儿童英语读物 The Amazing Mystery Show CHAPTER 9 The Strange Riddle

“Don’t open the box just yet, Jessie,” Andy was saying. “One more minute and we’ll be set to go.”



While the Aldens waited on an empty bench, Violet whispered, “Did you see Fiona’s reaction when Benny walked into the lobby?”



Next to her, Jessie nodded. “She couldn’t take her eyes off his cracked pink cup.”



“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Violet sighed. “It’s hard to know what’s really going on.”



“Are you ready now?” Benny called out to Andy. The youngest Alden was wiggling with suspense 1.



“Ready!” Andy called back, propping 2 his camera up on his shoulder.



With a quick motion, Jessie flipped 3 open the lid of the wooden box and removed a small sheet of paper. As she read the riddle 4 aloud, the other Aldens leaned closer to catch every word above the noisy traffic.



    “A kind of ship



    that never sails—



    it bites and spits



    and has a tail.



    What is it?”



“I’ve never heard of a ship with a tail,” said Henry. “Or a ship that never sails,” added Jessie. The Aldens thought long and hard about the strange riddle. Benny was the first to break the silence.



“I bet Fiona bites and spits,” he said with a frown.



“Oh, Benny!” cried Violet. “I know she’s not very friendly, but I don’t think she bites and spits.”



“She sure wasn’t friendly to Hilary yesterday,” Jessie recalled.



“Fiona’s hard to figure out,” put in Henry. “She doesn’t even want the Best kids to make friends with us.”



“I guess she doesn’t place any value on friendship,” Violet said with a shrug 5.



Benny’s big eyes got even bigger. “That’s it!”



The other Aldens looked over at him, puzzled. “What’s it, Benny?”



“The answer to the riddle!” Benny almost shouted. “It’s friendship.”



Jessie thought about this. “That’s a good guess,” she said. “But—”



“It doesn’t bite and spit,” Benny finished with a sigh.



“It doesn’t have a tail, either,” Henry pointed 6 out.



Benny’s face suddenly brightened. “A dragon has a tail,” he said. “And it bites and spits fire, too!”



“That’s true,” said Violet, smiling a little. “But a dragon isn’t a kind of ship.”



That didn’t stop Benny. “How about a ship filled with so many dragons that it can’t even float?”



The others burst out laughing. “Keep trying, Benny,” said Henry. He gave his little brother a pat on the back.



Andy suddenly spoke 7 up. “How about we change location,” he suggested. “That fountain in Franklin Square would make a better background. How does that sound?”



The Aldens thought it sounded just fine. Andy stopped filming as they headed for the park.



“It’ll seem strange to go back to normal,” said Violet. “Without a camera following us around, I mean.”



“I know,” Henry was quick to agree. “I can’t believe this is our last day on the show.”



Hearing this, Andy said, “Actually, it’s my last day on the show, too.”



The children stared at the cameraman in surprise.



“What happened?” Violet asked in alarm. “Was the show cancelled?”



“No, nothing like that,” Andy told her. “I accepted a job with another station.”



The Aldens all looked at each other, stunned 8.



“You’re leaving ‘The Amazing Mystery Show?’” Jessie could hardly believe her ears. “But … why?”



“I thought you liked working for the show,” Benny said, looking confused.



“It’s a great place to work,” Andy was quick to say. “But there’s one catch.”



As if on cue, the Aldens asked, “What’s the catch?”



“The show frowns on its employees dating each other.”



“You’re talking about you and Hilary, right?” guessed Violet.



Andy didn’t deny it. “We had to keep it a secret or we’d lose our jobs,” he confessed. “But I can’t do that anymore,” he added. “You see, I’m planning to ask Hilary to marry me.”



“Oh, how sweet!” Violet said, a dreamy lookin her eyes.



“I know how much Hilary loves working on the show,” Andy explained. “So … I decided 9 to make the switch.”



Henry nodded his head in understanding. That’s what Andy had meant on the phone. He wasn’t talking about switching the landmarks 11 on the map. He was talking about changing jobs.



Andy looked over at the children sheepishly. “I’m sorry for not being honest with you before,” he said. “You must’ve wondered when you saw the photo of us together, Violet.”



“I’m glad you told us,” Violet said, as they drew near the fountain. “It explains a lot.”



The Aldens looked at one another. They were each thinking the same thing. They could cross Andy off their list of suspects.



The four children turned their attention back to the riddle as they perched on the edge of the fountain. Andy, who was standing 10 nearby, started filming again.



Henry read the riddle aloud one more time to refresh everyone’s memories. “A kind of ship that never sails, it bites and spits, and has a tail. What is it?”



“I keep thinking we’re close to figuring it out,” Jessie added thoughtfully. “I just can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”



“What’s the matter, Benny?” Violet asked when she heard her little brother sigh. “Thinking about something?”



Benny nodded. “I was thinking about putting through the crack in the Liberty Bell.”



“We’ll come back tomorrow and have a game, Benny,” Henry said. “That’s a promise.”



“And we’ll go for a ride on the camels,” Violet added.



“Did you say”—Jessie paused—“camels?”



Violet nodded. “The ones at the zoo, Jessie. Remember?”



“Camels have tails … and they bite and spit,” Jessie said slowly, figuring it out as she spoke. “And they’re called—”



“Ships of the desert!” Henry cut in. “Ships that don’t really sail.”



Jessie’s eyes were shining. “Guess where we’re going?”



The others were ready with an answer. “To the zoo!” they all cried out.



Just then, something caught Violet’s eye. A woman with curly red hair was sitting on a bench nearby reading a newspaper. She was wearing sunglasses with tortoise-shell frames. The woman was peering over her paper, staring at the Aldens.



Violet leaned closer to the others. “Let’s get going,” she whispered nervously 12.



With that, the Aldens headed for the bus stop with Andy close on their heels.