The Black Lake Adventure: A Two Jays Story

By Chris Wright

James and Jessica are staying with their friend Maddie at Daleton Farm. On their first day, James finds an old bottle in the nearby lake, with a message inside. It starts with the word HELP. The writer is a young boy who signs himself Michael, and he’s begging to be rescued from the small island in the middle of the lake, where he says he’s a prisoner. The note is forty years old, and they think it must be part of a game that was being played by the village children. But they quickly discover that the note is part of a very dark story. When Maddie flies her photographic drone over Daleton Lake, they see something mysterious under the water. Why are the owners of Daleton Hall trying to keep them away from the lake with scary stories, and why do they angrily deny ever having had a son called Michael?

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Tree Publishing
• Release date: Feb 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781912529285

Chris Wright

Chris Wright is a young author who enjoys reading and is keen to share this joy with others. He lives in England, but he grew up in a small village in Hampshire. He wants to inspire young readers with his tales of a simpler time, outside among nature.

Book preview

James and Jessica are staying with their friend Maddie at Daleton Farm. On their first day, James finds an old bottle in the nearby lake, with a message inside. It starts with the word HELP. The writer is a young boy who signs himself Michael, and he’s begging to be rescued from the small island in the middle of the lake, where he says he’s a prisoner. The note is forty years old, and they think it must be part of a game that was being played by the village children. But they quickly discover that the note is part of a very dark story. When Maddie flies her photographic drone over Daleton Lake, they see something mysterious under the water. Why are the owners of Daleton Hall trying to keep them away from the lake with scary stories, and why do they angrily deny ever having had a son called Michael?

THE BLACK LAKE ADVENTURE

The Seventh Two Jays Story

Chris Wright

© Chris Wright 2019

This eBook ISBN: 978-1-912529-28-5

Also available in paperback

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-912529-27-8

Published by

White Tree Publishing

Bristol

UNITED KINGDOM

Website: www.whitetreepublishing.com

Email: [e-mail]

The Black Lake Adventure is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this abridged edition.

The Bible verses in this story are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

(See also www.youversion.com for free downloads of over a thousand Bible translations, with over a thousand languages supported, on your phone, tablet, and computer.)

Author’s Note

My readers are from all around the world, but the story takes place in Britain, so the spelling is UK English. I have tried to keep mention of measurements to a minimum, but it may help to know a mile is 1.6 kilometres, and a metre is just over three feet. The British car has a boot at the back for luggage, but in some countries this is known as the trunk. Enjoy the story. You can contact me if you like through the publisher’s email address, but please get your parents’ permission first.

Chris Wright

Table of Contents

Cover

About the book

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

About White Tree Publishing

More books by Chris Wright

Chapter 1

James Cooper lifted the heavy brass knocker shaped like a hand. Then he banged it down hard on the door three times in rapid succession, making his cousin Jessica jump.

That should wake Maddie up if she’s asleep, he said, laughing.

It’s a good thing it’s not the middle of the night, or you’d wake up the whole neighbourhood, Jessica said, pushing back her long fair hair so she could put her fingers to her ears as James raised the brass hand for another violent attack.

A series of knocks, even louder than before, and they stood back and looked up at the turret room in the roof that was Maddie Quedgley’s bedroom. Nobody was looking out of any of the narrow windows.

James shook his head, scattering his thick hair which was darker than his cousin’s. "Nobody’s going to be asleep this early. It’s only just after six. Even if Maddie isn’t in, surely her father is. Perhaps I’m not knocking loudly enough. I’ll try to do it really loudly this time."

Jessica caught hold of his arm. No more knocking. Try pushing the bell. They might be down in the basement.

I love this old door knocker, James said thoughtfully, as he let go of it. Never mind.

He gave a long press on the doorbell. The dark red door smelt of fresh paint. A big improvement on the old flaking paint that had been there when they first met Maddie less then three months ago. An extra lock had been fitted to the heavy door, presumably for added security, something that would certainly have been handy back in the May half term holiday. [See The Old House Adventure.]

James reached into the pocket of his jeans to retrieve his phone which had started ringing at the same time as the bell in the hallway. It was his father. He switched it to speakerphone so Jessica could listen as well.

Yes, Dad, I’m here. There’s no sign of Maddie. I don’t understand it. She said she’d be back mid afternoon.

Well, get your skates on and come home. There’s good news and bad news. Maddie’s come here, expecting to see you. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.

Dad, if the misunderstanding is the bad news, it doesn’t matter.

Ah, no, James, I don’t think that’s the bad news. Maddie will explain when you get here. I’m as much in the dark about it as you are.

The call ended, and James slipped the phone back into his jeans, frowning. Good news and bad news. I wonder what that means.

Jessica shrugged. Well, the good news must be that Maddie has arrived. The sooner we get to yours, the sooner we’ll know about the bad news. Come on, boy, don’t stand there in a dream. Let’s go and find out!

James smiled to himself. Maddie Quedgley the reckless. Maddie with the dark messy hair and amazing mix of bright clothes. Maddie the girl who could look after herself in this large empty house, or thought she could. He remembered pulling Maddie back from the path of a passing truck while she was listening to music with her earphones. Maddie, the girl who managed to get the most out of life, even when things went wrong. And Maddie who kept disappearing!

Jessica Green led the way as they hurried to the Coopers’ house. She got on well with James’s parents, her Uncle Clive and Aunty Amy. Like her cousin James, she too wondered what the bad news could be. A couple of weeks ago Maddie had hinted that she and James could go with her to an archaeological dig, but the email she’d sent two days ago said the excavation at Daleton Farm was over.

Maddie wrote that in spite of the farmer turning up some Middle Bronze Age fragments of buckles and broken pieces of pottery over 3000 years old, close to a buried wall, the buried wall was only the wall of a mediaeval farmyard, exactly as she’d predicted, and of no great interest.

As they approached James’s house, they could see Maddie standing in the window. She ran out to meet them, a flash of a bright green top, bright yellow shorts that went almost to her knees, and bright orange trainers.

I see she’s got her exotic bird outfit on today, Jessica said quietly, as they hurried forward. She gave Maddie a hug. Hi, Maddie, good to see you again. I know we keep in touch by phone, but you look different than when we met here in the half term.

Maddie pointed to her dark curly hair which was bunched up on top and tied with a red ribbon. It’s probably this. It’s not as wild as it was. Papa says it’s time I wore this ribbon and smartened up a bit. But I’m not sure the new style suits me.

James shook his head. It looks much the same to me.

Jessica groaned. Trust you not to notice. You see Maddie every two or three weeks, and you never said anything to me. She turned to Maddie. It’s great. It suits you. Don’t listen to him. Keep it like it is.

Yes, it suits you, James agreed. Anyway, what’s the good news and what’s the bad news? And start with the good news.

Maddie smiled. The good news is that we’ve met up again, all three of us.

Let’s go in, Jessica said. You can tell us the bad news when we’re indoors.

It’s probably better if I tell you out here, Maddie said. We’ve got something to discuss before your parents hear about it.

James glanced at the half open front door. Doors have ears, he said, nodding towards the door. Come on in. I’m sure they’re listening anyway.

As they went in, James noticed his parents disappear into the living room, obviously hoping not to be seen. He beckoned to Jessica and Maddie to join him in there.

Jessica, James and his parents looked at Maddie, waiting for her to speak. Go on then, Maddie, tell us the worst, James said.

Maddie bit her bottom lip at being the centre of attention. I’ve told you some of the good news, she said quietly. The other part of the good news is that yesterday I made a really exciting discovery at Daleton Farm, all on my own.

Nobody said anything. They waited for Maddie to continue.

Maddie grinned with embarrassment. I told you on the phone when you were in Scotland a couple of weeks ago that we had this really expensive drone, all singing and all dancing. The operator let me fly it for a short time, and that was only because I have one of my own and know the basics.

And then you crashed it, James said.

I most certainly didn’t, Maddie said firmly. But it was so expensive that I didn’t want to risk it any more. My own drone is only small and not very expensive, but it has a decent camera on the front. My phone goes on the control unit and I can see the same view that the drone sees, and I can either record stills or video, and——

Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, James said. Just get on with the bad news.

Maddie shook her head, laughing. I still haven’t told you all the good news. You know how dry it’s been for the past few weeks, well——

Not for us in the Scottish Highlands Jessica interrupted. [See The Lost Island Adventure.] It rained nearly every day the second week. I watched the weather radar app on my phone, as storm after storm swept in from the Atlantic. I noticed most of England stayed completely dry.

You said you had a good time, in spite of the weather, Maddie said.

Amazing. We were in a place called Arraig, right up in the far north-west of Scotland. There was an island by our cottage that was sometimes there, and sometimes wasn't. And we made friends with a young Viking who was looking for Viking treasure. We’ll tell you all about it later.

Well, Maddie said with exaggerated patience, "you asked me to get on with my story. Remember? It hadn’t rained for weeks and weeks where we were." And she smiled.

Lucky you. Sorry, go on, Maddie.

Do you know what parch marks are? Maddie asked. Some people call them ghost marks.

Everyone shook their heads, and Maddie seemed pleased to be the bearer of new knowledge.

You get them in grass when the weather has been dry for weeks, Maddie explained. Marks from long gone buildings and other signs of civilisation from the past, often from thousands of years ago. They show up in fields and gardens when the grass turns brown, even though there’s normally no sign of them.

And you found some of these ghostly marks, James said.

His mother raised a finger in caution. Let Maddie tell her story, she said.

Maddie glanced at James, who merely shrugged in response. Listen, she said, and I’ll tell you. Everyone was packing up to go home yesterday, because the wall was a complete washout. We’d wasted three weeks on it, and not found anything interesting, but we couldn’t account for the Bronze Age artefacts in parts of the soil.

James turned to his parents. That’s an archaeological term for interesting bits and pieces made by people.

James, his father said, we know what artefacts are. As your mother has just said, let Maddie tell her story.

Maddie smiled. Well, for something to do, I took my own drone up for a flight over a field at the far end of Daleton Farm, and the camera showed parch mark circles everywhere, but you couldn’t see them from the ground.

Ghostly marks, you mean, James said.

Ghost marks. Archaeologists call them parch marks, Maddie corrected him.

I think ghostly marks sound much more interesting, James said. Sorry, carry on, he said, catching his mother’s disapproving eye.

I showed the pics to Dr Lucy Grainger, and she was all of atremble with excitement. Everyone was packing up, and she called the whole team over. Made me feel really important. Maddie laughed, as though to cover her awkwardness at what sounded a little bit like boasting.

Good for you, Jessica said.

Maddie nodded. "Well, that’s the good news. Well, it’s sort of good news. But the bad news is that Papa has stayed on at Daleton Farm with Dr Grainger and a few of the team who can spare the time. Papa wants me to stay with him. So unless...."

Unless Jessica and I go with you, we won’t be meeting up for the rest of the holidays, James said. Don’t worry, Maddie, we’ll go back with you. Jessica is staying with me for the next couple of weeks anyway. He turned to his mother. Remember, I think I told you in Scotland that Maddie had mentioned we could go to the dig with her....

James let his voice trail off as he noticed his parents looking at each other. Perhaps they had already suspected this would happen, and had discussed the possibility privately. Hopefully it would be a yes.

James, his