Gasparilla's Treasure (Trip Mongomery Book 1) (14 page)

Mom let them all go, a little embarrassed.  They all exchanged huge, triumphant smiles.

“Oh, yeah,” said Josh, as he reached into his backpack.  “Do you think anyone would be interested in this old thing?”

He pulled out the diamond owl tree.  It still had a small piece of the broken cane attached to it.  He also held a small pouch of coins and jewels.  The group could not believe what they saw.

“When did you…?  How…?” Trip tried to ask.

“I grabbed it and was trying to document the historic moment with a picture when you came back and manhandled me out of there.  Why is your family so rough anyway?”

The group stared at Josh and burst out laughing.

“Oh, yeah,” said Josh, opening the biggest pocket on his backpack.  “You owe me some flashlights and rope and stuff.  I dumped that stuff out in there to make room for this stuff.”

Inside his backpack were handfuls of treasure from the wooden crate.

Josh looked at them all with a goofy smile.  “What?  Didn’t you guys get any treasure?”

Trip sat next to Pappy's bed, showing him pictures of the adventure.  Josh really did take some wonderful shots.

“It was incredible, Pappy!  And now everything is going to be fine,” said Trip

“You are something else, Trip,” said Pappy.  “I knew you could do it.  Thank you for giving this old man something to live for.”

They shared a brief moment of pure, restful happiness.  No treasure, no clues, no worries.

“Now, enough lolly-gagging,” said Pappy.  “It's time for you to get busy on that next clue.”

“Next clue?” asked Trip.  “What are you talking about?  There are no more clues.  We found
Gasparilla’s treasure!”

Pappy was full of pride and excitement.  He looked deep into Trip's eyes.  He wished he could take a drink from the Fountain of Youth so he could stick around to see what the future had in store for Trip.

“This is only the beginning, Trip,” said Pappy.  “You're going to do some amazing things.”

He stared at Trip a moment longer and the intensity left Pappy's face.

“Now where is my neutron particle generator?  Professor Pettigrew!” Pappy said.  “Did you take my neutron generator again?  You know I need it to travel back to my time.”

Trip sat there, confused.  Not by Pappy’s delusions, but by what he had said in his moment of clarity.

Days later, Trip and Sarah walked hand in hand through the schoolyard as Josh caught up with them.

“Have you guys ever heard of PDA?” asked Josh, disgusted.  “It stands for public display of affection, and it makes most people sick.”

“Oh, get over it, Josh,” huffed Sarah.

The trio approached Eli.

“Hello Eli,” said Trip.

Eli jumped back.  He was still a nervous wreck.

“Oh, hi, Trip,” said Eli.  “I was just...  I was going to... Look, just leave me alone, OK?  I just want to forget about this whole thing.”

“Fine by me,” said Trip.  “Hey, did you see the front page of The New York Times today?”

Trip gave the paper to Eli.  The cover donned a great picture Josh had taken of Trip in the treasure room. Trip read the headline.

"
Three teens make history with the archaeological find of the century
.  Nice headline, don't you think?”

Josh leaned in and pointed at his credit for the photo.

“Look there,” said Josh.  “Photo by Josh Halover.  That's me!  I'm a professional photographer!”

“Hey, if we ever go on another adventure,” said Trip, “we'll be sure to invite you along, Eli.”

“Yeah?  No, thanks,” said Eli, as he tried to hand the paper back to Trip.

“You can keep that,” said Trip.  “Now I'm sorry we can't stay and chat, but 20/20 has us scheduled for an interview in twenty minutes.”

Trip, Josh, and Sarah walked away.  They could make things right with Eli later, but for now, it just felt good to rub it in.

Trip, Josh, and Sarah stood in the middle of a beautiful field.  The birds chirped happy tunes.  The warm glow of the sun gave life to a beautiful green field surrounded by trees.

“I've got something I want to show you guys,” said Josh.

Josh showed them the diamond owl tree.

“Yeah, we've seen that before,” said Trip.

Josh twisted the broken piece of cane at the base of the tree.

“I know you’ve seen it, but have you seen this?”

The cane and the diamond owl tree separated to reveal a hidden compartment.  Josh pulled out an ancient piece of rolled up paper.

“What is that?” Trip asked.

“Oh, it's just another map.  That's all,” Josh said, as he put the paper back into the compartment.  He walked away, leaving Trip and Sarah with a million questions.

They chased after Josh, pressing him for details, but Josh wouldn’t say a word.

An owl sat in a nearby tree and watched as Trip, Josh, and Sarah walked away into their future.

THE END

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Thank you for taking the time to read
Gasparilla’s Treasure
. As an independent author, I don’t have the means to publicize my books the way a publisher would. I rely entirely on readers like you to help me spread the word. So please, take a moment to leave a quick, honest review on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, or wherever is convenient for you. Thank you again for giving me your valuable reading time. I really appreciate it!

ALSO BY SCOTT CLEMENTS

The Forgotten Secret
- In this follow up to
Gasparilla’s Treasure, Trip, Josh, and Sarah team up with mysterious adventurer Juan Gonzalez on a quest to unite The Triumvirate, a legendary trio of mystical items that when brought together, will give the holder unimaginable power.

The Protector of Peace
– This story picks up just weeks after the surprising ending of
The Forgotten Secret
. Can Trip stay focused and strengthen his connection with
The Protector?
Can he stay one step ahead of the evil presence bent on destroying him?

The Protector of Peace
is packed with adventure as Trip follows clues left by the Founding Fathers of the United States, in hope of stopping
The Destroyer
from ruling the world. If he fails and
The Destroyer
unites all three pieces of
The Triumvirate
, the world as we know it will change forever.

That Pet Finder Kid
- Have you ever felt your pets are your only true friends? That's exactly how 13-year-old Chet Parker felt every day of his life. After failing at sports, music, and almost everything imaginable, he gave up on ever finding his place in the world. But thanks to an accidental dose of modified dog DNA, things were about to change for Chet. With a newfound connection to his 6-month-old dog Zoe, Chet learns that Mr. Fluffy Pants, the cat of the most popular girl in school, has gone missing. Will Chet's off-the-wall investigative methods drive him further down the social ladder? Or will they lift him up to claim his spot as That Pet Finder Kid?

For more information on Scott Clements and his books, visit:
www.HappyBrownDog.com

Once upon a time, there was a young boy living in Ft. Walton Beac
h, Florida. As the youngest of three children, the boy was small. He watched from off stage as his sister danced and twirled on stage in whatever production his mother’s ballet company was performing. The boy and his brother worked with their father to build sets, hang lights, and do whatever technical things needed to be accomplished for the ballet. The boy loved being with his family as he watched the stories unfold on the stage in front of him.

One day, when the boy was going into 7th grade, he decided he wanted to play the trumpet. He joined the band and practiced really hard. The boy enjoyed being in the band because it allowed him to be a small part of a powerful team. When that team worked together as one, they could accomplish great things. When the boy made it to high school, he continued to play trumpet in one of the greatest marching bands in the southeast.

The boy and his friends loved to make goofy videos, so it was no surprise when he decided to go into the movie and television business. He went to college and studied to become a sound mixer. While in college, he met a beautiful princess and four years later they were married.

The boy became a man, spending years working behind the scenes on movies and TV shows, again being part of talented teams that together could do amazing things. The man and the princess had a son of their own, and it was the greatest day in the man’s life. As his son grew and started to read books, the man decided he wanted to write stories his son could enjoy. Having been surrounded by the entertainment business his entire life, the man discovered he really enjoyed writing books.

The man currently lives in Orlando, Florida and is happy every time someone reads one of his books. He continues to work on movies, TV shows, and his books in hopes that he can help entertain all the people in the kingdom.

THE END

Nothing I do would be possible without the support of my amazing wife Paige.  She is my strength.  Without her, I could not even remember to bring my head with me when I leave the house.

And from my son Corey, I draw my inspiration and innocent view of the world.  Without his belief that Daddy can do anything, I would not have been able to complete this book.

One final shout out to my big sister and editor, Enger Dickey.  She stepped up when I was desperate for an editor, and was instrumental in bringing you this story.