CANDY JONES AND THE LOST ANCIENT DOUGHNUT
PART ONE
Marcus Lucas, the museum owner, snipped the red ribbon across the very wide door of the Candy Museum and said in a proud voice, “I declare this museum open!” and everyone clapped and cheered and clicked their cameras. This was the Candy Museum and everyone had been waiting a very long time for it to open. Candy from all over the world was on display - Ancient Egyptian Fudge, Aztec Toffee, Mesopotamian Peanut Brittle, Roman Jelly Babies and much, much more crowded the shelves and cupboards and display cases of the Candy Museum and the person who had found all these ancient artefacts and brought them to the museum was a young girl, about ten, who was standing next to the museum owner smiling modestly and her name was Susan “Candy” Jones. She grasped her harpoon, which she carried wherever she went and looked on, as everyone crashed through the doors and scattered down all the corridors gaping at all the displays.
“And without you, Candy, none of this would have happened,” said Marcus, “You have risked your life to bring some of the most important candy artefacts to this museum and we thank you for it! And here is your pay!” He handed a small paper bag.
Candy peered inside, “Oh, wow! Butterscotch! My favourite!” But actually she was pretty fed up of candy. Any kind of candy, because she has spent the last few months travelling the world getting into all sorts of scrapes and escapades and adventures to find candy. She had scoured ancient candy maps, unlocked candy codes, solved endless candy mysteries. But now she was home and all her adventures were over. Or were they?
“What about the Ancient Greek Doughnut?” asked Candy remembering how she had dodged bullets, avoided traps and evaded capture by evil sweaty thieves to bring that particular candy back to the museum.
“Ah!” said Marcus, striding off, “The rarest and most expensive artefact in the entire Candy Museum. We had it valued recently and it is worth two million pounds!”
That was more money than Candy could ever have dreamed of and more money than most of the people scuttling through the museum at the moment could ever dream of either.
“Can I see it?” asked Candy, following Marcus.
Moments later they were standing before a door marked “Ancient Greek Doughnut - once nibbled by Alexander the Great in 331 BC (for breakfast).” And by the side a photograph of the doughnut - big, round and golden with a perfect hole in the centre and lots of Grecian Sprinkles all over it. It was a masterpiece.
“Of course all our artefacts will be returned to their countries of origin eventually, but just for now we get to enjoy them. We are so proud!” said Marcus, throwing open the door and walking in and then he went, “Ooooooooo!” and that was followed by an “Ahhhhhhhh!” which was followed by an “Eeeeeeeeee!”
In the centre of the room was a plinth. A plinth which was perfect for sitting a doughnut on, but there was no doughnut sitting on it!
“It’s gone!” said Candy, “Where’s it gone?”
Marcus slapped his forehead, “I wished I’d checked the CCTV cameras were working before we opened. I knew something like this would happen.”
Candy immediately jumped into action. She placed her harpoon carefully on the ground and stealthily walked towards the plinth. She knew the room was riddled with laser beams which, if touched, would trigger alarm bells and buzzers.
She hopped from side to side, rolled over, shuffled forward on her hands and knees and then sprang up in front of the plinth.
“It’s okay!” called Marcus, “I had the alarms switched off before we came in!” It was Candy’s turn to slap her forehead.
She was about to turn around and say, “What shall we do?” when she saw a note on the plinth and instead said, “What’s this?” She picked it up, “It’s a note!” She sniffed it, “It smells of cotton candy!” and she gazed at it, “It’s a message - and it’s written in chocolate!”
Candy showed the note to Marcus, who put on his glasses, and between them they started to read,
“I have stolen your stupid Doughnut. If you want it back I want money and lots of it!” And it ended with a big, chocolatey exclamation mark!
Marcus looked at Candy and Candy looked at Marcus and they both slapped their foreheads and both said at the same time, “Harry Bow!”
Harry Bow was the world’s most notorious, infamous and dangerous confectionery smuggler. Wherever Candy Jones went Harry Bow was close behind stealing, picking, nicking and snaffling away any ancient rock or gum or liquorice he could find and then he’d sell it on for a huge profit. He had to be stopped.
“Crumbs!” shouted Candy, pointing at a trail of crumbs leading from the room.
“Crumbs!” said Marcus, following them. And the trail led out of the room, down the corridor, through the foyer out the front door into the car park and straight to a small, white van which was revving its small engine.
A vicious face peered out of the windscreen - Harry Bow!
“You tell everyone what’s happened! I’ll get after him!” said Candy Jones as she lashed her harpoon to her back and jumped on her bike.
The van engine revved again and was soon speeding from the museum car park with Candy right behind.
What would happen next? How will the story end? Will Candy Jones rescue the stolen confectionary? Only you know the answer to Candy Jones and the Lost Ancient Doughnut.
