After gathering all of the necessary ingredients it was time to perform the spell. I guess we would know soon enough if I was a witch who did not know they were a witch or just crazy.

"According to the Book of Tides, you pick a spot where the spell is being performed and cleanse that area by burning frankincense in one of the shells. Then light the sage and eucalyptus bundle and run the smoke over any person's body that is present. Next, you cleanse the space the spell will be cast in. Last place the sage and eucalyptus bundle in the second shell and allow it to keep burning throughout the ritual."

"Seems pretty straightforward to me."

"I agree Rachel, but where should we set up the ritual?"

"Where do you feel the closest to your mother?"

"Hmm. I suppose I feel closest to her in her bedroom."

"Then you have your answer."

"Let's take everything into the bedroom then, starting with this coffee table full of books." I set the books on the couch and proceeded to the other end of the coffee table. Rachel grabbed ahold of the end of the table closest to the kitchen and we carried it into the bedroom. Then we went back for the ingredients and placed them on the table in the room.

"I am going to spread the map out on this end of the table. Could you set up the candles in their holders and place them on each side of the map for me Rachel?"

"I am on it."

"Now that the map is out, the candles are placed, and the pendulum is lying next to the map let's cleanse the room."

"I am starting by lighting the frankincense and placing it in the shell at the top left corner of the map."

"Now that the frankincense is burning let's light the sage and eucalyptus bundle." Once the bundle was lit, I moved it up and down Rachel's body, then mine, I walked around the room with it, moving it gently from side to side. Then I moved it over the map, candles, and pendulum before placing it in the shell at the upper right corner of the map, still burning.

"Now to light the candles. It says to start at the northern candle and light them clockwise."

With the candles lit there was only one thing to do. "Now for the moment of truth."

"You can do this Luna. Just remember to concentrate on where the captain is. You find the captain; you find your answers."

I picked up the pendulum and began moving it over the map. Once positioned over the center of the island I began swinging the pendulum in a small clockwise motion. Making small circles around the center of the island.

"Where are you, captain?" I asked aloud, over and over again. Keeping all of my concentration centered on the question and the pendulum. After several minutes with no signs from the pendulum, I expanded the circle a little. Once again there was no response so the circle widened. This happened several more times until the pendulum was swinging in a large circle at the island's outer edges.

Just as the thoughts of defeat began to pull on my mind I heard a sound. It was Rachel. "You are doing great, keep going." Her voice snapped me out of my funk and back into concentration mode. Shortly after that the pendulum stopped moving and dropped onto the map.

"I did it," I exclaimed with a real feeling of accomplishment.

"You did, but where is that?"

"It landed in the water outside the cove. Right in front of the cave I discovered. What the hell? How is that even possible? The captain was dressed like you and I. He wasn't wearing a wet suit and he did not appear to have wet hair. I must have messed up the ritual. That figures." I said as I walked away, defeated.

"Not necessarily," Rachel called as I left the room. "What is wrong with you? You performed the ritual and it gave you an answer."

"A worthless answer."

"How do you know that?"

"We were just there. There is a hole in a mountain-sized rock, an outcropping of rock that covers almost the entire cove as it protrudes over the water, and a hidden cave. No captain, no mother, no anything else."

"I am going to have another look. Are you coming or are you going to stay here and sulk? Your choice, but I think you are onto something and I am going to figure out what."

"What are you doing now?"

"I am gathering water and some snacks. It could take a while. Come on. Get off your butt and let's go. You surely will not find anything sitting in your living room."

"Okay fine. Let me grab some water and granola. Give me just a minute, Rachel." I said with a defeated attitude.

"Already got enough for both of us," Rachel replied as she swung the backpack over her right shoulder and walked through the front door. I grabbed my shoes, put them on, and followed her out. I expected to find her waiting for me right outside, but instead, she was already walking down the path. I guess she was doing this with or without me.

We walked briskly down the path that led to the beach. As we walked across the sand towards the ocean, I hesitantly spoke to Rachel. "What are you hoping to find down here?"

"I am hoping to find a clue that will lead us to some answers," Rachel replied.

We continued to walk along the ocean's edge like I did when I found the shells. When we reached the cove we turned towards the ocean hoping to find a clue as to why the pendulum had landed in the water. We waded into the ocean to what should have been where the pendulum had marked the map. Nothing was there aside from the sandy ocean floor under our feet. After getting back to the shore we headed inland towards the cave entrance. Still nothing. We both walked back down to the ocean and took a seat placing our feet in the water.

"How do we get on top of this outcropping that is looming overhead?" Rachel asked.

"I have no idea. I do not remember seeing any way to scale the cliff face from the ocean side of the mountain."

"Then let's head around to the back of the cliff."

"Sure, why not." Rachel and I rose and began walking back the way we had come. We retraced our steps along the ocean's edge until we reached the beach.

As we plowed our way through the sand I noticed a small makeshift path to our right that led into a grove of Willow trees. "Hey, Rachel. That looks like a small well-worn footpath." I pointed behind the cliff where the beach met the path that encircled the outer edge of the island. "It looks like a makeshift path comes off of the main circular path and leads into the trees behind the cliff."

"It sure does, Luna. Shall we have a look?"

"Absolutely," I replied finally feeling upbeat about something today.

"I knew you would say that. I know how much you enjoy investigating things."

As we walked along the path, I suppose calling it a path is rather generous. In reality, it is just a worn area of land that runs among the Willows and behind the cliff. The kind of path that naturally forms when someone or something continues to walk the same ground over and over.

As we emerged from behind one of the trees I put my arm up and stopped Rachel in her tracks. I pointed towards a tree just across from us and whispered "Look over there. A family of bunnies. How adorable."

"Oh my gosh. How precious. That is the first animal I have seen here. I suppose this area would not get very many visitors. It is off the beaten path and would be a nice place to hide your family if you were a rabbit."

"I have not seen any other animals either. Plenty of butterflies and bees but no actual animals." I replied.

We slowly and as quietly as possible moved past the family and continued our trek through the trees. After dodging branches and squeezing between trees we finally exited the grove and could see the backside of the cliff.

We started by walking, right, the short distance to the beginning of the mountain. "This must be the backside of where the cliff starts on the beach. So, if we turn around and walk left we should come out at the ocean past the cave you discovered."

"That sounds right to me. Let's go for a walk and see."

We walked the entire length of the mountain looking for a way to get on top.

"I do not see any way to climb the mountain from here. We passed a few ledges a ways back there and one long ledge that leads most of the way to the top, but I saw no way to get up to what would be the starting point."

"I did not see a way either Luna, but I am not willing to give up just yet. I feel like we are on to something. There has to be a reason the small path we followed back here is so well-worn."

"I agree there has to be a reason but what is it? I think we should walk back to where we both noticed the ledges and take a closer look around."

"Okay. Maybe we missed something."

Rachel and I headed back the way we came until we were standing right under the ledges. "I would say those ledges are about thirty feet up."

"Why do you say that Luna?"

"Because the Willow trees here are maybe forty or fifty feet tall and the ledges start about three-quarters of the way up the tree. So maybe thirty-ish feet up. Give or take."

"I will take your word for it since I am no good at judging distance. Maybe if we look around we could climb our way up after all."

Rachel and I looked for a way up to the ledges for what seemed like forever. I had all but given up when I spotted something overhead between two trees. "Look at this tree, Rachel. Does it seem oddly shaped to you? To me, it looks almost like the tree next to it is connected near the top."

Rachel stopped what she was looking at and focused on the two trees I was pointing at the tops of. "I guess, maybe Luna. It certainly does not look like the other treetops. How well can you climb a tree girly?"

"I guess we are about to find out," I said as I walked over to the base of the tree closest to the mountain. "Here I go," I said as I began to climb with Rachel right behind me.

When we were about twenty feet in the air we realized we had made a mistake. "I am not tall enough to reach the next set of branches above us."

"Neither am I," Rachel replied.

"When I look up it still looks to me like the tree a little further away from the mountain connects to this one in some way. Does it look that way to you, Rachel?"

"Yes."

"So, if we climb back down and climb up that tree, which I can see has limbs much closer together at the bottom, I think we can get back across to this tree near the top."

"Sure, why not," Rachel said.

We climbed back down the tree we were in and contemplated the best way to climb the other tree. "Let's have a snack, Luna. All of this climbing is wearing me out."

"I could use a break too, Rachel."

We both had a seat with our backs against the Willow tree we had just been climbing and took a well-deserved break.