The Wild Water Mystery at Niagara Falls

“Christina! Look out!” Grant yelled in panicas he watched a massive, wooden barrel rollingstraight toward his sister.

But Christina could not hear her brother overthe thundering sound of Niagara Falls.Mesmerized, she kept staring through the mistat the mighty rushing water.

Grant lunged for Christina, pushing heragainst a metal railing and out of the barrel’spath. She was safe, but Grant was not. Wideeyed, he watched the barrel take aim at him.

Suddenly, a glint of silver flashed in theautumn sunlight. It was a wheelchair and theboy in it was rolling between Grant and thebarrel! As the barrel’s corner caught the boy’swheel, it popped into the air and jumped off thesidewalk. The wayward barrel raced over the

1Roll Out

the Barrel

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damp grass, collided with a park bench, andbegan to wobble wildly.

Splintered wood flew everywhere and ashower of colorful fall leaves rained to theground as the barrel crashed into a tree.

“Whew!” Grant grabbed his chest in relief ashe looked over at his sister.

“Was that barrel headed for me?” Christinaasked, confused.

Before Grant could answer, the boy in thewheelchair joined them.

“Are you OK?” he asked. “I’m sure my ribs will be sore tomorrow,”

Christina answered, rubbing her side. “If you hadn’t rolled in front of that barrel,

I’d be squashed flat as a pancake right now,”Grant added.

2 The Wild Water Mystery at Niagara Falls


“Yes, thank you,” Christina said as she self-consciously combed her long brown hair withher fingers.

Spinning his wheelchair around, the boy said,“Let’s take a look at it!”

As they headed toward the barrel’s remains,Christina asked, “Did you see where it camefrom?”

“No,” the boy answered. “That’s what sostrange about it. When people visit NiagaraFalls, they expect to see a barrel going over thefalls, not rolling down the sidewalk.”

Grant, who had run ahead, reached thebarrel first. “Looks empty!” he shouted.

“Do you think someone was planning to useit to ride over the falls?” Christina asked the boyin the wheelchair.

“Doing any kind of stunt like that is illegal,”he answered. “I don’t think they’d try it inbroad daylight.”

“Look at this,” Grant said when they joinedhim beside the barrel. “It looks like some kindof crest,” he remarked, tracing the strange markwith his finger.

Roll Out the Barrel 3


“One thing’s for sure,” Christina said, pickingup one of the broken boards. “This barrel willnever hold anything again.”

As Christina turned the board over in herhands, she was surprised to see words writtenin charcoal.

“What does this mean?” she asked, showingthe boys.

“It looks like that barrel did have somethinginside,” Grant exclaimed. “A clue!”

“Grant, don’t start…” Christina began tochastise her brother, but something elsegrabbed her attention. A redheaded manwearing a bright yellow raincoat darted frombehind a nearby tree.



I wonder if he was watching us, Christinathought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the boyin the wheelchair spoke. “I don’t have a cluewhat the barrel business is all about, but I’m gladyou’re both OK. I have to be heading home.”

“Wait,” Christina said. “You saved mybrother’s life and I don’t even know your name.”

“David Hemphill,” the boy answered. “I hopeyou enjoy your visit to Canada!”

Roll Out the Barrel 5




“What a strange coincidence!” Christina toldGrant as they looked for their grandparents. “I wanted to learn about the daredevils who havetried to conquer Niagara Falls, but I didn’t knowI’d get that close to a barrel so soon!”

Not wanting to worry Mimi and Papa, thesiblings agreed to keep the barrel storybetween them.

“It probably just fell off a truck,” Christinareassured her brother, tousling his blonde curlsthat had become ringlets in the moist air nearthe falls.

Still, Christina realized that mystery alwaysseemed to find them. And if they had alreadyfound one clue, more would certainly follow.

“I saw them first!” Christina shouted overthe falls’ constant roar as she dashed ahead ofGrant toward their grandparents.

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Christina was sure she had the bestgrandparents in the world. Mimi and Papa, asshe and Grant affectionately called them, oftenincluded them on trips to interesting places allaround the world.

When they planned an Amtrak trip fromAtlanta, Georgia to the Niagara Falls region,Grant and Christina were ecstatic. It was theirfirst trip to Canada and they were going to beamong the 14 million people who visit the fallseach year! And since they were on fall breakfrom school, it was also perfect timing.

Mimi wrote children’s mystery books, andsometimes did research for her stories whilethey traveled. But on this trip, Grant was doingthe research. He had a history project on theWar of 1812 due after fall break.

“I’ll get an ‘A’ for sure!” he had boasted.Breathless from her sprint, Christina

reached her grandparents. “You sure…are easy…to spot…in a crowd!”

she gasped. “Whatever do you mean?” Mimi asked,

striking a pose in her red vinyl hat, sunshine-yellow jacket, faded jeans, and shiny red boots.



As Christina giggled, Mimi added, “These bootsare waterproof. When your feet get wet exploringNiagara Falls, you may wish you had some!”

“I’ll take my chances,” Christina said, turningup her nose at Mimi’s fashion sense.

Papa didn’t stand out nearly as much in hiscowboy hat, jeans, and chocolate-brown cowboyboots. “So, what do you kids think of NiagaraFalls?” he asked.

“Well, it’s big!” Grant answered.

“Glad you noticed that, Grant,” Papa saidwith a laugh.

“One more thing,” Grant added. “It’s shapedlike a horseshoe!”

“That’s right, Grant,” Papa said. “Manypeople call the falls here on the Canadian sidethe Horseshoe Falls. The other set of falls youcan see from here are the American Falls. Theyare on American soil.”

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“I could stare at the falls for hours!”Christina said. “The flowing water looks likesparkling liquid hair!”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”Grant said. “The way the water spills over therim sort of reminds me of the time the toiletoverflowed in my bathroom!”

“And you thought what I said was dumb?”Christina asked, turning to look at her brother.

Grant was on a roll. “Yeah, and see all thatsteam down there at the bottom of the falls?”Grant asked. “That reminds me of when Mimicooks spaghetti!”

“Oh, brother!” Christina said. “First of all,Grant, that’s not steam, because the water isn’thot. That’s mist!”

Papa decided it was time to interrupt thebickering. “You’ll get to know the falls up closeand personal tomorrow,” he said with a wink.

“What do you mean?” Grant asked.Mimi answered, “You know Papa always has

an adventure up his sleeve. But now, the onlyadventure I want is to find our bed and breakfast.”

“Our bed and breakfast?” Grant asked.“Don’t we need to find a hotel first?”


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Mimi laughed. “A bed and breakfast is a typeof hotel,” she explained. “It’s just feels a lotmore like home. And they serve breakfast!”

“I’m for that!” Grant exclaimed. “Hearing allthis running water makes me have to go!”

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“Are you sure this is it?” Grant asked warily,as Papa parked their baby blue rental car in frontof the bed and breakfast.

“This is it!” Papa replied cheerfully.“Looks like a Halloween house to me,” Grant

observed, eyeing the steep roof, turret, and thegingerbread trim around the porch.

“It’s a Victorian mansion, Grant,” Christinasaid.

“Yes,” Mimi continued. “It reminds you ofHalloween, because pictures you see of hauntedhouses are often Victorian-type houses. Thatdoesn’t mean that all Victorian houses arehaunted, though.”

“What exactly is a Victorian house?” Grant asked.

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Breakfast,

and Booooo!

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“Victorian houses were built between 1837and 1901 during the reign of Queen Victoria,who was queen of England,” Mimi explained.

“She was also queen of Canada, Mimi,”Christina added. “Remember Great Britain andCanada share the same monarch.”

“That’s right!” Mimi said, excited atChristina’s knowledge.

“Love the history lesson,” Papa interrupted,“but let’s get unpacked and continue it overdinner. I’m starving.”

“We can’t eat dinner here,” Grant said. “It’sa bed and BREAKFAST, not a bed and DINNER.”



“Don’t worry, Grant,” Papa said. “We’ll havedinner in the town of Niagara Falls.”

“Welcome! Welcome!” A rather plump ladywith a thick British accent greeted them at thedoor. “Allison and I have been expecting you!”she said. “I’m Ms. Bumpus, maid of this grandold lady, The Victoria. Sorry the mistress of thehouse couldn’t be here to welcome you, butshe’s on a business trip in the States. This isher daughter, Allison Cooper. You’re our onlyguests, so we’re glad to have the company.”

Christina thought it was odd that ahousekeeper in the 21st century was dressedlike Ms. Bumpus. She was wearing a long blackdress covered in front by a white lace apron.Black pointed shoes peeked from under herskirt and red hair tumbled from under a frillylace cap.

“I’ll be happy to show you to your room,” Ms.Bumpus said, grabbing Mimi’s suitcase.“Allison, why don’t you show the kids to theirrooms?”

Grant and Christina followed Allison out ofthe foyer into an eerie, dark hallway. As they

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started up a curving staircase, each staircreaked on cue.

“Isn’t it spooky to live here?” Grant askedAllison.

Allison flashed Grant a smile. She was apretty girl with wavy, dark hair and brown eyes.“I’ve never lived anywhere else, so I’m used toit,” she answered. “I’m used to The Victoria’ssounds and moods.”

When Grant realized his room was across thewide hall from Christina’s room, he wished foronce they were staying together. But he wasrelieved to see that his room had a television.

“Great!” he said. “I can play the video gamesI brought!”

“Enjoy your stay,” Allison said, just like aninnkeeper.

“Thanks, Allison,” Christina replied. “Grant,I’ll meet you in the hall after I wash up.”

Grant began rummaging through his suitcasefor his favorite video game until a strange noisestopped him. Sure it was his imagination, hestarted digging through his clothing again untilhe heard another sound. This time, he was surehe heard the muffled meow of a cat.



“Here kitty, kitty,” Grant called. The soundgrew louder, but Grant could tell it wasn’t in theroom with him.

“Must be coming from the room next door,”he thought.

As Grant turned to walk back to his suitcase,however, his shirt sleeve caught on a piece ofmolding that framed a section of the wall besidethe fireplace. Knowing what Mimi would say ifhe ripped one of his good shirts, he workedcarefully to free the snag. But when he leanedagainst the wall for one last tug, the wall moved!

“This really is a haunted house!” he said tohimself. Through the crack that had opened inthe wall,G r a n tcould seetwo eyesglowing.Quiveringwith fear,he pushed the wallso the openingwas wide enough forhim to squeeze through.



Something shot past Grant in the dim light.Stumbling forward, Grant caught his balanceon something round and hard that rocked withhis weight.

“Grant! Are you ready?” he heard his sisteryell from the hallway.

Grant darted back through the wall’s openingand ran to tell his sister what he had seen.“Christina, you’re n-n-not going to b-b-believethis!” he stuttered.



“Are you serious?” Christina said in disbelief. “Come in here, I’ll show you,” Grant replied,

grabbing her arm. But when Grant took Christina to the spot

where the wall had parted, it was closed tight.No amount of pushing or pulling could open it.

Looking at her brother in disgust, Christinascolded him. “Stop trying to scare me, Grant!”





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The Wild Water Mystery at Niagara Falls