Read Witch Hollow and the Fountain Riddle (Book 2) Page 14

20. Treehouse Memories

  The three witches, Jack, Hector, Eric, and Ariadne, were sitting on the pool of the fountain in the square and peering inside it. None of them had ever seen the fountain working. It had never been filled with water. Instead, the fountain was full of rotten leaves and dust.

  “The key got caught on the whistler’s statue,” Electra thought aloud, examining the man-sized figure of the whistler with pointy shoes and a medieval beret on his head. “What could it have gotten caught on? Maybe on his flute?” She touched the hands of the whistler he was holding in front of his mouth. “His flute is gone. I wonder who has taken it.”

  Cassandra and Medea were examining the statue of a lady in 19th century clothing. She was wearing a long dress and a necklace, her hair collected into a beautiful hairdo. And Ariadne was looking at the last figure, a little boy in a nightgown and slippers, with a candleholder in his hands.

  “Maybe we need to enter the cave?” Medea suggested.

  “Why?” Jack asked. “What shall we do there without the key? If it’s indeed inhabited by deadly creatures, why would we endanger ourselves if we have no way to lock the door? We shall enter the cave only after we find the key, so search more thoroughly.”

  “Search more thoroughly.” Medea snorted. “We already examined every inch of this stupid fountain. There is no key.”

  “Are there any other fountains in Hollow?” Eric asked.

  “Plenty on the West Bank, but they are small,” Hector said.

  “And the book mentioned specifically the fountain in the square,” Cassandra said.

  “We are missing something,” said Electra. “There has to be something that has slipped our attention.”

  “Maybe we need to dig under the fountain?”

  “And how are you going to dig under the fountain on the square, Medea?” Jack asked. “Alright, my friends, this will be our homework for the next days or weeks or even months. I don’t know how much time we’ll need, but we have to solve this riddle. We need to find the key and lock that door. Search everywhere you can. Ask anyone you can, but don’t forget about caution. Read any book that may shed some light. Do anything you want, but solve this riddle.”