NANCY DREW AND THE SECRET OF MERMAID COVE

Chapter Eight

The shifting sand felt wonderful under Nancy's bare feet as she walked along the shore. She paused and bent down every once in a while to examine the seashells that littered the beach. This time she had found a shell that resembled a fish scale. It was round, very shiny, and thin for a seashell.

"These jingle shells remind me of mermaid scales," Nancy said as she held it up for Ryan to see. "I recently learned of a romantic myth that is native to this region that involves a pirate and mermaid. Have you ever heard of it before?"

"Yes, I have. Every local worth their salt knows about it. " Ryan said, as he glanced over at Nancy, before turning back towards the vast grayish ocean. Overhead seabirds circled hunting for anything edible that a messy tourist might have left behind.

"I was told the legend comes from a small cove not far from here," she added. For some strange reason, this tale had captured Nancy's interest and she needed to learn more about it.

"Yeah, it does. Honestly, there are a lot of strange tales from that area ."

"What kind of strange tales?"

"Well... other tales of mermaids of course. Then there are a few sightings of a large snake-like creature that is said to live at the bottom of the cove. It is said to attack animals and drags them into its watery lair." He pulled a few unopened cinnamon disks from his pocket and offered Nancy some. She happily took one. It proved to be way hotter than she had expected. It made her begin to sweat and her eyes teared up.

"Is this cove beautiful with lots of fun things to do?

"In some areas it is. The north side is developed with lots of attractions." He paused for a moment, then said, "The other side is pretty quiet and is a great area for catching sea-bass. The only place that you would need to stay away from is the old ruins."

"Are there really ruins around here?" Nancy asked as her eyes lite up with excitement mirroring those of a small child. " What kind of ruins are they and why should everyone stay away?" Nancy was squirming with excitement as she asked.

Ryan flashed Nancy a questioning look before adding, "There are ruins of an ancient garden surrounded by low stone walls, however, the winds are usually too strong for anyone to visit that area without being blown right off the side of the cliff."

Suddenly, he took hold of Nancy's hands and said, "The most dangerous place to visit in these parts is the Maidens Isle. The small island is said to be haunted by the countless victims of the great pirate Black Beard. He loved to drown and slay his captives whose families could not pay a ransom."

"Don't tell me you believe those old tales? Come on they are just a bunch of nonsense." Nancy joked, as she playfully punched his muscular arm.

Ryan looked away from her and down at the ground as he replied, "I never really put much faith in those old wives tales, until recently. Over the past year, I have seen some strange things in that area that can't be explained. A lot of people have also heard horrible screams coming from that island. My best friend, Nate even has a blurry picture of a ghostly figure along walking that beach in the light the full moon. He's far too terrified to visit there anymore."

"I need to get back to the inn. My friend and I have plans tonight." She caught Ryan staring at her and he quickly looked away. Nancy thought she could see a little pink blush on his cheeks.

"Before we go, I meant to ask you why do you have an American accent if you grew up here?" Nancy asked.

" My family is originally from California but we moved here when my grandmother grew ill and weak. After her death, my parents decided to stay here. They felt uprooting their kids once more was a terrible idea and dreaded having to change jobs again."

"This place is so beautiful. It is perfect for taking lots of breathtaking photos." Nancy said tiring to change the subject.

"Believe me, It gets boring after living here for a few years," Ryan replied. Then he lifted up his right hand to block the bright sun out of his eyes. As he moved, Nancy noticed a cute little heart-shaped birthmark on his right shoulder blade.

"Would you let me walk you back to the inn? I do not like the idea of you wandering around all by yourself?" Ryan asked.

"I would love that thank you."

Once the were not for from the inn, Nancy exclaimed "Hey look! There is Bess."Bess standing in front of a small coffee shop with a few guys gathered around her. They seemed to be arguing about something.

"Wait something does feel right," Ryan announced before dashing off to investigate. Nancy followed close behind but struggled to keep up with his fast pace.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Bess yelled at a young man who seemed to be the gang leader. The group of three guys was rough-looking with tattoos all over their bodies, painful-looking piercings, and shaven heads.

One guy blocking Bess's escape, "Oh come on doll face, I will not hurt ya. Let's go for a long drive." He said. Then he grabbed Bess's wrist and tried to pull her towards a car.

"Why you little...", said the guy pulling on Bess, as Ryan came up and grabbed him by the forearm. Ryan twisted the arm causing the gang leader to cry out loudly in pain. The man managed to twist loose from Ryan by wigging like crazy. Then he turned sharply and tried to sucker punch Ryan in the gut but missed.

One of the other gang members stepped forward to say, "Hang in there, we will tag-team them!" Nancy watched as this guy rushed forward to grab Ryan.

"OH NO, YOU DO NOT!" Nancy yelled as she jumped on the guys back. She held on tight around his neck effectively choking him.

Meanwhile, Bess was quietly snicking up on the other guy from behind. "BOO..." Bess yelled into his ear then she kicked him hard in the groan. He buckled at the knees and whimpered in pain.

Ryan was just about to get kicked when Bess came to his aid by surprising the enemy. She did this by screaming like a madwoman at the top of her lungs. This gave Ryan enough time to duck and quickly hit the guy. The thug went head first right into the sand and got in his eyes.

"Come on guys lets get out of here! The busty blonde is not worth all this trouble!" He yelled while staggering away.

Nancy's hold around her victim's neck losses allowing him to scream, "BOSS! THIS GIRL IS NUTS! GET HER OFF ME!" Then Nancy jumped off the guys back and kicked him in the balls. Wincing in pain, he to the ground.

"That was unexpected. Good thing Ryan was here to help us." Nancy commented.

"Yeah, thanks so much. You helped save my life. I hate to think what those creeps might have done to me." Bess added with a warm smile. The young man just blushed at the attention.

"So, why were you two all by your selves earlier? You were not making plans to elope together?" Bess teased Nancy and Ryan.

"You mean us?" Nancy asked with an innocent look on her face. "Why don't you fill her in Ryan?" she asked him.

"All we did was take a walk along the beach and talk about the area's weird history."

"If you say so," Bess replied seemingly unconvinced that Ryan and Nancy were just friends. 

Authors note*

The expression to be worth one's salt, which means you're competent and deserve what you're earning, is most often said to have its roots in ancient Rome, where soldiers were sometimes paid in salt or given an allowance to purchase it.