Welcome to Adventures on Away Island.

Chapter 1, the mysterious paper.

The scent of pine cleaning fluid filled Marie's nostrils as she and her dad entered the library.

It was a familiar smell, one that Marie always associated with this place,

along with the sound of the fountain gurgling away near the entrance and the cool waft of air conditioning that greeted them as they

walked through the second set of automatic doors. The library was one of Marie's favorite places.

She had a vivid imagination and was a voracious reader. She loved books because they held stories and adventures

of all kinds. They also contained gobs of helpful information on all sorts of topics. She especially

loved mystery novels. Today's trip to the library was particularly exciting because

Marie's dad needed a book from the out-of-print and rare books section. Although she was nearly

10 years old, Marie had never been allowed in this section before. It was in a special room under the library that was kept locked and required special permission to enter.

The room was below ground, and this kept the temperature stable all year long.

It also had a special venting system that precisely

controlled the humidity in the room, keeping conditions perfect for potentially fragile books.

When she was younger, Marie and her friends used to make up stories about what lived behind

the locked door that led to the lower bowels of the library.

There could be a monster that ate patrons who returned library books late. Or perhaps, it housed a

gargoyle that came out at night and secretly hid things around the library.

Other rumors floated about, too, whispers of ghosts, haunting the building, bound by unfinished business.

As father and daughter waited in line at the help desk to request access to this locked area,

Marie shivered ever so slightly, bristling with curiosity,

and a little bit of apprehension. She scanned the room and carefully observed the goings-on around her. Since school was over for the day, the space bustled with adults and children engaged in a variety of activities.

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