by Kim Long
Mal picked up the map. “There are spots on here numbered one through thirty-nine. I guess each of these numbers marks a statue, huh?”
“That’s my take,” Ron said. “Maybe it’ll make more sense when we look at this.” Ron set another piece of paper on the ground.
1. The Viper and the File
2. The Ape’s Twin Offspring
3. The Fox and the Weasel
4. The Lioness
5. Jupiter and the Bee
6. The Serpent and the Eagle
7. The Fox and the Stork
8. The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox
9. The Pig and the Sheep
10. The Wolf and the Fox before Judge Ape
11. The Mouse and the Frog
12. The Hare and the Tortoise
13. The Fox and the Monkey
14. The Fox and the Goat in the Well
15. The Mice in Council
16. The Eagle and the Crow
17. The Monkey and the Cat
18. The Fox and the Grapes Out of Reach
19. The Wolf and the Crane
20. The Swan and the Goose
21. The Monkey and the Dolphin
22. The Mouse and the Weasel
23. The Porcupine and the Snakes
24. The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse
25. The Eagle and the Fox
26. The Jay and the Peacock
27. Owl and Birds
28. The Eagle and the Beetle
29. The Wolf and the Heron
30. The Wasp and the Snake
31. The Raven and the Swan
32. Fox and Crow
33. The Crow and the Pitcher
34. The Mule
35. The Bat and the Weasels
36. The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
37. The Kites and the Swans
38. The Oxen and the Axle Trees
39. The Frogs Pick a King
“Holy swiss cheese,” Mal said. “What’s that?”
“I think it’s a list of the fables that are in the maze,” Ron said. “The clue mentioned the maze was designed after Aesop’s Fables, right?”
“Right,” Lexi said, scooping up the clue. She read aloud, “The statues and fountains portrayed fables by Aesop.” Lexi returned the clue to the ground and reviewed the fable list and then the map. “Since there are thirty-nine fables listed, my guess is that fable number 1 probably relates to statue number 1 on the map.”
“That makes sense.” Ron said. “So then all we have to do is figure out which thirteen statues we need to visit, and we can plan a route.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Mal asked. “I have no idea what the clue means.”
“Me neither,” Ron agreed.
Lexi read it again, hoping there was a teleport-science connection she had missed, but nothing clicked to mind. Unless… “Well, the clue uses the word ‘figure.’” Ron craned his neck, and Mal leaned forward as Lexi explained, “It says ‘figure out.’ I wonder if we have to calculate something.”
Ron stretched out on the lawn. “Let me think,” he said, closing his eyes.
“Hm,” Mal said, sidling next to Lexi to read. “The clue uses the numbers 300, 39, and 13. Are there any fables with those numbers in the title?”
“I don’t know,” Lexi said. “Good idea, though. I’ll look.” Lexi reviewed the titles. “No, nothing.”
“Are those numbers significant to teleportation somehow?” Ron said, still on his back. “You know, like was it the three hundredth try before it worked, or there’s thirty-nine elements in a Tel-Med or something?”
“No. But that’s another good thought.” She reviewed the papers again, scouring for some kind of scientific connection she had overlooked.
Ron shifted to a seated position. Elbows on his knees, he rubbed his temples. “Someone read it again,” he mumbled. “Just the part about the thirteen. There was something there.… It’s… I can’t get my mind around it.”
Mal read the clue, “You don’t have to visit all thirty-nine statues in the labyrinth! Thirteen of the thirty-nine statues have all the information you need to determine your next destination. But which thirteen should you visit? We think you can figure it out. You’ve collected all of the information you need to do so!”
After a few minutes of complete quiet, a long and loud “Arrrrrrrrrrgh” sounded from Ron’s mouth. “I have no idea,” he said, ripping out a handful of grass. “Come on, think! What’re we missing?”
Lexi frowned in frustration. Not only did she not have any ideas how to solve it, but since their arrival, she had seen more teams enter the maze. She checked her watch. Already eleven a.m. “Do you think we should get started—just plan on visiting all the statues?” she asked. “If something comes to us while we’re inside, we can always switch it up then. So many teams are running in. I can’t believe they figured out which thirteen to visit.”
“I don’t know,” Mal said. “The Versailles gardens are ginormous. If the maze is as big as it looks, it could take hours.”
“It’s here,” Ron said. “I know it is. Just… read it again.”
Mal huffed. “Reall—”
“Just give it to me,” Ron interrupted, snatching the paper out of Mal’s hand. “Maybe it’ll help if I see the words.”
“Fine,” Mal replied with a flip of her ponytail. She took out her tablet. “I’m going to research the maze and Aesop to see if there’s a connection with thirteen, thirty-nine, or three hundred.”
Team RAM worked silently for the next several minutes—Ron with the clue, Mal with the tablet, and Lexi with the list of fables. The “figure” terminology of the clue still tugged at her. She tapped the pen to her lips. Maybe the answer was inside the list, like the word Otto had been inside the word Grotto. She grabbed a pen and flipped to a fresh page in her notebook. Deciding to look for a connection with the number thirteen first, she started with Fable No. One and counted words in titles until she reached the thirteenth word. She wrote it down.
The
Okay, not earth-shattering, but a start. She continued through the list, pausing only to write down every thirteenth word she encountered. When she reached Fable No. 39 and there weren’t enough words left to reach another thirteenth word, she looked at what she had written.
The The Pig Mouse Monkey The The The Porcupine And And The The Weasels Kits A
Gibberish. If there was a clue in there about figuring out which statues they needed to visit, it escaped her. She’d have to try something else.
Restarting from the top of the page, Lexi counted every thirty-ninth word:
Pig The Porcupine The Kites
Strike two. Maybe she was supposed to count every thirteenth letter? Or three-hundredth letter? She rubbed her eyes. She didn’t feel like counting anymore.
“Find anything?” Lexi asked, lifting her eyes to Mal and Ron. “I’m getting nowhere.”
Mal answered first, “Well, I sort-of found a science connection. Dr. Bressler’s son is named Aesop, and he’s published books known for their modern take on fables.”
Lexi sagged. “Not really helpful,” she said. “Anything else?”
“Nada. There’s a bunch of stuff in here about the history of the Versailles gardens, all of the years they were remodeled, which king remodeled them, the architects. It’s all really interesting—I’m totally going to ask my parents if we could spend some time here one day—but nothing helpful for the clue.”
Mal bumped Ron’s heel with her shoe. “How ’bout you?”
Ron kept his eyes on the clue—actually an assortment of clues. He had taken out the previous puzzles and set them side by side. Not wanting to disturb her teammate, Lexi kept quiet, clapping her notebook closed. The mouse sticker they had received with the map escaped and glided to the ground. Lexi picked it up and reached for the team’s Trek Tracker.
“Here’s the thing that I keep going back to,” Ron said. He moved in closer and lowered his voice as he referred his teammates to
the instructions. “Collected. The clue says we’ve collected everything we need to figure out which statues to visit.”
“Hm,” Lexi said as she peeled off the sticker.
“Collected to me means stuff they’ve given us,” Ron continued. “I’ve been going over the other clues, looking at what we’ve collected so far.”
“And?” Mal said.
“I’m not seeing it. Do you want to take a look?”
Mal bent over to read the clues as Lexi hurriedly stuck the fourth sticker in place. She pressed down her palm, flattening the sticker’s edges to ensure it wouldn’t peel off, and scooted toward her teammates.
“Nothing’s coming to mind,” Mal said as she read.
Ron kicked the papers, which floated into the air before settling on the grass. “Well, what else is there?” he growled. “What else could we have collected?”
“Maybe it’s not physical,” Lexi offered. “Maybe it’s metaphorical, like collecting knowledge—you know, knowledge of Da Vinci’s flying machines or that King Ludwig liked black swans.”
Swans. The word poked Lexi’s mind.
“Yeah,” Mal added. “Or like how we know that the animal the woman in the painting was holding wasn’t a lamb or a sheep.” Mal chuckled.
Stoat. The animal was a stoat.
“That’s it,” Lexi said, clutching Mal’s arm.
Ron and Mal stared at Lexi as she thrust the Trek Tracker toward them. She opened her notebook to the first page, showing where she had written “COLLECT NINE STICKERS” during the rules explanation. Then she pointed to each of the stickers.
“Swan, Stoat, Eagle, Mouse. Right?”
“Yeah?” Mal said.
Lexi placed the list of fables on top of the stickers. “These fables. Look at them.”
“Oh my gosh,” Ron blared.
“Shhhh!!” Lexi and Mal hushed.
“That’s it!” Ron whispered. “Look! There’s a bunch of fables with the words ‘swan,’ ‘eagle,’ and ‘mouse’ in the title. Let’s underline them!”
“Eleven,” Lexi said after Ron finished. “Two short.”
“I didn’t count Fable Number Fifteen, The Mice in Council,” Ron said. “If I count that one, then we have twelve.”
“I don’t think we can count it,” Mal said. “The sticker shows a single mouse. Not mice. If it made it thirteen, I’d say let’s go for it, but it still leaves us one short.”
“Are you sure there’s no stoat?” Lexi asked. “It seems weird they’d skip one of the animals entirely.”
“Hang on,” Mal said, reaching for the tablet.
“Well, we can plot a course for these statues, and if we see a statue with the stoat thing along the way, we can stop,” Ron offered.
“Ha!” Mal cried. “Weasel. Look for fables with the word ‘weasel.’”
“Huh?” Ron said.
Mal flipped the tablet so it faced her teammates. “Meet the stoat, everyone. It’s a short-tailed weasel.”
“Got it,” Lexi said, bouncing on her knees. “There are two with weasels. Well, three, actually, but one of the fables is The Mouse and the Weasel so we already had it marked.” Lexi placed the list on the ground, and the team counted the underlined words again. Thirteen.
“Perfect,” Ron said. “Now give me that map of the maze, and I’ll plot a course so we can get started.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ron studied the map for less than a minute before suggesting he should track their path through the maze in private. “Like you said, teams are running inside with no idea where to go. If they see us all huddled over a map plotting, they’ll know we know which thirteen statues to visit, and they’ll follow for sure. But if I’m by myself, they won’t even give me a second look.”
As if to prove Ron’s point, the Solar Flares paused and studied Team RAM before darting into the hedges.
Lexi blew out a breath. “It’s not that I disagree,” she said. “Working on it in private is a great idea, but look around. There’s nowhere to go.”
Ron gestured toward the path leading to the front gate and smiled. “Sure there is. How about that McDonald’s?”
Mal threw up her hands. “Right. Like we’re gonna fall for that.”
Ron’s jaw jutted out. “I’m serious. I can eat and plot at the same time. I’m a maze expert.”
Lexi guffawed. “A maze expert? Really?” She crossed her arms. “Give us a break.”
“No, I’m serious. You know how science is your thing? Well, mazes are mine. I go to at least three corn mazes a year, and I even helped diagram this year’s big one in Mukwonago. I’ll have our route in no time.”
Lexi exhaled, trying to maintain her composure. She checked the time. Nearly 11:30 a.m. They were wasting time, which is specifically what she promised herself wouldn’t happen today. But as another team zipped into the plaza, Lexi couldn’t shake the feeling that, like it or not, Ron was right. If anyone got wind they solved the fable list, they’d lose their advantage.
“Okay,” Lexi said.
“Okay?” Mal gasped, whirling toward her.
“For real?” Ron asked, his face contorted into a dubious expression.
Lexi waved him off. “Yeah, go.” She paused and pointed. “But on two conditions: one, you go fast, and two…” She eyed his behemoth of a backpack. “Your swag stays here.”
Ron arched an eyebrow. “Wow, Magill. That hurts. You really think I’d set up shop while you’re waiting for me? Where’s the trust?”
“I trust you, but I also know you, and this way you won’t be tempted.”
Ron cocked his other eyebrow. “All right, deal. But, as long as you’re going to be hanging out here…”
Lexi crossed her arms. “Yeah?”
“You can sell.”
“What? No way!”
Ron dragged his pack to her. “Why not? What’s the big deal? You have to wait for me, anyway. Besides, I really need to sell this stuff. Otherwise I won’t have enough for camp, and I’ll have completely wasted my weekend.”
Lexi sucked in a breath. She’d been so annoyed with Ron’s swag she’d forgotten his reason for selling it. Football camp probably meant as much to him as the academy meant to her.
Mal raised her camera. “He has a point. I’ll take some photos, too. That way we won’t have to use up a lot of race time later.”
“Yeah,” Lexi said, remembering Mal’s photo exhibit. While Lexi didn’t know anything about photography, she could understand how photos of the garden would be impressive. “I guess that makes sense. But—”
“Awesome! You’re the best, Magill!” Ron said, emptying his pack.
Lexi closed her eyes and pinched her nose. It’s not that she minded selling, it was more like where she was selling. If any of her former classmates saw her, she’d die of embarrassment. If Dr. Harrison spotted her, well, she could only wonder what he’d think. She could just picture the scientists asking for an update and all he could say is that she was standing in the middle of the plaza selling swag. Not solving science problems, not discussing the tournament with other teams, not reviewing teleport principles… selling swag.
She opened her eyes. The only good thing was that the tree they were under was a little out of the way. Teams running straight into the maze would have no reason to look in her direction.
“Oh, and move up some, too,” Ron directed. “You need a prime location. Customers will miss you back here.” He picked up the souvenirs and moved closer to the entrance.
Fan-tastic.
Lexi followed Ron as Mal ran ahead and disappeared down a path. “All right, I got it—just go,” Lexi said. “And hurry.”
Ron left as a family of four entered the plaza.
Don’t look. Don’t look. Keep walking.
Nope.
“Bonjour!” the man said as he approached.
“Hi,” Lexi said. “Would you like to buy anything? It’s all from the Green Bay Packers.”
“Sure. My brother’s in Americ
a right now. Boy, will he be surprised when he gets back.” The man picked up a cap and placed it on his head. “Twenty euros.”
Lexi didn’t think twice. “Sold!” The man handed over the money, and Lexi took it with a smile. That wasn’t so bad.
More people came, and within ten minutes, Lexi was getting into it. A cap there, a shirt here. Maybe if she sold enough, Ron wouldn’t have to sell the rest of the trip. Heck yeah.
“GET YOUR GREEN BAY PACKERS GEAR HERE!”
For an added effect, Lexi waved her arms over her head. It worked. Bunches of would-be customers wandered her way. She made a few sales, and as she stuffed the cash into the side of Ron’s pack, a shrill laugh rang out.
“O.M.G!”
Oh no. Lexi jerked. Haley approached, laughing like a hyena. “What in the world are you doing?”
Lexi relaxed. Haley she could handle. Haley at least would understand. She waved her friend over. “Hey, Hale. Just watching Ron’s stuff while he’s plotting a course through the maze.”
“Plotting a course?”
“Yeah, he’s into corn mazes, so he said he could track the fastest path.”
Haley laughed. “Ohhhh, that’s an interesting idea. It is twisty in there. Andre didn’t want to waste any time, though. We’ve been zigzagging all around. I think we’ve gotten to about twelve statues so far.” She tightened her ponytail. “They’re setting up a food tent, so we thought we’d take a quick break before diving back in.”
Twelve statues? Lexi swallowed hard. Haley was a third done and Team RAM hadn’t even started. Hopefully by visiting only the statutes they needed to, they’d make up some time.
Before Lexi could respond, Haley sprung toward Lexi and gripped her elbow. “Guess what? I talked to Dr. Harrison this morning, and he mentioned me to Dr. Vogt!”
Lexi startled. “Really?”
“Yep! Dr. Harrison said the scientists had asked how the race was going, and he mentioned the top teams. Isn’t that awesome? I’m totally getting that internship!”
Lexi sucked in a gasp. First, Haley was a third done with the maze, and now Dr. Vogt knew about her. Lexi tried smiling to show she was happy for her friend, but her body suddenly felt very heavy.