It is a tremendous gift for one to create moving, beautiful short stories. It takes a great amount of talent to bring someone from laughter, to tears, all within a tapestry of finely woven words.
Canadian writer, and story teller, Stuart McLean had this gift. Canada lost Mr. McLean in 2017, but his short stories live on.
In 1994, Stuart McLean launched "The Vinyl Cafe", a radio/live audience series of short stories featuring a variety of characters, but mainly focusing on; Dave, his wife Morley, and their two kids, Sam, and Stephanie. These characters are fictitious, but we truly get a sense that they are real. Real in a sense that we can relate, laugh, and through McLean's writing, clearly see the quirks that they encounter as they navigate through life.
Stuart McLean captured human decency so confidently in his short stories, they weren't all sunshine and rainbows, but Stuart always seemed to find a way to get to a poignant conclusion. My mother and I would often sit in our car, long after arriving at our destination, just to listen to the end of one of his epically simple, yet sincere endings to "The Vinyl Cafe."
This mystery cache pays tribute to a man who shot Canada with such a warm literary lens. Who saw the generosity, kindness, and uniqueness of this nation.
Your task is rather simple. Listen to his story called "The Black Beast of Margaree". I have supplied a related webpage link. Answer the questions below to find out the coordinates to the final cache. Enjoy!
A. John A. Tress built the library in memory of which family member?
A) Brother (4)
B) Sister (5)
C) Father (3)
D) Mother (6)
B. Which kind of socks did Russell Montgomery wear?
A) Plaid socks (1)
B) Knitted socks (2)
C) Merino wool socks (7)
D) Argyle socks (8)
C. When Russell Montgomery read "The Black Beast of Margaree," what were the children doing?
A) Swaying in time like frightened little metronomes (8)
B) Playing (7)
C) Focussed like hawks (2)
D) They were all under a pink knitted blanket (1)
D. Where did you need to go in order to see a movie if you lived in Big Narrows?
A) Savoy Threatre, Glace Bay (3)
B) Sydney River Buck-a-Movie (4)
C) Halifax Tavern Theatre (9)
D) Port Hawksbury Civic Centre (0)
E. How did Dave get into the library?
A) The door (4)
B) The coal shute (5)
C) The back door (3)
D) A ladder to the outer balcony (6)
F. What colour is Scout's eyes?
A) Green (3)
B) Blue (4)
C) Brown (9)
D) Grey (2)
G. Who won the trip to Glace Bay?
A) Dave (2)
B) Margaret (8)
C) George McNeil (4)
D) Billy Mitchell (5)
H. When are they going to sell the damaged copy of "Gold Finger"?
A) Winter sale (1)
B) End of March sale (0)
C) Autumn Sale (6)
D) Summer sale (7)
N 49 1A.BCD W 122 5E.FGH
I hope you enjoyed the story. Please re-hide the cache well.
Fun fact: I have been to Margaree, Cape Breton. I did not see any such beast, but I remember it fondly as a very idyllic town on the west coast of the island.
While this is not part of the puzzle, why not listen to a beautiful tribute song written by Buddy MacDonald. Rachel Davis is on the fiddle, and Buddy on the guitar. It's from an interview at Cape Breton University. Watch the whole interview, or jump ahead to the tribute song at 10:30. Click here.