Treasure Hunt

by Titania Woods

  ‘I’ll do it!’ decided Miss Honey suddenly. Grabbing a battered daisy-petal hat from the wall, she plopped it on to her head. With her chin lifted high in the air, she sped from the shop.

  ‘We’re closed!’ Twink announced to a startled second-year fairy who had just skimmed up to the counter. She banged the bark shutters together, hiding the shop from the rest of the school.

  At last! But she had to hurry; she didn’t have much time to search. In a frenzy, Twink looked in every place she could think of – behind boxes, in dusty corners, under the counter.

  There was no ring anywhere.

  Twink bit her lip. Where else could she check? The tuck shop was only small; there just weren’t that many places a ring could be! She gazed glumly at the floor . . . and then suddenly she caught her breath.

  Could the ring have dropped under the floorboards somehow?

  Twink’s heartbeat quickened. Of course! That was one place Gran hadn’t mentioned looking – and the tuck shop floor was made from old planks of wood, full of knotholes. A ring could easily tumble down one!

  The bark shutters rattled. ‘Knock, knock!’ cried a merry voice.

  Twink started. ‘Miss – Miss Honey?’ she gasped. She flew to undo the shutters and lifted open the counter.

  The tuck shop manager swept back into the little room. ‘Ooh, that was lovely!’ she cooed, taking off her hat. ‘I don’t know why I’ve never gone before. They even gave me a slice of nectar cake!’

  ‘That’s great,’ said Twink as the magpie’s call signalled the end of her free hour. She rubbed her wings together. ‘Er – I’m sorry that I shut the shop. I – um –’

  Miss Honey waved this away with her hand. ‘Not to worry, my dear! I expect you needed a break, too. There’s a lot to be said for breaks! I plan to take plenty of them from now on.’

  ‘Oh good,’ said Twink weakly. Wasps! The rest of the school wouldn’t thank her for that! Still, at least Miss Honey looked happy.

  Twink flew from the shop to her next lesson. Maybe Miss Honey was in a better mood now, but Twink still didn’t think she’d agree to tear up her shop’s floorboards! How on earth was she going to check under them?

  Swooping into the Fairy Dust branch, Twink stopped short, blinking in surprise. The room was completely empty, apart from Miss Sparkle standing at the front of it.

  The teacher shook her head. ‘This always happens at this time of year! Well, I’m glad I’ve got at least one student who still takes my class seriously, treasure hunt or no treasure hunt!’

  As the magpie’s call sounded again, the missing fairies all arrived in a rush, talking eagerly as they flurried into the room. Pix took a seat, her face pink-cheeked with excitement.

  Sooze flitted close to Twink. ‘Pix has done it!’ she hissed. ‘She’s on the fourth clue now – ahead of Jade!’

  ‘Not for long,’ laughed Ivy, overhearing her. ‘You wait and see – Jade’s cleverer than anyone!’ As usual when she was in a class without her twin, Ivy sat beside Kiki. The two artistic fairies got on very well, and spent a lot of time together.

  Bimi took the mushroom seat next to Twink, tucking her bright silver and gold wings behind her back. ‘Where were you?’ she whispered. ‘I looked everywhere!’

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ Twink muttered back.

  At the front of the branch, Miss Sparkle clapped her hands together sharply. ‘All right, that’s enough! Petal pads out, please. You’ll be taking notes today.’

  Twink sighed. She enjoyed Miss Sparkle’s lessons when they got to use fairy dust, but her lectures were often long and dull. She uncapped her favourite snail-trail pen as Miss Sparkle began to speak.

  ‘Now then, you all know that you can use fairy dust to transform objects, but it has other purposes as well. You can use it to locate lost fairies, you can leave a trail with it, you –’

  Twink didn’t hear anything after ‘locate lost fairies’. Her hand shot up in the air. ‘Can you use fairy dust to find lost things?’ she asked.

  Miss Sparkle regarded her drily. ‘What sort of things?’

  Suddenly aware that everyone was watching her, Twink lifted her wings in a shrug. ‘I don’t know. Like . . . a lost piece of jewellery, maybe?’

  ‘Misplaced your diamond tiara again, have you?’ sniggered Mariella. Twink made a face at her as the class giggled.

  Miss Sparkle shook her head. ‘No, if an item like that is lost, then the fairy dust has nothing to work with. You see, you need to have something belonging to the missing fairy before the fairy dust can locate him or her – it’s similar to when humans give a scent to a dog, to help them sniff something out. Now, as I was saying – ’

  ‘Is there any magic that can find a lost item, though?’ Twink blurted out.

  Miss Sparkle almost smiled. ‘Have you lost something, Twink?’

  ‘Not really,’ mumbled Twink. ‘I just wondered.’

  ‘Well, unfortunately, the answer is no,’ said Miss Sparkle. ‘Magic is much easier to use on living beings than on things like jewellery. But I hope you find whatever it is,’ she added kindly.

  Twink’s cheeks were blazing. She took notes automatically as Miss Sparkle continued with her lecture, hardly even noticing what she was writing.

  When Miss Sparkle wasn’t watching, Bimi slipped a scrap of petal across to Twink. What have you lost? Can I help? was written on it in Bimi’s neat, curly handwriting.

  Something of Gran’s, Twink wrote in reply. I’ll show you in her journal later.

  Maybe Bimi could help somehow, thought Twink as she passed the note on to Bimi’s mushroom desk. Her father always said that four wings were better then two when it came to solving a problem!

  At the end of the lesson, Miss Sparkle took a sheaf of petal pages from her desk. ‘I’ve marked the essays that you wrote over the holidays. You’ve done very well, most of you. One of my third-year students even got a hundred per cent.’

  A few fairies turned to grin at Pix – but when Miss Sparkle handed their essays back, Pix stared down at hers with a dazed expression. Craning to see, Twink could just make out a large red 97 on Pix’s petal.

  ‘Miss Sparkle – was it Jade in your other class who got the hundred per cent?’ asked Pix in a strangled voice.

  Miss Sparkle turned to her in surprise. ‘Pix, that’s none of your business. But yes, since you ask, it was. She’s an excellent student.’

  ‘Oh,’ mumbled Pix. She shoved the petal away in her bag. When the magpie’s call rang through the school, she was the first one from the branch, jetting away before anyone could speak to her.

  Twink stared after her in surprise. How could Pix be so upset over only three points? She always did so well in school – and it wasn’t as if she had anything else to worry about.

  Unlike Twink. Her heart felt heavy as she slowly packed up her books. Her parents had been at Gran’s for several days now, yet she hadn’t heard anything from them. Gran must still be very poorly, lost in her Doldrums.

  I’ve got to find that ring, Twink thought, slinging her petal bag over her shoulder. I’ve just got to!

  .

  Chapter Six

  ‘Bimi, are you sure about this?’ whispered Twink as the two friends spiralled down the shadowy trunk. Her best friend rarely broke the rules – and here she was sneaking out of Violet Branch with Twink after midnight!

  ‘Yes, definitely,’ said Bimi softly. ‘Chirpy, be quiet,’ she urged her cricket. He sat in his cage squeaking happily to himself, clearly thrilled to be out on an adventure.

  ‘Here’s the tuck shop,’ said Twink, swooping to land on the dark ledge. ‘Now, how do we get in?’ she wondered. The bark shutters over the counter were firmly locked.

  Bimi’s pretty face creased for a moment, and then she smiled. ‘Easy! Watch.’ Taking
hold of the bottom of the shutters, she pulled them towards her until a small gap appeared underneath them. ‘In you go, Chirpy,’ she said, freeing the cricket. ‘Open the shutters for us from the inside!’

  The gleaming brown insect scooted easily through the hole, disappearing from view. Several seconds passed. Twink nibbled her thumb as she hovered. ‘Do you think he understood?’ she asked.

  ‘Chirpy!’ hissed Bimi, cupping her mouth with her hands against the shutters. ‘Let us in, it’s important!’

  In answer there was a pattering noise, like several sweet seeds falling on to the floor. The distinct sound of munching floated out.

  Bimi tapped her foot in the air. ‘Chirpy –’ she started. With a faint click, the shutters suddenly swung open.

  The two fairies shot inside. Hastily, Twink closed the shutters again. ‘Glow-worm on!’ she said.

  The tuck shop came into view. Chirpy blinked at them from the floor, surrounded by crumbs. ‘You bad thing!’ scolded Bimi lovingly, picking him up and cuddling him.

  ‘How do we do this?’ wondered Twink, gazing down.

  When Twink had shown Bimi her gran’s journal and explained where she thought the ring might be, her best friend had had the idea of using Chirpy to find it for them – but there was still the problem of how to get him under the floorboards!

  Walking slowly across the floor, Bimi paused as one of the boards squeaked. ‘There!’ she said. ‘That one’s loose! So if we just –’

  Crouching down, Bimi inserted her fingers into one of the board’s knotholes and tugged. It groaned in protest. Twink added her strength to Bimi’s, pulling as hard as she could. Pop! All at once the board flew out, sending the two fairies flying.

  ‘Brilliant!’ cried Twink, staring into the dark hole. ‘Look, it goes right under the floor!’

  ‘Right, Chirpy, in you go,’ said Bimi, scooping him up. ‘And if you find the ring, I’ll buy you candied nuts for a year!’

  Twink and Bimi listened tensely as the little insect crept about under the floor. Once or twice he paused, and Twink’s pulse quickened – but he always continued.

  Suddenly her ears perked up. ‘Listen!’ she breathed.

  It sounded as if Chirpy were dragging something towards them. Twink stared at the hole, hardly daring to move. All at once the cricket’s sleek brown head popped out. In his mouth he held a gold ring with a shiny blue stone.

  ‘He found it!’ shrieked Bimi. She clapped her hand over her mouth and glanced towards the closed shutters.

  Twink’s heart had leapt when she first saw the ring . . . but now she shook her head sadly. ‘No, that’s not it,’ she said. ‘Gran’s ring was silver, she says so in her journal.’ She took the ring from Chirpy and examined it. ‘Besides, look – it’s got initials inside it. GH.’

  ‘Geena Honey!’ realised Bimi. ‘It’s Miss Honey’s ring – she must have lost it working in the shop.’

  ‘Was that the only ring down there, Chirpy?’ Twink asked the cricket.

  He nodded morosely, and Bimi patted his dusty head. ‘Never mind, you tried,’ she soothed. ‘You’ll still get your candied nuts.’

  ‘Well, that’s that, I suppose,’ said Twink as the two friends replaced the floorboard. She managed a smile, though she felt more like crying. ‘And it seemed like such a good idea, too!’

  ‘It was a good idea,’ insisted Bimi. As they turned to leave, she laid the gold ring gently on the counter, so that Miss Honey would see it when she arrived the next morning. ‘And we’ll think of another one, Twink. We’ll find your gran’s ring somehow, I promise!’

  But in the days that passed, this began to seem more and more impossible. Twink and Bimi looked everywhere in the school they could think of – the Great Branch, the library, all of Gran’s old classrooms. They even managed to search her old branch, with the help of some of the Foxglove fairies.

  There was no ring anywhere.

  ‘Oh, this is hopeless!’ moaned Twink several weeks later, flopping on to her bed. ‘Why did I ever think I could find it? It’s been lost for years. It could be anywhere!’ It was the half hour before glow-worms out, and the two girls were getting ready for bed.

  Down below, the other Violet Branch fairies were talking eagerly about the treasure hunt. The solstice was now the very next day, and Pix and Jade were wing and wing, with nine clues each. Only one clue remained to be found – but by which fairy?

  ‘Pix, of course!’ laughed Sooze, flipping back her lavender hair. ‘But either way, tomorrow we get to dance the night away at our disco – I can hardly wait!’ She wiggled and twirled down the length of the branch.

  ‘And we get the day off, too,’ said Mariella with great satisfaction.

  ‘Anyway, are we having a vote, or not?’ teased Ivy with a mischievous expression. ‘Because Jade will win, you know, not Pix!’

  Rolling over on to her stomach, Twink peered down to the main floor. Though she knew Ivy was only joking, Pix wasn’t laughing. In fact, she looked rather quiet and tense.

  I can’t believe she’s so worked up about a stupid contest! thought Twink. It seemed very unfair when Twink herself had such real things to worry about.

  She had finally received a letter from her mum a few days earlier, and it hadn’t contained good news. Gran hadn’t improved. The doctor was worried, and was talking about sending Gran to a special fairy hospital many miles away.

  After receiving this letter, Twink had crept away to the old caretaker’s stump behind the school to have a good cry. She had told only Bimi about its contents. Thank goodness the other fairies were too involved with the treasure hunt to notice anything was wrong!

  It’s hopeless, Twink thought again, struggling against tears. I wanted so much to help Gran . . . but I can’t do anything after all.

  Bimi had been combing her long blue hair in thoughtful silence. ‘I don’t know, Twink,’ she said suddenly. ‘I’ve been thinking . . . it really is very odd that you found your gran’s journal, isn’t it?’

  Twink nodded, remembering the wing-tingling moment when she’d first spotted it. ‘Yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with it.’

  Bimi put her comb down. ‘Well, maybe – maybe the ring has some sort of magic to it, and it wants to be found. I don’t see why else you would have discovered that journal, just when you were looking for drawings of your gran! It’s too strange.’

  Twink sat up, turning the idea over in her mind. ‘Maybe,’ she said slowly. ‘Or maybe it’s just a coincidence.’

  Bimi pulled a face. ‘Coincidence is what humans say when they don’t understand magic! No, I reckon you came across that journal for a reason: to help you find your gran’s ring, because it might get her out of the Doldrums.’

  Twink stared at her. ‘But Bimi – if that’s true, then the answer to where the ring is has to be in the journal somewhere!’ she cried. ‘The ring wouldn’t have bothered leading us to it otherwise.’

  Bimi nodded. Quickly bouncing on to Twink’s bed, she grabbed the journal up from Twink’s bedside mushroom. ‘Come on, let’s look through it now – we must have missed something!’

  But no sooner had they opened the journal than there came a screech from below. ‘Bimi!’ called Sili. ‘Your stupid cricket’s got under the floorboards again – I can hear him scuttling around down there!’

  A quick glance at Chirpy’s empty cage showed that Sili was right. With a groan, Bimi flitted down to the main floor.

  Twink followed, rolling her eyes. Chirpy was becoming very tiresome with his new hobby! Ever since they’d returned from the tuck shop, Bimi’s cricket had crept off at every opportunity to explore under the floorboards of Violet Branch.

  Bimi crouched in the corner, where the floor didn’t quite meet the uneven wall of the tree. ‘Chirpy!’ she called into the hole. ‘Chirpy, come out of there!’<
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  Pix shook her head. ‘Crickets love dark places,’ she said. ‘Once they get a taste for them, they always want to return. And you know how forgetful crickets are. Sometimes they even forget the way out again!’

  ‘Well, he’d better not forget the way out while he’s crawling about under my bed,’ said Sili crossly, tightening the belt of her dandelion-fluff dressing gown. ‘He kept me awake for hours last night!’

  Twink stood very still as several ideas crashed together in her head. Crickets loved dark places, and always wanted to return to them. Gran and Aurora had taken Aurora’s cricket with them when they sneaked down into the roots. And Aurora’s cricket had been a trickster, who liked to hide things . . . and then forgot where he had put them!

  ‘Ha! Got you!’ said Bimi, dragging Chirpy from the hole. The cricket chirped in protest, kicking his long dark legs.

  ‘Bimi, listen!’ hissed Twink once they were back in their loft. Quickly, she shared the thoughts that had occurred to her.

  ‘So maybe Aurora’s cricket took your gran’s ring for a prank,’ said Bimi slowly, latching Chirpy back into his cage. ‘And he went back to the roots with it, because he liked it down there.’

  ‘Yes!’ cried Twink. She snatched up the journal, leafing hurriedly through its pages. ‘Because look at this – Aurora’s cricket went missing around the same time Gran noticed her ring was gone! He came back the next day, but everyone was so upset that they didn’t make the connection. Bimi, I bet you anything that he took the ring down there and then forgot about it!’

  Bimi nodded eagerly. ‘It all makes sense. Your gran first noticed she’d lost the ring in the tuck shop, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually where she lost it! It could have been gone for hours already, couldn’t it?’

  On Twink’s mushroom table, the drawing of Gran – which Twink had framed with some pretty, polished twigs – seemed to smile at them. Twink grinned back at it. They were right – she just knew it!