Christmas Countdown (2 page)

It was very early the next morning, really still night, but Emma had woken up, excited. She checked her clock; it was pretty early, even for her. She snuggled back down into bed between her husky, Pip, and Mr Snow. Then she opened her eyes again. It was Christmas, well Christmas Eve and that meant tonight was Swedish Christmas. With everyone still asleep, she might be able to take another look at those presents. Emma jumped out of bed, waking up Pip, and crept down the hall. She was surprised to see the kitchen light on and her mum in the kitchen.

‘Mum?' said Emma.

Emma's mum turned around. She looked serious, worried even. She was on the phone. Emma stopped and listened.

‘Mum? In hospital? Which one, Dad?'

EJ swallowed.
Grandma is in hospital?
‘What's happened?'

‘Okay, Dad, I'll come straight away. Bye!' Emma's mum hung up the phone.

‘Mum, is Grandma okay?' Emma's eyes began to water a little. Even thinking about something happening to Grandma was too much.

‘I think so, Em,' replied her mum, still looking worried. ‘She fell over in town and is in hospital but Grandpa says she seems okay. She's having X-rays.'

‘X-rays!' said Emma, but before she could ask more, she was interrupted.

 

Piinngg!

 

This time it was Emma's phone and it was flashing indigo. It was a mission alert from
SHINE
.

Normally Emma was excited when she received a mission alert but not this time.

‘Mum, I can't report in,' she said. ‘I need to come to the hospital with you to see Grandma.' She looked pleadingly at her mum.

‘No, Em. You need to. Grandma will be fine. Come on, get your bracelet and I'll drop you at the Light Shop on the way to the hospital.'

‘Mum!' pleaded Emma.

‘Grandma would want you to go,' said Mum.

‘No she wouldn't.'

‘Yes, I really think she would,' said her mum, looking around to see if Emma and her were alone before whispering, ‘Grandma fell OM, and I think that's why
SHINE
is now calling you.'

‘Grandma works for
SHINE
?' whispered Emma. ‘She did. She was in the code-cracking division, just like you. These days she just helps out every once in a while. She says it keeps her young at heart. When she left us in the city, she went OM but it seems she fell over and hurt herself.
SHINE
Home Delivery has collected her and she is now in hospital. I'm sure she'll be fine, Em.'

‘Does Grandpa know she was OM?' asked Emma.

‘Of course not, Em,' replied her mum. ‘
SHINE
is strictly girls only.'

‘Will Grandma really be okay?' asked Emma.

 

Piinngg!

 

It was Emma's phone again but this time it was a normal text message. It was from Grandma.

Emma couldn't believe it, it was as if Grandma had read her mind—all the way from hospital. Emma felt a bit better but not completely.

‘Okay, Mum. I'll go get my bracelet.'

It was no ordinary bracelet that Emma was collecting. It was a special
SHINE
spy gadget CHARM (Clever Hidden Accessories with Release Mechanism) bracelet filled with charms that with a single twist became high-tech spy gadgets. Emma had hers hidden in a secret box hidden in a secret shelf in her room. Not even her brother would ever be able to find it. Putting her bracelet on, she went out to the car where her mother was waiting. Minutes later, Emma's mum pulled up outside an ordinary-looking light shop in an ordinary-looking shopping village. The sun was only now coming up and there was no one in the street.

‘Good luck, Em. You can do it,' said Mum, smiling. ‘Let's make sure we're all home in time for Swedish Christmas!'

Emma smiled, gave her mum a kiss and got out of the car. She walked up to the Light Shop and pushed the door. It opened, just as she knew it would, even this early. As the door's buzzer went off, an elderly lady appeared from behind a Christmas tree aglow with bud lights.

‘Good morning, may I help you?' she asked. ‘Are you looking for anything in particular?'

EJ remembered the access words. ‘Yes, please,' she said. ‘Do you have any Christmas lights you can show me?'

‘Oh yes, of course we do,' cried the lady. ‘Just follow me.'

They walked to a desk at the back of the show room. ‘Please put your hand on here,' said the lady, placing a small black box on the counter.

EJ put her hand on the pad, which buzzed for a moment then stopped. Then a small green light on the side of the box glowed.

‘You are cleared for access, Agent EJ12,' said the lady. ‘Please take the lift down to level 20 and go directly to the Code Room. You know the way. Oh, and merry Christmas!'

‘Merry Christmas,' said EJ as she moved past a row of lava lamps and approached a row of hanging bud lights. She turned the last lava lamp off and the strings parted, revealing a narrow lift. EJ then turned the second lava lamp off and the doors opened. She walked in and pressed the yellow button on the left. The doors closed and the lift began to move downwards. Back in the Light Shop, the elderly lady carefully turned the lava lamps back on and returned to her work.

The lift stopped and EJ heard a digital voice.

Please proceed to Code Room and await agent identity security test.'

EJ walked out of the lift and turned left into a long, plain brightly lit corridor. She kept walking until she came to a small metal door with a keypad and screen on the wall. EJ keyed in her pin code.

‘Security test commencing. Please sing the chorus of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”.'

Gee whizz, lemonfizz!
thought Emma. She found the singing voice recognition tests a little embarrassing but she took a deep breath and began to sing.

‘A little louder please,' said the digital voice.

EJ started again.

‘And we wish you a merry Christmas too, EJ12. Voice recognition complete. Door open.'

There was a beep and EJ pushed open the door to the code room. She sat down on a chair at the desk and looked up at the tube coming down from the roof. She was surprised when a Christmas cracker dropped out onto the table. A piece of paper was wrapped around it. EJ uncurled it and started reading.

It was a cracker with a Christmas Wonderland sticker on the side. She pulled the two ends and a small piece of paper and pretend diamond ring fell onto the table.

‘It's just a Christmas cracker,' said EJ to herself. ‘There's the little gift and this must be the joke.' EJ unwound the roll of paper.
It's a riddle,
thought EJ, glancing at it. Then she began to read.

Okay,
thought EJ,
it's a letter puzzle.
She pressed the note app on her phone and began to type.

EJ twirled the ring in her fingers as she looked at what she had written. She looked at the ring, she looked at the letters and back again at the ring. The word jumped out at her.

 

DIAMONDS

 

It had to be right but what did it mean?

EJ wrote the answer on the riddle paper, rolled it, put it back in the cracker and the cracker back up the message tube. It was sucked up immediately, heading for the
SHINE
Operations Room.

Which is where I need to go,
thought EJ, leaving the Code Room and walking down the corridor.
A1 will know what it means.