Katie Kicklighter

by Jack Patterson

  “Excuse me, excuse me!” Katie cried as she pushed her way through the crowd. Most people around her had no idea what to make of a young girl chasing a man on the bridge.

  He started to get farther away from her. She called out again, “Bring me my magnifying glass right now, you thief!”

  The man looked over his shoulder, and when he did, he didn’t see a man stick his foot right in his way. The thief stumbled forward and slid across the ground, dropping Trixie. But instead of retrieving the magnifying glass, he jumped to his feet and took off running.

  The man who’d tripped up the thief — Katie wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not — bent down and picked up the magnifying glass. “I think this belongs to you, young lady,” the man said as he handed it to her.

  Katie’s eyes met the man. It was Mister Templeton.

  “Mister Templeton?” she asked as Maggie and Trey finally caught up with her. “What are you doing here?”

  “Probably the same thing you are, Katie.”

  “Looking for clues?” Katie stepped back and pumped her fist. “I knew it!” She began pacing and watched as Miss McGuffin finally reached her. “I told you, Miss McGuffin. There’s treasure around here somewhere.” Then turning to Mister Templeton, Katie said, “Thank you for getting Trixie back. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  “You’re quite welcome, Katie. It was my pleasure,” he said.

  “Katie, are you all right?” Miss McGuffin asked.

  “I’m fine,” Katie answered.

  Trey grabbed Trixie and began inspecting her. “Trixie’s not fine,” he said.

  “Not fine? What are you talking about?” Katie shot back.

  “I’m talking about this crack right here,” he said pointing to a crack that measured about two inches long and was directly in the center of Trixie. “It won’t be easy to inspect anything now.”

  Katie took Trixie back. “There’s nothing wrong with her. Now, she’s just got some character.”

  “Character? You call a crack in the middle of a magnifying glass ‘character’?”

  Katie nodded. “Just because something is a little broken or bruised doesn’t mean it’s no good and can’t serve its purpose. It simply means it has character. It looks proper now — like it’s been in a battle or two and isn’t afraid of whatever happens next.”

  “What happens next is that we need to file a police report,” Miss McGuffin said. “Do you think you can identify him if you had to?” She spun around. “Katie? Where’d you go?”

  After a few moments of panic, Miss McGuffin spotted Katie hunched over an inscription on a statue affixed to the bridge. Katie had climbed several feet and stood on the base of the statue, while Maggie and Trey stood on the ground beneath her demanding that Katie read the words aloud.

  Miss McGuffin marched up to the statue. “You can’t go running off like that!” she barked.

  Caught off guard by Miss McGuffin, Katie spun around. When she did, she lost her balance and toppled head over heels into the Vltava River.

  “Help!” Katie called out as she bobbed in the water.

  A tour guide on an empty boat seemed oblivious to Katie’s cries. That quickly changed when Mister Templeton jumped off the bridge and into the boat. He snatched the oars from the guide and rowed the boat toward Katie.

  “Grab on to this,” Mister Templeton said as he offered Katie one of the oars.

  She grabbed the oar, and the tour guide and Mister Templeton both helped her climb aboard.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’m fine — just a little wet,” Katie said smiling. “And I’ve still got Trixie.”

  “Are things always this exciting when you’re around?” Mister Templeton asked.

  “I thought this was rather boring,” she said. “I haven’t even set anything on fire yet.”

  After getting Katie out of the boat and back to the street with Miss McGuffin and Maggie and Trey, they all thanked Mister Templeton profusely for his bravery.

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you today, Mister Templeton,” Katie said. “You saved the day twice. First Trixie, then me.”

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “Just stay out of trouble, young lady. And perhaps you shouldn’t go looking for treasure. There’s plenty of other things to see in this city.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Miss McGuffin said.

  But Katie didn’t think so. Her quest to find the gold was just beginning.

  CHAPTER 13

  A Tall Tower

  and a Big Fall

  THE NEXT MORNING AT BREAKFAST, word spread among the class about Katie’s adventures the previous afternoon. At first there was concern for Katie’s wellbeing. Those were quickly replaced with snickers when the storyteller revealed why Katie was standing on a bridge statue in the first place. “She thinks she’s going to find a treasure?” one student whispered before breaking into a roaring laughter. Katie heard all the whispers — and the laughter — and didn’t appreciate it.

  Katie marched up to Walter Xavier Drummond and let him know she wouldn’t be intimidated.

  “If you think laughing at me and making fun of me is going to make me stop my quest to find the gold — just so you can find it — you are sorely mistaken,” Katie told him as she poked his chest. “I’m going to find this gold.”

  Walter tried to keep a straight face, though his facial muscles gave way on Katie’s last chest poke and the edges of his mouth curled upward.

  Katie stamped her foot. “It’s not funny. I’m going to find that gold — you’ll see.” She spun around on one heel and walked back to her seat.

  The agenda for the morning included a tour of the Jindrisska Tower, a building erected in the late 1400s. From the top, visitors could see an awe-inspiring view of Prague. Katie couldn’t wait.

  “I’ll bet there are clues at the top,” Katie told Trey and Maggie.

  “Clues to what?” Maggie asked.

  “You know — the gold.”

  Maggie shoveled in another spoonful of cereal before responding. “You really think someone left clues to find the gold all over the city?”

  Katie nodded. “Of course. Who hides a treasure without a treasure map?”

  “But we don’t even know if it’s in Prague,” Maggie answered.

  “Yes, we do,” Katie said. “Why would Mister Templeton be here if it wasn’t?”

  Trey cleaned both sides of his mouth with his napkin. “Katie, I hate to break it to you, but the gold isn’t here.”

  “Then where is it?”

  “Nobody knows — not even Mister Templeton.”

  Katie twirled her hair with her finger. “Just because you say something doesn’t make it so.”

  “Well, if nobody knows where it is, you’re crazy to think that it’s definitely here and that someone is going to leave clues around the city,” Trey retorted.

  “We’ll see about that,” Katie said as she returned to finishing her cereal.

  ***

  LATER THAT MORNING, Katie listened intently to the tour guide describe the interesting features of the Jindrisska Tower.

  “This beautiful structure was finished in 1476, but it has changed many times since then,” the guide said. “In 1745, a fire devastated much of the building and it was rebuilt in a different architectural style.”

  Trey punched Katie in the arm. “Please don’t set the building on fire, okay?”

  Katie glared at him then returned her attention to the guide.

  “In the 1870s, the famous architect Josef Mocker converted the Jindrisska Tower back to its original architecture in Gothic style. As you work your way toward the top, you’ll have many opportunities to enjoy the Jindrisska’s stunning design. And you might even find a surprise at the top.”

  Katie turned toward Trey. “Did you hear that? We might even find a surprise at the top. And you think there isn’t a clue as to where the gold is?”

  Trey rolled his eyes. />
  Maggie punched him in the arm. “Don’t be mean. You know your life would be incredibly boring without Katie. And you never know — she might be right.”

  With Miss McGuffin’s blessing, Katie went straight to the top. Miss Dingledine accompanied Katie, Trey and Maggie — and she could barely keep up.

  “Slow down, Miss Kicklighter,” Miss Dingledine called out.

  Katie ignored her. The last thing she wanted was anyone else finding clues to the gold. “The less competition we have, the better,” Katie said over her shoulder to Maggie.

  “It’s not like Miss Dingledine would steal the gold from you,” Maggie said. “Besides, what would you need all that gold for anyway?”

  Katie shook her head. “I don’t care about the gold — I just want to be a professional treasure hunter. Maybe this could start my career.”

  “And you’d just leave the gold where you found it?” Trey scoffed.

  “No, I’d give it to charity. We’re kids. I don’t have need for money — and neither do you. It’s the least we could do.”

  “So, we’re going on this quest to find the gold just so we can give it away?” Trey asked.

  Katie nodded. “You got it. Now, quit complaining and pick up the pace. We may not have much time.”

  Once they reached the top, Katie froze and gawked at the view. “This is amazing!” she exclaimed.

  Maggie pushed her way past Katie, who didn’t budge. “What? What is it?”

  “This view. Just look at it.” The top of the tower was an old belfry and revealed a picturesque panoramic view of Prague.

  Trey stomped up the steps. “By your reaction, I thought you’d found the gold.”

  Katie snapped out of her trance. “Ah, yes, the gold. Let’s see if we can find that surprise the tour guide told us about.”

  Before Maggie or Trey could say another word, Katie began scurrying around the belfry. She pulled out Trixie and began examining some of the woodcarvings etched into the posts.

  “Come here, Trey,” Katie called. “What do you think this is?” She handed Trixie to Trey and stepped back.

  He leaned in closer and peered through Trixie at the ornate carving. “I can’t see anything,” he said. “What am I looking for?”

  “Don’t you see a map there?” Katie said.

  Trey shook his head. “Here,” he said as he handed Trixie to Maggie. “See if you can see the map.”

  Maggie spent several moments inspecting the carving. Before she could reveal what she found, a familiar voice echoed up from the stairwell.

  “Miss Kicklighter, I hope you aren’t scaling the outside of the tower,” Miss Dingledine said, huffing between words.

  Katie dashed to the top of the stairwell to hide Trey and Maggie from Miss Dingledine’s view as she trudged up the steps. “Oh, no, Miss Dingledine. We’re just enjoying this incredible view.”

  Miss Dingledine arrived at the belfry and looked slack-jawed at the cityscape below. The colorful tops of buildings twinkled in the morning light. The people on the streets below bustled about like ants.

  As Miss Dingledine moved around, Katie positioned herself between their chaperone and Maggie and Trey, who were still busy inspecting the carvings.

  After a few moments, Maggie stood up and shook her head. She slipped Trixie into her back pocket.

  “Oh, well,” Katie said. “I guess we’ve seen all there is to see up here.” She grabbed Miss Dingledine’s arm and pulled her back toward the stairs.

  Miss Dingledine lost her balance and tripped, falling face first onto the belfry’s wooden floor. Everything shook and a small block of wood dislodged from the trusses above and dropped onto Miss Dingledine’s head.

  Katie snatched up the piece and handed it to Maggie. “Are you okay, Miss Dingledine?” she asked as she knelt down next to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull you so hard like that.”

  Miss Dingledine groaned. “It’s fine, Miss Kicklighter. I think I’m all right. Nothing a bag of ice can’t fix.”

  Katie helped her to her feet and motioned for Maggie and Trey to join her. They all walked slowly down the steps until they reached the bottom floor. For several minutes, they wandered around until they found a coffee shop on the bottom floor.

  “A little tea might do the trick,” Miss Dingledine said as she staggered toward an empty table. Katie ordered a tea for her.

  “We’ll leave you alone,” Katie said as she handed her a tea. “We’ve already caused you enough trouble.”

  Miss Dingledine mustered a smile and propped her foot up on an empty chair.

  Katie joined Maggie and Trey at a table in the corner.

  Maggie pulled the block out of her pocket. “What do you think this is?”

  Trey shook his head. “Probably nothing.”

  “Maybe it’s nothing — or maybe it’s the key to the gold,” Katie said. “Let me see that.” Katie pulled out Trixie and examined the block more closely. “Maybe this is the map.”

  “Or maybe it’s just a block of wood dislodged by Miss Dingledine’s fall,” Trey said.

  “Either way, we can’t tell anyone about it,” Katie said. “We don’t want to get in trouble or let anyone know we’ve found a secret map.”

  “But there’s no map on there,” Trey said.

  “Maybe there isn’t — but we have a piece of the Jindrisska Tower,” Katie said. “And that’s better than anything we’ll find in that souvenir shop over there.”

  Maggie began to inspect the woodblock more closely.

  “I’m going to get something to eat,” Katie announced.

  Moments later, she returned to the table with a pastry and a hot chocolate — and a special surprise.

  “What’s this?” Trey asked as he inspected an object wrapped in plastic.

  “It’s a fortune cookie,” Katie answered. “Here, try it.”

  Trey ripped the package open. “Do I just bite it?”

  Katie took it from him. “Let me show you how to do this. You crack it open like this.” She held both ends of the cookie and cracked it open. A small piece of paper fell out.

  “What’s that?” Trey asked.

  “It’s your fortune,” she said.

  “And? What does it say?”

  Katie smiled. “It says, ‘The object of your desire comes closer.’” She slapped the table with excitement. “We’re going to find that gold.”

  CHAPTER 14

  A Book and

  a Broken Heart

  THE NEXT FEW DAYS proved rather uneventful by Katie’s standards. Her class toured many of Prague’s most famous sites such as the Prague Castle, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Strahov Library. While they rode the bus between the different locations, Katie studied the block of wood from the Jindrisska Tower, but it didn’t look like a map at all and concluded Trey was right — it was just a piece of wood. But Katie didn’t give up her search. At each location along their tour, Katie examined the walls and plaques and statues with Trixie. It wasn’t until Maggie tugged on her arm that she’d snap out of her investigative trance and realize she needed to catch up with the rest of the group.

  However, temporary chaos ensued when Katie wasn’t looking where she was going as the class toured the Strahov Library. Like her uncle’s house, it was a “look-don’t-touch” kind of place. In fact, it was more of a “look-from-back-here” kind of place as tourists weren’t even allowed to go into their room since it was determined that visitors’ warm breath caused such a change in humidity that it was ruining the murals painted on the wall. But leave it to Katie to find a way in — even when she wasn’t trying.

  She was so engrossed with the unique architecture that she didn’t see the velvet rope placed in the doorway to keep visitors out. Katie was looking up when she stumbled into the rope and crashed into the room. In awe of the collection of old books, she ignored the reason she fell down and got back up so she could look around. Hunched over so she could read the
book titles, she furrowed her brow. All the books were written in a foreign language — and Katie had no idea which one. She raked her fingers across the books and smiled as dust swirled in the air.

  “What are you doing, young lady?” a woman demanded.

  Katie snapped out of her stupor and spun around to see a woman standing in the doorway over the velvet rope now snaking along the floor. The bespectacled lady looked official with a nametag on her coat and a hat Katie thought looked rather silly for an adult, though she imagined it would fit nicely in her wardrobe. Katie scrunched up her face and appeared concerned over what she’d done for the first time. “Sorry, I didn’t realize what had happened,” she stammered.

  “You tripped over a rope to keep you out of this room and it crashes to the ground. Then you walk over and touch books that are hundreds of years old — and you didn’t realize what happened?” the woman said.

  Katie shook her head. “I was just amazed by all the ancient books in here and I wanted a closer look. I didn’t mean anything by it — honest.”

  The woman peered over her glasses. “Very well, then. No need to quibble, but you need to get out of there right now.”

  As Katie clambered to her feet, she heard a familiar voice.

  “Katie Kicklighter! What on earth are you doing?”

  It was Miss McGuffin. Late to the commotion, she didn’t realize all the fuss was the result of more mischievousness that Katie stirred up.

  “I wasn’t paying attention and tripped over the ropes,” Katie said.

  “And that’s all that happened?”

  Katie shook her head. “I got distracted by all the beautiful books in here and just had to take a peek.”

  Miss McGuffin stamped her foot. “I think you need to stay with me the rest of the day,” she said.

  As Katie walked toward her teacher, she glanced down at a book lying on the table. It was written in English and had a title that made Katie freeze. It read: “The City of Gold.”

  ***