Treasure Hunt

by Titania Woods

‘We’ve got to go down there,’ she said, shutting the journal with a snap. ‘It’s brilliant that we’ve got the day off tomorrow – we can go really early, and –’

  She stopped. Bimi had suddenly sunk on to her bed, looking almost green. ‘Twink, I – I can’t,’ she whispered.

  ‘You won’t help me? But . . .’ Twink trailed off, a hard lump filling her throat.

  ‘Oh, Twink, you know I would if I could!’ wailed Bimi softly. ‘But I can’t stand small, dark places. They make my wings go all clammy, and – and I get dizzy so that I can barely breathe . . .’ she shuddered wretchedly.

  Instantly contrite, Twink sat beside Bimi and put her arm around her. ‘Never mind,’ she said. ‘I’ll be fine alone, Bimi, honestly I will. And I couldn’t have made it this far without your help!’

  ‘Are you sure?’ asked Bimi, wiping her eyes.

  Twink nodded firmly. ‘Of course. Now that we know where the ring actually is, it’ll be ant’s play to find it!’ But deep down, she wasn’t nearly as confident as she sounded. Gran had said that the roots went on for ages . . . and a ring was such a small thing to be searching for.

  Bimi looked as if she were thinking the same thing. ‘Could someone else go with you?’ she asked anxiously. ‘Maybe – maybe Sooze, or –’

  ‘Pix!’ burst out both fairies at once. Twink grinned in relief. Oh, of course! The clever fairy would have all sorts of ideas about where to find the ring. With Pix helping, she’d find it in no time!

  ‘I’ll ask her after breakfast tomorrow,’ said Twink. She squeezed her best friend’s hand tightly. ‘Oh, Bimi – I think I might really be able to help Gran now!’

  .

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Are you mad?’ demanded Pix.

  Twink blinked. ‘No, I – I just thought –’ The two fairies were hovering outside the Great Branch after breakfast, as the rest of the school flew past them in a bright, fluttering stream.

  ‘Of course I can’t go with you now,’ cried Pix. ‘It’s the final day of the treasure hunt! Jade’s already searching – I’ve got to get going!’

  Twink gaped at her. ‘But Pix, this is to help my gran! Don’t you understand? There’s no time to lose; she’ll have to go to a special fairy hospital if something doesn’t happen to cheer her up –’

  ‘Yes, but – but can’t we go tomorrow?’ said Pix, looking distressed. ‘Or just after the treasure hunt is over? I don’t mind missing the disco –’

  ‘No!’ shouted Twink. Her fists clenched. ‘I have to go now, Pix – I can’t wait for your stupid treasure hunt. I can’t believe that’s more important to you than helping my grandmother!’

  ‘But Twink, I’ve got to beat Jade, I’ve just got to!’ burst out Pix. ‘You don’t understand.’

  The trunk seemed very quiet as Twink hung in the air, staring at the fairy she had thought was her friend. ‘You’re right, Pix,’ she said coldly. ‘I don’t understand at all.’

  Without waiting for a reply, she sped off down the trunk as fast as she could.

  The small door sat half hidden in the shadows at the bottom of the trunk. Twink landed in front of it, her heart beating hard. Bimi wasn’t the only one who didn’t like dark, enclosed places – most fairies hated the idea of being underground. And aside from that, the roots were strictly off-limits to students.

  But Twink had no choice. It was for her gran. Looking over her shoulder to make sure no teachers were watching, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

  It was darker than the blackest night imaginable. ‘Er – glow-worms on?’ Twink squeaked. To her great relief, a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling came to life, showing a tunnel leading downwards.

  Taking a deep breath, Twink stepped in and shut the door behind her.

  The tunnel plunged into the ground just as Gran had described, twisting and turning. The roots were obviously used as a storage area – there were wooden doors to either side, with signs saying things like Saddles for Birds (All Sizes) and Spare Sparkle Marks.

  Unhooking one of the lanterns from the ceiling, Twink peered into every nook and knothole she passed, praying that Gran’s ring would appear. Then she stopped abruptly. In front of her, the tunnel split off into three directions.

  Twink tapped her wings together. Which way would Aurora’s cricket have chosen?

  Hesitantly, she entered the right-hand tunnel. But she had hardly taken a few steps when this one branched into two directions as well. Twink chose left this time, and trudged onwards with a sinking heart.

  There must be hundreds of roots! She couldn’t explore them all. It was even worse than that expression humans used – finding a needle in a haystack. That was nothing compared to finding a ring in the roots!

  Twink walked for what seemed like ages, choosing roots randomly. All the while, she was heading deeper and deeper underground . . . and she still had no idea where her gran’s ring was.

  Suddenly a terrible thought struck Twink. She had no idea where she was either. All those different directions she’d taken, and now she didn’t remember which ones! Trying not to panic, Twink hastily began to retrace her steps. Oh, why hadn’t she brought a piece of chalk to mark her way? What a moss brain she’d been!

  Rounding a corner, Twink stopped short, her eyes widening. A glittering pink and gold light was heading straight towards her.

  Twink stared as the small globe of fairy dust flew right up to her and stopped, bobbing up and down as if pleased to see her. A sparkling trail hung in the air behind it.

  ‘Twink!’ called a familiar voice. ‘Twink, where are you?’

  ‘Pix, I’m here!’ shouted Twink, her wings drooping with relief.

  Pix appeared around the curve of the root. ‘The spell worked!’ she said, looking pleased. She was carrying a large bundle with a petal cloth draped over it.

  ‘What spell?’ asked Twink.

  Pix flitted up next to her. Putting down whatever she was carrying, she cupped the fairy dust globe in her hands. Immediately, the trail vanished into it with a dramatic, sparkling swirl.

  ‘The missing fairy spell,’ said Pix, slipping the fairy dust into a little pouch on her hip. ‘Don’t you remember? Miss Sparkle explained about it in class. I read ahead in our book to find out how to do it.’

  ‘Oh, well done!’ breathed Twink. Then she remembered how cross she had been with Pix, and her eyebrows creased. ‘But – what are you doing down here, anyway? I thought –’

  Even in the dim light from the lantern, Twink could see Pix’s cheeks turn red. ‘Oh, Twink, I’m sorry! I was being a total wasp brain. Will you forgive me?’

  Twink frowned in confusion. ‘Well, of course I will – but what about the treasure hunt?’

  Pix shrugged. ‘Jade will win it, I suppose,’ she said shortly. ‘But I’m here to help, Twink, and we’re not leaving until we find your gran’s ring.’

  ‘Aren’t we still lost, though?’ said Twink anxiously. ‘I mean, you found me, but – do you know the way out?’

  ‘Of course!’ grinned Pix. ‘There’s that other handy spell Miss Sparkle told us about – using fairy dust to leave a trail!’ She pointed at a faint, sparkling line on the ground that Twink hadn’t noticed, leading back up the tunnel. Twink and Pix smiled at each other.

  ‘Come on,’ said Pix. ‘We need to go back to the start, and begin again from there.’

  ‘Go back?’ protested Twink. ‘But . . . it’s so far!’

  ‘Yes, but we have to do this logically,’ said Pix. She held up the bundle she’d been carrying. ‘I don’t know if this will work or not, but I think it’s our best hope.’ She pulled off the petal covering.

  Twink stared. Pix had brought Chirpy along in his cage! The cricket blinked up at her.

  ‘You see, crickets are all very similar in some ways,
’ explained Pix as they headed back up the tunnels. ‘If Aurora’s cricket took your gran’s ring and hid it down here, then he probably put it in a place that he liked. So if we let Chirpy out at the start of the tunnels, then he might go to that same place – and all we have to do is follow him.’

  ‘Oh, that’s brilliant!’ exclaimed Twink. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She gave an excited skip. ‘Pix, I don’t know why you’re so bothered about Jade winning the treasure hunt – everyone knows how clever you are!’

  Pix winced. For a moment, the only sound was the tread of their pixie boots on the rough bark floor. Finally the red-haired fairy sighed.

  ‘Twink, I know I’ve been such an idiot . . . but I felt like I just had to win. I – I couldn’t bear the thought of not being the cleverest any more.’ She made a face. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound stuck-up about it –’

  ‘You don’t sound stuck-up at all,’ said Twink, surprised. ‘You are the cleverest. You get the highest marks of anyone.’

  ‘Not any more,’ said Pix glumly. She kicked at the floor. ‘Twink, I don’t think anyone knows how hard I have to work to get such good marks. But Jade doesn’t even seem to try, and she still does better than me. She’s . . . she’s just cleverer, that’s all.’ Pix sounded close to tears.

  Twink gazed at her friend in mingled sympathy and confusion. ‘Maybe she is, but . . . well, Pix, what does it matter? You still do better than almost anyone.’

  ‘Oh, but that’s not good enough!’ burst out Pix. ‘You don’t understand. My parents are always so excited when I come out top of the class; they brag about it to all their friends. And – and more than that . . .’ she trailed off.

  ‘What?’ pressed Twink.

  Pix took a deep breath. ‘Well – if I’m not the cleverest fairy, then what am I? I’ve always been the cleverest, and everyone knew it! Now I’m not any more – Jade is. So . . . where does that leave me?’

  Guilt pinched Twink. She had assumed that Pix’s problems weren’t as important as her own, but Pix had clearly been going through an awful time as well. She tucked her arm through Pix’s and squeezed it hard.

  ‘You’re Pix,’ she said warmly. ‘You’re clever, and funny, and you’re a wonderful friend. You don’t always have to be the best – we all like you anyway, just for yourself.’

  Pix wiped her eyes. ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled, trying to smile. ‘I suppose you’re right. Anyway, look – here we are, back at the entrance!’

  Sensing that Pix didn’t want to talk about it any more, Twink knelt on the floor beside her as Pix opened Chirpy’s cage. ‘There you are, Chirpy,’ said Pix, giving him a soft nudge. ‘Just go wherever you like, and we’ll follow you!’

  The cricket gave a joyful chirp and sprang away down the tunnel, with the two fairies racing after him. The fairy dust trail twinkled behind them, showing the way back.

  Chirpy chose his way without hesitation, heading further and further down into the roots. Finally he stopped in a small nook that nestled cosily against the wall. With a happy sigh, he settled down, curling his antennae over his head.

  ‘This must be it!’ breathed Twink. Holding up the lantern, she looked all around the little hole, moving Chirpy gently aside to check under him as well.

  There was no ring.

  ‘But – I don’t understand,’ said Pix blankly. ‘He came here so quickly, like he knew exactly where he was going! The ring has to be here.’

  ‘Wait!’ gasped Twink. ‘Pix, don’t you remember from Flower Power? Root systems grow – they change all the time! The ring probably is here – but a piece of root may have grown over it.’

  Holding up the lantern again, Twink checked the wall instead of the ground, inspecting it carefully. Sure enough, there was a bit of new growth curving over one section. In between the new growth and the old a long, narrow hole had been formed.

  And from deep within it came a flash of silver.

  ‘It’s there!’ yelled Twink, almost dropping the lantern. ‘It’s really there!’

  ‘Chirpy, can you get it out?’ urged Pix. ‘It’s too far back for us to reach!’

  With an answering chirp, the cricket squirmed into the hole. A moment later he was out again . . . with a silver ring held triumphantly in his mouth.

  ‘Oh,’ whispered Twink. She gently took the ring from him. It was made up of three strands of silver plaited together in a delicate band, with a single green stone that winked up at her.

  ‘Pix, we’ve found it!’ she choked out. ‘We’ve really found it!’

  ‘Hurrah!’ shouted Pix. The two fairies hugged, jumping up and down. Chirpy nudged at their legs, and Pix laughed and scooped him into the hug as well. ‘And it was all because of you, you clever cricket!’

  ‘Come on,’ said Twink, putting the ring on her own finger for safe keeping. ‘We have to go and see Miss Shimmery straight away – I’ve got to get this ring to my gran!’

  .

  Chapter Eight

  Twink and Pix hurried back up through the tunnels. Before they had gone far, a sparkling pink and gold ball whizzed down the passageway towards them. As before, it stopped just in front of their faces.

  ‘Twink, there you are!’ cried a voice. A fairy with light green curly hair came racing up. Twink stared as she recognised Jade – and there were Ivy and Sooze, right behind her!

  ‘Jade! What are you doing here?’ asked Pix, looking stunned.

  Jade caught up the fairy dust ball, tucking it away in her pocket. ‘Bimi told us what’s going on,’ she said earnestly. ‘We want to help find your gran’s ring.’

  Ivy nodded. ‘She hopes you won’t be angry with her for telling, Twink – but she was getting really worried because you’ve been down here for so long.’

  ‘Oh, thank you,’ said Twink, overcome with gratitude. She had the most wonderful friends in the world! ‘But look – we’ve already found it!’ Grinning widely, she held up her hand, with the ring sparkling on her finger.

  ‘Hurrah!’ cried Sooze, flinging her arms around her. ‘Opposite, that’s brilliant!’

  The fairies started back towards the trunk, chattering eagerly. Behind her, Twink heard Pix and Jade talking. ‘What about the treasure hunt, then?’ asked Pix. ‘Did you win?’

  Jade laughed. ‘No, I left it the moment Bimi told me. I don’t know who’s going to win it now – it’s almost time for dinner, and then it’s the disco. But Pix, how did you and Twink find the ring?’

  ‘It was mostly Pix,’ put in Twink, hanging back for a moment to join them. ‘Oh, Jade, she was brilliant!’ The fairies continued upwards, listening in admiration as Twink told the tale.

  ‘I would never have thought of that,’ declared Jade, fluttering her green and white wings. ‘Pix, that was so clever of you!’

  Pix looked sheepish. ‘Well . . . I thought it was pretty glimmery the way you solved the fifth clue of the treasure hunt so quickly, too,’ she admitted. ‘It took me ages to work out that the tree was actually that drawing of Queen Mab’s family tree on the wall of the Great Branch!’

  ‘Oh, but what about the way you worked out Clue Seven?’ countered Jade. ‘I couldn’t believe it! It took you no time at all, and –’

  They had reached the entrance again. Twink hugged her friends tightly. ‘I’ve got to go and see Miss Shimmery now,’ she said. ‘Thank you for your help, all of you!’

  As Twink sped away up the tree she could still hear Jade and Pix talking, and she smiled to herself. Maybe Pix hadn’t won the treasure hunt . . . but it seemed as if she might have found something even better.

  ‘I can’t believe it,’ said Miss Shimmery softly, turning the gleaming silver band over in her hands. ‘Silvia’s ring, after all these years . . .’

  Sitting in Miss Shimmery’s office, Twink shifted on her seat in confusion. The H
eadFairy had looked more and more taken aback as Twink had told her about Gran’s illness, and finding the journal . . . and now, examining the ring, she looked as if she were seeing a ghost.

  Miss Shimmery caught Twink’s expression and smiled faintly. Returning the ring to Twink, she folded her gleaming rainbow wings behind her back. ‘My dear child, I am Aurora,’ she said. ‘Your grandmother and I were very close friends when we were both students at school here.’

  ‘You’re Aurora?’ exclaimed Twink. Her thoughts spun wildly. ‘But – but what about all the pranks that you and Gran played, and – and the trouble you got into in your lessons, and – going down into the roots!’

  Miss Shimmery chuckled at her amazement. ‘Neither of us was perfect, it’s true. We were both high-spirited girls – though I might venture to say that it was normally your grandmother who thought up all the trouble we got into!’

  ‘Oh,’ murmured Twink in a daze. It seemed unbelievable that serene, white-haired Miss Shimmery had once been a young girl at Glitterwings, getting into mischief. And that she had then grown up to be the HeadFairy!

  Miss Shimmery’s expression turned serious again. ‘You were wrong to go down into the roots without telling a teacher, Twink – but I understand why you did it. You won’t be punished.’

  She rose from her mushroom desk. ‘And now I’ll summon a hawk for us. We must hurry, and get this ring to Silvia straight away.’

  ‘Gran?’ whispered Twink. Her grandmother sat in a chair by the window, gazing listlessly out at the summer evening. She gave no sign that she had heard.

  Twink knelt beside her. ‘Gran, it’s me – Twink!’ She touched her grandmother’s hand.

  The hawk had flown them to her grandmother’s house in record speed. Barely an hour had passed since Twink had sat in Miss Shimmery’s office explaining matters.

  But now her gran didn’t even seem to hear her.

  In the doorway, Twink’s parents stood with Miss Shimmery and the doctor. Twink’s dad had his arm around her mum as they all watched anxiously.