The Treasure of Dead Man's Cove Read online

  Suddenly the professor stops. He points to a deep hole, right in the centre of the passage. The two of you edge around it.

  It’s not long before you reach a dead end.

  But there’s another Jolly Roger. Professor Wagner presses it and the wall opens up. There is a human skeleton lying on the floor.

  You gasp.

  ‘No need to worry,’ says the professor. ‘I’d say he died a very long time ago.’

  The two of you carefully step over it. But as you do, you feel a section of the floor sink a little beneath your feet. There is a grinding sound and the wall closes up behind you.

  You walk towards another dead end. There is a skeleton chained to the wall.

  You remember the line from the letter: ‘Always shake a hand.’

  Professor Wagner points his torch at the skeleton’s hands. The chains disappear into the wall.

  You reach out to pull the right hand.

  ‘Wait!’ snaps Professor Wagner. ‘One-Eyed William was left-handed.’

  You take the skeleton’s left hand instead. As you pull on it, part of the wall recedes, leaving just enough space to squeeze through.

  The two of you enter into another passage.

  Continue here.

  Your phone held out in front of you, lighting the way, you enter the dark tunnel.

  You walk for what seems like ages, until …

  The narrow passage opens out into a massive cavern. You gaze around in wonder.

  You are in an underground pirates’ graveyard! There are headstones and graves everywhere. In amongst this sea of buried pirate bodies, you feel sure, lies the grave of One-Eyed William.

  You can explore the graveyard and search for One-Eyed William. Go here.

  Or you can run back to the town hall and get the mayor. Go here.

  You decide to enter the cave. There is plenty of light at first. But as you go further in, things get dark and gloomy. The rocky passage curves around to the right. You follow it and notice a light in the distance.

  You reach a small cavern. There are boulders and rocks piled up around the edges, as if there have been cave-ins. In the centre of the cavern, atop a flat rock, is a gaudy-looking jewel-encrusted treasure chest. There is a lantern hanging above it, lighting the area.

  You open the chest.

  As the lid creaks open, spiders jump out at you.

  You scream and fall back onto the ground, thrashing your arms around wildly.

  But then you realise the spiders aren’t moving. They’re just lying on the ground where they landed. You hear someone laugh.

  You pick up one of the spiders. It’s made of rubber. On the inside of the chest lid are the words:

  SURPRISE!

  From Jack, Jill and Polly

  You rise to your feet, feeling foolish and angry. Jack, Jill and Polly jump up from behind some rocks.

  ‘Surprise!’ they call out together.

  You certainly are surprised. But can you take a joke?

  If you think the joke they played on you was funny, go here.

  If you’re still angry, go here.

  You squeeze through the tunnel and out into a small, damp cave. Weak light filters in through the tunnel, reflecting off the water on the floor. So it does flood during high tide! You feel a bit nervous. Something scuttles across the rocks. Is it a scorpion? You try not to think about it.

  Tucked into a corner of the cave is a wooden chest. Your eyes light up. Have you found the treasure?

  You open the chest to discover that it is full of old bottles. You pick one up and peer through the tinted green glass. It looks like there’s a rolled-up piece of paper inside. A message from a pirate?

  If you decide to push the chest through the tunnel and into the light so you can get a better look, go here.

  If you can’t wait and want to open the bottle straight away, go here.

  There are two more skeletons. They are pinned to the wall with spears.

  ‘Best be careful,’ says the professor. ‘I don’t want to ruin my jacket.’ Then he pauses thoughtfully. ‘Be swift of foot.’ He’s quoting the letter. Without hesitation, he runs down the tunnel.

  You watch as a spear shoots across the passage, missing him by mere millimetres. What if you’re not fast enough?

  Are you brave enough to run after Professor Wagner? Go here.

  If you’re worried about being skewered, go here.

  As bats flutter overhead, you walk out amongst the headstones of the pirate graveyard. Where is One-Eyed William?

  And then you spot it. Up against the far wall is a mausoleum.

  You make your way to the large stone structure with wrought-iron gates. Beyond the gates is a stone coffin with a statue lying on the lid. You open the gates and approach the coffin.

  It’s One-Eyed William’s grave. The imposing stone figure has a dagger in its hand and a ruby in its right eye. You run your hand over the dagger, jewels encrusting its hilt, and it wobbles. You grasp it and pull. The dagger comes out of the statue’s stone grip.

  You look at the ruby in the statue’s eye. It’s huge! It must be worth a fortune. Perhaps you can prise it loose with the dagger?

  If you want to dig out the ruby, go here.

  If you decide to leave the ruby where it lies, go here.

  You uncork the bottle and remove the piece of paper. It appears to be part of a map.

  You look through the rest of the bottles. Most of them are empty. But there are another three with pieces of the map inside. You shove the papers into your pocket and squeeze out through the tunnel. You tell your parents that you’re going back to the guesthouse.

  In your room, you put the four pieces of paper together. They form a map of Dead Man’s Cove and the surrounding area. The cave that you found is marked on the map with a red X. There is some writing on the top right:

  WILLIAM’S ROGER POINTS

  But what does it mean? Will this map reveal the location of One-Eyed William’s treasure? You need help. Who can you ask?

  If you decide to go to the museum and ask the curator, go here.

  If you decide to ask Mrs Tisdale, go here.

  You thrash your arm around, trying to shake off the crazy bird.

  The bird squawks, momentarily releasing your finger. But then it bites back down. You scream and trip over, landing on top of the bird. It finally lets go, lying still on the floor.

  Your parents and Mrs Tisdale, the guesthouse owner, come running.

  ‘Mr Fibuli!’ shouts Mrs Tisdale, rushing to the macaw. ‘What has that awful child done to you?’

  You are bleeding all over the carpet. But Mrs Tisdale ignores you, giving mouth-to-mouth to the bird until it starts squawking again.

  As Mrs Tisdale fusses over the macaw, your parents take you to the hospital to get stitches and a tetanus injection.

  When you return to the guesthouse, you discover all your bags outside the front door.

  ‘You’ve upset Mr Fibuli,’ Mrs Tisdale shouts from an open window, shaking her fist at you. ‘You’re not welcome here.’

  Your holiday is over before it has even really begun.

  You shove the chest into the tunnel, blocking out the sunlight. As you push it further along the tunnel, you hear it scraping the sides.

  Suddenly, it’s stuck. No matter how hard you push, you can’t get the chest to move any more. You try pulling it instead. But that doesn’t work either.

  You take out your mobile phone, but there’s no reception.

  You are trapped!

  You realise that all you can do is wait and hope that your parents come looking for you … before the tide comes in!

  You go to the kitchen to talk to Mrs Tisdale. The macaw, Mr Fibuli, is sitting on her shoulder as she’s washing the dishes.

  ‘Treasure!’ screeches the bird. It sees the map in your hand. ‘Treasure map!’

  You show the map to Mrs Tisdale, as she dries her hands on the front of her dress. She doesn’t think it’s real. ‘Probably
just the local kids playing a trick on you. They like doing that to tourists.’

  ‘Treasure map!’ squawks the macaw. ‘Old Bailey!’

  You ask who Old Bailey is.

  ‘Old Bailey,’ says Mrs Tisdale, ‘is the hermit who lives on the beach. He used to own the bird.’

  Mrs Tisdale shows you on the map where Old Bailey’s hut is – on the beach, behind the dunes, east of the cove.

  You hear footsteps and look out into the hall to see Professor Wagner exiting the front door. Has he been listening in to your conversation? Maybe you should go after him?

  If you’re suspicious of the professor, follow him and go here.

  If you think it’s more important to take the map to Old Bailey, go here.

  You go to the museum and show the map to the curator. Her eyes widen as she examines it – turning it over in her hands, sniffing it … even licking it. She questions you about where you found the map, then starts making phone calls.

  Soon the cove is closed off as archaeologists and historians descend upon it. Within days, Seabreeze is packed with tourists and you have become a celebrity. You spend the rest of your holiday being interviewed and photographed as the experts search for the treasure.

  You didn’t find the treasure, but it’s been a pretty cool holiday anyway.

  You follow Professor Wagner into the trees at the top of the cliff overlooking the cove. He sees you and stops.

  You have no choice but to go up and talk to him.

  He asks you why you were following him and you explain how his behaviour seemed suspicious to you.

  He apologises and tells you his story. He is a historian and he is writing a book about One-Eyed William. He has been searching for William’s diary to help him.

  ‘Oh, and by the way, my name is William Wagner the Fifth,’ he says proudly. ‘A direct descendant of William Wagner the First. Alias One-Eyed William.’

  So that’s why one of his eyes is bigger than the other.

  ‘According to legend,’ the professor says, ‘William’s diary was buried with him.’

  You wonder if you should tell him about the map you found? Or maybe you would be better off taking it to the curator?

  If you decide to tell Professor Wagner about the map, go here.

  If you decide to keep the map secret from him and take it to the museum instead, go here.

  You make your way down to the dunes and to the hermit’s ramshackle hut. You knock on the door.

  ‘Who goes there?’ calls a voice from inside. ‘Be ye friend or foe?’

  You call out that Mr Fibuli sent you. The door flings open to reveal a strange man dressed in ragged shorts and shirt. He has a sunburnt, bald head, wild eyes and a long, unkempt grey bread with bits of seaweed stuck in it.

  ‘Whatcha staring at?’ His voice is a growl.

  You ask him if he knows anything about One-Eyed William and his treasure.

  ‘Treasure!’ he yells, eyes rolling madly. ‘’Tis always treasure with ye tourists.’ He holds the door wide open. ‘Enter if ye must.’

  If you reckon Old Bailey is mad and you should leave, go here.

  If you think that potential treasure is worth the risk, go here.

  You decide that you can’t rob One-Eyed William’s grave. But the ruby is sparkling and enticing. You can’t help but reach out and touch it.

  As you run your fingers over the precious jewel, it shifts. You press it and the ruby sinks into the statue’s eye socket.

  You watch as the coffin slides away to reveal a set of stone steps. It’s a fake grave. One-Eyed William isn’t buried here after all. Perhaps these steps will lead you to him? You push your fears aside and descend.

  The steps lead you to another skull-and-crossbones symbol carved into a rock wall. You press it and the wall slides away, revealing another cavern. At the far end are six wooden chests lined up into a path, three on either side. Your eyes widen as you see what they lead to – a jewelled throne. And seated on the throne is a skeleton.

  You open one of the chests to find it full of gold coins.

  You bypass the others and go to look at the skeleton. Its hand is reaching out, resting on a stone pedestal, its fingers clutching a huge ruby the size of your fist. The skeleton is wearing the tattered remains of once-fine clothes and has an eyepatch over its right eye. You have finally found One-Eyed William! And his treasure!

  You grab a handful of gold coins as proof and run all the way back to the town hall.

  Go here.

  The pirates’ graveyard is an amazing find. You snap a photo of it on your phone and run back to the town hall.

  You show the photo to the mayor.

  ‘Argh,’ she whispers. ‘That be the lost pirates’ graveyard.’

  The mayor gets the museum curator, then the three of you head down to the beach. You lead them into the graveyard, where they stand and stare, eyes agog.

  ‘Argh,’ says the mayor, elbowing the curator. ‘This be the town’s salvation. Tourists aplenty will come to see this!’

  ‘What an amazing historical find,’ breathes the curator, nostrils flaring with excitement.

  As a thank you, the town pays for your entire holiday and gives you a year’s supply of chocolate gold coins. You spend the rest of your time at Seabreeze being a celebrity.

  This is the best holiday ever!

  But there’s more, yet. The mayor offers you and your family a free annual holiday if you become a tour guide.

  For the rest of your life, you get to spend three weeks a year showing people around the pirates’ graveyard while telling them all about how you found it.

  How cool is that!

  You use the dagger to dig out the ruby. You can’t believe it was that easy.

  But then you hear a rumbling sound and the creaking of rusty metal. The cavern starts to shake. You look up and see an iron grille descending from the ceiling of the mausoleum.

  You throw yourself at the gate and tumble out just as the grille slams down, sealing off the crypt.

  The ground is shaking and cracks are appearing across the rocky ceiling. As you run out of the cavern it collapses behind you. Your heart racing, you sprint along the tunnel, as it too crumbles away.

  You make it out onto the beach. You fall onto the sand, panting, and watch as the cliff face crashes down around the cave entrance. You start to shiver as you realise what a narrow escape you just had.

  You have the jewel-encrusted dagger and the ruby … but the pirate graveyard is gone, buried forever!

  You cautiously enter the hut. There’s a bundle of blankets in one corner, a camp stove in the centre, fishing equipment all over the place and a couple of stools. You show the map to Old Bailey.

  ‘Well, I’ll be a sea monkey’s uncle,’ he says, staring at it. ‘This here is a real pirate map!’ He points to the top corner. ‘And that there is the key!’

  You ask him what it means.

  ‘Think, ye daft swab,’ he growls at you, thoughtfully picking bits of seaweed from his beard. ‘William’s Roger points. William is One-Eyed William. Roger is the Jolly Roger – the skull-and-crossbones pirate symbol. The skull on One-Eyed William’s Jolly Roger has an eyepatch over its right eye. And it’s pointing the way. You have to find William’s Roger! And you start at the red X.’

  So you need to go back to the cave and find One-Eyed William’s Jolly Roger symbol. But is this something you should be doing on your own?

  If you choose to look for the Jolly Roger alone, go here.

  Maybe your parents could help? If you decide to show them the map, go here.

  You lose your nerve. Old Bailey looks way too wild and crazy.

  You tell him that you’ve just remembered an important appointment and rush off.

  ‘Lousy tourists!’ he yells, slamming the door shut.

  As you’re walking back over the dunes, you catch a glimpse of someone skulking around the path leading back to the town. It’s Professor Wagner. You wonder what he’s doing here. H
as he been following you?

  He heads off up the path.

  If you’re suspicious of the professor, follow him and go here.

  If you think it’s more important to take the map to the museum curator, go here.

  You take the map from your pocket and show it to Professor Wagner. His eyes widen as he looks at it.

  ‘This is the map to One-Eyed William’s treasure,’ he says. ‘And his diary is bound to be there too. We must follow this!’

  You tell him that you can’t follow the map because you don’t know what ‘WILLIAM’S ROGER POINTS’ means.

  But the professor knows. He has a letter that One-Eyed William wrote to his wife. In the message there are clues to finding his treasure.

  ‘At the cave of the deceased pirate, William’s Roger points,’ quotes Professor Wagner. ‘Always shake a hand. Be swift of foot. Seeing red will help you out.’

  The two of you go down to the cove and the cave where you found the map. The professor uses a rock to chip away at the hole, making it a little larger. Then you both go in.

  Go here.

  You get down on your hands and knees, and crawl along the floor. You feel a sudden rush of air as a spear embeds itself in the wall to your right. That was a close call! You lower yourself until you are dragging along the ground.

  As you slide forward, your hand pushes down on a small rock, which descends into the ground. You hear the grinding sound of rock and know that another trap has been sprung.