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The Mandrake Property

Originally it was called "The Pibbles Place" or "The Observatory on the Hill" by people in town, the property sits on a hill on the west side overlooking the town and the bay. It's been there as long as people can remember, and is the town's only historical site. The white dome of the observatory and attached annex can be seen anywhere in town above the trees. The mansion itself is the largest house in the town, and the plaque on the front gate still reads "Pibble's Property, 1952" Todd and I started coming up to the Annex in late July when we became friends with Charles after he moved in. I think I've mentioned it other places, but it was on a weekend that he just showed up at Mel's Diner and Mel put him with us since it was busy. The friendship that followed just happened, and we…

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King Crabber’s Pub – Damariscotta, Maine

A Place for Friends and FoodKing Crabber's Pub sits near the bridge, one block off Main in Damariscotta. I've been there a couple times, most notibly with Charles and Todd before we crossed the Portal. It's a tall brick place that you can see from the road when you come down towards the river, the windows lit, and the place is warm and inviting as it sits against the dark water under the bridge.This isn't East Bay. It's a different atmosphere. The kind of place that has fed the town long enough to know it's patrons, and for the town to know the place.Charles, Todd, and I came here one night after the Observatory Array wasn't cooperating and we needed to clear our heads. Todd suggested it, and it sounded good to me as well. That was also the night we found out that Charles was hiding a bunch of…

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Pier Street Market, East Bay, Maine

Pier Street Market is every bit a small town grocery store that you might expect to find in, well, a small town. Mrs. Beasley usually stocks it with things tourists come in looking for during the season, like Land 'O Lakes butter, and Folger's coffee, but during the winter, or if you look behind the national brands, there's the good stuff that us locals prefer. If you move the butter to the left a couple inches, you'll see waxed paper-wrapped blocks of butter with the Tawnyberry Farms name on them. At the bakery, just ask for Mrs. Johnson's pies rather than the mass produced stuff. And when things are in season, you will almost always find local produce.Todd worked the market as a first job, and stayed there until, actually, I don't think he ever formally quit, not that I think about it. He still works there when Ken Beasley gives…

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Dockside Salvage

A Packrat's DreamDockside Salvage is probably best described as a "packrat's dream shop," at it sits on dock 9. You get there by walking down Pier Street from the three-way split at Mel's, past the market. Our town is small enough that you can see Dockside standing at the doorway of Mel's.The place was originally one of those small boat repair places, but when most of the business went south to Boothbay, many buildings like that were abandoned. We slowly became a tourist town, and people like Ira Finch purchased the empty places and made them useful again.From the outside, Dockside looks a lot like the other small warehouses and boat repair places here. There's the area where boats can be brought in and worked on. This is where Finch now keeps his mounds of packrattish stuff. Todd and Charles often work after school there moving and organizing things for…

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Where is East Bay, Maine?

A Town That Feels RealEast Bay, Maine is a fictional coastal town and the primary setting of the Charles Mandrake Compendium, a portal fantasy book series. If you searched for East Bay and found nothing, that's by design. East Bay doesn't appear on any map, but it was built to feel like it should.East Bay sits on the Maine coast, and is the kind of place where the tide sets the schedule and everyone knows everyone else's business. The town keeps time by weather, seasons, and routine. Summers bring tourists. Winters belong to the people who live here.It is the sort of town that exists in the spaces between the places you've heard of. Boothbay. Bar Harbor. It's a quieter place, with a diner that opens before dawn and closes when the last customer leaves.The harbor reflects the lights at night in ripples. Lobster boats ride low out by the…

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Mel’s Over Easy, East Bay, Maine

Mel's Over Easy It's one of those places in a small town where people gather. In the early hours of the morning, it's the fishing boat and dock workers along with the retirees that get up ridiculously early. The coffee here is always fresh no matter what time you stop in, and if you're here in the winter time, the place is where everyone goes to warm up from the cold. The door even has a little bell that jingles when customers come in. For Charles, Todd and I, it's our spot. Well, It was mine and Todd until Charles moved into the observatory. Mel sat him with us and our duo became a trio almost overnight. Mel's in her thirties. She was born in Philidelphia, and moved to East Bay with her parents when she was five. She said her dad bought the place for a good price after…

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