of newspapers from the last two days scattered on the tabletop and start weeding through stories about community potlucks, garage sale notices, and an article featuring Beatrice from Kettle O’ Fish Bakery and Café selling her famous pumpkin pies to be ordered for Thanksgiving.

“Found it!” I lay out the spread with Uncle Mark’s face beside the byline.

Investigation into Fisherman’s Death Continues

Local detectives continue to probe into the death of Mark McKenzie, whose body was pulled from the lake last week. Crew members previously stated that no one had seen McKenzie fall overboard, but new evidence has surfaced. “We have two witnesses that claim they heard voices on deck just before the victim disappeared,” says Detective Sullivan. “And one witness heard a scream.” McKenzie’s death has rekindled superstition in some locals who fear the legend of the Bras d’Or mermaids. Believers blame the mermaids for the nearly decade-long increase in injuries and deaths in and around the waters off Skye. This fear has led to acts of vandalism this week targeting images of the legendary sea creatures, including some of Skye’s most famous tourist attractions. Autopsy results are expected later this week.

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