Page 6 - The Divided Talisman_Taster

trousers. Inside the pocket was a heavy-duty paper clip. The trousers were loose around her waist, so
she knelt down and scrabbled in the trunk again until she found some thick string to use as a belt.
Helpfully, she came across a bright green scarf to tie back her long brown hair, which annoyingly kept
getting in her way.
Next, she fished out a big white baggy shirt.
“This’d be great for the part of Much the Miller’s Son,” she said pulling it on over her head. After
that, she tried on a black fitted leather waistcoat, more suited to Alan-a-Dale.
Jenny began making up fantastical adventures for each of the different characters.
But then she remembered she was meant to be hunting for treasure, and as she did so, she
found she was nearly at the bottom of the trunk. The last item was a beautiful blue satin coat. She
picked it up, shedding a cloud of dust that made her sneeze.
“Gill is sure to say it’s much too big and unsuitable for me,” said Jenny sadly, as she ran her
fingers across the embroidered decoration, brushing against something hard. Looking more closely,
she saw there was a tear between the pocket and its lining. She wiggled her finger down inside until
she could just touch what appeared to be cold metal. Her heart leapt. She managed to hook it around
her finger and, holding her breath, she slowly and carefully began to pull it up. It was a long heavy
silver chain with open oval links. She let out her breath with a whistle, and cried with excitement, “I’ve
actually found some treasure!”
She dropped the blue coat and took the chain over the light where she could examine it
properly. On the top of the clasp she could make out an intricate raised pattern that looked like a
figure eight lying on its side. Luckily only one of the links was broken so, fishing in her pocket for the
heavy-duty paper clip, she joined the links together and wound the chain twice around her neck.
“What a fantastic start and I’ve only been trying for fifteen minutes!”
It just showed, if there could be something valuable in here, what about the other outbuildings
and the old house itself? Now she felt she could concentrate on the play.
Leaping across the stage, she picked up a wooden sword and twirled it several times, thrusting
it this way and that in a furious duel with an imaginary Sheriff of Nottingham.
“I’m the king of the castle and you’re a dirty rascal,” she cried, as she fought across the stage,
holding the silver chain to stop it bouncing. It felt warmer than before and… was it vibrating?
Silvery threads drifted in the air towards her. They were coming from what looked like a huge
spider’s web wrapped around an unremarkable block of rough wood, the size of a large brick, fixed to
the back wall. Even as she looked up, the block, which was the size of a large brick, seemed to shiver
slightly behind its cocoon. Fascinated, Jenny jumped up and used the sword to clear away some of the
cobwebs and, as she did so, a whole cloud of silvery threads streamed out towards her, quivering with
energy. They seemed to have a life of their own. The air sizzled and fizzed, smelling faintly of yew. An
image slowly formed from within the wood, and the carved relief of a castle emerged. Her eyes
widened in amazement as towers and battlements took shape and finally a drawbridge.
Jenny put down the sword and clambered onto the trunk for a closer look. Reaching up, her
fingers traced the shape of a number eight carved into the edge of the block, just like the one on the
chain.
The air seemed to shimmer like a mirage.
“Are those real snowflakes falling on the turrets?”
Her eyes focused on the drawbridge. It seemed to be lowering and she could hear the sound
of the portcullis slowly rising. Her heart beat faster.
As she watched, the light seemed to change. There was the smell of a wood in winter and a
crisp sharp taste rasped her tongue.

Everything blurred for a moment and then Jenny felt a tingling sensation in her fingers and toes.
She heard herself gasp as she was sucked up through the opening and dropped into white darkness.