儿童英语读物 The Spy Game CHAPTER 3 The Game’s in Play

The children stared down at the strange message carved into the stones.



“What does it say, Jessie?” Benny wanted to know. The youngest Alden was just learning to read. Jessie read the words aloud:



The rings of time



go round and round;



a hollow hides



what must be found.



“I wonder what it means,” Violet said in a hushed voice.



“And who put it there,” added Jessie. She tugged 1 a small notebook and pencil from her back pocket and wrote down the riddle 2.



Finally, Benny spoke 3 up. “One thing’s for sure,” he said. “It’s a mystery.”



Henry nodded. “You can say that again!”



“Violet had a feeling the letters spelled something out,” Jessie was telling Amanda over lunch. “And she was right.”



“Don’t forget,” Benny piped up, “I spotted 4 the letters first.”



“You sure did, Benny,” said Jessie. “You have a way of seeing things other people don’t.”



The Aldens were sitting around the picnic table in the backyard with Amanda, eating sandwiches for lunch.



“Do you know how the riddle got there, Amanda?” Violet asked.



“I think you stumbled upon the spy game,” Amanda said.



The Aldens turned to Amanda in surprise.



“Did you say”—Henry paused—“the spy game?”



Amanda nodded. “That’s exactly what I said.”



The Aldens began to speak at once.



“What kind of game is that?”



“Is there really a spy?”



“How do you play it?”



“Is the stone riddle part of the game?”



“Let me explain,” Amanda said, laughing. “The spy game was my grandfather’s invention. You see, he always had a special gift waiting for me every summer—only I had to find it first.”



“You mean your grandfather hid it somewhere?” Benny asked.



“Yes, he did,” Amanda replied. “And believe me, my grandfather was a real pro 5 at making up codes and clues. Sometimes it took me all summer to track it down.”



“That sounds like fun!” said Jessie.



“It sure was,” said Amanda. “Of course, Grandfather always gave me a hint about the gift.” She paused for a moment and smiled. “One summer, I tracked down a dollhouse,” she went on. “The hint my grandfather gave me was: I spy with my little eye, something made of wood,”



“Oh!” cried Violet, who suddenly understood. “So that’s why you called it the spy game.”



Henry had a question. “But how can you be sure your grandfather carved the stone riddle?”



“Because of the note, Henry.” Amanda reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “After you showed me the riddle, I went into the house and found the message my grandfather left me in his will.”



“What does it say?” Benny was so interested, he’d only eaten one bite of his sandwich.



Amanda unfolded the note. “Why don’t I read it to you?”



The Aldens were all ears. They leaned closer to catch every word.



Amanda read the message aloud:



I spy with my little eye



something made of gold:



So follow the clues



both night and day;



leave no stone unturned,



the game’s in play.



“‘Leave no stone unturned?’” Henry repeated.



“He must have meant the stone walkway!” Jessie added.



“It does make you wonder, doesn’t it?” said Amanda. “I mean, the riddle seems to be pointing right to it.”



“Hidden gold!” cried Benny. “I can’t believe it.”



“But … hidden where?” Violet wondered aloud.



“That’s a good question,” said Amanda. She looked at her crutches 6 propped 7 up against the picnic table and sighed. “If only I could track down the clues.”



“Maybe we could help,” Jessie offered. “We’ve solved lots of mysteries.”



Benny added, “We’re good detectives.”



Amanda seemed delighted by their offer. “You’ve got your work cut out for you,” she warned them. “My grandfather was a real mystery buff. I think he read every mystery book in the library.”



“We like mysteries, too,” Benny piped up. “We’ve read every one of the Detective Club books.”



Amanda’s smile faded. “What?” She gave the children a sharp look.



“It’s a mystery series,” Jessie explained to Amanda. “Have you heard of Mila Jones and Jake Winston?”



“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Amanda said with a shrug 8. Then she quickly changed the subject. “Before I forget, let me pay you for today.” She reached into her pocket again and pulled out a handful of dollar bills.



Henry shook his head. “We couldn’t take your money.”



Amanda frowned. “Now, none of that. You deserve a reward for your hard work.”



“We already got a reward,” Benny told her. “We found a mystery!”



Amanda hesitated, then tucked the bills back into her pocket. “Well, I’ll just have to find another way of thanking you.”



Benny was glancing around while everybody finished lunch. “Hey! There’s a man in the yard,” he said, pointing.



Sure enough, a dark-haired man in sunglasses was standing 9 by the stone jigsaw 10 puzzle. He was wearing a T-shirt, cut-offs, and rubber flip-flops.



“What’s he doing?” Benny asked in a hushed voice.



“Oh, that’s just Steve Kooner,” Amanda said. “He’s renting the room above the garage for the summer. We weren’t expecting him for a few weeks, but he showed up last night. It was a nice surprise.”



Steve Kooner suddenly looked up. He gave them a friendly wave, then hurried over.



“Steve’s a friend of mine from Chicago,” Amanda said, after introducing everyone. “He’s taking a break from city life for a while.”



“And I’ll enjoy every minute of it, too,” said Steve. “There are some things you can’t get in the city.” He looked around the table and smiled. “Like a picnic lunch under the Yawning Tree.”



“The what tree?” Benny asked.



“The Yawning Tree,” Amanda repeated with a grin. “That’s what my grandfather called this big elm.” She tilted 11 her head back and looked up. “See that hollow in the trunk? Grandfather used to say the hollow was the tree’s mouth.”



Violet giggled 12. “It does look like the tree’s yawning.”



“By the way,” Steve said, “what’s that all about?” He pointed 13 towards the stone riddle.



“It’s the spy game!” Benny blurted 14 out. “And guess what? We’re going to find hidden gold for Amanda.”



Steve’s eyebrows 15 shot up above his sunglasses. “Hidden gold?”



“It’s a game of codes and clues,” Amanda quickly explained. “My grandfather invented it.”



“I hope you don’t have your heart set on these kids finding gold, Amanda,” Steve said. He shook his head. “Mark my words … it’ll never happen.”



Jessie and Henry exchanged glances. What did Steve mean?



“No, they’ll never figure out that riddle,” Steve told Amanda. Then he turned and walked away.