by Lyn Gardner
Tallulah burst into tears, and Dog looked sorrowful, as if he had just had a very big, juicy bone taken away from him.
“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed, “and Dog’s. He stole the shoes because he loves to chew on them just like a real dog. I didn’t have the heart to tell him off. I knew he was only trying to play.”
“But why didn’t you just give the shoes back?” asked Hetty.
“I was too worried that Dog would get into big trouble and be arrested by the police and flung into the Little Snoring jail,” said Tallulah tearfully.
Hetty understood this. In one of her worst moods, and perhaps as a warning as to what might happen to the children if they failed to do their math homework, Miss Green had taken the entire school on a trip to the Little Snoring jail and it had been a horrid place, full of sadness and spiders.
“Is that why you put the shoes in a box and buried them?” asked Hetty gently.
“Yes,” said Tallulah. “Dog helped me dig the hole. After we buried them we couldn’t remember the spot, so even if we had wanted to find them we couldn’t. We are very sorry for all the trouble we caused.”
Hetty looked around at all the people on the beach and waved an arm toward them.
“I don’t think you should worry too much, Tallulah. Having odd shoes was very inconvenient, but getting them back has made people very pleased.”
Dog gave a happy meow, and they joined the others.
But despite all the attention, Tat was feeling a little bit sad inside. He knew that the reward money would only stretch to paying the rent. There would be nothing left over to live on, and in a few months’ time his family would be facing financial ruin all over again. He was thinking about what to do as he and Hetty joined his family and the villagers. Just then the harbormaster appeared by Tat’s dad’s side.
“Mr. Trout. A word, if you please. I owe you an apology. I’m sorry I took away your job as lighthouse keeper. I thought it was a way to save money. But risking lives is no way to cut costs. I was wrong. If it hadn’t been for the bravery and quick thinking of Hetty and your boy, and the resourcefulness of Mrs. Slime, there may have been a disaster. So, Mr. Trout, I’m asking if you will come back to your old job. Mechanization only goes so far. Little Snoring needs a human lighthouse keeper. If you could start tomorrow, the whole village would be in your debt.”
“And I’ll be able to get out of debt,” said Tat’s dad with a grin.
When everyone heard the news they all cheered. They decided to have a party to celebrate — and because it was a lovely day and lovely days are always an excuse for a party. The band struck up and they all began to dance.
A barbecue was lit and there were sausages and chicken legs and baked potatoes to eat and games to play, although playing games is tricky when you are not used to wearing matching shoes. Nobody could beat the kangaroos at high jump, but Tat came closest.
A little while later, Tat and Hetty walked down to the shore and looked out toward the horizon. There was no sign of the Ghastly McNastys.
“Maybe we should have just shown the McNastys what was in the box and they would have left us alone,” said Tat. “If they had known it was used shoes and not diamonds and rubies, they wouldn’t have been interested.”
“Those Ghastly McNastys are so greedy, they would probably have wanted the shoes, too,” said Hetty. “Besides, they needed to be taught a lesson, and you did it, Tat.”
“Well,” said Tat, “we still need to find the real treasure. At least that’s the last we’ll ever see of the McNasty twins.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Hetty, who didn’t know everything, as it turned out, but who did know a great deal. “I think they might be back.”
“I wonder where they are now?” said Tat.
“I don’t know,” said Hetty, “and it’s nice not knowing everything.”
(But I do know, and if you would like to, too, please turn over the next page, but only if you are as brave as Tat because it is a truly fearsome sight.)
Lyn Gardner is a theater critic for the Guardian and goes to the theater five or six times a week, which should leave no time for writing books. But actually she has written several children’s books, including the very successful Stage School series. She lives in London, England.
Ros Asquith is a cartoonist for the Guardian and has written and illustrated many books. Letters from an Alien Schoolboy was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, and The Great Big Book of Families, which she illustrated, won the SLA Information Book Award. She lives in London, England.