Go Back to Mystery Home 'Yellow Jackie' - A Science Mystery Story Page Title

You and Terry find Brendan up on deck. He's putting a dipstick back into its well.

"Problem?"

"No, no," he says. "Quite the opposite. Our water tank has more water in it than I expected."

"A lot more?"

"Well, about 6 gallons - 84 gallons gone instead of 90. Usually our consumption is pretty steady, at about one-and-a-half gallons per person per day. We only drink out of this tank, you see, and wash dishes. We have another tank that feeds the shower. Now, what did you come to see me about?"

At your request, he recounts the medical history of his illness: "I fell ill at the end of the second day; it was very sudden. I had chills, muscle aches, a fever, very much like the flu. Jackie says my fever was 39.5 Celsius. I was sick for about five days, but I feel fine now."

"What do you think you had?" Terry asks.

"I think I had the flu."

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