Edna approached silently on her high-top sneakered feet and gave me a quick hug. It seemed like everyone I’d met in Destiny Falls was warm, friendly, and prone to hugging. It was quite nice.
“How are you, Edna?” I asked.
“Happy, as always. How about you? Settling into the Destiny Falls lifestyle? It’s been about a month, hasn’t it?”
“It has. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster, but things are smoothing out.”
“I’m glad! That bit about Gwendolyn was horrifying.” She shuddered. “How’s your knee?”
“Pretty much back to normal,” I said. “I’m back to jogging and hiking, thankfully. I jogged into town with Axel yesterday. We visited Poppy’s new extravaganza and Vessie’s café. Both are wonderful! Have you been?”
“Oh, Vessie’s is my normal coffee stop on my way to work. She makes the best muffins and lattes. I haven’t been to Poppy’s store, but I hear it’s amazing. It got me thinking I should get some hiking supplies and check out the park. It’s on my to-do list now.”
I recalled that Poppy had said that the town’s plan was to get people hiking and camping. Seemed it was working.
“Oh! You really should,” I told her. “Twin Falls Park is a gorgeous place, and so peaceful. I think you’d love it.”
We talked a bit more about the park and trails. I enjoyed chatting with Edna. She was enthusiastic about everything, and when you talked, she really listened. She was one of those people who made everyone feel important by looking deep into their eyes, nodding, and um-hmming at exactly the right moments.
“Would I be able to get into the historic book room? I’d like to do some research.”
“Of course!” Edna pulled out her key ring, and I followed her up the stairs.
The historic book room was at the end of a secluded hallway. A select few people could enter it. Edna, of course, as the librarian and historian. And apparently, me. It appeared being a Caldwell had its privileges.
The small room had bookshelves on all four walls. The center was a reading and working space. The last few times I had been here, the area in the center had a set of leather furniture. The focal point was an amazing coffee table that was made up of a huge fish aquarium with a glass top suspended above it on brass legs. Today it was totally different.
The center of the room continued the space theme from downstairs. The entire area had a dome above it that carried the night sky theme, but this one was painted, not a live night sky. Hanging from the very center was a light fixture made of thousands of tiny blue and white star-shaped bulbs. The tables were silver, the chairs were white leather, and the floor was white granite. The furniture was lit from beneath with a blue glow. It felt very sci-fi.
On my last trip here, I had tried to find out more about the ferry. But I discovered little of interest. The books, just like the people here, seemed elusive and stingy with details. I scrolled through my pictures, looking for the pages I had saved on my phone. This seemed the most helpful, yet confusing section:
. . . The Destiny Falls ferry does not have a regular schedule as its daily routes change depending on the passengers. The ferry travels only to a few select ports, and some passengers attempting to reach locations in The Outside often find themselves getting off exactly where they first got on . . .
Searching for ferry information had led to a dead-end, so I thought a fresh approach might yield more information. I asked Edna where I could find books on the geography of the area, specifically, the islands surrounding us. She showed me the various options and left me to my research.
On her way out, she turned back to me. “It’s great to see you, Hayden. Take your time in here. Ring the bell if you need any help. Always remember to lock up when you leave the room.”
She said that every time she left me here. I wondered why a door lock was even necessary. If the library was enchanted, wouldn’t it have a way to protect all these historic and valuable books? Something far more powerful than a mere door lock?
I scanned the shelves and pulled out a stack of choices. I carried them over and placed them on the table. As always, at some point during my book search, Edna (I assumed!) had come back in and left a tray of tea and cookies, along with a welcome note, on the table. It always made me feel like I belonged here. I poured a cup of tea, helped myself to the cookies, and settled in to sift through my pile of books.
An hour later, I huffed in frustration. Once again, the information I found was limited. Maps showed Destiny Falls in detail, but the surrounding areas were blurred out or simply not shown at all. I stood up and stretched, looking around the room. I spotted an enormous globe that I hadn’t seen before. Or more accurately, that hadn’t been there before. It was lit from within, like the planets had been, and was sitting on a pedestal with a softly glowing blue base.
I twirled the globe to find Destiny Falls. As of now, I had no idea where we were in the world, though hints pointed to the United States.
Since the ferry was located on Caldwell Harbor and I could see mountains off in the distance, I scanned all the inlets, gulfs, and bays along the coasts. I ran my finger along the surface and traced the coastline. I came to an unusual notch in the western coastline. I peered closely. It was too small to see clearly, so I took a photo with
