Page 5 - The Divided Talisman_Taster

Then, unexpectedly, sighed: “OK, go and find a costume for one of the Merry Men.” Jenny
shouted, “Yes!”
It seemed like all her life she’d wanted to take part in one of Gills’ productions with Chris and
their friends.
Gill separated a rusty key from the bunch recently rescued from Toffee. It fitted the old billiard
room, which they used as a playroom. She reluctantly handed it to Jenny.
“But for heaven’s sake, be careful. There are a lot of dangerous things in there,” said her mum
as she hurried out through the door of their flat, which was tucked at the back of the big old white
house.
Jenny felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster, one-minute riding upwards full of joy,
the next hurtling down into gloom and uncertainty. She wanted to find a costume before Gill changed
her mind about her finally having a part, and made her help get tea instead. But she also wanted to
know more about the worrying letter and, since Mum had left so abruptly, she turned her frustrated
attention to Chris and Gill. “What does it mean by planning permission?” she asked.
“We don’t know exactly,” said Chris, “but it has something to do with building houses.”
“Build where?”
“Don’t be dim, in the garden of course,” said Gill.
“But they can’t build over our garden,” Jenny yelled, her eyes filling with angry tears. “Why
can’t we just buy Brook House instead?”
“Because it’s worth a fortune. And where would Mum and Dad get that much money?” said
Chris. “They’d need to find a hoard of hidden treasure.” “Dad
will be home soon. Off you go, Jenny,” said Gill.
Jenny sniffed crossly. It didn’t seem as if she would find out any more until their parents
returned. So, sneaking a couple of chocolate biscuits from the tin, she clutched the metal key and
headed outside.
It was typical, she thought, as she greedily sucked off the chocolate, to finally get the part in
the play that she’d been yearning after for weeks, only to have the letter’s news make it seem suddenly
unimportant.
Then she had a flash of inspiration; if there were dangerous things inside the billiard room,
there might also be hidden treasure.
She was sure that sending her off had just been a ploy to get rid of her. They were always
complaining about her loud and endless chattering. “But they’ll all have to change their tune when I
find something valuable which saves our home,” said Jenny, who had a habit of talking to herself out
loud.
So, with a new plan in mind, she dashed outside, across the small courtyard and down the side
of the adjacent billiard room, nearly falling over the scooter that she’d left out hoping Hubble, next
door’s gardener, would be able to mend.
Jenny unlocked and opened the heavy wooden door. Even when she had turned on the light,
it was still dark and gloomy inside and the air smelled old, musty and damp, like a disused church.
Rusty swords, pikes, muskets, helmets, and a shield shaped like a cartwheel hung up high above her
head. The brick walls were lined with other mementos of the past: glass cabinets filled with different
kinds of stuffed creatures; murky mirrors and ancient pictures. Balanced on wonky tables and in rickety
cabinets was an assortment of bric-a-brac and ancient books. Piled in the space where the billiard table
would once have been, were lots of old toys.
When she looked at the dusty jumble, she felt overwhelmed. There was so much stuff, where
should she start? Then her eye landed on the large dressing-up trunk which sat at the back of their
makeshift stage. Of course! She could look for treasure and, at the same time, find a costume to wear.
To begin with, she took each item out carefully and examined it closely, shaking it and feeling
in any pockets but, after a while, she got distracted and tried on a pair of Chris’s old black school