Benny came to a sudden stop at the totem pole. He was looking all around when the other Aldens caught up to him.
“Benny, what’s gotten into you?” Jessie asked him with a frown. “You know the rules.”
“We’re supposed to stay together,” Henry reminded his little brother.
Violet put an arm around him. “It’s a big city, Benny,” she said. “We don’t want anyone getting lost in the crowd.”
“Sorry,” Benny said sheepishly. “It’s just … I thought I saw someone.”
“Was it Reena?” Jessie asked. Who else did they know in Seattle?
Benny shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Reena,” he told them. “It was Mrs. McGregor!”
“Oh, Benny!” Jessie reached out, ruffling her little brother’s hair. “Mrs. McGregor’s back home in Greenfield looking after Watch.”
“But I saw her, Jessie!” Benny insisted. Then he frowned. “Mrs. McGregor hurried away when she saw me. I wonder why.”
Jessie shook her head. “Mrs. McGregor would never try to get away from us.”
“Sometimes strangers can remind us of people we know,” put in Violet. “Remember yesterday? I thought I saw Aunt Jane.”
“It’s just another case of mistaken identity,” said Jessie, as they headed for the restaurant. “Nothing more than that.”
“I suppose,” said Benny. Still, his big eyes kept scanning the crowds.
They stopped to wait for a light to change. “Seattle seems like a city of look-alikes. It’s funny, isn’t it?” said Henry.
Jessie didn’t think it was strange at all. “They say everybody has a double somewhere in the world.”
The youngest Alden was surprised to hear this. “You mean there’s another Benny out there?”
“Well, at least somebody who looks a lot like you,” answered Violet, as they stepped into a small restaurant.
“I’m not so sure,” said Henry, giving his little brother a playful nudge. “I think Benny’s one of a kind.” No one could argue with that.
When the waitress came over, Henry ordered the special—fish and chips and a glass of lemonade. So did the others. While they waited for their food, the children turned their attention to the mystery.
“I don’t get it,” said Violet. “The note seemed to be leading us right to the underground city.”
Benny nodded. “That’s where I’d be hiding if I were a troll.”
Jessie tucked her long brown hair behind her ears. “For all we know, we could be on a wild goose chase.”
“What do you mean, Jessie?” Benny wanted to know.
“Maybe these riddles are just somebody’s idea of a joke.”
The corners of Benny’s mouth turned down. “Jessie, are you saying there might not be a mystery at all?” He looked crushed.
“Could be,” said Henry.
Violet bit her lip. “I really don’t know what to think.”
Benny did not seem very happy.
Violet felt her little brother’s disappointment. “I have a hunch there’s more to it than that. Someone went to a lot of trouble leaving those notes.”
Violet had a point. “We can’t be sure it’s just a prank,” Jessie had to admit.
Benny looked more cheerful. “We can’t give up yet!”
“Okay, Benny,” said Henry. “Maybe if we put our heads together, we can figure something out.”
Jessie read the note aloud to refresh everyone’s memory. “Beneath all the traffic / seek out the troll / guarding a message / way down below.”
Benny had a thought. “Maybe we should be looking for goats.”
Henry, Jessie, and Violet stared at him. They looked totally puzzled.
Then Violet snapped her fingers in sudden understanding. “Oh, you’re thinking about The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”
Benny nodded. “In the story, the three billy goats are trying to cross a bridge. But guess what? There’s an ugly troll with one eye and a big nose who lives under the bridge.”
“I remember that story,” said Jessie. “When the smallest goat tries to cross, the troll threatens to gobble him up, but—”
“The goat tells him to wait for his brother who’s much bigger,” Henry broke in. “So the troll lets the first goat cross the bridge.”
“And then the bigger goat comes along,” Benny continued, “and the troll says he’ll gobble him up. But the bigger goat tells him to wait for his brother.”
“Who’s much, much bigger,” put in Violet.
“Right,” said Benny. “So the troll lets him cross the bridge, too. Then, when the biggest goat comes along, he butts the troll into the water with his big horns!”
“And the goats get away!” finished Henry.
“That’s a good story,” said Jessie. “I’m just not sure we’ll find any goats in a big city.”
“Maybe not,” Violet agreed. “But there are plenty of bridges in Seattle.”
“You think the riddle is leading us to a bridge?” Jessie asked.
“We’ll, think about it,” Violet said. “If you’re under a bridge, then you’re—”
“Beneath all the traffic!” cried Benny, finishing his sister’s thought.
Violet nodded. “Exactly.”
“I vote we look under bridges,” said Benny. “I bet that’s where we’ll find a troll.”
Jessie frowned as she studied the map. “The thing is, Seattle has so many bridges.”
“We’ll only be in Seattle for a few more days,” added Henry. “We’ll never have time to check them all out.”
“Looks like we’ll have to narrow it down,” Jessie said, as their food arrived.
“But how?” asked Benny. |