Free Mosquitoes of Summer by Julianna Kozma

43, sometime in the late 1800s. Her entire family was buried all around her grave. There were two markers for her babies who died a few years apart at the age of one and two years old. Then her son died at the age of 18. And finally her 23-year-old daughter died two years after the mother. A tragic story, thought Hannah. This woman must have had a lot of sadness in her life.
    “Well … okay,” stammered Jack. “I guess I’ll see you after supper then. We’ll pick you up at seven o’clock.” In a daze, Jack headed back to his house. Shaking his head, he muttered “They actually said yes! I just don’t get them…. Girls!”

CHAPTER TEN
    GHOSTS AHOY !
    Four shadows quickly flitted past the rows of fishing boats tied up in the harbour at French River. The slowly setting sun cast a warm glow on everything, bathing the still water with a golden light. There was Wayne Simpson’s Lost Horizon . Wayne looked up from the stern of his boat as the children passed silently by.
    “Them kids look like they’re up to something,” he mumbled, staring off after them. Then, without a second thought, he went back to his repairs. A couple of nails peeked through his pursed lips as he hammered in a loose plank. Seeing Lucy reminded him of the upcoming supper at the Smiths. He just loved Alice’s home cooking, even though he would die a thousand deaths before he admitted it to her. Although his cod cakes were second to none, at least according to his old girlfriend Nancy, Alice’s were even better. He hoped that she’d make some more of that tomorrow night.
    Meanwhile, Jack led the three girls farther up along the path. A few minutes after leaving the relative peace of the harbour, the sandy road turned sharply to the right and the group made their way towards a small copse of woods. Beech, elms and maples gently rustled their leaves and cast long shadows in the darkening evening. Every once in a while, a branch creaked in the wind, stirring up birds settled down for the night.
    Suddenly Jack stopped and three bodies bumped into him, thump, thump, thump, sending him sprawling in the red dirt.
    “Why did you do that for?” he demanded, sitting up and brushing the dirt off his bright yellow sweater that sported thick black stripes.
    “Next time don’t stop like that without warning us, Bumblebee,” said Lucy.
    “If you weren’t following so closely I would still be standing,” he shot back. “Now listen up. The graveyard is in those woods. Once the sun sets it gets pretty dark. I don’t want you girls getting scared, so if you want to turn back, now’s the time.”
    “Nope, we’re fine, thanks,” Lucy assured him. She was all for joining the girls and their new friend on this mission of discovery. Although not interested in making her own grave rubbings, she enjoyed exploring this long lost cemetery. She and her parents had found this cemetery a few years ago while chasing Meg. It was perhaps half a kilometer away from the open sea and Arrowhead Beach. Many of the grave markers were overgrown with brambles and grass gone wild. Most of the lost souls buried here lay under unmarked graves, but every so often Lucy managed to uncover a tombstone that had a name and date etched faintly into the greying and mouldy rocks.
    Shrugging his shoulders, Jack resumed walking. Glancing back he said “Just don’t come crying to me if you get scared.”
    Hannah snorted. She wasn’t scared. Now, where was her flashlight again? Ah yes, the top front pocket of her coat. Lucy told them to dress in pants and a jacket. The nights get cool on the island, but it was the mosquitoes that were worse. They were voracious pests and swarmed the unwary victim, sucking up all of her blood. Vampires with wings. Shaking her head, Hannah forced herself to think happy thoughts. She was too good at scaring herself.
    Finally, after an uneasy 10 minute walk, they reached the edge of the woods and paused to ready flashlights.
    “Here we go,” said Emily