A Secret Meeting

• Stephanie Tang, Grade 5, Birralee Primary School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Spread The Word 2017' competition

The time for the secret meeting came quickly enough. I packed my bags and told my mum that I was going to a sleepover at James’ house and she needn’t pick me up the following day. But instead of turning right at the end of our driveway to get to James’ house, I secretively turned left.
I realized I was first to arrive at the run down shack when I got there. It greeted me like always, with its threadbare door creaking loudly. I settled down in a corner and took the faded yellow parchment out of my bag. I smoothed it onto the dusty, wooden floor and scanned it once more. It had to be this shack. I just knew it had to be! A knock on the old timber door suggested that James and Stewart had arrived. I hurried to greet them.
A week ago, I had found an old scroll wrapped up tightly in my backyard. I was naturally curious, so I had opened it and looked at it eagerly. It didn’t disappoint me. It looked very much like... a treasure map! I had shown it to James and Stewart and they all agreed that it had to be a treasure map. James’ parents were in desperate financial difficulties so the map was their hope of a better life. We concluded that the map indicated this particular shack. At once we made up our minds to give it a try. The shack belonged to my grandparents so they wouldn’t mind us “exploring”.
“So, you wanna start searching now?” James cocked his head to the map. I could tell he was itching to run his hands through the treasure. “We should start now,” Stewart said.
We found the trapdoor the map mentioned in fly-away time. James slowly climbed down first, followed by me, then a pale Stewart. We lit the candle that we had brought and crept through the narrow tunnel cautiously. In a few stressful minutes, we had found another door with a thick padlock. “Luckily I brought this!” I showed them a lock pick. I wasted no more time and before long, the lock dropped to the floor, bringing up clouds of dust.
We entered the little room. A chest of great size sat in the middle of the room. We moved towards it. There was no lock. We all placed hands on it and prepared to lift it. “Three, two, one!” I shouted. “Lift!” We all gasped and had to shield our eyes from the flashing of hundreds of gold pieces and coins. James ran his hand through the gold, chuckling madly.
As soon as I had regained my senses, I ordered everyone to take 50 pieces of gold and shut the chest again. I explained that we would be able to come back and get more after. Everyone obliged. James and his family now live luxuriously. Stewart hosts parties in his mansion. Well as for me, I go to school in a Rolls Royce.