A Big Box of Memories Read Online Free Page A

number one,” he said.
    “Well, the diary is gone and that’s that,” said Rachel. “I have an idea. Let’s have a treasure hunt! A treasure hunt for Molly’s best thing! Whoever finds the best thing gets a prize!”
    “Who will give the prize?” asked Tracy.
    “I will,” said Rachel. “I have two copies of the same video game. I’ll give one of them away.”
    The Pee Wees liked video games. They all looked interested now.
    “We could divide up and look all over town,” said Lisa.
    “I think the first place we should lookis Molly’s house,” said Rachel. “That’s where there would be something personal. Something all Molly’s.”
    The Pee Wees were trying to be helpful. But Molly knew her own house. What could they find there that she hadn’t?

CHAPTER 7
The Hunt
    “I guess a treasure hunt would be a good thing to try,” said Molly.
    “What we should do, then,” said Jody, “is hunt for an hour and then bring the stuff back here. Molly can choose what she likes the best.”
    Jody looked at his watch. “Come back here at four o’clock. The one who finds the treasure gets the prize!”
    Jody made it sound so easy! Weren’tfriends great? That was what Scouts were for, to help others. And Molly needed help.
    “Will your mom care if we dig around your house?” asked Patty.
    “I don’t think so,” said Molly.
    Molly, Patty, Mary Beth, and Rachel went to Molly’s house. The other Scouts followed. Molly told her parents what they were doing.
    “Good luck,” said Mr. Duff. “I’ll keep my eyes open too.”
    The Scouts went their separate ways. Even Molly looked again.
    At four o’clock the Pee Wees went back to Mary Beth’s house. Mary Beth’s sister gave them some lemonade. Hunting had made them thirsty.
    “What did everybody find?” Mary Beth asked.
    “Look at this!” shouted Roger. “This is the treasure that gets the prize!”
    He held up a rusty nail.
    “This is an attic,” he said.
    The Pee Wees roared. “An attic?” shrieked Rachel. “I’ll bet you mean an
antique
.”
    Roger turned red. He needs a dictionary, thought Molly. But he probably wouldn’t read it.
    “It’s old,” said Roger. “And valuable.”
    “Pooh,” scoffed Lisa. “It’s not old, it’s just a rusty nail that you can get blood poisoning from if you step on it.”
    “I’m not going to step on it,” said Roger. “I’m going to put it in the time capsule.”
    “Did anyone else find anything?” Mary Beth asked.
    “How about Skippy’s bone?” askedPatty, holding it up with two fingers. It was slimy and wet.

    “It would smell,” said Molly. “Besides, it isn’t mine, it’s Skippy’s.”
    Rat’s knees, Molly sounded fussy. Even to herself.
    “I found this little pinkie ring,” said Rachel. “It’s too small for Molly to wear now anyway. It’s a baby ring.”
    Patty shook her head. “It doesn’t say anything about Molly,” she said. “It could be from any baby.”
    “What have the rest of you found?” asked Mary Beth.
    Jody had found a pair of sneakers. Kevin had found an old doll. Kenny had found a plate of leftover cake Molly had baked. But nothing was right.
    Finally Molly said, “I think I might have found the right thing in a box in the basement.” She held up an old book. “Iused this when I learned to read. It’s a teeny-tiny little dictionary. My dad gave it to me. I liked words even then.” She would put the dictionary in the time capsule! It would stand for Molly!
    “It’s perfect!” said Mary Beth. “Can we see it?”
    “I didn’t want to lose it, so I left it at home,” Molly said. “But you’ll see it tomorrow.”
    “Rat’s knees!” said Rachel. “I wanted to find the best thing!”
    The rest of the Pee Wees looked unhappy that they had not found the treasure.
    “You’ll get the prize yourself,” said Patty. “For finding your own treasure!”
    “Someone else can have the prize,” said Molly. “If we hadn’t had the treasure hunt, I