Ted nods.
‘Yep! There are twenty of them. I went into the supermarket this afternoon and bought every last box. They’d had a fresh delivery. Now you’ll be able to get some more puzzles sent away for that Puzzle Palace Competition. You know, just in case the last ones went astray in the mail or something.’
‘But Ted, the Choc Puffs competition has closed! They’re not accepting any more entries.’
‘What?’ shrieks Ted, his mouth hanging open. ‘Closed? You mean I forked out all that money for nothing?
‘Actually Brain,’ he says after a moment, handing me one of the boxes. ‘Have a closer look.’
‘Why would I want to do that?’ I snap. ‘I already know what a box of Choc Puffs looks like.’
And then I see it. The cheque stuck awkwardly on the front. I can hardly believe my eyes.
‘Ted,’ I gasp, ‘this cheque is for $1750.00.’
Ted smiles knowingly. ‘And it’s all for you.’
Suddenly my mouth is dry. ‘But … why? Why would you do this? Why would you give me half of the money you won?’
‘Because I didn’t win it,’ says Ted. ‘You did. And it wouldn’t feel right spending all of it when you’re the reason I even had it in the first place.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Hey,’ says Ted, ‘that makes a change!’
I can’t help but smile. ‘Thank you. You’re the best mate a kid could have.’
‘So, any ideas how you’re going to spend it?’
‘Well, I did have a few things on my “to get” list, but that’s all changed now. I’ve just thought of something better. Something a bit more useful.’
‘Oh yeah? Such as?’
‘Such as one of those Demon Sleeks. Just like yours. Except in a different colour, of course. I don’t want you taking mine by mistake.’
‘Really?’ says Ted excitedly.
‘Really. Just think, Ted. Not only will we be able to ride to school, but we’ll be able to sleep in longer in the mornings, too.’
‘Hey, yeah,’ says Ted happily. ‘Cool.’
‘So now, the big dilemma,’ I sigh. ‘What to do with all of these Choc Puffs.’
‘I guess we could always eat them,’ says Ted with a wink.
It is just after midnight when I am jolted awake by Mischief’s barking.
‘Stupid dog,’ I groan. ‘How’s a kid supposed to get any sleep with that racket?’
I stumble out of bed and make my way over to the window.
‘Oh shut up, would you!’ I say crossly. But she doesn’t. She lets loose with all she’s got, and I stomp angrily over to the window, ready to give her a piece of my mind.
That’s when I notice the van. Large and dark. Crawling at a snail’s pace along Milne Street. Until it reaches the front of our place and pulls to a stop.
A dark figure steps out and moves silently towards our gate, ignoring Mischief’s tirade.
‘What the …?’
I race out of my room and flick the verandah light on as I reach the front door. Without a thought of danger, or who it is I might be confronting, I yank it open.
But there’s no one there. The van is gone. And Mischief is no longer barking. Instead, she is staring up at the letterbox, emitting a low growl.
‘Mischief, what is it?’
That’s when I notice the envelope poking out of the letterbox.
Strange. Why would anybody drop mail off in the middle of the night?
I hurry over and quickly snatch it up, curiosity getting the better of me. Then I wander back to the verandah to get a better look.
Suddenly my breath catches in my throat.
On the front of the envelope, in fancy gold-embossed letters, it says:
Brain Davis
I feel my pulse begin to race.
Inside is a card. No … it’s an invitation, of sorts. With trembling fingers I open it. Then, hardly daring to breathe, I read the words:
Congratulations!
You are one of the lucky winners!
Puzzle Palace awaits you.
Further instructions will follow.
It is signed: HD. Which can only mean one person: Henry Daram.
Suddenly I am trembling. My heart is pounding like there’s a hyperactive kid on bongo drums inside my chest.
Congratulations!
You are one of the lucky winners!
I read the words again. And again. Not able to believe they are actually meant for me!
‘Did you hear that, Mischief?’ I squeak. ‘I’m going to Puzzle Palace!’
But Mischief just hovers at my feet, tail wagging and staring up at me with those big, loving eyes, no doubt wondering when I’m going to throw a bit of my attention her way.
Suddenly I have a thought. I have to tell Ted! I have to go over there right now and … actually, no, what am I thinking! It is the middle of the night! And I doubt even news of a lotto win would rouse Ted at such an hour.
I am just about to head back inside, when I see it. Another bit of paper in the envelope. I quickly pull it out.
My heart sinks as I read the bold black type:
You must not tell a soul!
Oh … what! Not tell a soul! You’ve got to be kidding! Not Mum and Dad? Not Ted? Not even Mrs Gribble?
That’s a pretty tough ask for a kid, especially when the kid in question is practically bursting at the seams to spread the good news.
I sigh, and plonk down on the verandah beside Mischief. She snuggles in close, where she likes it best, finally content.
I read the invitation again. Let the words sink in. And a sudden wave of euphoria washes over me, bathing me in a delicious warm glow.
‘Oh Mischief, this has to be the best day of my life!’ I whisper excitedly. ‘First the cheque from Ted, and now this.’
Suddenly Mum appears at the door, yawning.
‘What’s going on Brain?’ she asks sleepily. ‘Is everything okay?’
I look at the envelope in my hand, resisting the urge to thrust it at her. I want to, so badly. But I don’t. I put it out of sight instead, before she catches a glimpse of it and the barrage of questions begins.
‘Everything is perfect,’ I tell her. ‘Couldn’t be better in fact.’
And as we walk back inside I can’t stop the grin spreading across my face.
Oh yeah …
PUZZLE PALACE HERE I COME!
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES
PUZZLE 1
Three answers you’ll need to find for me:
One is a curve in the shore or sea
Two is a wound from teeth so mean
And three forms data in a computing machine
Answer: Bight/Bite/Byte
PUZZLE 2
You’re up the creek without a paddle, when a feeling of wonder and dread overcomes you. The water ahead is split by a mineral outcrop; the rock links two alternatives, but which one should you take?
Answer: Oar/Awe/Ore/Or
PUZZLE 3
1. To sink or fix firmly into a substance
2. The highest part of something
3. To touch or scrape lightly in passing
4. The molten rock layer between the inner solid core of the earth and the mantle
5. Richly luxurious and expensive
Answer: Embed/Crest/Graze/Magma/Plush
PUZZLE 4
Take the word CYBERSPACE.
In CYBERSPACE you can find many things
• a long sharp weapon that someone flings
• to char or scorch or cook or singe
• look closely if you are one of noble birth;
• the length of a trip round the sun for our earth
• you may be a prophet, or one who sees what’s not yet
• and a drink made with hops is frothy and wet
Answer: Spear/Sear/Peer/Year/Seer/Beer
PUZZLE 5
Take seven steps in all to change PUZZLE to PALACE.
You can change one or two let
ters at a time, and you can change the position of one or two letters at a time. The new letters in each step have been given to you, but you have to rearrange the unchanged letters to make words.
1. P U Z Z L E
2. D D
3. A
4. E D
5. I R
6. A
7. P A L A C E
Answer: Puzzle/Puddle/Paddle/Padded/Paired/Parade/Palace
Watch out for further instalments of Brain and the gang in:
QUIZZICAL
Brain Davis is the smartest kind in his school, if not the world. But strange things start to happen when his school is invited to compete against fancy Daramour Grammar in a popular general knowledge TV quiz show.
And the first target is Mischief, Brain’s beloved dog!
It’s as if someone wants to stop Brain competing in Quizzical ...
PUZZLE PALACE
Part theme park, part brainteaser, Puzzle Palace will challenge Brain Davis as never before. Brain and four other lucky winners will be the first kids to enter Puzzle Palace.
But even if he and the other winners solve the puzzles and make it all the way through, something awaits them at the very end, something they will never suspect ...
* * *
For younger readers, the funny and heart-warming Albyseries:
Alby and the Cat
The cat at 28 Popple Court is not impressed. There’s a new four-legged neighbour at Number 26, and he is not feline. Slowly, the two foes become friends, as the cat risks one of his nine lives to save the day.
Alby and the Cat: Showbusiness
Alby the guide dog is getting used to the cat next door. It saved his life, after all. Alby is almost fond of it.
Then, suddenly, the cat disappears. Days pass and still there is no sign of it. Alby is worried. Where could it be?
It’s not until Jim, his blind master, takes Alby to the Morvale Show that things take an unexpected turn.
Alby and the Cat: All Holed Up
Alby comes face to face with the dreadful small human from his past. But this time, Alby holds all the cards.
Faced with a terrible dilemma, he must listen to either his fear or his training. Will he make the right choice? Or will the cat talk him into something he will regret forever?
* * *
Check Leanne’s website at www.quizzicalbook.com
Leanne Davidson lives in Warragul, Victoria. She has always loved writing, but it often had to take a back seat while she raised her three sons and helped run the family business with her husband.
In 2002 Leanne completed a Diploma of Professional Children’s Writing through the Australian College of Journalism. Quizzical was the result, and introduced children to the hilarious, highly intelligent and slightly smug Brain Davis. Quizzical was awarded the 2006 Best Australian Self-Published Book Award for Fiction and is now on Premiers Reading Challenge Booklists in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
Brain, his beloved dog Mischief, and his friends and family, reappear in Money Bags and Puzzle Palace, both as warm and funny as Quizzical.
Leanne’s series for younger children, Alby and the Cat, was inspired by her father, who was blinded in an industrial accident. Alby and the Cat: Showbusiness, and Alby and the Cat: All Holed Up, follow the adventures of the guide dog Alby, his master, Jim and Jim’s wife Ellen, plus the cranky cat next door.
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