A Pirate, a Blockade Runner, and a Cat by Beverly Stowe McClure
Thirteen-year-old
Erik Burks’ life is falling apart. When he discovers a lace bra in the glove
compartment of his dad’s car, his mom leaves his father and drags Erik from
being king of the hill in Texas to the bottom of the pits in South Carolina. No
Dad, no baseball, no friends, just Starry Knight (a girl who reads minds) and
her equally weird brother, Stormy, the twins that live down the block.
Just
when Erik thinks life can’t get any worse, while hanging out at the beach one
evening, he and the twins notice lights radiating from the lighthouse. The only
problem is the lighthouse was deactivated years ago. Stranger still, a ship
materializes in the moonlit harbor. Curious, the twins and a reluctant Erik
investigate and discover the ghost of a blockade runner, a phantom cat, and a
pirate who prowls Charleston Harbor, all searching for rest.
A former nonbeliever in the existence of
ghosts, Erik cannot deny the proof before him. And he has a revelation: The
ghosts may be the answer to his desire to return home. Erik soon makes a deal
with the ghosts. He’ll help them find what they’re looking for so their spirits
can rest in peace. In return, the ghosts will scare Erik’s mother so she’ll be
on the next flight back to Texas. Star thinks his plan stinks, but Erik wants
his life back, even at the cost of his mother’s sanity.
Excerpt:
“Have you seen the lights?” Star
asked.
On the day we met she told me to
call her Star or Starry. Either way she was from outer space. I glanced over my
shoulder at the football field length of tall grass separating the beach from
the nearest houses.
“You mean those?” I pointed at the
hazy glow around a street lamp. “What’s the big deal?”
“Not those. Over there.” Star tipped her head in the direction of the water. “Look.”
“I’m looking. I’m looking.” Why was she so excited? All I saw was a faint beam of light floating across the inlet. “So? It’s a reflection of the moon.”
“Not those. Over there.” Star tipped her head in the direction of the water. “Look.”
“I’m looking. I’m looking.” Why was she so excited? All I saw was a faint beam of light floating across the inlet. “So? It’s a reflection of the moon.”
Star shook her head. “No moon
tonight.”
She was right. Yet stars (the
heavenly kind, not the girl) glittered between the layers of gathering clouds.
“Okay, it’s only the starlight.”
“The light comes from the
lighthouse,” Star said.
“You can see it blink on and off,”
Storm added.
Morris
Island Lighthouse stood several hundred yards into the water. According to Mom,
who was big on history, the water was land during the Civil War. Over the years
the sea had eroded the shore and water now surrounded the lighthouse. I
couldn’t deny the yellow glow flowing from the top of the building. I couldn’t
explain it either.
“Impossible.
Mom said the lighthouse has been out of commission for years. The lantern was
removed. Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse across Charleston Harbor replaced it.”
“Then tell us what it is, Erik,”
Star said. “You see it. Storm and I see it. This isn’t the first time, either.
On cloudy, rainy nights the light flashes on.”
“It’s not raining,” I said.
“It is raining.”
Star had barely said the words when
a gust of wind whipped across the beach. Sand spiraled like a Texas dust devil.
Something wet slapped me on the nose. Several somethings wet—raindrops. The
space girl predicted the weather. So what? Dark clouds usually brought rain.
“Yeah, it’s raining.” Under my breath I mumbled, “And I’m getting wet.”
In
a lame attempt to pep me up about my new home, Mom had promised many adventures
waited for me in Charleston. Adventures? Yeah. If you called ocean waves
slurping against the shore and neighbors with two grains of sand each for
brains adventures, I was up to my wet nose in adventures.
The twins stared into the gloomy
night, watching the light fading into a dim sliver.
The rain seeped into my T-shirt, gluing it to my skin. Lightning
raced across the sky. I shivered. I’d had enough. I shook Stormy’s shoulder. He
kept his eyes focused across the inlet. Star didn’t budge. They could drown if
they wanted. I was outta there. I jumped to my feet, turned, and took one step,
before Star snagged my ankle.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Home, before I turn into a duck
with webbed feet,” I yelled above the whistling wind and growling thunder.
She freed my ankle and stood.
Raindrops plastered her carrot-red hair against her face.
“Besides
the light, we’ve seen a ship, Erik. It always comes during bad weather.”
Stormy sprang up. “We think someone
in the lighthouse is warning the ships.”
“Who? How? They can’t.”
Purchase at MuseItUp
Publishing or Amazon!
About the author:
Beverly Stowe McClure, a
former teacher, is now enjoying a second career: writing. She never planned to
be a writer, but in the classroom she and her students did such fun activities
in art and science that she decided to write about some of them. Luckily, a few
magazines liked what she sent them, and her articles have appeared in Humpty
Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Ladybug, Focus on the Family Clubhouse, Jr., and others.
Nine of her stories have been published as books, the latest one a MG/Tween
eBook: A Pirate, a Blockade Runner, and a
Cat. She also has two stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies.
Beverly
enjoys discovering her ancestors in her genealogy research. She plays the
piano. (Thank you, Mom, for making encouraging me to practice.) She
takes long walks where she snaps pictures of wildlife and clouds, and of course
she reads, usually two books at a time. She teaches a women’s Sunday school
class. Watching baseball (Go Rangers) is another of her favorite activities.
Retirement is fun.
You can learn more about Beverly Stowe McClure
at http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com
or her blog at http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com.
Friend
Beverly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beverlysmcclure
Follow
her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beverlymcclure
Become
one of Beverly’s fans on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11462.Beverly_Stowe_McClure
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