‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘It’s just an echo. Listen.’ And she cupped her mouth with her hands and yelled. ‘Tobeee!’
‘… bee … bee … bee … bee,’ went the echo.
Toby stared around in wonder. Then he cried out, ‘Spike, can you hear me?’ and the echo came back, ‘… me … me … me … me … me!’
‘No!’ cried Spike, and the echo went, ‘… no … no … no … no … no!’
Toby giggled and shouted back. The two Hoozles had a wonderful time making echoes, until Willow called out, ‘Stop!’
Back came the echo. ‘… op … op … op … op … op!’ and everybody laughed.
Willow noticed a faint glow. She got Ben to shine the torch towards it. There was a wide tunnel with daylight at the end.
Ben explained that it was another entrance into the caves. ‘Can you see, the opening’s shaped a bit like a tiger’s mouth? That’s why I reckon the treasure’s near here.’
Willow had to agree about the cave entrance looking like a tiger’s mouth. She could make out rocks shaped like great sharp teeth. But she wasn’t convinced that Ben was right about the treasure. ‘If it was here, surely you would have found it already,’ she said, jumping down from the flat rock.
‘I’ve only explored half this cavern,’ said Ben. ‘The treasure could be hidden in one of the little passages, or under a heap of rocks, or – or anywhere. Look over here.’ He made his way towards the cavern wall, dodging puddles. Suddenly, he yelped and fell.
Willow watched in horror as the torch bounced away from Ben straight towards a rock pool. Splash!
Everything went dark.
A small, shaky voice said, ‘Willow? Who put the light out?’
‘It’s all right, Toby,’ she said, switching on the light in her watch. She could just make out Ben, crouching on the ground. ‘Are you okay?’ she called to him.
‘Yes,’ he called back.
‘Is Spike all right?’ Willow asked, going to see.
‘I’m squashed,’ grumbled Spike. ‘Ben landed right on top of me when he fell.’
‘Sorry, Spike,’ said Ben, brushing dirt off his Hoozle. ‘But, Willow, that wasn’t an accident. Look!’ He pulled her arm towards him, so her watch light shone downwards.
Willow peered into the glow. She could just make out something like a thick thread. ‘What is it?’
‘Fishing line,’ said Ben, and he showed her where it was tied between two rocks.
Willow gasped. ‘Someone put that there on purpose, to stop anyone going any further? Maybe … maybe it was Six-Fingered Jim?’ she said in a shaky voice.
‘No chance,’ said Ben. ‘I’ve been this way before, remember, and I’ve never seen this.’ He frowned. ‘Whoever it is, they’re not stopping me. Let’s get that torch back.’
Willow sat Toby on a small round rock while she and Ben pushed their sleeves up and fished around in the rock pool.
‘We’ll never reach it,’ said Ben. ‘The water’s too deep.’
‘Then you need a good swimmer,’ said Spike. ‘Don’t you worry. I’ll get it for you.’ He used his fins to wiggle to the pool, then slipped in and disappeared from sight. A few moments later, the torch appeared on top of the water, balanced on Spike’s head. Willow grabbed it.
Ben lifted Spike out. ‘You’re a star!’ he said.
‘You really are,’ said Willow. She shook the torch. ‘Will it work?’ she wondered.
‘It should do,’ said Ben. ‘It’s waterproof.’
Willow switched it on. It was fine. ‘There, Toby,’ she said. ‘That’s better, isn’t it?’
There was no reply.
‘Toby?’ Willow turned. ‘Toby!’ In a panic, she flashed the torch all round the cave.
Toby was gone.
‘… bee … eee … eee … ee … ee,’ went the echo, as Willow shouted desperately for her bear.
‘Toby, where are you?’ cried Ben.
‘… yooo … ooo … ooo … oo … oo,’ went the echo.
Suddenly, Willow froze. Had she heard something? ‘Shh,’ she whispered. ‘Listen!’
Ben stood still.
The sudden silence was broken by muffled grunts and growls.
‘It’s Toby!’ Willow cried. ‘He’s hurt, or stuck somewhere. Follow the sounds.’
But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t make out where the noises were coming from. Every footstep echoed, and even Toby’s muffled cries created their own faint echoes.
Ben’s torch lit up dark corners and cracks in the rock, but there was no sign of the little blue Hoozle.
Willow peered around, her eyes following the torch light. Oh, Toby, she thought. Where are you?
Suddenly, she froze. On the round rock, where she’d last seen her Hoozle, something gleamed. Willow snatched the torch from Ben and shone it on the rock. Yes, there was something there! It was gold, and it looked like … ‘A coin!’
She darted forward and snatched it up. ‘Look, Ben,’ she gasped.
‘Pirate gold!’ Suddenly, a terrible shiver of fear ran through her body. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned. ‘It’s the curse. Anyone who looks for Six-Fingered Jim’s treasure disappears. We came to look for it and now Toby has vanished!’
Willow stared at the gold coin clutched in her hand. It was bent. She was sure it had been completely flat before. ‘What’s going on?’ she wondered, as she examined it more closely.
Ben picked at the coin’s edges. ‘It’s not made of gold,’ he said. ‘This is a chocolate coin.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘Someone’s trying to cause trouble here, Willow. First the seaweed in the engine, then the line that tripped me up, and now … this.’
Willow’s eyes widened. ‘You’re right. And I know exactly who it is.’ She turned and shouted into the darkness. ‘Croc? Croc! I know it’s you! Where are you?’
The only reply was an echoing laugh from the mean orange crocodile Hoozle. The sound bounced off the cave walls. It was impossible to tell where it came from.
Willow spun round and shouted again. ‘Your seaweed trick didn’t work, did it? You’re not so clever!’
‘Oh yes, I am,’ called Croc. ‘You’ll never find out where your precious Toby is hidden. You can’t even find me because of all the echoes.’
Willow knew he was right.
Ben pulled at her arm. ‘We’ll have to go soon. Our hour’s nearly up. If we’re not back on time, my uncle and Suzy will be really worried.’
Willow stared at him, shocked. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. ‘No!’ she cried. ‘We can’t leave without Toby!’
‘We must do something,’ Willow said.
‘And we have to do it quickly,’ said Ben.
Willow thought hard. Croc can’t resist a chance to upset Hoozles and their owners.
She whispered in Ben’s ear, ‘Croc will come out of hiding if he thinks he can steal Spike’s pocket heart.’
‘No crocodile could get the better of my Hoozle.’
‘Dead right,’ said Spike.
Willow cleared her throat loudly and said, ‘Ben, let’s look for Toby behind that big rock, right over there by the cave wall. Spike, stay here by yourself and keep an eye out for Toby. You’ll be quite safe.’
‘I know I will,’ said Spike.
Ben balanced the torch on a rock so that it lit up most of the cavern. He and Willow made their way to the wall, climbing carefully over small rocks and dodging pools. They slipped behind the big rock and peeped out to see what was happening.
A few moments later, Croc appeared from a small opening beside the tunnel that led to the tiger’s mouth. He scuttled across to where Spike lay. Willow was about to rush to Spike’s rescue, but Ben held her back. ‘Watch,’ he said.
As Croc reached out to grab the puffer fish Hoozle, Spike puffed himself up into a big ball shape – with scary-looking spikes!
‘Scram!’ he said.
Croc was so shocked that he fell backwards into a rock pool. Splash!
‘Wow!’
said Willow.
Ben grinned. ‘That’s what puffer fish do,’ he said proudly. ‘Come on, don’t stand there staring. Let’s go and catch Croc!’
But as they made their way carefully back to Spike, Croc scrambled out of the pool and scurried away into the darkness. He was soaking wet, and kept slipping on the slimy rock floor. His grumbles echoed round the cave and faded away as Croc fled.
‘Now don’t bother us anymore!’ Spike called, shrinking back to his normal size.
‘That was amazing,’ Willow told him. ‘You looked really fearsome.’
‘That’s the idea,’ said Spike. ‘What do we do now?’
‘Find Toby, of course.’
‘And quickly,’ said Ben, ‘or we’ll be late.’
Willow took the torch and headed for Croc’s hiding place, near the tunnel leading to the tiger’s mouth. She peered between two great stalagmites, and there, at last, was her little blue bear. He’d been tied up and gagged with long ribbons of tough, shiny brown seaweed.
‘Toby!’ she cried, pulling the horrible stuff away from his mouth. ‘Are you all right?’
Toby sat up and spat. ‘Pthyerr! That stuff’s disgusting,’ he said.
Willow sat on a flat rock to untie him. Once he was free, she hugged him so hard he began to wriggle. She leant on one of the stalagmites as she stood up, and noticed a pattern of rough bumps in the rock. One, two, three, four, five, six. Six bumps. Six-Fingered Jim! Suddenly, the stalagmite wobbled. She snatched Toby up and jumped away from it.
‘Look!’ cried Ben. ‘Behind you!’
She spun round. With a heavy scraping noise, a section of rock slid to one side. Behind was …
‘A secret cave!’ Willow said. ‘Oh, Ben, let’s look inside.’
‘Not another cave,’ Toby groaned. ‘I want to be outside in the sunshine.’
Willow gave him a big hug to keep warm. ‘We won’t be long,’ she said, shining the torch into the secret cave. In the middle of the floor was a large, ancient, wooden chest. ‘Ben!’ she gasped.
He followed her inside. His eyes widened when he saw the chest. Together they lifted the lid, then they looked at each other, eyes shining!
‘Pirate clothes!’ said Ben, taking out a big hat with an ostrich feather in it.
Willow pulled out a short, curved sword. ‘A cutlass!’
‘Maps!’ said Ben. ‘And a telescope.’
Willow found a pair of leather gloves, and tried them on. They reached halfway up her arms. ‘Look at me in pirate gloves, Ben.’
She felt Toby poking her arm. ‘What’s the matter?’
With a shaky paw, he pointed to her right hand. She looked at it and gasped. The glove had an extra finger!
‘Wow!’ said Willow. ‘That proves it. This must be the treasure of Six-Fingered Jim.’ Then her stomach did a flip-flop. ‘Oh no! The curse! Anyone who looks for the treasure is cursed.’
Ben’s mouth opened and closed before he spoke. ‘And we found it. Oh, Willow, we’re all cursed!’
Spike spoke up. ‘Stop being so daft,’ he said. ‘Willow and Toby haven’t disappeared, and nor have you, Ben. I don’t think I can have disappeared, since you’re all staring at me, so I reckon the curse is a load of old rubbish.’
There was a moment of silence, then they all giggled. With laughter echoing through the caverns, they hurried back to meet the others.
‘Just think,’ said Willow, ‘if Croc hadn’t got up to his tricks, we’d never have found the treasure.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Ben, let’s keep this to ourselves. Don’t let’s tell the grown-ups.’
‘Okay,’ said Ben. ‘It’ll be our secret. No one’s to say a word. Right, Toby and Spike?’
‘Hoozle’s honour,’ they said together.
When they arrived back at the little beach, the last passenger was just climbing aboard. Captain Price tapped his wrist, as if to say, ‘You’re late,’ but he was smiling. Mr Squawk wiggled his wing tip, just a little, so the captain couldn’t see.
‘Did you have a good time?’ asked Auntie Suzy.
‘Brilliant,’ said Willow and Ben together.
Then Ben asked Auntie Suzy, ‘Can Willow come on the boat with me again?’
She smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘Great!’ said Willow. ‘We could have a picnic in Summertown Cove with our Hoozles, and play pirates.’
As they climbed aboard Sharkfin, Willow turned to Ben and grinned. What fun they could have with the treasure of Six-Fingered Jim!
Very slowly, so no one else would notice, Mr Squawk winked.
Willow giggled and winked back. ‘Perhaps we could invite one other Hoozle,’ she said.
‘Weigh anchor!’ cried out Captain Price. ‘All aboard for Summertown!’
‘And set a course for our next Hoozle adventure!’ Willow whispered to Toby. She gave him a big cuddle as Sharkfin pulled out of the cove and set sail for home.
Also in the series
Magic Toyshop: Ragbag Friends
Magic Toyshop: The Rabbit Rescue
Copyright
First published in 2012
by Faber and Faber Limited
Bloomsbury House
74–7 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2012
Series created by Working Partners Limited, London W6 0QT
All rights reserved
Text © Working Partners Limited, 2012
Illustrations © Penny Dann, 2012
Special thanks to Val Wilding
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–25999–1
Treasure Island Trouble Page 2
