Page 202 of As The Shifter World Turns

“How much homework do you have?” Not that he should have any, in my opinion. Kids should be allowed to be kids. But that was a fight I wasn’t going to win with the school so I never bothered starting the battle.

“I can get it done.” He stood up straight as if that strengthened his words.

I looked to Archer and Ivor and they both gave a tiny nod.

“We’d love you to come.”

“Bring me back treasure or a milkshake.” Neil was playing peek-a-boo with the baby and sing songing to us as he did.

“We will,” Toby promised. “Nutella?”

“With banana please.”

“With banana,” I assured him.

We all piled into the car and headed to where the old hardware store used to be. It was anticlimactic until Toby noticed the sun carved into the side of the building it once sat in. That had us at the next location, an insurance agency, but once again, it was an architectural detail that led us to the next place. One by one, we went from location to location, zig-zagging across the city.

Each stop got our hearts racing, as we got closer and closer to… to…

“This is the motel.” Archer blew out a long breath. “We traveled the entire city to come back to where we found the map.”

“Maybe we already missed it, like it was one of the other places.” Ivor rubbed the heel of his hand into his eye. “I bet we did the sequence wrong.”

“No, this is right or we wouldn't have made it all the way through.” Toby pointed to the clue. “See. We’re here and so is the treasure. They just wanted to make us work for it.”

“Or drive for it, as it were.” Ivor climbed out of the truck. “Might as well find this bad boy. They were all about architectural elements. Let’s hunt them down.”

Archer got out of the truck slowly, his pregnant belly preceding him and jingled his keys. “I think I know what it is.”

We raced out to follow him and he took us into the courtyard. “See the fountain or where the fountain used to be?” He pointed to an overgrown corner I hadn’t really noticed the last time we were here. “It has a gargoyle on it. Like one from an old building. I bet that’s it.”

We ran over, all of us unsure what to do from there—all of us but Toby.

“I bet if we flip it over we will see something.”

It took two grown men—Archer had to watch because he was pregnant and couldn’t do any heavy lifting—to get it up and off, but on the pedestal where it stood was a hole and in that hole a tiny box.

“Can you grab that Toby?” I asked, not wanting any of us to let go of the statue.

He reached in and pulled it out, stepping back so we could resituate the statue.

“The treasure’s light.” He set it on the fountain. “Even if it were rubies, I bet it wouldn’t be worth much.”

“You do it.” Ivor gave my shoulder a light tap. “You’re the reason we’re here.”

I opened it, ever so slowly and inside was a rolled up piece of paper.

“More instructions?” Archer guessed.

I unrolled it and read it to myself before reading it to them. “Happiness is a direction, not a place. ~ Sydney J. Harris.” The treasure was an inspirational quote. I couldn’t help the laughter building inside me.

“I mean he’s not wrong.” Ivor joined in my laughter. Soon enough all four of us were cracking up.

“At least we get milkshakes,” Toby said when the laughter subsided.

“At least we get milkshakes.” I gave him a hug.

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