‘Mysterious Maelstrom’ has Hopewell Bay turned upside down

A lot of water—literally and metaphorically—has flowed under the bridge since local toddler Mason Wu found a mysterious tin can in the grounds of the abandoned tin can factory. After that, came reports of another one found near the tennis courts. And then—well, it’s safe to say that Hopewell Bay has been experiencing a real can-do attitude recently.

The storm – nicknamed the “Mysterious Maelstrom” by the rain-soaked crowds – scattered young Mr Wu’s cans all over Hopewell Bay. And these cans definitely have fans; local shop owner, Kazuko Tanata was overheard telling Maddie Boulton that her shop is all out of can openers. It’s not that the townspeople are thirsty—what we hear is that they are only thirsty for learning more and more about the secrets of a certain bigwig family. And not just them—the cans are said to contain secrets not only about Boultons but also about all the Hopewell Bay residents. Who could be behind such a cunning can plan?

A townie that wishes to remain anonymous had some canning gossip to open up about.

"It's incredible—I’ve learned so much about the history of our town and all the people living in it, too! And the Boultonsl—you wouldn’t believe what’s been happening behind those factory doors... I’ve heard that Jackie’s got a lead she told young Miss Maddie Boulton about—something’s really, really fishy about Ignatius and his role in – oh, maybe I shouldn’t be telling a journalist about this…”

We know that Ignatius Boulton invented the tin can, making the Boulton family wealthy beyond measure. The Boulton preservatives became a staple for every cupboard in the nation. After Ignatius passed away, the factory was passed down to his descendants and continued to run successfully until it was abruptly closed. This closure sent shock waves through the local community, which had grown dependent on the factory’s success. Nobody really knows why the operations were ceased – every Boulton has kept their lips firmly sealed about the matter.

Local historian Julius Walters gave us a comment as he passed by:

“It’s nice to have the whole town together—and Mason’s cute new dog family, too!”

We at Boulton Bugle aren’t biologists, but we’re pretty sure that those aren’t dogs, but capybaras. What? Has the storm really washed up South American rodents onto our shore?

Que pasa?