Walking up to the boat, she stepped onto the deck from the pier, laying her hands over the steering wheel after studying the storage and seating on board.
“I’ll take it,” she said firmly, smiling at the owner as she pulled a small map from her purse. “Can you have it delivered to this location after filling it with gas?”
“This isn’t far at all,” he answered, glancing at the map and scratching his head. “It’s funny how I’ve never noticed a boathouse and cabin there. I could swear I know this lake like the back of my hand.”
She decided not to say too much about it.
“It’s been several years since I’ve been there, but it might be a little run down.” Although it wouldn’t be if it had been cloaked. She really didn’t know what to expect. Her aunt had been the one to give her the map and Ariella had made multiple copies. “I suppose I’ll need to apply for a license right away?”
“Not a problem. I can handle that right now and attach a temporary to the pontoon.”
“Thank you. I purchased a snowmobile and that should be arriving there at the cabin around four, so I’ll be ready and waiting,” she replied, walking up the staircase and back into the marina office.”
“We’re open year-round for all season vehicles when you need to gas up,” he said, motioning her into a chair near the counter.
“Maybe I could start an account with you while I’m here today?”
“Sure. And don’t forget, if you have any mechanical problems, we can also tune ups and repairs.”
“I’ll remember that, Mr. Renfrow,” she answered with sincerity.
He actually beamed at her as he began filling out the paperwork.
Another thirty minutes later, she was walking from the arena with the paperwork in her hands. The price had been much better than she’d expected, although she was making a big dent in the funds she’d saved for her studies in Paris.
But strangely, she wasn’t as upset about it as she’d been yesterday. She was doing the right thing, and the more entangled she became in the details of the prophecy, the more she was beginning to sense the great devastation which could be coming their way.
Something was driving her onward to purchase the snowmobile and pontoon. Ariella had never seen the island, the house, or the cabin and its landing, so she wasn’t exactly sure why she needed them.
But instinct had told her that she would.
Ariella was hungry. She had at least a couple of hours to locate the landing and cabin, so this was as good of a time as any to stock up at the store.
It suddenly occurred to her to wonder, would she have electricity or any modern appliances at the house on the island? It was like, she would not. It was something she would have to have taken care of right away. She could do a little conjuring for now, but people would begin to wonder if she made the island her home. Ariella’s presence in town was already known. Danielle Loughlin had seemed to see into her soul, and momentarily it had thrown Ariella. Had she known?
She couldn’t have.
Could she?
Ariella discovered the grocery store on Main Street in town. Since she wasn’t sure about food storage on the island, she’d rather be safe than sorry so she would buy a lot of boxed and canned food. Maybe some arrangements could be made at the cabin temporarily since its location near others would give her access to modern utilities.
While she was inside the store, she purchased a coffeemaker and a microwave as well as a can opener, even though she probably wouldn’t be able to use them right away.
Well, not so anyone would know.
She was puzzled walking through the checkout lane. When had she put cat food in the cart? Rather than lose her place in line, she decided to hang onto it.
After paying for the groceries, she realized she needed something to eat now, and since it was early afternoon, maybe she would try the Crystal Rock Tap, a place she’d driven by earlier, after noticing the parking lot was full.
She loved the atmosphere of the place right away, and what was nice was there were mostly women working inside so she didn’t have to worry about appearing out of place here in town. The waitress took her order right away after Ariella asked what she recommended, and soon she was eating a yummy French dip sandwich with jalapenos on the side.
When the waitress came back, Ariella asked if she could order a few more sandwiches as carry out. She had a cooler with ice, so at least she would have something to eat besides cereal, lunchmeat and crackers during the next few days.
The waitress had laughed, introducing herself as Julie, the daughter of the owner, and Ariella had mentioned she was moving into an old property in Crystal Rock, which would need some restoration done. They talked a little longer and Julie had given her a delivery menu, since the cabin was supposed to be located less than ten minutes away from here. Ariella had gotten directions on how to get to the road where the cabin was supposedly located.
Soon, she was on her way, and a few minutes later, Ariella pulled onto a road that was somewhat grown over, with no other homes nearby.
She couldn’t find the cabin, but then suddenly she remembered it had been cloaked. What was ir that she was supposed to do in order to reveal its whereabouts?
“That’s right,” she murmured. “Mother said I would have to actually walk along the road and then I would know what to do when it came to bringing it back to life.”
Stepping outside from her jeep, Ariella began strolling along the desolate lane, which seemed to be abandoned. But when she noticed a pair of large stones, positioned apart as if they were bordering a roadway, she realized that the path seemed to be cut off where it should have continued onward toward the lake.
Bending down on one knee, she studied the etchings on one of the stones, and smiled.
A dragonfly.
It was the sign she’d been looking for, she acknowledged, standing back on her feet.
“Reveal what I cannot see,” she chanted softly.
Closing her eyes, she stretched her arms outward, joining her hands together above her head and finally lowering them with her palms opened.
When she opened her eyes, she smiled, because the cabin was lovely, apparently well-maintained in its original time period. It had been positioned near the lake and was surrounded by birch and graceful pines. Ariella smiled, making her way to the doorway, opening the latch and stepping inside.
Chapter Five
Now that Gramps was here, Birch wasn’t quite sure what to do with him, he realized. At this point, there wasn’t much Gramps could help him with, and frankly, Birch felt like he needed to be alone to puzzle all this out.
But apparently, Gramps intended to stay out of his way after they went out somewhere and had lunch.
“I’ll take you to a place called the Crystal Rock Tap to eat, Gramps. If you stay with me here in the cabin, you can head to the Dragonfly Pointe Inn anytime you’d like. It’s within walking distance and they have three different restaurants inside.”
“Good,” Gramps answered. “I intend to do some exploring while I’m here. I’ve already heard there’s a bus that swings around this way a few times a day.”
Curious, Birch asked, “How did you find that out?”
“When I asked which cabin you were staying in, there was a lot of tourism information spread out on their desk.”