Chapter Two – Finally Some Time Off!

After a few days of gruesome work, Nook finally let Elaine off.

"On one condition," he chattered. "You must continue to run errands for the neighbors."

Elaine smiled and dashed off to begin her explorations. She desired to run along the southern edge of the town, where there was a beach and a small pattern store owned by two sisters. She wanted to dance along under the trees and eat apples all day.

Mostly, she was glad to be away from that old grumbler of a Nook.

So she took to the edge of the lake, crossing bridges and the like, knowing that the sea would be waiting for her at the end of her yellow brick road. She was right; and the sea was so gorgeous! She ran forward and collected seashells and cherished them as she held them in her hands. She plucked up the courage to dance around the police station and make fun conversation with the guard stationed there.

She had nearly forgotten about her duty to Nook, but that was the least of her worries. Right now, she was content where she was – standing at the shore, as the tide washed up with sprays of white on the waves' crests. Yes, she wanted to be here now.

The sound of coughing startled her out of her happiness. As she looked on, an old pelican washed up onto the sand. "Girl!" he called to her. "Girl!"

Dumbfounded, she rushed to help him onto dry ground. He sputtered and coughed, and it was only then that Elaine realized what he was. The white-and-red-striped shirt said it all: a seaman! She gaped at him.

He studied her speculatively. "Come here," he said gruffly.

She approached him warily.

"If you can answer this riddle of mine, I will entrust you with a special quest."

Elaine continued to stare at him. "A... a riddle?"

"Yes, and here it is," he replied. "'I have leaves but they are square. Small things may enter me through three ways. What am I?'"

Elaine fumbled in her mind for the answer. I have leaves but they are square.... That was an odd thing to say. Trees and flowers had leaves, but they could not be entered... could they?

Her mind reeled, and for a moment, she was lost in anxiety, for she dearly hoped to go on this quest. Then she could return to Nook with the pride over running her first errand for someone – even though he wasn't her neighbor.

She thought back to something her mother had said once: "This is a book, Elaine. You read books. See, it has a spine, which closes the book all up. And it has three sides where you can see the pages.... Oh, look! Ants have gotten into it! They''ve gotten into the leaves!"

"Those aren't leaves, mama. Those are pages."

"No, dear. People used to call pages leaves, in the olden-times."

Elaine beamed at the pelican. "A book has leaves and three sides through which little creatures like ants can enter."

The pelican nodded intuitively. "Well, then, Elaine," he smiled. He bent his beak low to her ear and whispered, "I will trust you with my secret."

Elaine stood outside of the train station, wondering at how her life had changed, just with that short meeting with the sea-pelican.

"Come, follow me," he'd said. He indicated that they should enter her house, where they would not be overheard. So she led him there, her arms prickling with nerves all the way.

When they entered, the pelican pulled her aside, and he said, "I have a treasure that must be found. I buried it twenty years ago, and now I want it to be taken to the museum, here in Cattington Falls. I was born here and I would like my legend to stay here."

"What must I do?" Elaine asked.

"You must buy a train ticket and hop onto the first train out of here. Don't mind where you end up, because I have left my clues all over these parts."

"Don't you know where it is yourself?" Elaine questioned, wodering why he couldn't just go and get it himself.

'Ahh, but I want it to be found."

So here she was, ready to board a train, after just arriving. As she stood there, she wondered, Where will I end up?