The toy’s arm obviously needed fixing.
Lola couldn’t do it there, though. All her craft things were at home.
If there had been a battle, and the other soldiers had left this one all by itself just because it was broken …
Well, that made Lola feel sad.
And cross.
Then she remembered where she had seen the toy before.
She turned to Buddy. ‘Come on, my soft little friend,’ she said. ‘We need to go home. And we’re taking this guy with us!’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Buddy. ‘Why are we taking it home?’
Lola carefully picked up the Almost Toy and started walking back to the train.
‘Because it needs rescuing,’ she said simply.
‘But it was in the Button Mines, Lola!’ Buddy cried. ‘It must have been here to steal buttons!’
‘It doesn’t matter why he was in the mines,’ said Lola firmly. ‘We can’t just leave him here forever, can we?’
Buddy thought about this for a long time. Then, finally, he nodded.
‘I’m glad you agree, Buddy,’ Lola said with a smile. ‘Shall we go home?’
Lola knew exactly what she was going to do with the Almost Toy when they got back.
She was just putting the broken toy onto the train when she heard a big …
SPLASH!
‘Oh, bother my buttons!’
Buddy was standing up to his knees in water, looking miserable.
‘Toys!’ said Lola, rolling her eyes.
A few minutes later, Lola was sitting on a rock with Buddy on her knee.
‘Now, don’t be scared,’ she said, ‘but this might hurt a bit. I’m going to have to wring you out.’
‘Can’t you just leave me to dry out?’ Buddy said, worried.
‘No,’ said Lola gently. ‘You’ll stain, and start smelling funny. Come here. Be brave.’
She started by giving each leg a squeeze. A little water came out. But Buddy was still soaked through to his stuffing.
Lola had no choice. There was no easy way to do this!
She took one leg and twisted it between her hands.
The water poured out. And so did Buddy’s cries.
‘By my zipper, I’ll never walk again!’ Buddy wailed. ‘You’ll twist my toggle right off!’
Lola couldn’t help but giggle.
‘You’ll be fine, Buddy,’ she said gently. ‘You’ll be fine, and you’ll be dry.’
Lola wrung out the other leg.
‘My laces are twisted and my popper just popped for sure!’ he wailed.
‘Buddy?’
‘I’ll be limping and walking in circles for days!’
‘Buddy!’
‘And I’ll be – oh sorry, yes?’
‘I’ve finished.’
‘Oh.’
‘Now shall we go home?’ she asked.
Buddy nodded, so she carried him back to the toy box train. She placed him next to the Almost Toy.
Then she took one last look around the Button Mines.
She hoped the teddy bears would be back soon.
Someone had to look after all those beautiful buttons.
But I’m sure I’m right, she thought. I’m sure there was a big battle here.
Lucky we arrived in time to save this poor toy!
Whenever Lola was about to leave the Kingdom, she always had the same feeling. A sort of happy-but-sad feeling.
And a feeling that she would come back again. Very soon.
Lola climbed into the train. But she climbed out of …
Lola climbed out of her toy box. She was safe and sound, back in her bedroom. It felt very bright compared to the darkness of the tunnel.
She popped Buddy in his spot on her favourite pillow.
Then she carefully lifted the broken Almost Toy out of the toy box. In the light, Lola could see what was wrong with him.
The Almost Toy’s arm had been bent back too far. It was cracked and the whole arm had very nearly fallen off.
I hope this works, she thought, as she headed down the hall. She knocked on Nick’s door.
‘What?’ Nick called.
‘You were right,’ called Lola through the door. ‘I should have asked before I used your plastic door for my palace. I’m sorry. And I’ve found something else of yours.’
The door flew open. Nick gasped when he saw the broken toy in Lola’s hand. ‘Where did you find that?’ he said.
Lola nearly told Nick that she’d saved it from the Button Mines.
But she kept quiet.
‘Wow!’ said Nick, taking the toy. ‘I lost him ages ago! It looks like he needs fixing.’
Nick disappeared into his room and slammed the door.
Lola smiled. She hoped Nick would play with the poor thing once it had been fixed. She wasn’t sure she wanted the Almost Toy to end up in the Kingdom again.
Lola skipped back into her own room and picked up Buddy for a quick cuddle. He was nearly dry.
‘You need to stay warm for a little while, my friend,’ she told him with a grin. ‘By your buttons, you do!’
She popped him back on her pillow. Then she sat down with her building blocks.
She was going to build a Button Mine!
Danny Parker is a writer and drama teacher who lives in Perth with his family. His previous books include Tree and Parachute. Danny is a keen juggler, singer and performer – just like Buddy!
Guy Shield is an illustrator who lives in Melbourne and is obsessed with drawing. When he was a kid, Guy loved building palaces and cities with his toys, just like Lola – and Nick!
The Treasure Trove
published in 2015 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au
This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.
A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.
eISBN 9781743583548
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
Text copyright © 2015 Danny Parker
Illustrations copyright © 2015 Guy Shield
Series design copyright © 2015 Hardie Grant Egmont
Design by Stephanie Spartels
We welcome feedback from our readers. All our ebooks are edited and proofread vigorously, but we know that mistakes sometimes get through. If you spot any errors, please email [email protected] so that we can fix them for your fellow ebook readers.
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