Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery

By Kathleen Jae

After a series of terrifying events, Elanora is transported to a strange neighborhood where the only way to get about is by water and the only food to eat is the grasses of the marsh. Her newfound guardians do their best to help her adapt, but the food is odd and unappetizing, and she feels like an outsider. The colony of muskrats who live in the marsh refuse to accept the young chipmunk and ignore her each time they gather to eat at night. In her former home, Elanora spent most days exploring, but her guardians insist she sleep like the rest of the colony. After she learns about an enormous gray creature that swims in the deeper part of the marsh, Elanora sets off one day to find him. When the sea cow tells her about the marsh's troubles, Elanora begins her investigation into the mysterious lowering of water levels and the suffering of the swimming creatures. Despite relentless attempts of intimidation from some younger members of the colony, Elanora, along with an elder, piece together clues that lead to a terrifying conclusion.

Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery is middle-grade fiction at its best. It shines a light on the importance of diversity, the impact of bullying, and the consequences of the destruction of habitats and ecosystems. At its core, Elanora and the Salt Mystery explores the problems of trying to fit in and features one youngster's fight to be heard.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathleen Jae
• Release date: Aug 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578744407

Kathleen Jae

Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery is Kathleen Jae’s first novel. She has been writing in one form or another for almost twenty-five years. In past lives the author has been a proofreader, editor, newspaper reporter and columnist, newsletter writer for a wildlife organization and writer of stage plays and screenplays. Two of Kathleen’s short stories made it to the finals of the 2017 Florida Writer Association Royal Palm Literary Competition.

Book preview

Also by Kathleen Jae

From Prompting to Shaping to Letting Go: My Love Affair With ABA and How Being a Bad Mom Helped My Daughter With Autism Succeed

Island Times Three

(A Raymond Gray Mystery)

To be published August 2021

Elanora

and the

Salt Marsh

Mystery

Kathleen Jae

Twenty Paws Publishing

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual animals, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © Kathleen Jae 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address:

[e-mail].

Cover design and character sketches by Lori Taylor

Chapter head design by Peter Chiappetta

Book layout and design by Lisa Gilliam

Proofreading by Rachel Rowlands

ISBN: 978-1-7340632-2-6 (ebook)

Published by

Twenty Paws Publishing

2169 W. Vienna Rd., Suite 153

Clio, MI 48420

www.kathleenjae.com

For Katie

To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.

―Rachel Carson

Red Mangrove

mangle tree

Contents

Also by Kathleen Jae

Foreword

Preface

Prologue

1: Elanora the Questioner

2: Jae’s Puzzling Advice

3: Nara

4: A Good Friend and Teacher

5: A Worthy Tale

6: The Cheekspot

7: The Morrigans’ Warnings

8: A Defiant Defyer

9: The Relentless Beast

10: A Darkened Confinement

11: An Abrupt Journey’s End

12: A Cry for Help

13: Friend or Foe?

14: A Telling Conversation

15: A Sad Realization

16: Elanora the Odd One

17: A Small Comfort

18: New Friends and a New Enemy

19: An Important Conversation

20: Elanora’s Task and a Trio of Bullies

21: The Mangle Trees

22: Questions for Beathas

23: An Elder’s Support

24: A Desperate Plea

25: The Sisters’ Report

26: Elanora Gathers More Clues

27: Elanora’s Confession

28: There Is Something Very Wrong.

29: The Sea Cow’s Warning

30: Beathas Confronts Her Fears

31: The Patrians’ Intrusion

32: The Water Path

33: Elanora Seeks Help

34: An Unlikely Alliance

35: Elanora Makes a Deal

36: We Will Stand Firm with You.

37: Troubled Souls

38: The Colony Revolts

39: Elanora Remembers

40: Hardbacks Found!

41: The Sisters’ Worrisome News

42: Two Far-Sighted Jays

43: An Unexpected Problem

44: Pál’s Disturbing Past

45: A Change of Heart

46: The Colony Readies

47: We Must Begin.

48: Where Is Calum?

49: A Second Chance

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

When Kathleen emailed me that she had been doing research at the Estero Bay Preserve for a novel she was working on, I was only slightly curious. So, when she asked me to read what she had written so far, I was, I am ashamed to say, apathetic at completing the task. But as I read through what was then the first twelve chapters, I found my interest and enthusiasm growing, and I immediately asked for more! By the time she was finally finished with the first draft of the manuscript, I couldn’t wait to see how the characters and plot had developed, so I volunteered to do the first read-through to catch grammatical trees she couldn’t see for the forest. I had to admit the Scottish Gaelic was a little distracting, but I was hooked and proved to be a poor editor because I was so engrossed in what was happening on each page. Many details were changed and clarified throughout the editing trail, but the fun and excitement of the mystery and the courage of the heroine are unchanged. She is destined to make a positive difference in the Salt Marsh and the minds of the reader.

—L.F.E., Retired Engineer and G.F.

Preface

In 2015, my family and I visited Sanibel Island, and a kayak trip through the Commodore Trail in Tarpon Bay was a must. Our guide was quite animated and knowledgeable, and he relayed a story of how Sanibel Island almost lost most of its precious red mangroves: After the causeway was built in 1963, developers saw a golden opportunity to develop the island, envisioning multi-story resorts and high-density neighborhoods, especially along the gulf shore. When Lee County decided to expand development on the island so that the population would reach almost 100,000, residents voted to separate from county government and in 1974 incorporated as the City of Sanibel. Had the developers succeeded, one of the casualties in their rapacious plan would have been the red mangrove. Thousands of acres of these important salt-tolerant trees—which protect shorelines from hurricane winds and floods, prevent erosion with their tangled roots and provide a nursery for young fish and shrimp—would have been destroyed. Instead, the determined island residents implemented building height restrictions and lower-density plans. Mangrove forests were purchased and today almost 70% of the island is made up of wildlife preservation areas.

I admit that my memory of the guide’s stories is spotty, and I had to round it out with a bit of historical research, but I do remember his main points. And I also remember sitting in the kayak, gazing at the red mangroves as he spoke, and formulating a story in my mind—a story of a courageous critter who had to defend the mangroves from patrians (humans). I did not yet know what kind of critter it would be, but after a bit of research I found that chipmunks do not live in southwest Florida, and round-tailed muskrats dwell in salt marshes. I started to develop the story, and I soon realized that I would have to begin at the beginning: How did these creatures, namely a chipmunk and round-tailed muskrats, end up in such an unfamiliar environment? And why did they need to leave their natural habitats to take up residence in a red mangrove forest?

After weeks of research, including trips to Estero Bay Preserve to observe salt marshes and mangroves, my first attempt laid the groundwork for the story, but I peppered it with extraneous bits of information that included several Scottish Gaelic words (which I believe are quite beautiful). When I realized a glossary would have been needed, I decided that readers would be pulled out of the story while searching for definitions.

A total rewrite was in order, but I left in some Gaelic words and kept the Gaelic spellings of the characters’ names. Subsequent rewrites caused the story to twist and turn and go in directions that I had never thought possible. Characters and subplots were added, and after almost five years I am proud of what Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery has become.

This journey was not trouble-free, and I am reminded of the words of a clever elder:

This will not be easy, Elanora whispered.

Beathas shook her head. Nothing of worth ever is, child.

Prologue

T hey are a fine clan, my babies, are they not? the mother asked.

Which one is she?

The mother smiled and gently stroked the young one’s head, and this made her yawn as she struggled to free herself from her brothers and sisters and roll over on her left side. The mother frowned at the small, white mark on her daughter’s right cheek, for even though she had known this day would come—her own mother had told her as much—she had dreaded the time when the Predictor’s words would ring true. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered her sister and the small, white mark on her right cheek, and the mother almost sobbed at her sudden recollection of the day she was told a silent marauder had stolen the one whom she considered her best friend.

What will you call her?

The mother wiped her eyes and stared at the silhouette. It was eventide now, and even though the hole in the tree was small, she could see the bright white roundness in the sky behind him. Perched securely on the rough bark, he tilted his crested head, and she could not help but smile. After all, his calling had been thrust upon him as it was now for her daughter. And she vowed right then to never tell the little one of her destiny so that she would live a happy young life, but would others be equally silent? She knew there would come a time when silence would not be possible. But until then, the youngster’s bravery and cleverness must be developed with the help of her Guide, for the mother knew that these would be the strengths her daughter would rely on one day.

Elanora, the mother finally replied. Her name will be Elanora.

1

Elanora the Questioner

Dangers lurk both high and low,

Marauders, curs, moggies too.

When darkness comes, we must not go,

And wait for light’s renew!

Elanora’s mother uttered the verse daily, just as her mother’s mother had told it to her, so who was Elanora to question it? It gave her shivers when she heard the serious way her mother told it, as if every menacing creature mentioned in the verse were waiting just outside their burrow, ready to pounce on them for daring to leave the safety of their home. The first time her mother recited it, Elanora was busy studying the stripes on the back of her sister Vala. All of them had these same stripes, even her mother, but Elanora thought them quite unnecessary. One…two…three… she counted, poking hard at each line, until her sister screamed for her to stop. Ela­nora was quietly scolded, as it was normally a time for rest. She promised herself to ask her mother about the stripes at feasting time, for she had an almost vital need to know things.

Please tell me now—why do we have these silly stripes on our backs? Elanora asked her mother this question after they arrived at the edge of a clearing where the cobbings grew on the popple trees. She pulled a piece of cobbing from the tree and shoved it in her mouth. Her sisters and brothers foraged around her, and she had never heard them complain about the ugly and slimy things. But Elanora thought they tasted like dirt, and their shape reminded her of the lily pads she had seen in the pond that was not far from their home. Elanora accepted the tops, but she had long ago rejected the stems for she thought they made her tummy hurt. At least that is what she told to all who would listen.

Her mother smiled at Elanora’s question. Hava has used her wisdom once again with the creation of our stripes. You noticed they are different colors, yes?

Elanora nodded.

That is so we are one with everything else she has created.

But—

Look at your brother there, she directed, pointing to Calum. You must use your eyes skillfully to see him among the leaves and the twigs and the ground.

Elanora tried to observe the scene in an open-minded way and decided that her mother was right: when Calum was still he seemed to disappear.

Elanora nodded. I agree, Mother. But if Hava has done this good thing, why did she also create the defyers—those awful creatures who watch for us and take us away with their sharp claws?

Her mother stopped eating and frowned at Elanora. You are asking too many questions! We will leave that for another outing!

She had been told such things before, like when she would ask why the water fell from the sky or why the brightness left and the darkness arrived at the same time. She knew her queries annoyed her family, but she could not help herself. That was why she loved to talk to Damhan. He answered her questions thoughtfully and always welcomed more.

That eventide, Elanora asked if she might explore the nearby pond the next brightness, and her mother agreed. Just as the light pushed through the tops of the trees, Elanora’s mother received a report of a cur wandering near the rock wall. After securing a promise from her daughter that she would not be away long, Sorcha gave Elanora permission to leave the nest.

She peeked from the opening of their burrow. Elanora loved the cozy home she shared with her family, and her mother once told them that she had lived in the same burrow when she was a youngster. The tiny entrance was at the bottom of a tall honey tree, and once inside, Elanora had to turn to the right, climb up two steps, and turn left. A feathered creature had bored a hole through the bark at this point, and Elanora loved to watch the brightness of the moon push through the opening and into their burrow, and it was the last thing she saw before falling asleep. The other part of the burrow, one that Elanora did not like, was under the ground. Its entrance was just beyond the steps, and the tunnel that led downward was narrow. They sometimes slept in a nest in one of the larger pockets, usually after hearing the cries of a moggie.

Dangers lurk both high and low,

Marauders, curs, moggies too.

When darkness comes, we must not go,

And wait for light’s renew!

2

Jae’s Puzzling Advice

As she made her way to the pond, she thought about the awful creatures in the verse—the marauder only seemed to live in the trees at darkness, and its hoo-hoo-hoo sounds always made her jump. The moggie sometimes wailed at this time also, and its piercing cries were equally terrifying. The cur, the strange creature with the panting wet tongue, long ears and oafish walk, always seemed to wander with no purpose. But the defyer—the creature she feared the most—made little sound, and it sometimes floated above as if its wings were broken.

When she arrived, Elanora decided to explore along the shore of the pond, and one small area allowed her to walk to the water’s edge. Lily pads grew here, and she liked to watch the blue dashers hurry back and forth from one end of the pond to the other. She smiled at their enormous eyes, and many times she wondered what it would be like to fly about with four wings.

Elanora remembered her promise, and she soon left for home. The source of the brightness was not quite overhead, and the glimmers of light that wove through the treetops mesmerized her. As the honey tree came into view, something caught her eye. Just beyond the burrow, Elanora saw a youngster nibbling on a buckweed stem. She had never seen such a creature before and thought it might be friendly as its long ears and twitching nose made her laugh inside. Nevertheless, she approached the creature cautiously, and after introductions, Elanora learned she was speaking to a quidge named Carena. The quidge told her about