by Harper Paris
CHAPTER 7
A Secret Bridge
Dylan, Deanna, and Ethan rushed up to Ella. Ella handed Slither to Dylan.
“You found him!” Dylan said, hugging Slither.
“I found something else, too!” Ella said, pointing to the stone steps.
Ethan walked over to the top of the steps. They sloped down a gentle cliff and disappeared into the mist. Steps to nowhere, Ethan thought.
He squatted down and peered over the edge. Actually, the steps did lead somewhere. They curled around the side of the cliff and went down pretty far.
Ella knelt down next to Ethan. “Grandpa Harry wanted us to find something near the Temple of Sun that had to do with a snake, a bird, and another animal,” she said slowly. “Do you think this is the way to get there?”
“Maybe,” Ethan replied.
“What are you two talking about?” Deanna asked.
Ethan told Deanna and Dylan about Grandpa Harry’s e-mail. “Ella and I are going to check it out. You guys can wait here if you want.”
Deanna shook her head. “No way. We’re coming with you. I promised your parents I would look after you.”
“Slither, we’re going on an adventure!” Dylan said happily.
They started down the steps. Ella took a quick peek in her notebook. “Grandpa Harry told us that he and Grandma Lucy used rope to get to this special place,” she reminded Ethan.
“Maybe they used rope to climb up a mountain,” Deanna suggested.
“Or maybe they used rope to swing from tree to tree like monkeys!” Dylan said, giggling.
The four of them continued walking down the stairs. Thick mist swirled around them. Ella wondered where the sun had gone.
After a while, they reached the bottom of the steps. Before them was a narrow bridge that stretched into the mist. It was made of wooden slats and rope.
“Rope!” the twins said together.
Ella hesitated. It didn’t look very safe. But she knew Grandpa Harry would never lead them into danger.
They began crossing the bridge. Ethan led the way, and Deanna brought up the rear. The wooden slats wobbled beneath their feet. The rope railings barely kept them steady. And the mist made it hard to see.
Ella glanced over the side—and gulped. The valley below was barely visible. They were up very high on a very old bridge. Be brave, she told herself.
“Eth—Ethan. I’m not sure about this,” she stammered.
Ethan thought for a moment. He could tell everyone was nervous. “What’s a snake’s favorite class in school?” he asked.
“What?” asked Dylan, confused.
“Hiss-tory!” replied Ethan.
Dylan and Ella laughed. Deanna cracked a smile.
“What color socks does a bear wear?” Ethan went on.
“What color?” asked Ella.
“He doesn’t wear socks because he has bare feet,” said Ethan. “Get it? Like, bear feet.”
Ethan told several more jokes. Before long, they had reached the other side.
Ethan stepped off the bridge and looked around. There was no sign of what Grandpa Harry had told them about—just trees, rocks, and grass. He tried to hide his disappointment.
Ella came up to him. “Maybe this was the wrong way,” she said quietly.
A cry sounded from above. The twins lifted their faces to the sky. A massive black bird circled in the air.
The bird swooped down toward the ground. It landed on top of a big rock formation behind a row of trees.
Except . . . it wasn’t just any rock formation. It looked like a cave!
CHAPTER 8
The Tree of Life
The bird perched on top of the cave entrance and fixed its beady eyes on the foursome.
“Is it going to eat us?” Dylan asked nervously.
“Of course not!” Deanna replied, although she didn’t sound very sure.
Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold coin. Grandpa Harry had given it to him as a going-away present. It had a hawk on one side and a globe on the other.
That bird up there doesn’t look like a hawk. It must be something else, Ethan thought.
“Maybe it wants us to go into the cave,” Ella guessed.
The bird gave another screech, flew off in the direction of the bridge, and vanished into the mist.
Ethan hurried up to the cave entrance and peered inside. “Hello?” he shouted.
Hellooooo? his voice echoed back.
He turned his body sideways and inched through the narrow opening. The other three did the same. The air in the cave was cool and smelled like clay. A drip, drip sound came from somewhere within.
“I can’t see anything. Can you?” Ella asked her brother.
“Too dark,” Ethan replied.
Deanna held up her cell phone. “This might help,” she said, touching the screen.
A pale light flickered on. It lit up a small section of the rocky cave floor.
Deanna swung the phone around in a slow arc. It lit up more of the floor and several rocky walls. A thin trickle of water dripped from the ceiling.
Then she swung the phone to the middle of the cave.
Ella gasped. So did Ethan.
There, in the center, stood a tall stone sculpture.
The sculpture was made up of three creatures: a bird, some kind of wildcat, and a snake. The bird looked like the one they had just seen outside the cave.
Ella turned to Ethan. “We found it!” she said excitedly.
Ethan grinned and nodded. “Yeah! But what is that animal? Is it a tiger?”
“Maybe it’s a panther,” Deanna guessed.
“Maybe it’s a mountain lion. Roar!” Dylan growled.
“It’s a puma,” a voice came from behind them.
Ella screamed. Dylan screamed, too. Deanna grabbed her brother and held him close.
“Who’s there?” Ethan demanded.
A flashlight clicked on. A bright light fell across the cave.
A gray-haired man stood just inside the cave entrance. Who was he?
The man stepped forward. Ethan and the others stepped back.
Then Ella noticed a badge on his khaki shirt. The badge said: HECTOR RUIZ, VOLUNTEER, MACHU PICCHU.
Deanna noticed it, too. “You work here?” she asked him.
“Yes! My name is Hector. I’m one of the volunteers here at Machu Picchu,” he replied. “I am so sorry for scaring you children. I came by to check on this sculpture. It is a very valuable artifact of the Inca civilization.”
“That means it’s something that the Incas left behind,” Deanna whispered to the group.
“Our grandpa Harry is a famous archaeologist. He’s studied lots and lots of artifacts. He’s the one who told us to find this sculpture,” Ella said to Hector.
Hector’s eyes twinkled. “Is your grandfather Harry Robinson, by any chance?”
“You know Grandpa Harry?” asked Ethan, surprised.
“Yes, from long ago,” Hector replied. “I’m glad he led you to this sculpture. Did he tell you that it represents the Tree of Life?”
Ella shook her head. “No. What’s that?”
“The ‘Tree of Life’ symbolizes how the Incas viewed the world,” Hector explained. “See the snake? It is at the bottom since snakes are closest to the earth. The puma is in the middle. And this bird, which is the condor, is at the very top. Birds are closest to the sky.”
The four kids listened, fascinated.
“The Tree of Life is also displayed in this way,” Hector said, pulling a charm from his pocket. “You are lucky to have found the secret bridge that leads to this cave. Not many people know about it,” Hector added.
“We like to find secret stuff,” said Ethan with a smile.
“We’re superhero detectives!” Dylan piped up.
Everyone laughed.
CHAPTER 9
Superhero Detectives!
It was midmorning when Hector walked the kids back over the rickety wood and rop
e bridge. Somehow, the crossing didn’t seem quite so scary this time. Maybe it was Hector’s presence. Or maybe it was the sun shining brightly in the sky.
“Do you know how to get back to where your parents are waiting for you?” Hector asked when they had reached the other side.
“No problem! We’ll just retrace our steps,” Ella replied.
They thanked Hector and said good-bye. Then they hurried up the stone steps and found the path toward the Temple of the Sun.
They passed the Temple of the Sun . . . then the grazing llamas . . . then the cluster of stone buildings. Ethan glanced nervously at his watch. They were supposed to meet their parents at the main entrance in just a few minutes. Would they make it in time?
The foursome reached the entrance exactly at ten. Their parents arrived a few minutes later.
“I’m sorry we kept you waiting. It was hard to tear ourselves away from the wonderful museum!” Mrs. Briar apologized.
“I hope you kids had fun. We can’t wait to hear all about your adventures,” Mr. Briar added.
“Did you find your snake?” Mrs. Novak asked Dylan.
Dylan held up Slither. “Yeah! And we found another snake, too. And a condor. And a puma.”
“They weren’t real,” Ella added quickly.
“Oh! Well, I bet you kids didn’t know that the snake, the condor, and the puma were very important to the Incas,” Mr. Briar said.
Mr. Novak spoke up. “Yes, they represent the three levels in the Tree of Life.”
“That’s really interesting,” Ethan said, elbowing Ella.
“We already knew that because we’re superhero detectives!” Dylan burst out. “We solved the mystery of the missing Slither. Then we found a secret bridge. Then a magical bird told us to go into a cave to find the treasure!”
“That’s very nice, honey,” Mrs. Novak said, patting Dylan on the head. “Okay, so, who’s ready for another hike?”
The twins winked at Deanna, and Deanna winked back.
“I guess this vacation isn’t so boring, after all,” Deanna told them with a smile. “Thanks, guys.”
“You’re welcome!” said Ella.
Just then, Ethan heard a familiar-sounding cry from above. He shielded his eyes from the sun. It was the black bird from before!
“Thanks for helping us find Grandpa Harry’s treasure,” Ethan whispered.
The bird gave a shriek and disappeared into the clouds.
GLOSSARY
Adiós = Good-bye
Amor = Love
Bienvenido a Peru = Welcome to Peru
Salineras de Maras = Salt mines of Maras
Sí = Yes
“That girl’s going to fall off the bridge!” Ella Briar shouted.
Her twin brother, Ethan, looked up. The Sydney Harbor Bridge gleamed against the bright blue sky.
At the top of the massive bridge was a girl peering over the side. How did she get all the way up there?
And then Ethan saw that there were other people with her. Lots of other people.
“It’s okay, kids. You can actually climb to the top of the bridge,” their father, Andrew, explained.
“The view is supposed to be spectacular!” their mother, Josephine, added.
“Wow!” Ella gazed out at the skyline of downtown Sydney and at the sailboats that dotted the harbor. The view from the top of the bridge probably was great. Still, she couldn’t imagine being up that high. She’d had enough of high places after Machu Picchu!
Machu Picchu was an ancient Incan city in Peru that was thousands of feet in the air. The Briars had spent time there before flying to Australia. Australia was the seventh stop on their trip around the world. Mrs. Briar was a travel writer. She was writing about their adventures for their hometown newspaper, the Brookeston Times.
The twins were excited to be in Australia. It was beautiful and warm, plus everyone spoke English, which meant that it was easy to communicate. Best of all, they were driving up the coast tomorrow to visit their aunt Julia, their uncle Owen, and their cousin Harry.
“Who’s hungry for some Balmain bugs?” Mr. Briar called out.
“Bugs?” Ethan and Ella gasped in horror.
Mr. Briar laughed. “They’re not actually bugs. They’re a kind of lobster. I thought we’d check out a seafood restaurant for lunch.”
“And after lunch, we’re going there.” Mrs. Briar pointed to a white building that jutted out into the bay.
Ethan squinted. The building looked like a row of stegosaurus spikes. “What is it?”
“It’s the Sydney Opera House. We’ll do a backstage tour and then stay for the opera,” replied Mrs. Briar.
“What about the aquarium?” asked Ella. “Hannah’s family went there last summer. She said it was awesome!” Hannah was Ella’s best friend back in Brookeston.
“I wish we could fit that in. But we won’t have time today. And we’re leaving Sydney first thing tomorrow morning,” said Mrs. Briar.
Ella pouted. Ethan was disappointed, too. He had really wanted to experience some real live sea creatures while they were in Australia! Maybe there would be another chance for that.
HARPER PARIS
loves to travel. Her favorite cities in the world are Paris (like her name!) and New York City. She has collected many souvenirs on her travels, including a good-luck coin from Japan and a reindeer-horn pendant from Sweden. She also loves mysteries. When she was a kid, she read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books after bedtime with a flashlight. She now lives with her family (including two cats and a bunny, who are not good travelers) in Ithaca, New York.
MARCOS CALO
has worked as a professional artist for more than fourteen years. He has worked in different fields: illustration, animation, and comic books. He lives with his wife and daughter in A Coruña, a small Spanish town by the seaside.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LITTLE SIMON
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 • www.SimonandSchuster.com • First Little Simon hardcover edition March 2015 • Copyright © 2015 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by John Daly. Jacket design by John Daly. Jacket illustrations by Marcos Calo. Jacket illustrations copyright © 2015 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paris, Harper. The mystery across the secret bridge / by Harper Paris ; illustrated by Marcos Calo. — First edition. pages cm. — (Greetings from somewhere ; #7)
Summary: While in Machu Picchu, Peru, with their parents, eight-year-old twins Ethan and Ella cross a secret bridge and discover a mysterious stone sculpture.
[1. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 2. Twins—Fiction. 3. Incas—Fiction. 4. Antiquities—Fiction. 5. Machu Picchu Site (Peru)—Fiction. 6. Peru—Fiction. 7. Mystery and detective stories.]
I. Calo, Marcos, illustrator. II. Title. PZ7.P21748Mws 2015 [E]—dc23 2014011020
ISBN 97
8-1-4814-2368-7 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-2367-0 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-2369-4 (eBook)