Treasure Fever! (12 page)

‘Great idea, Henry!' said Jenny. ‘I knew you weren't really a dirty double-crosser.'

‘Well, actually I am,' I said. ‘I'm going to double-cross Fred with the fake map.'

‘Oh, yeah,' said Jenny, frowning.

‘And then, to make it even more complicated, I'm going to double-double-cross Fred by telling him that I told you all that it's a fake map. Then we'll be able to continue digging on Skull Island where we know the treasure
really
is.'

‘Wow,' said Jenny. ‘You're a dirty double-
double
-crosser!'

‘Very clever, Henry,' said Jack. ‘But where are we going to get a fake treasure map?'

‘We're going to make one, of course,' I said.

‘And just how do we do that?' said Jack.

‘Easy!' I said.

 

As I arrived at school the next morning it was obvious that word of the treasure had got around.

How did I know this?

Because I could see, even before I entered the gate, that pretty much everybody in the entire school was searching for it.

Anywhere there was a patch of grass or dirt, there were kids digging holes.

And where there wasn't any grass or dirt, kids were trying to dig holes in the asphalt. They weren't getting very far, but the thing was that they were trying.

There were kids digging on the front lawn area.

Kids digging on the sports field.

One boy was even digging in the flowerboxes outside Principal Greenbeard's office window.

Mr Spade was running around like a lunatic, chasing kids off the sports field and out of the flowerbeds. But he was fighting a losing battle. As soon as he chased one group of kids away, another group would start somewhere else.

The whole school had caught treasure fever!

The whole school had gone treasure mad!

Unfortunately, I wasn't about to help the situation. In fact, for my plan to work, I had to make it a whole lot worse. The first step was to give the map to Fred Durkin. The second step was to make sure that everybody
knew
Fred had a map.

The first step was pretty easy because Fred and Clive were waiting for me at the school gate.

‘Well, if it isn't my old mate Henry McThrottle,' said Fred, smiling. ‘Have you got my treasure map?'

‘Of course,' I said, handing it over. ‘Happy hunting.'

Fred and Clive pulled the ribbon off the map, unrolled it, and studied it quickly.

‘What does the X mean?' Clive asked.

‘It's where the treasure is, stupid!' Fred replied.

‘What, right in the middle of the little kids' sandpit?'

‘Well, that's where the X is.' Fred frowned. ‘But something doesn't add up . . .'

‘What could be more clear?' I said.

‘If you knew this,' said Fred, ‘then why were you digging on the hill?'

‘I would have thought it was obvious,' I told him. ‘I was double-crossing the others. I didn't want them to know where the treasure was really buried. I was going to do my own secret dig in the sandpit after school.'

Fred nodded with approval. ‘Smart, McThrottle. Real smart. But you'd better not let me catch you digging in the sandpit or you'll regret it.'

‘Don't worry,' I said. ‘I know better than to try and double-cross someone as smart as you. And if you like, I'll keep digging on the hill to make sure the others don't give you any trouble.'

‘But won't they get suspicious?' said Fred. ‘They'll know that you gave me the map and I'll be digging in the sandpit.'

‘I'll tell them I gave you a
fake
treasure map!' I said.

Fred smiled. ‘Good work, McThrottle. You're pretty smart for a moron.'

‘Thanks,' I said, my head spinning.

Double-crossing people sure was complicated.

But I wasn't finished yet.

After leaving Fred I made sure that as many people in the school as possible knew that:

1. Fred Durkin had the treasure map that indicated the true position of the treasure.

2. The treasure was buried in the junior sandpit.

To make sure that as many people in the school as possible knew, I told Gina and Penny. If you've got a secret that you want not to stay secret, telling Gina and Penny is the best way to make sure everybody knows about it. They cover a lot of ground on their imaginary horses.

Sure enough, word spread fast.

By lunchtime, Skull Island was all ours again.

We went straight to the spot where we found the key.

‘Well done, Henry!' said Jack. ‘We're the only ones here!'

‘Everybody else is over at the junior sandpit,' said Jenny, who was standing on top of the hill. ‘It looks kind of crowded.'

‘I don't think Fred is going to be very happy about that,' said Newton.

‘Fred is never very happy about anything,' Gretel pointed out. ‘Even if he found the treasure, I don't think he'd be very happy.'

‘Yeah, well,' said Jack, ‘he's about as likely to find treasure in that sandpit as he is to find a brain in his brother's head.'

We all laughed.

‘Come on,' said Gretel. ‘We're wasting time. Let's dig!'

We'd all brought spades from home. That fact, plus the fact that the ground was softer after the rain, made digging a lot easier than it had been before.

Within fifteen minutes we had a very deep and impressive hole.

But no treasure.

‘Where is it?' said Gretel. ‘We found the key here. The treasure must be close by.'

‘Maybe it's shifted over time,' said Jenny.

‘How could that happen?' said Jack. ‘You dig a hole. You put the treasure in. You put the dirt back in. The treasure doesn't go anywhere.'

‘There might have been an earthquake,' said Jenny.

‘An earthquake?' said Newton, looking scared.

‘Don't worry, Newton,' said Jack. ‘There are no earthquakes in Northwest Southeast Central. No earthquakes. No tornadoes. No floods. No fires. Northwest Southeast Central is the most boring place in the world.'

‘I like it,' I said. ‘Believe it or not, Jack, I don't want to get shaken up in an earthquake, sucked up by a tornado, washed away in a flood or burned up in a fire.'

‘Henry,' said Jenny, ‘you're scaring Newton.'

‘Sorry,' I said, patting Newton on the shoulder. ‘Don't worry, you're safe here.'

‘Apart from the risk of falling into a big hole,' Jack added.

‘Yikes!' said Newton.

‘Well, I'm glad we got that settled,' said Gretel. ‘Meanwhile, do we keep digging?'

‘Definitely not!' said a familiar voice. Mrs Cross was walking up the hill towards us. ‘I don't know what you kids think you're doing, digging a hole as big and as dangerous as that, but I want you to fill it in immediately and then go back to class!'

‘But lunchtime hasn't finished yet,' said Jack.

Mrs Cross stared at Jack. ‘It will be by the time you've finished filling in that hole,' she said.