The skinny superintendent held a leather chap in one hand and a pistol in the other. “We have the map, but getting the treasure without becoming undead will be dead difficult. The strait between the island and the graveyard is full of sea monsters.”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“If you doubt my sincerity, perhaps you would like to go for a swim? The creatures in these waters make the loch ness monster seem like a goldfish. There are piranhas that will strip you to the bone and sea alligators that will take you under for a death roll. They like to tenderize you, before they eat you. So, you have to know the route to get across. There is only one safe way.”

“But boss, how do we do it?”

“In a row boat. Nothing larger. If it casts a shadow, the beasts from the deep will know we are there.”

“But how do we know the way?” I asked.

“The lighthouse. We’ll need some quicksilver and a way to get the fire started.”

The lighthouse looked like a castle that was converted hundreds of years ago. The superintendent carried his lantern up the stone steps and poured his silver through a funnel that dripped into the light. He set fire to it with his lantern and the room became so bright it was as good as night. Nobody could see and we had to feel our way out of the room. Gordon turned the crank to swivel the lighthouse mirror and it shined into the twilight waters.

Purple fish swam near the surface and large shadows lurked in the deep. A string of florescent algae zigzagged across the strait to the island. “That’s the path we follow. Those plants are carnivorous, so the fish stay away.”