The Oak Hotel - Watty Awards 2013 Finalist

Chapter Two - The History of Burnam Tau'roh

Chapter Two

The History of Burnam Tau'roh

Kayleigh sat propped against a mass of pillows, surrounded by a frozen sea of books. On her lap was an open, three-ring binder. The pages were filled with details both she and Lincoln had uncovered while at her Grandparents’ house. She believed that any hint of the missing book’s location would be found in one of the books from the old house.

While thoughtfully tapping a pen against the cover of a thick volume titled Practical Lighthouse Upkeep and Repair, Kayleigh jumped as the walkie-talkie crackled to life:

“You’re not going to believe this. I found out the title of the book.”

Silence.

“Lincoln, don’t be cruel. Tell me.”

“Sorry. It’s called The History of Burnam Tau’roh.”

He quickly explained how Ms. Ruttier had dug into the old records using Laura Corwin’s name. Kayleigh was silent until the very end.

“So,” she mused, “The book was never returned.”

“It seems that way.”

“Hmm…”

“I know what you’re thinking. The book must be somewhere in your grandparents’ house.”

“Exactly.”

“But you’re not feeling well and I wouldn’t feel right going by myself.”

Another pause.

“Okay,” Kayleigh smiled. “I’ve got a plan. Can you come over for dinner tonight?”

“I guess… but you must be getting ready to eat pretty soon, no?”

She laughed.

“As far as my Mom is concerned, you have an open invitation for dinner, lunch, breakfast and any other family function. You know how much she loves you.”

Lincoln felt an odd flutter in his stomach, but pushed it momentarily aside.

“I’ll stop by my house and tell my Mom, then head on over to you.”

“Great. See you in a bit."

* * *

After an oddly quiet lasagna dinner, Kayleigh and Lincoln met in the far corner of her living room.

“Okay, what’s your plan?” Lincoln asked.

“I think this may be the first time we actually get in trouble for doing something that was my idea. If we get caught, that is.”

“That’s not a real happy way to introduce your plan.”

“Don’t worry. It’s simple. We’re going to go down in the basement to work on our Social Studies project.”

“But we haven’t even picked one out yet. And it won’t be due until right before Christmas break, anyway. That’s over two months from now.”

“My parents don’t know that. Normally, I don’t lie about stuff, so they won’t have any reason to question it. Anyway, we’ll sneak out through the back stairway and go to the old house to have a look around. We might have a solid hour, but I don’t want to push it any further than that.”

“How can you be sure your parents won’t come down to check on us?”

“That’s the tricky part. I could say something like we’re going to be making a video for the report and not to interrupt.”