🇪🇸 The Salty Spain Special — Chapter 2

🧸 The Teddy Bear Treasure Map

Keywords: Salty travels to Spain, funny Spain holiday, Spanish adventure, treasure map, teddy bear mystery, Ye Olde Large Lad, McFinleyyy, Dinkz, Sarah and Susan, John Daniels, Captain Morgan, Misfits, holiday comedy

The Salty gang had arrived in Spain.

The flight had been perfect.

The train had been perfect.

And somehow, Salty had acquired a teddy bear from a complete stranger.

Nobody knew why.

Nobody knew where it came from.

And nobody had forgotten that the passenger had handed it over immediately after Salty asked where they could find some decent food.

Naturally, there was only one thing to do.

Investigate the teddy bear.

They were now sitting in their accommodation, gathered around a table like an international crime investigation team.

Salty placed the teddy in the middle.

“Right,” he announced. “Let's find out what's inside this thing.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because it's suspicious.”

Susan nodded.

“It is a little suspicious.”

Dinkz leaned forward.

“Could be anything.”

McFinleyyy looked concerned.

“Could be drugs.”

Everyone went silent.

Ye Olde Large Lad looked at the teddy.

“DRUGS?”

“Yes,” said McFinleyyy.

Large Lad thought about it.

“CAN YOU EAT THEM?”

“No!”

“Oh.”

Captain Morgan picked up the teddy and gave it a shake.

Nothing happened.

John Daniels looked around.

“Maybe there's something hidden inside.”

Salty nodded.

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

He looked at the teddy again.

“Right. Let's search it.”

🕵️ Operation Teddy Bear

The investigation began.

The teddy was turned upside down.

Shaken.

Squeezed.

Inspected.

Even sniffed.

Large Lad volunteered to perform the sniff test.

He immediately announced:

“SMELLS LIKE TEDDY.”

“Thank you, Large Lad,” said Sarah.

“VERY PROFESSIONAL,” added Dinkz.

They checked the seams.

Nothing.

They checked behind the ears.

Nothing.

They checked underneath the teddy's little jumper.

Still nothing.

Salty was becoming frustrated.

“There's got to be something.”

McFinleyyy whispered:

“Maybe it's stuffed with something illegal.”

Everyone looked at him.

“What?” he said. “It happens.”

Captain Morgan suddenly pointed.

“Wait!”

Everyone froze.

“What?”

“There!”

He pointed at a tiny stitched section on the teddy's back.

Salty grabbed it.

“There's a zip!”

The room went silent.

Large Lad stood up.

“DRUGS!”

“Calm down,” said Sarah.

Salty slowly opened the zip.

Everyone gathered around.

The atmosphere was tense.

Dinkz held his breath.

John Daniels looked ready for the discovery of the century.

Susan prepared herself for the worst.

McFinleyyy whispered:

“I knew it.”

Salty reached inside.

His hand disappeared into the teddy.

He pulled something out.

A small package.

Everyone stared.

Large Lad gasped.

“COCAINE?”

Salty opened it.

Nothing.

Just paper.

He unfolded it.

Everyone leaned closer.

“What is it?” asked Sarah.

Salty stared at the paper.

His face changed.

“This isn't drugs.”

McFinleyyy looked disappointed.

“What is it?”

Salty slowly turned the paper around.

“It’s a map.”

🗺️ The Treasure Map

Nobody spoke.

The paper was old and slightly crumpled.

There were strange markings across it.

A dotted line.

A big red X.

A drawing of what appeared to be a palm tree.

And, written in faded ink, were the words:

“FOLLOW THE SALTY TRAIL.”

John Daniels nearly fell off his chair.

“THE SALTY TRAIL?”

Salty looked incredibly pleased with himself.

“See? I told you I was important.”

Sarah laughed.

“You didn't make the map!”

“Doesn't matter.”

Susan picked it up.

“There's more.”

At the bottom was another message.

“Where the sun meets the sea, the treasure waits beneath the stone.”

Dinkz looked at everyone.

“Are we actually going treasure hunting?”

Captain Morgan grinned.

“Of course we are.”

McFinleyyy looked worried.

“Should we tell anyone?”

Salty shook his head.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because if there's treasure, we don't want half of Spain looking for it.”

Large Lad raised his hand.

“WHAT IF IT'S FOOD?”

Salty nodded.

“Then we definitely don't want half of Spain looking for it.”

Large Lad smiled.

Finally, a mission he understood.

🧸 The Teddy Bear's Secret

They examined the teddy again.

There was a tiny label inside its jacket.

Written on it was a name:

“Miguel.”

Sarah looked thoughtful.

“So the passenger gave us Miguel.”

Salty nodded.

“And Miguel gave us a treasure map.”

Dinkz corrected him.

“No. Someone put the map inside Miguel.”

Salty paused.

“Yes.”

Another silence.

“That sounds more exciting.”

McFinleyyy picked up the map.

“There could be a fortune buried somewhere around here.”

John Daniels was already searching the internet for Spanish treasure legends.

Captain Morgan was checking the route.

Susan was trying to establish whether they were actually allowed to dig up whatever they found.

Sarah was laughing.

Dinkz was taking photographs.

And Large Lad?

Large Lad had taken the teddy.

He was carrying it around like a small child.

“THIS IS MY FRIEND.”

Salty looked at him.

“Give me Miguel.”

“No.”

“Large Lad.”

“HE LIKES ME.”

“He doesn't have a choice.”

Large Lad hugged the teddy.

“MIGUEL IS COMING WITH US.”

And so the expedition was decided.

Tomorrow morning, the Misfits would follow the mysterious treasure map.

They had no idea who had drawn it.

They had no idea what the treasure was.

They had no idea why a stranger had handed Salty a teddy bear on a train.

And they certainly had no idea why the map specifically mentioned the Salty trail.

But there was one thing they did know.

If there really was treasure buried somewhere in Spain...

Ye Olde Large Lad was going to find it.

Preferably before breakfast.

Because treasure hunting was hungry work.

🇪🇸🧸🗺️ TO BE CONTINUED…

NEXT CHAPTER:

Chapter 3 — The Hunt Begins

The gang follow the map, encounter a suspicious-looking Spanish beach, Large Lad attempts to use a hotel umbrella as a metal detector, and Captain Morgan discovers that treasure hunting is considerably harder after breakfast.