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Grandpas Treasure Hunt
Reader Star Rating: 
Tim Collings
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Every year there was a special holiday for Peter and Jenny.
They would always visit their Grandpa and Grandma's house in the country for a summer vacation.
It was always such fun, Grandpa would organise a treasure hunt for Peter and Jenny, he would hide many little clues in and around the house.
The house was big and rambling, and so was the garden, there were many places to hide the clues which made it more fun for them to find.
There was one treasure hunt that was best of all, which is really worth telling you about, so this is what happened.
The journey to Grandpa's was always exciting, never knowing what might happen.
Peter and Jenny caught the train, which their parents made sure they were safely on; Grandpa would meet them at the other end.
As the train pulled into the station, Peter and Jenny could see Grandpa waiting as usual for them to arrive.
They climbed off the train and gave him a big hug.
"Hello Grandpa," they said.
"Hello, how's my two favourite grandchildren then?" said Grandpa.
"We're cool, how are you?" they said.
"Cool, Oh how you youngsters talk, well if that's the case I'm cool too," he said laughing.
Into the car they climbed, he put their bags in the boot and they made their way from the station to Grandpa and Grandma's house.
"Are we going to have another treasure hunt Grandpa?" asked Jenny.
"Oh I don't know about that, you will have to wait and see," he said
"Bet we do Grandpa, we always have a treasure hunt when we come to stay," said Peter, all excited.
At the house they we are all greeted by Grandma.
"Grandma, Grandma," Peter and Jenny shouted as they ran to hug her.
"Careful, careful, you'll knock me off my feet! How are you both?" said Grandma, trying to keep her balance.
"We're cool," they said. "How are you?"
"We're cool, I presume that's youngsters talk for we are fine, so I guess I must be cool too," said Grandma.
Peter and Jenny laughed, "That's what Grandpa said."
They were all happy to be together again.
Grandma always looked after Peter and Jenny, she was such a good cook, she spoilt them both with lovely dinners and lots of cakes and biscuits that she baked in her kitchen.
After settling in and having some lunch, Grandpa announced that there would be a treasure hunt and handed Peter and Jenny a brown envelope.
"What's this," said Peter.
"Open it and find out," he said.
Peter carefully tore open the envelope, inside were some instructions.
He read them out loud.
This is the first clue to send you on your way.
You may find some treasure by the end of the day.
Go to the greenhouse, it's very hot in there.
Look very carefully and you will find a pair.
"Something of a pair," said a confused Jenny, "what, like the fruit?"
"No, not the fruit, that's spelt P.E.A.R, this is P.A.I.R, you know, like a pair of knickers," said Peter.
Jenny giggled, "Oh I see, well we best go to the green house then and start looking."
Peter and Jenny left the house, Grandpa wished them happy hunting as they went down the garden path to the greenhouse.
Inside they looked around, on one side there were tomatoes growing, tall and covered in yellow flowers, on the other side was a bench.
It was rather cluttered with empty pots and trays but in amongst them all was a pair of gardening gloves.
"That's it," said Peter picking up the gloves, "a pair, a pair of gloves."
"Oh yeah, look inside, there must be another clue," said Jenny.
Peter looked inside the fingers of the gloves and there for sure was a rolled up piece of paper.
He took it out, unrolled it, and again read the clue out loud, it read.
3 steps down and 2 steps back,
You'll find you should be standing on something that is black.
4 steps down and 1 step back,
If you look closely you will see a little tack.
Use it like a handle, it will lift a lid.
There underneath another clue is hid.
"Hum, steps," said a puzzled Peter.
"Which steps could they be?" said Jenny.
"Well there are steps here in the garden," said Peter, deep in thought.
"Yes, there's some leading to the front door of the house and some leading to the back, let's try them," said Jenny, pulling Peter's arm.
They looked at both sets of steps, neither had a black tread or a tack, so they were out.
"So what's next," said Jenny.
"Well, that only leaves the stairs indoors, and I can't really see it being them, can you," said Peter.
Jenny thought for a moment.
"I know, there are some steps that lead down to the cellar from the hall way, it must be them," said Jenny.
"That's right, behind the sticky door, come on let's take a look," said Peter, this time pulling Jenny's arm.
Getting very excited they ran into the house, the door to the cellar was stuck so Peter eagerly barged it open with his shoulder, it suddenly burst open sending Peter flying half way down the steps.
Unharmed he picked himself up and dusted himself down.
"Are you alright Peter," asked a concerned Jenny.
"Yeah, I'm alright, no harm done, flick on that light would you, let's see if these are the right steps."
Jenny turned on the light.
"OK, what did the clue say," Peter took the piece of paper from his pocket.
"Three steps down and two back."
Peter stood at the top of the steps and walked down three steps, then took two back.
"Here it is Jenny, look a black tread, just like the clue said."
"So what's next then?"
"Three steps down and one step back."
Peter did as instructed, he looked carefully at the tread he was left standing on and sure enough, there was the tack.
"Here it is Jenny the tack."
Jenny clambered down to Peter and sat on the step, watching with anticipation. Peter pulled on the tack; it lifted a small lid that was cut into the tread which revealed another small piece of rolled up paper.
"Now that is a cool hiding place!" said Peter, quite chuffed that his Grandpa had thought of that.
"What does it say Peter?" asked Jenny all excited.
Do you remember middle 'C'?
Count to the left one, two, three,
Directly below, hanging on a hook
You'll see your next clue if you look.
"What does that mean, I wonder?" said Jenny.
"I'm not entirely sure but I do remember something about middle 'C', didn't Grandma show us when she was teaching us something to play on the piano," said Peter.
"Oh yeah, I do remember middle 'C', it's the note just next to the key hole where you lock the piano lid, isn't it?" said Jenny.
"That's right, so find middle 'C' and count from the left one, two, three," said Peter.
"It must mean the next three notes," said Jenny.
"That's it, let's go to the piano in the music room and have a look," said Peter in a hurry.
Very excited that they may have cracked the next clue, they both raced off to find the piano in the music room and there it was, the old upright standing against the wall as always.
"There's the key hole," Jenny said lifting the lid.
"Middle 'C', it's this one, almost in line with the key hole."
Peter counted, from the left, one, two, three.
He crouched down to look directly underneath and there, hanging on a hook, was a small key with a tag attached to it.
He read the message on the tag out loud, it simply said.
"Glass."
"Glass, what sort of glass?" said Jenny.
"I really don't know," said Peter.
This clue was tricky; glass could mean anything, although they did have a small key.
"What do you think the key might fit, Peter?" asked Jenny.
"Well let's be logical, what does a key go with, a lock and what does a lock go with?"
"I guess most likely a door," said Jenny.
"Exactly, both the front door and the back door of the house have glass but I doubt very much that this key would fit them, it's too small," said Peter.
Then Jenny remembered.
"I know, what about the glass cabinet in the dining room, you know the one with all the posh glasses in it."
"Yes that must be it," said Peter, "let's go and have a look."
Off to the dining room they went and sure enough, the small key fitted the lock of the glass cabinet door.
Peter opened the door and they looked at the large array of glasses, all different shapes and sizes.
Jenny noticed one particular glass which had a rolled up piece of paper standing in it.
"Peter look, that glass at the back, it has a piece of paper in it, it must be the next clue, can you see it," said an excited Jenny.
"Oh yeah, I think your right, I'll reach in and get it."
Peter took great care to remove the piece of paper from the glass; he really didn't want to break anything.
"There we are, I've got it," he passed it to Jenny, "you read it out," said Peter.
Jenny took the piece of paper, unrolling it she read out loud.
You have found the clue in the glass
Go to the oak tree that you often pass
Buried beneath is an old biscuit tin
The tin is the clue, as there is nothing within.
"The oak tree must be the one next to the garden path, which we do walk past all the time, hence 'often pass', let's go take a look," said Peter.
He carefully locked the cabinet leaving the key in the door, just for safekeeping.
They made their way into the garden in search of the old biscuit tin under the tree.
Grandpa had laid the tin at the foot of the tree and covered it over with grass cuttings, so it was easy to find but as the clue said there was nothing in it.
"So what now Peter, if there is no clue how do we know what to look for next?" said a very confused Jenny.
Peter picked up the biscuit tin to have a closer look, by chance, he turned the tin upside down and there underneath, to his surprise, was a note taped to the bottom.
"Grandpa's tricked us," he said, "in the clue there was nothing within but he didn't say there's a clue underneath," said Peter laughing.
Jenny laughed too, "Crafty old Grandpa," she said.
Peter read the clue on the bottom of the tin.
The tin is the clue
It's rectangular and blue
What's rectangular and blue, and used in hot weather?
If you can think, you'll find the treasure.
"Hum, rectangular and blue, I wonder," said Peter deep in thought.
"Yeah, and used in hot weather," said Jenny.
"Wait a minute, there is a blue parasol and doesn't it have a matching blue table cloth on a table, which is?" said Peter.
"Rectangular!" said Jenny, jumping up.
"Let's go look, maybe there is something on the table," said Peter.
They walked up the path round to the back of the house.
As they turned the corner they both stopped in their tracks, for what they saw was not the table cloth, but something quite different, which was also rectangular and blue.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking," said Jenny.
"I think I am," said Peter, turning to face her.
"It's the swimming pool, rectangular and blue," they both said in unison.
"Grandpa's pool."
"So where is the treasure," said Peter.
They both went up to the edge of the pool and looked in the water.
"What's that I can see on the bottom," said Jenny.
"Do you know, I think they are coins, treasure coins," said Peter.
With that, Grandpa appeared from the house.
"You found your treasure then."
"Oh yes we did, that was great fun," said Jenny.
"Yeah Grandpa, brilliant, you really are cool," said Peter,
They both hugged their Grandpa and thanked him for such a great treasure hunt.
That afternoon, after changing into their swimwear, they spent hours diving down to collect all the coins that lay on the bottom of the pool.
They had never had so much fun.
The End
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