THE HOUSE ON HAWTHORN COURT

By Elizabeth Scarlata

A long and difficult school year was rapidly coming to an end. Katie, a fourth grader with ADHD, would soon be free from the burden of having to stay focused during instruction and being the object of gossip among the popular girls in class.

When Katie and her family arrived on Cape Cod, Katie was shocked to see her father park his car in front of the house on Hawthorn Court, the same house that belongs to the old woman who terrified Katie and her friends, Carrie and Lila, two summers ago. Where was the old woman now? Why were they renting her house? Little did Katie realize that while living in the house on Hawthorn Court, she would gain a wealth of information about its inhabitants and their connection to New England's whaling industry.

As the summer drew to an end, Katie came to realize that many of life's lessons are learned outside the classroom and that first impressions could often be misleading. Ready to meet the challenges of the coming school year, a confident Katie bid farewell to her beloved Cape until her return next summer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887317953

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Prologue

The Candle Fell

Chapter 1: A Tough Day at School

Chapter 2: Flattery Pays Off

Chapter 3: The Dreaded Letter

Chapter 4: A Shocking Surprise

Chapter 5: A Haunting Memory

Chapter 6: Reunited

Chapter 7: Settling In

Chapter 8: Discovery

Chapter 9: Three Mysteries

Chapter 10: A Moment of Panic

Chapter 11: The Present Meets the Past

Chapter 12: A Treasure Trove of Information

Chapter 13: Surprise or Shock?

Chapter 14: Friendly Advice

Chapter 15: There's Always Room for a New Friend

Chapter 16: The Visitor

Chapter 17: The Past Meets the Present

Chapter 18: The Gift

Chapter 19: Lessons Learned

Chapter 20: One Last Stop

About the Author

cover.jpg

THE HOUSE ON HAWTHORN COURT

Elizabeth Scarlata

Copyright © 2023 Elizabeth Scarlata

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88731-794-6 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88982-347-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88731-795-3 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To Jessica and Nancy—the inspirations for this book.

Prologue

The Candle Fell

The unlit candle fell with a thud, awakening the old woman from her restless nap. She turned to her smoky-colored cat and said, Looks like the wind is coming from the east. Could be a nasty night, Sam. Too bad I never got around to having that garage door fixed. Let's hope that nothing gets stirred up in there. After picking up the candle and carefully placing it back into its tarnished silver holder, the old woman closed the shutters against the growing force of the evening's gale. Then checking to make sure that the front door was tightly closed and locked, she turned to her cat and said, All is in order, Sam. We can rest easy tonight. It's time to mosey up to bed.

Before turning off the lights, she made her way over to the portrait that hung over the mantel, a portrait painted over 150 years ago, and brushed its face with a kiss. Good night, Abigail. I will see you before I leave in the morning. Watch over the house until I am able to return one day.

Together, the old woman and Sam climbed the creaking steps leading up to their cluttered bedroom. Sam, as usual, reached their destination long before his mistress's deliberate steps made their way into the darkened room. Rubbing up against her cotton stocking legs, Sam purred out his wish to be stroked by her gentle, wrinkled hands. Here, Sam. Come to Mama. Sam, unaware of the change that was about to occur, purred sweetly as he nestled himself snuggly into the waiting arms of the old woman.

For one last time, the old woman and her cat lay their tired bodies onto the cold sheets of her sagging four-poster bed and fell into a deep slumber.

Chapter 1

A Tough Day at School

Katie, lost in her thoughts of the days ahead, stared out of the tape-marred, fourth-grade classroom window. Vaguely aware of Ms. Wilson's voice droning on in the background about the use of quotation marks, Katie watched as two toddlers ran through the high grass chasing after unsuspecting pigeons, who were busily pecking at crumbs left over from students' lunches. The nearly summer sun spread its warm glow over the scene as Katie's thoughts traveled to distant times when she similarly chased after birds, seagulls to be exact, along the beaches of Cape Cod.

Katie! The sound of her name bursting forth from Ms. Wilson's mouth made her jump with such force that she tipped back on her chair and fell onto the floor. Oh no, what humiliation! Once again, she would be the laughingstock of the entire class! She could hear it all now. Katie the klutz is driving us nuts! As her classmates laughed and whispered, Katie fought to hold back her tears.

Please see me at the end of the day, Katie, was all Ms. Wilson had to say. What went unsaid spoke volumes.

Katie looked around the room. All eyes were on her. Never before was she the focus of so much attention. Too bad it wasn't the kind of attention she so desperately sought, the kind of attention given to the popular girls in the class who sat together at lunch and played together at recess. Now once again, she was Katie, the misfit. She wished that she could think of something clever to say, something to remove her embarrassment. No, she was in a lose-lose situation, and to make matters worse, she could no longer hold back her tears.

Learning never did come easily to Katie. She seemed to have no control over the wanderings of her mind. Day after day, she sat in class immersed in her private thoughts. One single word from her teacher could bring a whole army of thoughts to her mind, and before she could control it, her mind would take off on a journey all its own. There seemed to be no end to all those wonderfully special places that offered her an escape from the boredom of the classroom. No