Treasure Fever! Read Online Free Page A

around. ‘Very funny!’ I said.
    â€˜What are you talking about?’ said Clive, looking as innocent as he could, which wasn’t very innocent at all. ‘I didn’t do anything!’
    â€˜Then what’s this?’ I said, picking the wet blob off the back of my neck.
    â€˜Beats me,’ shrugged Clive, peering at the blob. ‘Your brain?’
    I was about to say something really funny back, like, ‘No, I think it’s
yours
,’ but then I remembered the lollipop. I couldn’t afford to get distracted. I had to be grown-up about this.
    â€˜Oh,’ I said, looking at the blob. ‘I wondered where it had got to. Thanks, Clive!’
    That sure stopped him dead in his tracks.
    I put the small piece of chewed-up paperat the front of my desk and turned back to the problem.
    But before I could even begin to consider whether the man with the boat should give up, go home, and maybe catch up with his friend by telephone, I felt another wet blob hit the back of my neck.
    â€˜Huh-huh-huh,’ chuckled Clive. ‘Gotcha again, McThrottle.’
    I was tempted to remove the blob, turn around, and shove it up his nose, but I didn’t have the time. I had a lollipop to win.
    I picked the blob off the back of my neck, put it beside the first blob, and turned my attention back to the problem.
    I felt another wet blob.
    Then another.
    I put the new blobs beside the first two blobs and studied them.
    Four blobs.
    I kept studying them. Four blobs . . . four blobs . . . just like the problem Mr Brainfright had set us: four things . . . a man, a goat, a wolf and a cabbage.
    I took a deep breath as I realised that the blobs could stand in for the man, the goat, the wolf and the cabbage, and might actually help me solve the problem.
    I glanced around the class. Nobody had figured it out yet. Not even Fiona or David. I still had a chance.
    I arranged the blobs on one side of my desk. I placed my ruler in the centre to represent the river and then, using my eraser as a boat, I put the biggest blob on top of it.
    I studied my eraser boat with the man-blob on top. What if the man left the cabbage with the wolf and took the goat across first? The cabbage-blob would be safe with the wolf-blob.
    I placed the goat-blob onto the eraser boat and pushed it across the ruler river. The man-blob put the goat-blob onto the other side and then crossed the ruler river back to where the wolf-blob and cabbage-blob were waiting.
    I studied my blobs. I couldn’t take the wolf-blob across and leave it with the goat-blob . . . and I couldn’t take the cabbage-blob across and leave it with the goat-blob . . . but who said I had to leave the goat-blob there?
    In an instant I saw the solution. When you blobbed it out, it was obvious!

14
A solution

    I was just about to put up my hand when David’s hand shot up into the air first.
    I couldn’t believe it.
    All that work!
    All those blobs!
    All for nothing!
    â€˜Yes?’ said Mr Brainfright. ‘Do you know the answer?’
    â€˜Not yet, sir,’ said David. ‘May I have permission to go to the bathroom?’
    â€˜Very well,’ said Mr Brainfright.
    The lollipop could still be mine!
    But just then Jenny’s hand shot into the air.
    â€˜I have the answer!’ she said.
    â€˜Go ahead,’ said Mr Brainfright.
    â€˜My mum always says there is no problem that can’t be solved by people just sitting down and talking it over,’ said Jenny. ‘So if the man sits themall down and explains the situation and asks the goat not to eat the cabbage and asks the wolf not to eat the goat, then he can just take them all across in any order he wants.’ Jenny smiled sweetly at Mr Brainfright. ‘Do I get the lollipop?’
    â€˜No, I’m afraid not,’ said Mr Brainfright.
    â€˜Why not?’ said Jenny.
    â€˜Because your solution doesn’t work,’ said Mr Brainfright.