Nancy Drew and The Mystery Of The Ghost Maiden

Chapter Eighteen

 Nancy loved traveling with Ned, the trips were always fun. Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy could see Ned stealing glimpses as they drove along.

"What is it?" she asked grinning like a fox.

"Oh, nothing Nancy. Let's turn on the radio for a while." the boy said, as he tried to hide the blush that was creeping up his handsome face. Ned knew he was lucky to have a girl like Nancy. She was very intelligent, lovely, kind-hearted, and loved adventure. She was his ideal dream girl and he hoped to always be with her.

"There is this new station, called 101 Crush can you find it?" he asked.

"Sure, that does not sound too hard." the girl said, as she started playing with the device. Ned struggled to keep his eyes on the road with Nancy in the car. With an angelic face, sparkling blue eyes, and an adorable smile what guy in his right mind could keep his eyes off of her?

Once they found the correct station, "Rocking Robin" by the Jackson Five started to play. They started to sing along with the tune. Looking over at her, Ned could barely contain a laugh. She looked so silly the way she was dancing by waving her arms around.

"So, Nance, we're almost to the old bridge which way should we turn from there?" he said before turning down the music.

"Let's see here, hmm..." she said while carefully studying the crumbed up slip of paper. "Looks like we take a left after the bridge and then a right when you get to the fork in the road."

"That sound about right Thanks, Babe." Ned said as he flashed Nancy a smile. In response, she smiled back at him before turning to watch the scenery out of the window.

The trees were so lovely this time of year with all their daring shades of amber, reds, and oranges. "Those leaves would make a wonderful backdrop for photography," she commented.

As they continued on Nancy spotted something shiny through the foliage. After, getting closer she realized that it was the sunlight reflecting off the steam which ran under the wooden bridge they were about to drive over.

"This must be the bridge that is called the lover's gateway," she whispered, absentmindedly. It had earned the name by being such a popular spot for couples to take the engagement photos. Countless others had even been married in this area because of the beautiful scenery.

Checking the map once more, she added "It should be about a ten-minute drive after the next right turn. Look for a dirt road."

"Alright, I can see the turn up ahead," he said as they slowed down to make the turn. Not long after the both was very surprised to pull up in front of the ruins of an old stone church. From the road, they could see that great arches where stained glass windows once were. The old place had become overgrown with lots of ivy and wild morning glory.

"Come on, I want to get a closer look," she said with her camera in hand. "Ruins like these always make for the very interesting shots." As she got out of the car, the girl noticed a calming floral scent.

Walking around the base of the large structure, they could see the remains of a crumbling rock wall and arch. "Hey Ned, will you stand right in front of this arch and pose for a picture?"

"Sure anything for you," he said while walking over. Convinced that a relaxed pose was the best idea, he just relaxed and leaned against the stone wall.

"This should turn out looking great. Let's take a few more over beside all the ivy that is growing on the opposite wall. I feel the greenery, will add more visual interest to the images." After taking a few more shots she moved over to get a better angle but was blinded by bright light.

"What in the world is that? "She remarked.

"Looks like something is reflecting intense sunlight from behind the mass of ivy." Remarked Ned as he walked closer. Bending down to examine it he could feel a large shape behind the greenery. Taking out his pocket knife the boy started to hack the ivy away. Slowly a statue began to emerge. Nancy was almost jumping with glee as Ned finished uncovering the stature. It was a large female angel made of either stone or concrete. She was crying and holding a large crystal in her hand.

"The crystal is what is reflecting the bring light. Can you remove it, Ned?" Nancy asked as she closely inspected their discovery.

Ned struggled to remove the crystal before admitting, "No, it seems to be firmly attached." He ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration. "Do you suppose the crystal was placed there as a decoration or to suit a purpose?"

"Could be for either. I see no indication of it having a secret meaning as of yet. We still need to look around more and explore. I feel like there has to be more clues around here somewhere." the girl replied as she studied the walls once more. "I want to give this place a good look over but I need you to check all the large of ivy." Nancy added.

"Alright but watch your step. This place is pretty overgrown and could be hard to navigate," he replied before they split up to explore the area.