At breakfast the next morning, James Alden had a surprise for his grandchildren. “I’ll be finished early today,” he told them. “I thought it might be fun to take a ferry ride across Puget Sound. Anybody interested?”
“That sounds great!” said Benny.
“I can’t wait to take pictures,” added Violet.
“Why don’t we meet back here after lunch?” said Grandfather.
Jessie nodded as she poured syrup onto her pancakes. “That’ll give us lots of time to visit Pioneer Square.”
“Pioneer Square?” Benny asked.
“That’s where the underground city is, Benny,” Henry explained.
Grandfather helped himself to a few strips of bacon. “That whole area burned to the ground during the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.”
The children turned to their grandfather in surprise. “There was a fire?” questioned Henry.
Grandfather nodded. “Apparently, a pot of glue boiled over and caught fire.”
“Oh, no!” cried Violet. “Couldn’t they put it out?”
“They tried, Violet,” said Grandfather, passing the muffins to Jessie. “They even formed a human chain of seawater buckets, but it was no use. Back then, most of the buildings were made of wood, so—”
Henry cut in, “The flames spread quickly.”
Grandfather put down his fork. “Twenty-nine city blocks were destroyed in no time, Henry. They decided to rebuild the city using brick and stone.”
Jessie nodded in understanding. “They didn’t want to risk another fire.”
“Exactly,” said Grandfather.
“Does anybody live in the underground city, Grandfather?” Violet asked, as she got up to clear the table.
Grandfather shook his head. “No, it’s only open for tours, Violet.” He poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down on the couch to read the morning paper.
After the breakfast dishes were washed, Violet remembered her camera. When she opened the closet door, she stepped back in surprise. “What in the world … ?”
“What is it?” Henry asked.
They all looked in the direction Violet was gazing. Propped up in a corner of the closet was an umbrella—a blue umbrella with yellow ducks around the rim!
“Hey, that lady had an umbrella just like that,” said Benny. “The lady who bumped into you, Violet.”
Henry frowned. “What’s it doing here?”
“Grandfather?” Violet held the umbrella up for him to see. “Do you know where this umbrella came from?”
James Alden looked up from his newspaper. “We’ll, I … uh …” He didn’t seem to have an answer. Finally, he said, “It’s probably a hotel umbrella. You know, for the guests to use.”
Violet was confused. “A hotel umbrella?”
“It rains a lot in the Northwest,” Grandfather reminded her. Then he quickly changed the subject. “If you need directions to Pioneer Square, just ask the desk clerk.”
“Don’t worry, Grandfather,” said Jessie. “I’m taking along the street map.”
With that, the four Alden children said good-bye and filed out the door.
Outside the hotel, Violet said, “Did Grandfather seem like he was acting a little strange to you?”
“He probably has a lot on his mind,” said Henry. “This is a vacation for us, but it’s a business trip for Grandfather.”
“That’s true,” said Violet. “It does seem odd, though, about that umbrella. I don’t remember seeing it in the closet when we arrived.”
“It is strange,” Jessie had to admit. “But I think we should concentrate on one mystery at a time.”
That did seem like a good idea. “Today we’re looking for a troll,” Benny reminded them, as he fell into step beside Henry.
In no time at all, they reached Pioneer Square. Violet stopped to take a photo of a horse-drawn carriage making its way along the cobblestone streets.
“What a beautiful part of the city!” she said, admiring the red brick buildings and the old-fashioned street lamps.
“And look!” Benny pointed. “There’s a giant totem pole over there next to those benches.”
“Let’s get a picture,” Violet suggested.
“Why don’t you let me take it, Violet?’ Henry offered as they walked over to the little park. “That way, you can be in the shot.”
“Thanks, Henry.” said Violet.
Jessie, Violet, and Benny stood in front of the totem pole. They smiled while Henry snapped the photo.
Then they continued on past the shops and bookstores.
“I bet the underground city is right beneath us,” said Henry.
“Why do you say that?” asked Benny.
Henry pointed to the purple glass cubes inlaid into the sidewalk. “This looks like it might be a skylight,” he said.
“A skylight?” echoed Benny.
Henry nodded. “A window to brighten it up down below.”
“I have a hunch you’re right, Henry,” said Jessie, glancing at the numbers on the storefronts. “I think the tour starts just up ahead.”
Jessie was right. As Henry paid for their tickets, she reminded her younger brother and sister to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of a troll.
They quickly joined a group of tourists gathered on the sidewalk. “Looks like we just got here in time,” Violet remarked.
“You’ll notice,” the tour guide was pointing out, “none of the buildings in Pioneer Square are made of wood. Anybody care to guess why?” he asked.
Benny piped up, “They didn’t want the city to burn down again.”
All eyes turned to the youngest Alden.
“Exactly!” The guide had a brush cut and a cheery smile. He looked over at Benny in surprise. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Benny Alden. And this is my brother, Henry. And my sisters, Jessie and Violet.”
“Well, you hit the nail right on the head, Benny! Wooden buildings were banned in Pioneer Square after the Great Seattle Fire.” As the guide led the way past the shops, he talked about the flooding in the olden days. He finished by saying, “Sometimes the dirt roads would sink under the weight of the wagons. Huge potholes would fill up with water. Once, a young boy drowned trying to cross a pothole on a raft.”
“Oh!” cried Violet. “How sad.”
“They decided to raise this whole area after the fire so that it wouldn’t flood.” The guide opened a door onto a flight of steps. “If you’ll follow me, you’ll soon find yourself on the original street level. But watch your footing,” he warned them. “The sidewalks can be uneven down below.”
“Are there any rats down there?” a middle-aged woman asked in a quiet voice. She sounded a bit uneasy.
“I’ve been giving tours for a longtime,” the guide answered with a shake of his head, “and I haven’t seen any yet.”
“How about trolls?” Benny piped up, making everyone laugh.
“Haven’t spotted any trolls either.” The young man grinned over at the youngest Alden. “But there’s a first time for everything.”
The children followed the group down the steps into a shadowy underground. They made their way slowly through a maze of dark passageways, where old ground floors had become basements, and old sidewalks had become tunnels.
“It’s kind of spooky down here,” said Benny, staying close to Jessie.
Jessie put a comforting arm around her little brother. “It just feels like that because of the shadows,” she said, as they walked under a brick archway.
“I wonder if any ghosts are wandering around down here,” Benny said in a hushed voice.
“No.” Henry shook his head firmly. “Ghosts don’t exist, Benny.” But Benny didn’t look convinced.
Violet turned to look over her shoulder. She didn’t really believe in ghosts, but she couldn’t help shivering a little.
“It’s like stepping back in time.” Jessie paused to look at an old storefront. “This must have been a bank. See the vault?”
The guide told them about the early sawmills, and how the city had grown during the Klondike Gold Rush when the miners had arrived on their way north. And all the while, the four Alden children kept a lookout for trolls.
“That was a great tour,” Violet said when they stepped out into the sunlight again. “But it looks like we struck out.”
“I’m afraid so,” Henry agreed.
Jessie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost noon. Why don’t we stop somewhere for lunch?” She looked over at her little brother. “How does that sound, Benny?”
But Benny’s jaw had suddenly dropped. He was staring over at the totem pole.
“Benny?” said Violet. “What’s—” Before she could finish her sentence, the youngest Alden was racing full-speed along the sidewalk.
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