🇪🇸 The Salty Spain Special — Chapter 5

⛲ The Fountain of Clues

The morning after the great fish-market feast, the Salty Gang were up early.

Well…

Most of them.

Ye Olde Large Lad was still asleep.

Captain Morgan opened the curtains and looked outside.

“Beautiful morning.”

Dinkz grabbed a coffee.

“Perfect day for treasure hunting.”

McFinleyyy checked the map.

“We follow the clues.”

John Daniels nodded.

“Simple.”

Salty smiled.

“Nothing can go wrong.”

Sarah looked at him.

“Every time you say that, something goes wrong.”

Salty ignored her.

He had a treasure to find.

🗺️ Following the Clues

The group set off through the Spanish streets, following the directions on the map.

The first clue led them past a café.

The second took them towards a little square.

The third appeared to point towards a fountain.

But there was something else.

Someone was following them.

Salty noticed first.

He turned around.

A young woman was walking towards them.

She smiled.

“Are you the treasure hunters?”

Everyone stopped.

Salty looked surprised.

“Depends who's asking.”

She laughed.

“My name's Vicky.”

Sarah looked at Salty.

Salty suddenly stood a little straighter.

Vicky was very attractive, and it was immediately obvious that she found Salty rather charming.

She looked at him and smiled.

“I've heard about you.”

Salty raised an eyebrow.

“Good things, I hope?”

Vicky smiled.

“Mostly.”

Dinkz whispered to McFinleyyy:

“That's Salty finished.”

McFinleyyy nodded.

“Completely.”

😎 Salty Turns on the Charm

Vicky explained that she had seen the group earlier and recognised the treasure map.

“I think I can help you,” she said.

Captain Morgan looked at the map.

“Do you know where it leads?”

Vicky shook her head.

“But I know there are old clues around this part of town.”

Salty smiled.

“Then you're officially one of us.”

Vicky laughed.

“Just like that?”

“Absolutely.”

Sarah shook her head.

“He's never that quick to recruit people.”

Susan smiled.

“She's attractive.”

Sarah nodded.

“Exactly.”

Salty pretended he hadn't heard.

“Right, team. Let's concentrate on the treasure.”

Vicky smiled at him.

“Yes, Salty.”

Salty suddenly became very interested in the map.

⛲ The Mysterious Fountain

Eventually, they reached a beautiful old fountain in the centre of a small square.

Captain Morgan stopped.

“This must be it.”

McFinleyyy examined the map.

“The symbols match.”

Everyone gathered around the fountain.

There was an inscription carved into the stone.

Unfortunately, it was in Spanish.

Dinkz stared at it.

“I don't speak Spanish.”

John Daniels shook his head.

“Neither do I.”

Large Lad looked at the writing.

“I SPEAK LARGE.”

Nobody understood what that meant.

Vicky took out her phone.

“Let's translate it.”

She typed the words into a translator.

Everyone waited.

The result appeared.

Vicky read it aloud:

“May your travels find your goal.”

There was silence.

Salty looked at the fountain.

“That's it?”

Captain Morgan nodded.

“That's the clue.”

Sarah frowned.

“But what does it mean?”

McFinleyyy studied the map.

“Maybe the journey itself is the clue.”

Susan pointed towards the fountain.

“Look.”

There was a small stone plaque underneath the inscription.

It showed a compass.

North.

South.

East.

West.

And one direction had been marked with a tiny golden star.

Salty grinned.

“Now we're getting somewhere.”

Vicky stood beside him.

“Which way?”

Salty looked at the compass.

Then at Vicky.

Then back at the compass.

“I'm thinking.”

Dinkz whispered:

“You're not thinking.”

“What?”

“You're looking at Vicky.”

Salty coughed.

“I was checking the surroundings.”

Vicky laughed.

“Very subtle.”

Sarah burst out laughing.

Even Captain Morgan couldn't keep a straight face.

🧭 The Next Direction

McFinleyyy pointed towards the golden star.

“It points east.”

Captain Morgan folded the map.

“Then east we go.”

Large Lad suddenly appeared from behind everyone.

“DOES EAST HAVE BREAKFAST?”

Everyone stared at him.

“You've only just woken up,” said Susan.

“I KNOW.”

“You slept through breakfast.”

“I WAS RESTING FOR THE TREASURE.”

Salty shook his head.

“Come on, Large Lad.”

The gang began walking east.

Vicky stayed beside Salty.

“So,” she said, “are you always like this?”

Salty smiled.

“Like what?”

“Confident.”

“Absolutely.”

“Even when you don't know where you're going?”

Salty thought about it.

“Especially then.”

Vicky laughed.

Sarah overheard.

“Oh, she's going to fit in perfectly.”

The group disappeared down the Spanish street, following the golden star on the compass.

Behind them, the fountain continued to flow peacefully.

Nobody noticed the tiny symbol carved underneath the plaque.

A symbol that looked remarkably like…

a treasure chest.

The adventure was getting serious.

And for the first time, the Salty Gang realised that the mysterious map might actually lead to something valuable.

They just had to find it.

And hopefully…

before Large Lad found another restaurant.

🇪🇸⛲🗺️ TO BE CONTINUED…