Treasure Hunt

"Remember! No loud talking!" Tyler and Alyssa looked at the Guardian who had always been present at the doorway to the wondrous world that they were privileged enough to enter. They had discussed their mission of finding the book that held magic and tales of a magician. Although they knew that they may need assistance in deciphering words and understanding their meanings, Tyler and Alyssa were excited about learning more about this mysterious world and the enchantments that it held.

"Do you know where it is?" Alyssa whispered to her brother while looking over her shoulder to ensure that she wasn't drawing the attention of the Guardian. "I don't. But, as soon as we find an Oracle, I am sure that we will get help." They could see other Information Seekers throughout this treasure landscape as they moved around looking through items that came across their path. In previous visits they had stumbled on tales of adventures, about dragons and Vikings. Tales of Olympus were always amongst their favorites. They kept their eyes open this time for signs of the magician as they sensed that they were in the right area. As they turned the corner, Alyssa nudged Tyler and pointed to an Oracle. No one was there, yet they knew that at any moment another Information Seeker would approach it to get clues as to where their hidden treasure could be found. "Quick!" Tyler whispered "Key in the name and I'll keep a look out." As Alyssa's hands shook with excitement, she hoped that the Oracle would help her through any mistakes that she might enter. "It worked!" Alyssa exclaimed. "Shh!" the Guardian chastised. Alyssa covered her mouth with her hand and the Guardian turned around. Tyler quickly took out a notepad and pencil from his knapsack and wrote the code that would help them. "Thank you!" they both whispered to the Oracle as they stepped away to find the path that would lead them to what they wanted.

They passed other Information Seekers along each path and they both hoped that their treasure wasn't found by another. A young Information Seeker walked by and smiled at them as she made her way in the opposite direction of the path. "Stop!" Tyler whispered. "It has to be around here." He held out the piece of paper with the code that the Oracle had given them. Their eyes searched feverishly through each item. Alyssa traced her finger along each item as if willing their prize to make themselves known. Then, she squinted her eyes and looked at the combination of letters and numbers that were on an item and referenced it back to the code that the Oracle had given them. She double checked and then she felt an overwhelming surge ripple through her as she realized that their treasure was right in front of them.  "I found it! I found it!" Alyssa yelled. Not only was she yelling, but she was clapping her hands and jumping up and down which gave away their exact location. Tyler grabbed the volume and reached out to grab his sisters' hand. As they heard the footsteps of the Guardian making her way towards them, Tyler and Alyssa walked faster. As he led his sister up the path, the Guardian stopped right in front of them with her hands on her hips.

"I swear, I tell you two every week when you come to the library to keep your voices down! This is not a playground!" "Sorry Ms. Reilly." Alyssa said as she looked at the librarian. "I was just excited because we found our treasure!" she said as she snatched the Harry Potter book out of her brother's hands. "We are going to meet the greatest Wizard and all his friends. Our adventure has begun!" Alyssa exclaimed as they followed the librarian to the front desk to check out the book. The librarian put her finger to her lips to remind Alyssa to keep her voice down. “You’re right! I should keep my voice down because we don’t want you know who to find out that we have this magical book!” Ms. Reilly looked at the children with confusion. “You know,” Tyler said in a hushed voice “the name that cannot be spoken!” The children continued their incessant chatter as they walked to the front desk to check out their book. Tyler proudly gave her his library card and they both waited for their prize. “You forgot to give back my special key Ms. Reilly!” Tyler stated matter of fact. “What special key?” the librarian asked with a hint of confusion in her tone. Tyler pointed to his library card. “How else are we going to come back and get another treasure?” Ms. Reilly gave back the library card while hiding a smile. “Well, take special care of it.” “Oh, we will!” Alyssa exclaimed loudly. “Sorry Ms. Reilly.” she whispered. “We’ll see you next week because we’ll need to follow Harry into his next adventure!”

As they walked towards the front of the library, Alyssa stopped and turned towards her brother. “I’ll be right back, don’t move!” she said as she rushed back to the front desk. “Did you forget something? You didn’t give me a special key.” “No, you’re right I didn’t. I did forget something though. I forgot to say thank you for protecting all of these treasures! It takes a special person to do it. That’s why we call you the Guardian. You are the Guardian of all of these worlds. So, we know that’s why you need for us to keep our voices down. To keep the characters safe! We’ll remember next time. But if we don’t thank you for reminding us!” She smiled up at Ms. Reilly and then turned to meet her brother in the front of the library. “Hey! Don’t start reading it yet!” Alyssa said sternly. “Sorry Ms. Reilly!” she mouthed as she turned around. As the children left the library Ms. Reilly couldn’t help but smile at the children's imagination and love of reading. "I love my job." Ms. Reilly thought.