Serina K. and the Case of the Missing Recipe Page 15

  Chapter Fifteen: Pay Dirt

  I considered the day a success. The last few weeks had been pretty hectic. With all of the adversity that I had faced the past few weeks, things were finally starting to return to normal. Actually, they were better than before. I had a new outlook on life. I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to be a chef, scientist, or a veterinarian anymore. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. It felt good to help Sara and that guy at the police station. It would be neat to be a philosopher, counselor, or something like that. Mrs. Barnes had told me not to worry about it and leave my future to God. So far, her advice seemed to be working. Things were going great. For the moment, I just wanted to savor my good fortune.

  After I returned home, I went upstairs to collect my metal detector and headed out into the field behind my house. Even though I had no desire to become rich and famous any longer, hunting for treasure in the field provided me with a sense of serenity. Even though I hadn’t found any treasure yet, I enjoyed the nostalgia that came along with the junk I found. For instance, I learned that whoever buried the old coffee can that I used for my Social Studies project preferred their coffee decaffeinated.

  I often wonder what life must have been like in the old days. Besides the coffee can, I’ve found old soup and soda cans. Although they’re rusty and covered in dirt, the cans were in someone’s kitchen cabinet at one time. I wonder who they were and what they are doing now. Sometimes, I just wish I could go back in time to teach them how to recycle.

  Like most days, I wasn’t having much luck finding any treasures. I swept the metal detector back and forth across the landscape, while Suzy embarked on an adventure of his own. I watched in wonder as he ran aimlessly with his nose to the ground. He would stop every now and then as if he had found what he was looking for only to turn around and run in the direction he just came from. His K9-like beak finally led him to some bushes at the edge of the field. He sniffed out a couple of wild rabbits from some bushes and chased them across the field. Unfortunately for him, Suzy was no match for the rabbits. The rabbits quickly disappeared into the woods. Seemingly giving up, Suzy galloped back in my direction. He ran past me and nearly tackled Autumn when he reached her.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” she said as Suzy licked away at her.

  Autumn and I had spent countless hours in the field searching for treasure. There were many times that we would stay until it got dark and lie in field gazing at the stars. Autumn knew that this was my favorite place to relax and wind down. I was happy to see her, but surprised as well.

  “I wasn’t searching for something to make me famous,” I insisted. “I’ve given that up. I was just hoping to find some nostalgia. I got distracted by Suzy for a little while. He was busy harassing a couple of rabbits before he spotted you. He sure is happy to see you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Suzy,” she said as she pat him on his belly. “I came by to say goodbye,” she said to me.

  “Goodbye?”

  “We’re going back to Chicago tomorrow morning.”

  “Are you not going to stay for the Doodle Soup festival?”

  “Mom said that she has to be back by noon tomorrow for a meeting with the investors of the company.”

  “What about the missing recipe? Aren’t you going to stay until it’s found?”

  “Mom said something about having to meet a deadline. I wanted to come by and say goodbye before we leave. I’ve been feeling bad every since I talked to you at the softball tournament. I was really mean to you and Sara”

  “I said some pretty mean things too,” I said.

  “I was just so happy to see you that day at the school that I became jealous of your friendship with Sara,” she explained. “I wish she was here with you so I could apologize to her. I hope she doesn’t hate me.”

  “I think she respects you more than she’ll ever admit. Her feelings were hurt for a little while, but I think she’s going to bounce back.”

  “I hope so. What about you? Will you ever forgive me?”

  “Actually, I think everything was meant to happen the way that it did. When I thought that I’d lost my best friend forever, I began to doubt myself and question my purpose in life. Pastor Thomas and Mrs. Barnes provided me with a new direction and helped me regain my confidence. There was just one thing missing, but now I’ve finally got my best friend back.”

  We gave each other a big hug and promised that we would be friends forever. We vowed to never let anything come between us again. We laughed and reminisced about old times as we walked across the field and watched Suzy hunt down another family of rabbits. Suddenly, my metal detector began to vibrate.

  “It’s probably just another old can,” I said turning the metal detector off.

  “Might as well check it out,” she said. “You never know when you might get lucky and find a buried treasure.”

  She was right. I would never be able to find the spot again if I didn’t dig it up now. If there was a buried treasure there, I’d never forgive myself if I passed it by. The only problem was that I didn’t have anything to dig it up with. I didn’t bring my shovel with me. Suzy quickly provided a solution to my problem.

  Suzy began digging feverishly at the spot where my metal detector had indicated the unknown treasure was. Whatever was buried there, it had Suzy’s undivided attention. I was beginning to think that it might be an old dog food can. I had seen him dig like that to bury and hide his food that he was saving for later, but I had never seen him work so hard to dig something back up. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him dig anything back up. He usually forgets where he buries his food. In a matter of minutes, though, I began to see fragments of the object. Knowing that he would probably claim the treasure for himself and run off with it once he finished digging, I moved him out of the way and finished digging with my hands. Once I got it loose, I pulled the object free from the remaining earth that covered it. When I shook the dirt off of it to reveal its identity, I could not believe my eyes.

  “What is it?” Autumn asked.

  “The discovery of a lifetime,” I answered.