The Second Story by Harris Neil Patrick

Author:Harris, Neil Patrick [Harris, Neil Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult, Adventure
ISBN: 9780316391856
Amazon: 0316391859
Goodreads: 37912471
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2018-09-25T07:00:00+00:00

Ridley was so excited, she could barely hold it in. “Exactly. But the puzzle was still missing one piece.” She held up the box that Theo had brought with him, the one with the MXM marking. “Ready?”

“You bet,” said Carter.

“I’m worried,” said Leila.

“Should we cover our heads?” asked Izzy.

“I cover my head when I cough,” Olly added.

Ridley reached out and placed the final box in the center of the stack. The inlaid decorations finally matched up to form a whole image—an emerald ring spread out across the six old boxes. Immediately, strange sliding sounds came from inside them. This was followed by six separate clicks.

“What happened?” asked Theo.

“Nothing,” said Carter, crossing his arms. “Maybe all of this was misdirection.” He glanced around nervously. “Wait… what aren’t we paying attention to?”

“Look,” said Ridley. Keeping the other boxes in place, she reached out to the one closest to her. She pulled the top of the box lengthwise, and a compartment opened, the lid sliding within finely crafted wooden grooves. The others gasped. “The boxes needed to be together in order for the inner workings to be released. Could be some sort of system of magnets?” She went up the stack, sliding each of them open, and then pulled them all apart. “Go on,” she told them. “Take one.”

Theo, Leila, Carter, Olly, and Izzy each grabbed a piece of the emerald ring design from the box lids.

“What’s inside?” asked Leila.

“Only one way to find out,” said Carter.

Ridley felt slightly nervous, as if she were sticking her hand into the mouth of a wild animal. To her supreme disappointment, she felt nothing inside the box. “It’s empty?”

“It is not,” Theo answered. Pinched between his forefinger and his thumb was a scrap of yellowing paper. The paper looked ancient. Weathered. There appeared to be writing on it in faded black ink. “This was stuck to one side of the box. Check again.”

The others followed his directions, and a moment later, each of them was clasping a similar scrap. “What are they?” Leila asked, holding the paper closer to the light. Her jaw went slack. “This says, ‘Sincerely, Dante Vernon.’”

“It’s a letter,” said Ridley.

“From my dad,” said Leila.

“Torn into six pieces,” said Carter.

“Addressed to whom?” asked Theo.

“Let’s put them back together,” said Izzy. “Just like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Olly scowled. “Izzy, this is no time for games!”

“It’s not a game, silly,” Izzy answered. Then she reconsidered, “Well, it is. But it’s also not. Never mind! Hurry!”

The Misfits each placed their scrap onto the table, matching up the lines of ink just like Ridley had matched the inlay on the boxes. Moments later, the letter was whole again.

Leila leaned forward and began to read the message aloud. “Dear Kilroy—” She gasped. “It’s a letter to Kalagan!”

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