Message in a Bottle. Kathryn Reiss

again. Maybe Raymond would be happier. But, she realized, he’d still miss his father. And there were troubles here, Julie reminded herself, even if they seemed very far away at the moment.

      “It’s heavenly here,” Mrs. Albright said dreamily.

      Aunt Nadine grinned. “Well, we’ve got plenty of room for new members.”

      Everybody laughed. The stars winked down at them as if sharing the joke.

      The night grew darker, and people began bidding each other good night. Warm yellow lamplight glowed in the cottage windows as Julie, her mother, and Aunt Nadine strolled along the path. Back at their cottage, Julie climbed up into the loft, unrolled her sleeping bag, and curled up on the narrow cot. She could see Raymond already on the other side of the loft stretched out on his back in the dim moonlight filtering through the window.

      Julie lay listening to the unfamiliar hush over the mountains, so different from the foghorns on the bay and the noisy traffic that passed outside her window in San Francisco. After what seemed like a very long time, she drifted off to sleep.

      Some time later, a soft noise awoke her. In the moonlight, she saw Raymond moving to the ladder. Julie heard it creak as he climbed down, and his bare feet pad across the floor.

      Then she heard the click of the front door closing.

      chapter 4

      Midnight in the Mine

      JULIE SLID OUT of bed and peered down into the dark room. The lighted dial of her watch showed just after midnight. Where would her cousin be going at this hour?

      Then she remembered the bathhouse. Of course. He’d be back in a minute or two.

      She returned to her bed and lay back on the pillow, thinking about how, in winter, a trip to the bathhouse would mean heading out into the snow. Her ears strained in the darkness, listening for the cottage door to open again, but it didn’t. Where was Raymond?

      She wondered whether she should alert Aunt Nadine. Maybe Raymond was sick. She slipped out of bed and went to the small window. She looked outside, hoping to spot the gleam of her cousin’s flashlight. She saw nothing. Was he sitting on the porch?

      Quiet as a mouse—a city mouse—Julie climbed down the ladder. Tiptoeing past her mom on the couch, Julie opened the front door. The porch was empty. But wait, there was a light! There—at the edge of the trees. And again, moving deeper into the woods.

      Julie slid her feet into her sandals and closed the door softly behind her. Quietly, she followed the path to the edge of the woods, wishing she also had a flashlight. The air was warm and scented with pine, and the moon was bright and lit the path, but as soon as she stepped into the woods, the night grew much darker. “Raymond?” she called softly.

      Immediately she heard a rustling noise farther up the path, and then he was there, shining his flashlight in her face. She raised her hands to shield her eyes.

       “Cripes!” he hissed at her. “What are you doing out here?”

      “I was worried, and then I saw your flashlight…”

      “So you just thought you’d follow me?” Raymond glared at her.

      Well, you’re my cousin, she thought.

      But before she could reply, he clicked off his light abruptly. “Shhhh!” They stood in darkness.

      “What is it?” she whispered.

      Raymond remained still for a long moment, as if deciding whether to answer. Then, without a word, he moved through the trees. His feet were silent on the path.

      Julie could hear the rushing sound of water, and soon saw the dark ribbon of water cutting deeply through the riverbank. Under the cover of the sound of the river, Raymond spoke in a low voice. “I saw lights in the woods the other night, but when I started to follow them, they disappeared.” He edged along a narrower path to the left, away from the river, and Julie followed close behind. “So when I saw them again tonight, I just had to follow.” He stopped suddenly. In front of them jutted a rocky ledge. “See, up ahead? I think they’re at the mine.”