Willa’s Candleless Birthday Clue — Under the salty snap of party flags, Willa tapped the lid of the birthday treasure chest and whispered her challenge: find the candle spark before the first gull cried twice. Read the full story →
Under the salty snap of party flags, Willa tapped the lid of the birthday treasure chest and whispered her challenge: find the candle spark before the first gull cried twice. She had hidden everything else herself—coins that clinked, ribbon that smelled of new paper, even a lemon cake tucked safely inside the chest—but the little silver spark-box was gone. A damp triangle of paper peeked from under a coin. On it, someone had drawn three anchors and one wavy line.
Willa left the bright table and followed the clue past the palm shadows, where sand stuck cool between her toes. At the gangplank, the harbor water knocked knock-knocked below, and a loose plank lifted with a creak. Beneath it sat the spark-box, plus a tiny note: For the one who notices small things. “I knew this party had a secret,” Willa breathed.
She carried it back, but she did not light the candles yet. First, she tucked the note beside the cake, because a mystery was better when shared. The gull cried once, then twice, and next time you spot the treasure chest, see if you can guess where Willa hid the candleless birthday clue.
