The Message in the Bottle

Dara tossed her boogie board to the side and ran barefoot into the sand, welcoming the feeling of the tiny pebbles squishing between her toes. She always looked forward to the first week of June, which was right after school ended, and when her family would visit Ross Beach. There’s nothing like a perfectly perfect summer day on the beach, thought Dara with a smile as she gazed up at the squawking seagulls.

Excited footsteps in the sand from behind her made Dara turn and see her golden retriever, Millie, attempting to run over without getting sand in her nose. Dara patted Millie, then gazed up the sand hill to see her parents and younger siblings unloading the umbrella and blanket from the car.

“Guys, I’m going in!” Dara shouted.

She picked up her boogie board and charged into the waves, hopping onto the board right before a large wave swept her aside. She balanced and flowed on the water, feeling completely bliss. Suddenly, something hard and cold collided with her ankle, knocking her off the board.

Dara grabbed a hold of the boogie board with one hand and snatched up the object with the other. It was a long tube with a weathered piece of paper rolled inside. The cork top was screwed tightly shut and had a chain dangling from it with the initials, “E.T”. She twirled the tube around in her fingers for a moment, then swam back to shore to show her parents.

“Interesting,” her father said, scratching his bristly chin. “Nice find, Dara. It could be something authentic.”

“You should probably have it checked out by the Historical Society,” suggested Mom.

Dara fingered the keychain. “Hm. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Millie barked in agreement, wagging her tail.

***

The Larson family returned home a few days later, and Dara was bouncing up and down on a Saturday afternoon, requesting to visit the Historical Society.

“Go ahead,” said Mom. “Be back by three.”

Dara didn’t waste a minute running to get her bike, grabbing the message in the bottle, and running out the door. She hadn’t opened the tube to inspect the letter inside yet in case it would damage a valuable artifact but planned to once she consulted a member of Ross’ Historical Society.

Dara kicked the stand on her bike and locked it, then entered the Historical Society. She saw one of her parents’ friends, Mr. Simon, who was deep into a book, and she decided not to disturb him.

She ran over to the clerk’s desk and showed him the bottle. “I want to get this checked out,” she stated.

“Alright, no problem. I'm the head historian here at the society. The name’s Dr. Matthews,” the clerk said, pointing to the lanyard hanging around his neck.

He walked around the desk, called over his assistant, and led them both to an examination table. The assistant, Ms. Lewis, grabbed a box of gloves and got out two pairs for Dr. Matthews and herself.

Dara watched in wonder as they popped open the cork top and carefully unfurled the letter. She peered over their shoulders to make out in faded cursive handwriting, “Just landed at this cove. I shall name it after my faithful second-in-command, Ross Lischbend. Signed, Eugene Townshend. 9/14/1599.”

“T-this isn’t a hoax!” exclaimed Dr. Matthews and Ms. Lewis at the same time. “This is an amazing find. Townshend’s one of the most famous explorers of the Americas!”

Dara’s eyes shone with pride and exhilaration. “Eugene Townshend…He’s the founder of this town, right?”

Dr. Matthews nodded, just as excited. “Yes-”

Suddenly, a shadow raced across the room, and a masked figure snatched the bottle and letter out of Dr. Matthew’s hands.

Dara moved almost instinctively; she grabbed the leg of the perpetrator and tugged so hard that they fell backward onto the eccentric rug. Ms. Lewis dove for the message in the bottle and carried it safely into an exhibition room, but not before grabbing a phone and dialing 911.

Dr. Matthews stood frozen for a few seconds, then ran to detain the thief until the authorities arrived. Dara wasted no time whisking off the black beanie that covered the man’s face, revealing Mr. Simon.

“Simon?” cried Dr. Matthews. “Why…?”

Dara glared at the man just as the door banged open and a few police officers barged in. They handcuffed Mr. Simon, made sure everything was secure, then paraded him into the back of their car.

“T-Thank you,” Dr. Matthews said, turning to Dara and wiping a tear from his eye. “Sorry, it’s just, the artifacts mean a lot to me. And, you saved them.”

She smiled just as Ms. Lewis returned and held out the bottle to Dara. “No problem. Oh, and also, I’d like to have the message donated to the Historical Society to be used for display and educational purposes.”

Dr. Matthews and Ms. Lewis gasped, a little surprised at Dara’s selflessness, then smiled. “We’ll take good care of it.”

“Thanks,” said Dara, as she ran over to the bookcase to find everything she could on Eugene Townshend. And, of course, she had a thrilling tale to tell her parents, siblings, and friends once school season came around.