Chapter Two – Hunt the Thimble
“You want me to what?”
“Pleeease!” I continue, my hands clasped together with a sparkle in my eye, “You said yourself you love to write, this’ll be a challenge!”
“Well, at least you’re polite in your demanding these days,” comes the teasing reply as he ruffles my hair, “How long do we have? The rest of the day?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, before throwing my arms around him in a big hug. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome,” he chuckles, before breaking away. “Go on, don’t you have someone else to pester?”
“Sure do!” I grin, bounding happily out of the darkest room in the house. Where’d I put that brother of mine again?
“How’d it go?” Kii asks on my return.
I stay quiet, but wear a smug grin as I give him the thumbs up.
“Oh really?”
“Yep!” I reply happily, “Riddles, replacement, everything! Now all that needs doing is to settle in!”
“So, who’s this replacement?” Alec asks. I swear he doesn’t trust my judgement or something.
“My brother Luca,” I smile in reply, “He’s a nice guy, you’ll like him I’m sure. Pretty reserved though, but at home he’s as loopy as the rest of us!”
“Uh-huh…”
“Am I scaring you already?” I tease.
He smiles awkwardly, shaking his head as he moves upstairs, to play on his guitar he says, but I think he’s a little unnerved. Bless him. There’s a sociable guy in there somewhere, I’m officially making it my mission to coax him out. In fact he reminds me of Luca… maybe that’s why I’m so determined to do it.
Speak of the devil! By the time we all get to the house he’s already there, waiting outside.
“Thanks for stepping in,” I tell him after we greet.
“You kidding?” he laughs, “Wasn’t gonna turn this down! Haven’t done one of these since junior school!”
“Yeah, I did figure it was a silly question,” I chuckle, before introducing him to the others. Before we step inside though, something occurs to me as I turn to address them.
“Erm, just remembered,” I tell them, “I’d better warn you guys, our Dad wrote the clues and we’re all fruitcakes in our family, so…”
“Just be grateful it wasn’t Mum you asked,” Luca mentions.
“Good point,” I agree as he turns to the others.
“Dad’s actually the most sensible of us, believe it or not,” he tells them.
“Quite the writer too, that’s why I asked him,” I add, before looking about myself, “Okay, where’s he put the first…?”
“Maybe inside?” Kii suggests, and we all head indoors. We look around for at least half a minute, before I feel a tap on my shoulder.
“Wouldn’t be this would it?” Luca checks, gesturing to a noticeboard in the hallway.
“Right in front of our noses?” I reply as we all follow, “Very likely.”
Yell or shout or cry or cheer
While sat snug upon your rear
Enjoy with friends or alone
In the comfort of your home“Huh… okay,” I muse aloud.
“Well, it’s indoors, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t get it,” Zamir complains. I repeat the riddle in Italian, but all he does is shrug. “I still don’t get it,” he complains.
Oh, haaang on a minute!
“Hey guys!” I call as I race off, “This way!”
“Beauty!”
“Genius!” Alec grins.
“I know,” I reply playfully, tossing my hair. I notice Luca rolling his eyes somewhere behind me, and decide to polish my nails on my shirt just to wind him up.
“Just find the next clue!” he chides, tapping my rear with his foot.
“Si Signore!” I salute, before rummaging in the cabinet.
“Not on the screen …?!” Kii checks.
“That’d be too obvious,” Luca tells him.
Aha! Gotcha! Right, let’s see…
Keep belongings safe and sound
No trace of dust to be found
Yet unwelcome friends may roam
Keep at bay with balls of foam“What?” Zamir quizzes. Once again, the Italian version doesn’t help. Maybe this just isn’t his thing.
“He did warn you,” Luca supplies.
“Yes Dad, very poetic,” I muse, “Unwelcome friends?”
“Balls of foam?” Alec echoes.
We ponder the puzzle for a good few minutes, looking about ourselves. Then Luca gets hit by a brainwave – must’ve hurt!
“Oh, wait…” he begins, before he tears up the stairs. Shrugging I follow suit, and hear the thundering behind me of the others’ feet as they try to catch up.
“Balls of foam – mothballs!” he grins.
“Unwelcome friends being the moths…” I add.
“I’ll have to meet this father of yours some time…!” Kii says.
I cross my arms uncomfortably as I look at Luca, but he’s already half submerged in the wardrobe.
“Okay Dad, where’ve you hidden the next one?” he remarks as he rummages inside. Zamir opens the other door and joins in the search, tossing clothes everywhere as he does so.
“Here we go!” comes the triumphant cry from my brother as he surfaces, “With a complementary mothball, no less!”
Play word games upon my door
Look within to use the store
Trust me with your fresher food
My cool breath will keep them good“Ha!” Zamir scoffs, “Word games! Look who’s talking…!”
I merely grin as I flutter my eyebrows, while Luca speaks.
“Oh, he’s very good at that! He’ll make a good writer, that’s for…” He stops as Alec suddenly takes off, and we exchange puzzled looks. “Where’s he going?”
“This way!!”
“That was too easy,” the Australian proclaims smugly, “Food? Cool breath?”
“You’re slipping Dad!” Luca says, tutting playfully as Alec forages around in the fridge. I decide to leave him to it – he’s the one with the woolly. Even so, he shivers as he eventually closes the door.
“Damn, it’s cold in there!” he complains, producing the note.
“That’s a good sign it’s working!” I supply with a cheeky grin. Luca nudges me as Kii takes the note from him. “Hey, don’t start on me!” I tease, prodding him in the ribs. As anticipated, Luca shrieks and grabs at my hands. I in turn wave them about, making occasional jabs at his ribs which, this time, he manages to dodge.
“You wanna take this outside?!” he challenges.
“Come on guys!” a laughing Kii prompts us, and we oblige as he reads out the next clue.
I will keep you fed and well
Hear for the sound of the bell
Open, close, don’t leave alone
In mere minutes it is doneLuca and I exchange looks, before the pair of us burst out laughing.
“Definitely slipping!” I chuckle, “Deary me!”
“Don’t speak too soon!” Kii tells me,” “I’ll bet he’s saved the best for last…” So saying, he begins to rummage. “He’s even made it hard to find the clue!”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” I snigger, before frowning a little. “You alright in there?”
“Got it!” a little voice eventually announces from within the small appliance.
Rest your weary legs or head
When there is no time for bed,
But beware the humble seat
For your small change it will eatLuca and I exchange expressions of puzzlement as I rub my chin thoughtfully.
“I spoke too soon didn’t I.”
“So did I dear bro, so did I.”
Kii props himself up on the counter as we all look to each other, but it seems Dad’s well and truly got us on this one. Talk about saving the best for last.
“Well, it’s not a bed,” Luca ponders, “That’s mentioned in the clue.”
Alec’s fingertips feel the stubble around his face as he speaks.
“Okay, this is gonna take…”
“Hold on a sec!” I cry happily. Now it’s my turn to be hit by a brainwave, and my fast little legs carry me with speed back into the front room, before I stretch out on the last object.
“How many times have we lost coppers down the cushions?” I ask Luca, not expecting an answer.
“Ah,” he replies, “Well done you!” So saying he pats my head, just like you would a dog. To play up on that I start panting and making barking noises.
“What’re you like?!” Alec says, once he’s stopped laughing.
“Like… me!” I grin with a sparkle in my eye.
“Dad and Jo are the more serious ones, even though that’s not saying much,” Luca tells them, before thumbing in my direction, “He’s the nuttiest.”
“Oh, look who it is!” I announce as one of the staff emerges, complete with cameraman in tow. Question time now, eh? I’ll do my best…
Leo: Well, we all had a great time, be it bantering with each other, being on the receiving end of Dad’s practised pen, leaving our mark in the bedroom… Don’t blame me! I don’t care what the others say about teenager’s bedrooms and being messy… *tosses hair* Won’t catch Luca or me doing that, we were brought up proper *sniffs*
Luca: Oi! *slaps Leo’s arm* Don’t you know the Queen’s English? *playful grin* I don’t know…
Leo: Of course I know she’s English! Who doesn’t?! *both brothers laugh* What? Was it easy? Erm, sort of – camera editing does wonders, eh? *winks* No slackers if that’s what you meant, although they all want to meet our parents now! I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not…!
“Why wouldn’t it?” Alec asks as we get back home.
“Erm,” I begin, shifting from foot to foot, “Well, this town’s very different…”
I look up as the staff member beckons us inside. It seems our questions aren’t over yet…
Hobbies? What, aside from the music? Oh, okay. Well, I like to go for a run in the park. No I don’t take my mp3 player; all you hear in the park is the birds singing, maybe the odd dog barking. The sheer quiet of the area, accompanying the rhythm of your feet pounding on the path, is very relaxing.
As much as I enjoy the sunshine, I look forward to the nights just as much. Most teens would love for their parents to be tucked away in bed all day, but it has its flip-side. I don’t know if I’d be so close to them if things had been different, but I don’t think about that. I just look forward to giving Dad another kicking at darts!
What? Yes, that’s my Dad. I did say they’re different, you thought it was something small didn’t you? After I said we’re all the same age too? Tsk tsk. Was that not a clue? I’ll give you another; check his teeth. Mum? Let’s see… Ah, here she is!
She’s several hundred years old, and she’s also the one who bit him. Long story, one I don’t even know the full version of, but I do know that much. Moving swiftly on… Two things that tick me off? Top of the list are bigots!
Not only what I read in the paper, but Dad often mentions the time he found his gay brother
this close to death in an alley. Some a***holes thought they had the right to decide that gay people don’t have the right to live. I nearly lost a very nice Uncle ‘cause of them. Yeah, they tick me off big time for that alone.
Another? Whoever said all guys love football (soccer if you're American) needs to sit down with me some time, I’ll soon change their mind.
Why do I hate it so much? Let’s see, there’s their ridiculous wage, the hype, the violence, and what does it all come down to? Twenty-two men kicking an inflated piece of leather across a pitch. I can’t understand why people get so worked up about it – give us their wage for a
week and we’ll never have to worry about money again!
Shut me up now before I get to anything else – oh yeah, I need to unpack. My room’s picked, but there’s only so long I can live out of boxes. Catch ya later!
