The Haunted Fountain

Judy Bolton is known in her small valley for cracking every puzzle that comes her way, from flood warnings to whispered rumors of ghosts. When her friends Lois and Lorraine press her for a new challenge, she reluctantly recalls the lingering enigma of a “spirit of the fountain” that has haunted her since childhood. The conversation drifts to the old turreted mansion she now lives in, where an attic full of forgotten magazines and family relics hides clues she has never dared to explore.

The story unfolds during a sweltering summer at her grandmother’s house, a place where heat and loneliness push Judy toward the dusty loft. While sorting through the attic’s stacked papers, she confronts memories of abandoned vacations, strained family ties, and a lingering promise she never kept. As the water from the nearby dam still whispers its danger, Judy feels the pull of the unseen presence that may finally reveal what the fountain really is.