Trees dotted the sides of the dusty dirt road and shingled cabins were nestled among them. A few ponds were visible as well as another waterfall on the side of the mountain. There was even a small playground for the kids. The place was breath-taking to say the least.
"I've got an idea," Jillian suggested. "Why don't we ask someone who lives here if they know where it is?"
"We could try," Kenzie agreed, "but I highly doubt they'd tell us. It's supposed to be hidden anyway."
"Well, I'm sure there's at least a place to eat around here. The brochure talks about a place called Han's Tavern and Cafe. Can we stop for some lunch?"
Kenzie consulted the clock on her dashboard and saw that it was already past noon. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled blatantly.
"Okay," she said with a chuckle. "We'll get some lunch."
Finding the cafe was a surprisingly difficult task. It looked just like the residential cabins. It took a few turnarounds in order for them to find it. There was also a museum right across the street.
"We have to check that out sometime," Kenzie said, indicating the museum.
"We can do that after we find the fountain," Jillian replied. Kenzie chortled and followed her friend inside the cafe.
The interior of the cabin was nothing either young woman expected. Brightly colored flowers painted the walls and the tables and chairs were mismatched polka dots. In fact, the focal point of the cafe's decor was polka dots.
"Did we just walk into kiddy land?" Jillian whispered in Kenzie's ear.
"Seems that way," Kenzie whispered back.
Just then, a chair scraped against the white-wood floor and a young woman approached them.
"Hello, ladies," she said cheerfully. "Welcome to Han's Tavern and Cafe. I'm Ella Carlisle. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. Would you like some drinks to start off with?"
"I'll have a lemonade," Kenzie said.
"Me too," Jillian added.
Ella wrote the drinks down on a small tablet she withdrew from her apron. "All right, two lemonades coming right up. Menus are on the tables, I'll be back to take your orders."
Ella walked away so Kenzie and Jillian took a seat huddled in a corner.
"This place sure doesn't seem very woodsy," Jillian observed.
"Yeah, I expected it to be, well, like a cabin inside," Kenzie agreed. "This looks like a day-care center. Oh, well. I'm sure the food's good."
With that, the friends picked up their menus and scanned the possibilities. Kenzie was so hungry she didn't particularly care what she ordered, as long as it filled her up.
A minute later, Ella returned with two lemonades. "You ladies know what you want to order?" she asked, withdrawing her tablet again.
Kenzie indicated for Jillian to order first.
"I'll have the fish and chips," she requested.
Ella nodded, wrote down Jillian's order, then looked at Kenzie expectantly.
"Hot wings for me, with mild spicy sauce," she decided.
"Sounds great," Ella said enthusiastically. "I'll get your orders to the chef and they'll be right out."
Ella left before either woman could thank her.
"So, which garden do you think the fountain's in?" Jillian inquired.
"Well, my guess is, it wouldn't be a garden that's easy to get to," Kenzie answered as she took a sip of lemonade. "That would make it way too easy for people for to find it and take advantage of it."
"Yeah, but a lot of people probably come here just for that fountain. They want to be young forever, or at least turn back time. What's wrong with that?"
"Uh...everything."
Kenzie couldn't believe she'd have to explain this. Aging was a natural process; it shouldn't be altered for any reason. Yet as she thought this, Kenzie knew she wasn't getting any younger. She was even told that sometimes by her parents, specifically when they asked if their only child would ever give them grandkids. Kenzie wanted to have a family one day, but with her job sending her to various places, it was hard to settle down. Then there was the small issue of not being able to find the right guy, at least until Logan came along. But how did he feel about the subject?
"What do you mean, everything?" Jillian cut into Kenzie's thoughts.
"I just think aging is something that's supposed to happen. It's not something you should play around with by drinking from a fountain, or swimming in it, or whatever. If we were supposed to stay young forever, we would have been made that way."
"What about this fountain, though? Where did it come from? Isn't it a natural thing that just showed up and has magical powers?"
"I don't think so. I think it was a little spring and someone put a spell on it or something. No one knows the truth of that though."
Just then, Ella returned with their lunches. This time, she didn't leave before a thank you, and a request that the orders be placed on separate bills.
Then, Kenzie and Jillian dug in.
The hot wings were a little spicy and pretty messy, but otherwise very good. Jillian confirmed that her fish was a little burnt, but that made it extra crispy. They eagerly gobbled it all up, then paid their bills before departing from the cafe.
"Well, that was great, despite the weird decorations," Jillian declared once they were outside.
"It sure was. Okay, let's get started. Although I wouldn't have worn a skirt if I'd have known we were going to look for the Fountain of Youth today."
"Same here, but it was kind of a spur of the moment decision. We can wait if you want."
"No, we're here already. It'll be okay. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person."
********************
The search took most of the afternoon and some of the early evening. They searched several parks and gardens but didn't find anything matching the fountain's description. They were about to give up when Kenzie spotted a desolate dirt road leading into what appeared to be boulders.
"Wait," she said before she took the turn to head back to town, "Let's check over there."
"Where?" Jillian asked from the passenger seat.
"By those boulders. They look like they're hiding something."
Jillian seemed dubious, but she rode quietly as Kenzie drove toward the boulders. After parking, the two got out and walked toward them. A guardrail was in front of them, but Kenzie could see that there was a small crevice between the boulders, as well as two small inclines slanting downward into some shady trees and what appeared to be a pond.
Kenzie and Jillian descended the hill and were confronted with quite a sight. This garden was meant to be hidden, that much was obvious, which could only mean one thing. The Fountain of Youth had to be somewhere in this garden.
As if on cue, the friends heard a small splash and a trickle of water. As they approached the source of the sound, they saw something neither had expected to see.
And that was the celebrity Alley Catraz gazing into a small spring surrounded by small rocks, cupping her hands in the water and drinking it.
"What's she doing?" Jillian whispered. Kenzie put her finger to her lips, indicating for her friend to be quiet. The two crouched behind a bush and watched as Alley then tossed a coin into the spring and said aloud, "Please, great creator. Give me eternal youth. Keep me young and beautiful forever."
Kenzie and Jillian looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. Alley Catraz, five-star actress, was wishing for eternal youth at the Fountain of Youth? This was the last thing they'd expected.
Alley then heaved a sigh, turned in the opposite direction from which Kenzie and Jillian had come, got into a fancy car parked on the other side of the garden, and drove off. The two friends took this as their cue to get out from behind the bush.
"Now I've seen everything," Jillian mumbled. "A celebrity using the Fountain of Youth? I mean, I guess all celebs want to stay popular and good-looking for as long as they can, but come on."
"My question is, how did she find it?" Kenzie pondered out loud. "It's well hidden and she isn't a local of this part of town. And I doubt she could have pieced the clues together, no offense intended to her."
"I don't know, but at least now we can see it up close!" Jillian squealed as she ran over to the legendary fountain.
"Jill, be careful with that thing," Kenzie cautioned.
"Don't worry. I'm just looking at it."
Jillian peered down into the water while Kenzie withdrew her camera. She might as well get pictures of the legendary fountain while she was here.
By the time Kenzie was finished taking pictures, it was well past seven, and the sun was already setting. The friends decided they'd seen enough of the Fountain of Youth for one day and headed back to the house. Once there, Kenzie couldn't stop thinking about Alley and her being in the hidden garden, using the fountain. It was probably every star's wish to remain young forever, but like she'd explained to Jillian not long ago, aging was something that was supposed to happen. Why try to fight it?
This, like that of the heart, was one mystery that couldn't be solved.
********************
The next morning, Kenzie and Jillian woke up around ten. They'd planned to go to the museum today that they'd seen across from the cafe yesterday. Kenzie, for one, was looking forward to learning more about the history of Hidden Springs. Maybe there would even be more information on the Fountain of Youth and how it came to be, though the town's website and brochure claimed no one knew that truth.
Not quite ready to get dressed, Kenzie decided to see if Logan was online. She hadn't talked to him in a couple of days and she had a lot to tell him. She was relieved to see him online.
WolfKen: Logan! You'll never believe what happened!
TheHawk: Well good morning to you too. You must be having a lot of fun if you've been too busy to message me. :p
WolfKen: I'm so sorry about that. Things have been crazy here.
TheHawk: What, is Jillian too much to handle?
WolfKen: No, you goofball. You know the actress Alley Catraz?
TheHawk: Yeah, but only through guy movies. No chick flicks.
WolfKen: Right, well, she lives here. Jillian and I actually met her!
TheHawk: Please tell me you got her autograph.
WolfKen: Yep, right on the glasses we were using at the club we were at.
TheHawk: Club? I didn't take you for a club kind of girl. :D
WolfKen: I'm not really, it was a dance club. We ran into some guy at the pool and he told us about this disco-tech, and of course Jillian wanted to go. So we met Alley and got her autograph. But that's not all. Yesterday we went looking for the Fountain of Youth, and we actually found it!
TheHawk: Did you jump in?
WolfKen: Are you implying that I'm getting old? Logan Hawkins, I'm shocked!
TheHawk: Totally kidding. Where was it?
WolfKen: It was in this hidden garden, and it's not really a fountain, more like a spring. But the weird thing is, Jill and I were heading for it, and we saw Alley there! She actually drank out of that fountain/spring and then she threw a coin into it and wished that she'd be young forever.
TheHawk: Okay...I think she's gone nuts. Fame's gone to her head.
WolfKen: I don't know, but it was sure weird. But I got some pictures of it for you.
TheHawk: Sweet! Maybe you and I can visit Hidden Springs sometime. After I become a PI, and we need a little romantic R & R...
Kenzie giggled, then heard Jillian stir behind her. A moment later, her voice said, "I'm guessing that since you're typing so fast and you're giggling that you're talking to Logan."
"You caught me."
"Sheesh, you must type 100 words a minute."
"That's a good thing since I'm a computer whiz. I could hack into something if I needed to."
"I'd hope so, since you're a detective. Some of that hidden information may come in handy."
"Encrypted stuff, I feel so evil when I get into it. Unless it helps me break a case."
Jillian just made a tsk tsking noise and left the bedroom as Kenzie returned to Logan.
WolfKen: Jill's up now. I think we're going to get some breakfast.
TheHawk: That's cool, I have to go meet with some professors later anyway. And get a new wardrobe. I hate shopping for clothes...that's why I need my girl.
WolfKen: I'm flattered, but Jillian's the style expert. She'll be going to cosmetology school, so she'd be the better one to ask. Even for guy clothes.
Jillian popped her head behind the corner and said, "I hate to burst your bubble, but we forgot to go to the grocery store yesterday. We don't really have much to eat."
"That's okay," Kenzie replied. "We'll stop there first thing. But I'm not that hungry. We have some lemonade mix if you want to make that."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Jillian disappeared again and Kenzie said goodbye to Logan for the time being. She then got dressed and walked out into the kitchen to see that Jillian had already served the lemonade. The two took their glasses and the pitcher outside and relaxed in the lounge chairs to enjoy the crisp late morning air. Kenzie also brought the morning newspaper, which had been tossed onto the front porch earlier that day, as was customary since some vacationers still wanted to keep tabs on the latest happenings in town.
"This is the life," Jillian sighed in contentment as she took a sip of her lemonade.
"Yeah, I wish every day could be this easy," Kenzie agreed as she unfolded the paper.
"The newspaper on vacation?" Jillian teased.
"Hey, it's good to know what's happening in the town you're staying at. Maybe we want to avoid some of the tourist attractions."
As Kenzie skimmed through the paper, one particular article seemed to jump out at her. Her eyes bulged and she nearly caused Jillian to drop her glass of lemonade with her sudden and unexpected inhale of air.
"What the heck?" Jillian asked with trepidation. "Why are you gasping?"
"Jill, I think Alley is trying to solve some bigger problems she may be having with that Fountain of Youth."
"Bigger problems? What are you talking about?"
"This article says that Alley's been receiving threatening letters. She hasn't been seen around town lately, and when she has been seen, she's acted really eccentric. Normally she's more outgoing with fans but lately she's been cold to them, like how she was with us at the disco-tech. She won't say what's in the threatening letters but she's described as being agitated and frightened."
"Uh...someone is sending Alley some sort of threatening letters? Who would do that? And why?"
"I don't know, but..."
"Oh, no. I know that look. I've known that look for years. Kenzie..."
"Jill...this may be a vacation, but I won't turn my back on something that isn't right. Besides, think of the great new movies we'd miss out on if something happened to Alley."
"So what are you going to do?"
Kenzie stood up as if to project herself as a ruler. She held her chin up and said, "I'm going to figure out who's behind those threatening letters, and why they're being sent."
No comments:
Post a Comment