The scavenger hunt and the little black book

I woke up about 6:30 so I could get ready and go to school. I got in the shower, which took me about 15 minutes, then, I got dressed, it took me about 5 minutes, and last of all, I have to get to school in time, so I started off. On my walk to school, I walk by a lot of houses. One house I walked by had a stack of money, and a little black book on the ground. I picked up the stack and opened the book. “Huh” I thought as I read it. The book read “If you happen to find this money on the ground, please return it to the owner.” I stopped reading for a second and looked to the house it was in front of, and then I remembered the book. I went back to reading, “The thing is, this money does not belong to the person in this house. There is a scavenger hunt you have to go through to return it. Or, steal the money, and I will call the police. There is cameras by all the locations. If you don’t go there within 24 hours, the police will be called. The first location is at the park nearest to this book. Good luck!” That’s where the book ended. I looked at the time and it had been 5 minutes. I took too much time looking at the book and thinking about it that I lost track of time. If I wanted to get to school in time to study for a little bit and get settled, then I’d have to run. So I did.

After school I went straight to the park. I was determined to give this money back to the owner. I got to the park and looked and looked for a little slip of paper. Behind the slides, below the swings, everywhere I could think of! Then I thought of something, in tho e corner of the little ramp for strollers. I ran over and looked. There it was, a little white piece of paper. I opened it up and read. “Good job finding it! The levels are going to get much harder after this. Just so if you would like to know, there are 10 locations. You just completed the first one. The next location is by the church by the school. There is a lot of benches I like to sit on and read there.” I immediately knew. I ran to the church and looked under all of he benches, but nothing was there. I was confused. I looked and looked and thought and thought but nothing came to mind. I sat down. There was a little roof overhead, in case of rain or any other precipitation. I saw a little white spot. “That’s it!” I thought, but I was wrong. It turned out to just be some paint. I started to get up and leave to go to bed, because I had almost spent all day on this hunt, when I saw a little crack in the bench. It turned out to be a little compartment, where I found the paper! I opened it up, and read, “8 left to go. It’s going to start turning into riddles. Think carefully. A place where all animals hate to go but they have to for their own good. Somewhere in the parking lot there’s a little tiny mysterious spot. Good luck.”

I started off to home, considering it was 7:15. I kept the paper with me so I could look at it if I needed to. I set an alarm earlier in the morning so I could look more. 6:00 the next morning I woke up. The vet had to be the place, it was a place all animals hated. I didn’t get in the shower this morning, I needed to return this money. I looked for a mysterious spot, that I hadn’t seen before. This one was easier, because I saw it almost right away. Between the grass and pavement, was a little dug crevice where they slipped the paper into. Sneaky, but noticeable. I opened up the paper and read. “7 more to go. You have done good so far. A place where all people can go to learn, but it’s like a prison sometimes, at least, to them. The food there, it’s quite bad, but there’s also good fruits there, such as strawberries, blueberries, pears. Good luck.” This one was good, because I was going to be on my way to school soon. It was 6:25, and I had time for my regular schedule. I left, got in the shower, got dressed and walked on to school.

I was at school, finally in lunch, and I walked up to the lunch lady. “Have you seen a small slip of paper, anywhere?” I asked, calmly. She thought for a second and something seemed to pop into her head at that moment. “Nope, I haven’t seen anything unusual” She replied, very politely. I frowned, “Thanks,” I said, as polite as I could be. I walked over to the fruit stand and looked around. I couldn’t seem to find it. In fact, I didn’t seem to have any clue where it was. I looked at the ground, underneath, I even moved all the fruits to see underneath them. Nothing. That was all the places I could’ve looked. There wasn’t much to the fruit stand. Then I saw some juice in the bin with the pears in there. I rolled the pear that the juice was coming from over again, to see why it was squirting out juice. I found a slit in the pear, causing it to squirt. It looked just like someone dropped scissors on it or something. It was a very messy cut. I took the pear and brung it to my tray. I opened it up and there it was, a very wet paper. I gasped, making everyone want to know what happened. I replied, lying, “Oh, nothing, really. I make random noises sometimes. Very rarely, though.” And then everyone gave me a look like “Oh, that’s it?” And then went back on to talking and laughing. I opened up the paper under the table and read, “6 more. Good job so far. I went to get gas today, I think I dropped some things. 5, maybe? I think one went up instead of down. Reverse dropping it or something? Anyway, good luck”

I had no idea what he was talking about. I was getting stressed and thinking this all wasn’t worth it. Was it worth it? I could just go tell the police and get this all over with. No. I had to go through with it. I had already started, so why quit now? I may not have patience, or commitment, but I was going to this time. I headed off to the gas station.

I got to the gas station, but, I couldn’t figure out what he meant by “I think I dropped 5 things,” I asked the workers if anything unusual happened that week or today, but they said they weren’t working at the times I said that it might have happened. I asked if they were even at work those days, and they said yes, but by a very rich man that they couldn’t say anything. I was upset, stressed, angry, and tired. I was about to leave and just go give the money to the cops, but a man came up to me and said that he saw someone doing something at station 5 later that week, but I think it was just so I wouldn’t give up on my mission. I have a long sigh and went to station 5. I knew what the reverse dropping meant. It was up top, wasn’t it? But I couldn’t find it. What? I was almost sure I knew what it meant. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do this. I wanted to buy something, and I saw a vision in my mind. The roof above station 5. I said whispering in my mind “I figured it out!” And I told them to let me up there. They let me up there quickly, and that’s how I knew I was right. They would never let someone up there right when they say so. I looked above station 5, and there it was, taped to the ground, a small slip of paper.

I opened it up. “5 more! You are doing very good at this scavenger hunt. Better than most I’ve seen. Better than average. Your a smart kid, you know that? Anyways, here’s your riddle, ooh! Wait! I want to tell you a story. Yesterday a train was coming right in front of me. I was by the side of the train station but I didn’t want to get on the train, I wanted to get past it because I wasn’t going where the train could take me. The train was right in front of me, I was running, and before the train could get past me, or anything else, I jumped forward and pasted it right in time. I could’ve died, thinking of it. Wait, did I forget the riddle? I don’t have enough time to write it. I’m sorry. Good luck. I’ll write another one another time when I have time.” And that’s where it ended. I had a feeling in my heart that that story- it WAS the riddle. So, I headed off to the train station, specifically to the side of it. It was maybe an hour or so walk? I don’t remember. It was something like an hour. Anyway, I got to the side and I saw nothing on the little wall. Or near. Not on the tracks, nor in the mud/dirt/ground or wall. I walked to the other side and I didn’t see anything there, either. I checked everywhere, still doubting this mission. In left the tracks to go home and sleep. The next day I completely ignored the mission forgetting of the cops being called if I’m not there. I went to school, went to sleep and woke up the next day with the cops knocking on our door. I went and opened it, hoping my mother wouldn’t wake up to the ruckus. And here was when all the trouble started. “Hello, sir, may I come in?” One of the officers said, whose name I figured out that was Jeremy. “Yes, sir, just please be quiet. People are still sleeping. Ya know? It’s the weekend. People like sleeping.” The officers laughed, and the girl, whose name I found out was Katelyn, said, “Yes, we will be quiet.” And shook my hand in agreement. We walked up the stairs to my room and all sat down. Here’s where the serious part came in. “Sir, we’ve heard from a man that you have stole 100,000 dollars from him. Is this true?” And I froze, “I forgot,” I replied, “What?” Both them said in sync, and then let out a little chuckle from it. “Yes, but let me tell you why.” I said

I ended up telling them the whole story, and they knew I was young, so they didn’t arrest me or anything, not even tell my mother, but they gave me a huge lecture on what to do in the situation I was in. They said I did one of the right things trying to return the money through the scavenger hunt, but I should’ve just handed it in to them. They told me to finish the scavenger hunt and keep the money, but if they have to come again they’re taking the money and telling my mom about the whole matter. They talked to me about commitment to something, and I told them it won’t happen again, so they left. I went back to the train station, not as stressed, tired, upset, or angry. In fact I soon found the slip wedges under the tracks. I pulled for a little bit and eventually got it out. Must’ve been there 2 days and got run over by the train. I opened it up and read. “4 more. You only got this one because the cops spared you. Somewhere people run in cleets, in a big field. A ball is thrown all over the place. Somewhere there’s a incomplete square on a stick. I wonder why? Not good luck.” I knew right away it was the football field, by the goal. I ran over there, to the closest goal, dug for hours, realized it wasn’t at that goal, ran a football field to the other goal, dug for hours, and didn’t find it there either. I found it on top of the goal, though. I had to climb the goal! I sighed, very long, and started climbing.

When I reached the top, I sat down, opening the little white paper. “3 more, you are doing very well. The next paper is somewhere you like to go for freetime, to relax and do whatever you want. Somewhere a big fat man jumps in. Good luck.” I knew the big fat man, but I was confused how he knew where I lived. Had he followed me to see? I was scared, knowing that he was probably following me. But I ran off towards home, and up the roof. Then, out of no where, I slipped on something, and fell down a little bit. I felt a rush of panic in me, but once that rush was gone, I was off again. I found the paper on the chimney, and I read, sighing, knowing that I was almost done. “2 more. Your good. Somewhere where there’s lots of jitters, somewhere you might go to get energy for any part of the day. In something called a vintage soda, caramel apple is waiting for you in the display. Good luck.” I thought I knew this, was it the coffee shop? I brung some of my money, so I could get some coffee. I left, on my way to “Get my jitters on!” That was their slogan.

I made it to the coffee shop and and asked where the vintage soda was, and the lady showed me. “There’s lots of different ones, this is our display.” I started looking for one that had caramel apple on it and saw right away. “This one!” I said, thinking I was only saying it in my head, but really, saying it out loud. “Here, let me go get one out of the fridge for you.” She said, and I replied to her, “No, no need. I need you to move all of these. I’m looking for a slip of paper somewhere. Near the vintage soda. Specifically caramel.” She gave me a look like she was saying, “What are you talking about?” And then she moved the sodas.I saw it right when she moved the caramel apple one. I took it and opened it. “2 more to go. They are getting easier. For pre-K, by your house, there is a paper, on a house. Good luck.” I knew he was talking about the preschool and maybe there’s a tent in there? So I ran off, forgetting to buy any coffee, and not even paying the worker for having her move all the sodas.

I made it to the preschool, went in, and saw no tent, but then I thought of toy houses. I walked over and found it. Easiest one so far, definitely. I opened and read it. Knowing this was my last one and I won’t have to do any more scavenger hunts anytime soon. “You’ve been here before, where the journey started. A little more to the door. Figure this out and you’ll find the owner. Good luck.” I ran straight to the house I started at, and right at the door, I knocked, and a old man came walking out. “Thank you for doing all of this to return my money.” He started, “I haven’t had this much fun in years.” I looked up and held my hand out with the money in it. “Here,” I said, waiting for him to take it. Only, he didn’t take it. He just stood there. And then he said, “No. You keep the money. You went through so much for me to have it back, you keep it.” I tried to reject, but I my heart knowing I do want this money. “N-no, I can-” I started to say, but he interrupted. “Yes. Keep the money, please. Now, shoo and go buy away.” He closed the door in my face, so I went and bought coffee for me and my mom, and cake for me, mom, AND the cops to. celebrate! I came home, called some friends,and then we ate and talked away!