Nancy Drew Easter Egg Hunt

Wednesday - and Daddy is still a bit under the weather.  Mommy is doing better though.  The temperature outside is improving, but the air conditioning at Daddy's office can be a bit intimidating.  Let's just say we have to layer ourselves up here before heading inside the great frozen tundra.

Madison had a few tests today, and she seemed to shrug them off with no worries.  She did a test on world history, one that Daddy helped her study a little.  And then the math test.  Both tests she thinks she did fine on.  The book fair is tomorrow for her, one last visit to the Chestatee Elementary School for a Book Fair visit.  Madison got some money from her grandparents for Easter, so she'll be using that to get some books.  There was one we got her though, and we bought it online because it was eleven dollars cheaper.  She was wanting a copy of "Wonder," so we bought it online, and told her to get anything else she wanted instead of just that one.

Daddy finished up something he started a few days ago, mainly because this year the rest of the family is gone for Easter.  That being said, we were thinking of something to do that would be creative for Madison when hunting for Easter eggs on Sunday.  Sure, there could be a bit of random, "Go look for eggs that I just spent the last twenty minutes hiding in various places."  We could do that.  But Daddy wanted to do something else this year, something like what he's been doing for the nephews these past few years.  That being said, we got the idea to do a Nancy Drew Easter Mystery, as Madison loves reading Nancy Drew books lately.

Below is what we came up with - each page will be folded up neatly and placed inside a hidden plastic egg.  You'll see some of the results of this on Sunday, hopefully posted here.  But until then, the clues have been fun to write.  They find Nancy, Bess and George joining Madison on a brief Easter egg hunt, each page giving a clue that leads to the next one.

Here it is:


PAGE 1

     It was Easter Sunday!  Nancy Drew had just come home from church with her friends Bess and George, and it was simply a wonderful day outside.  Walking up the sidewalk of their front yard, Bess looked around at the blooming trees and beautiful flowers in the garden.

      “I wonder if your dad has hidden any Easter eggs?” Bess said, excitedly.

      “I don’t know,” Nancy told her.  “Dad’s been quite busy lately helping Mr. Moto ever since that incident with The Thirteenth Pearl.”

      “Well,” George said, “Maybe he’s hiding pearls instead!”

     Nancy laughed and exclaimed, “I wish!” 

     The three laughed, but their laughter was cut short when they noticed something odd:  the front door was left wide open.  Even more mysterious, when the three walked into the house, all was quiet. 

     “Dad?” Nancy called out.  But no one had answered.

     “Maybe he’s upstairs?” George suggested.

     “I’ll go up and see if he’s there,” Bess told the others.

      “Good idea,” Nancy said.  “I’ll look around on the main level, and George, you can look in the basement.”

      But just as they were about to split up, they heard a creaking noise.

      “That’s coming from the front porch!” Nancy said, and led the others quickly out the front door.  What they saw was completely surprising!

 PAGE 2

     “Hello there,” Nancy’s neighbor Madison had said.  She lived several houses down.  Her parents had moved to the River Heights area a few years ago. 

     “Oh, hi there Madison,” Nancy said.  It was certainly odd that Madison was standing there at the front porch like this, especially with the door wide open.  Fortunately, Madison was quick to explain as much as she could to the others.

      “Your dad came by our house earlier,” she started.  “He wanted me to hand you something.  He said it would help you on your mystery today.”

       She handed Nancy a note.  Immediately, Bess and George looked over Nancy’s shoulders as she read it aloud, “Dear Nancy, first of all, I’m not kidnapped again.  So don’t worry!  But I am hiding somewhere nearby, along with some Easter goodies for you, Bess, George, and Madison too.  It’ll be an Easter Egg Mystery Hunt, if you’re up to it!”

     “Yes we’re up to it!” Bess exclaimed. 

     Nancy, George and Madison smiled.  It looked like they would go on their Easter Egg Hunt after all!

      “Okay then,” Nancy laughed.  She continued reading, “Here is your first clue:  You searched for some manuscripts, and found so much more, when you looked in the attic, the very top floor. Perhaps near the entrance you’ll find something new.  In fact, you’ll discover your very first clue!”

     Nancy stopped reading, and looked at the others.

     She asked, “Are you ready for an Easter Egg Mystery Hunt?”

     “Yes,” they replied!

PAGE 3

     “Obviously we need to go to the attic,” George told the others.

      “Obviously!” Madison said, and took off running upstairs.  The others gave chase quickly, but stopped when Nancy halted them.

      “Don’t go into the attic,” she warned them.  “He said the clue is at the entrance of the attic.”

      “Search for something new,” Bess said.

      Taking the hint, the four of them searched for something new, or something out of place.  Right off, Nancy discovered a book, “The Secret in the Old Attic,” which told of their adventures looking for some hidden songs.  She smiled, remembering the adventure the three of them had, and couldn’t wait to read about it again.  Was this the clue that she was supposed to follow?

      “I found something!” Bess shouted out, perhaps a bit too loudly.

      The other three joined her quickly, and found she was holding… an egg. 

      “It’s a plastic Easter Egg,” Madison said.  “Open it up and see what’s inside!”

      Bess did just that, and beamed.  “It’s another clue!”

      Nancy asked, “What does it say?”

      Bess read the clue aloud:  “You found the music sheets in that story, and doing so brought fame and glory.  Go look downstairs:  do, re, mi!  An elephant has one, and so do we.” 

      George yelled out, “That’s an easy one!  Let’s go!”

      And the other three again were racing to keep up with her.

 PAGE 3

     Quickly, but carefully, the four went downstairs, trying to be the first to find the next clue.

     “What does an elephant have?” Bess asked.

     “A trunk!” George told her.  And just like that, George was opening an old metal trunk that the Drew Family had sitting next to their old piano.

     “There it is!” George said, pointing to the next Easter Egg. 

     “And look,” Nancy said, picking up another mystery book.  “It’s the Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk.”

     This was quite an adventure some time ago, one that took place on a trip overseas.  But before she could think about that amazing story any further, George had anxiously opened the plastic egg inside the trunk. 

     “It’s another clue!” she said.

     “What’s it say?” Madison asked.

     George read this clue out loud, “Our trip to New York and Canada got old, chasing fur thieves into the cold.  But this place in the house is cold in any season, a place to find eggs for any reason.”

      Nancy knew the answer to this one.  “Come on,” she told the others.  “We’ve got an egg to go find!”

PAGE 5

     There was a noisy rush to the kitchen!

     Nancy entered the kitchen, and was about to open the refrigerator door, when suddenly there was a noise behind her, and a startled voice:  “What’s going on?”

     Nancy and her friends jumped, and turned to face whoever it was that was speaking.  It was the Drew’s housekeeper, Hannah Gruen!

     “Oh, hello Hannah,” Nancy said cheerfully.  “We’re on an Easter Egg hunt!”

     Hannah Gruen smiled and said, “Oh, now that’s fun!  I was wondering why your father was sneaking around the house last night.  At first, I thought it might have been an intruder, and I snuck up behind him and was about to whack him in the back of the head with a candlestick!  But he turned at the last minute, and it’s a good thing he did.  I was going to clock him!  Anyway, he told me what he was up to and we had a good laugh.  You kids have fun!”

     With that, Hannah walked off, a knowing smile on her face.

      Meanwhile, Nancy opened the door to the refrigerator in the kitchen, and there it was, the next egg in the egg hunt.  Not only that, but another book was there!

     “It’s the Mystery at the Ski Jump,” Bess said.  “I remember that trip!”

     “That’s what the clue was talking about,” Nancy said. “It was about our adventure chasing fur thieves in New York and Canada.”

      “That will be fun reading about again,” George said.  “But maybe not actually going up there in the cold again.  That was chilly!”

       “Speaking of which, we should close the refrigerator,” Nancy said.   She carefully grabbed the small plastic egg inside, ready to read her next clue.

      “This clue was easy,” George said.

     “What’s the new one say?” Madison asked Nancy.

      Nancy read the clue out loud:  “The cold in here blows in unseen.  Perhaps it comes from upstairs, from the queen.”

      The four of them stood there in the kitchen, trying to figure the clue out.  What could it possibly mean?

 PAGE 6

     Madison figured it out right away:  “Queen Elsa!”

     “What?”

     “Queen Elsa,” Madison said again.  “We were just in a ballet recently, so it was fresh on my mind.  If there’s a queen that the cold comes from, it’s just got to Queen Elsa from ‘Frozen.’”

     “But there’s nothing like that in my house,” Nancy said.

      Madison told her, “She’s at my house, upstairs.  And… I think there’s something you should know.  Your dad was over there, Nancy.  He came to visit my family, and asked if we could do an egg hunt there.  Everyone was game, so… I think we’re supposed to go over there to my house now.”

      “Well what are we waiting for?” Bess said, and with that, everyone said their goodbyes to Hannah Gruen, and ran down the street to continue the egg hunt.

     Later, at Madison’s house, they made their discovery:  another egg.  It was hidden behind an Elsa Styling head, right where Madison thought it would be.  She grabbed the egg quickly with a beaming smile.

      “Good job, Madison!” Nancy said.

      “Open it up,” George called out.  “See what it says!  What’s the next clue?”

      Madison read it out loud:  “If you’re going down the drive, why not go check out eight, eight, eight, five.”

       “What is that?” George asked.

PAGE 7

     “It’s an address,” Madison said.

     “It’s your address,” Nancy agreed.

     Bess said, “But we’re at your address.”

     “Well,” George asked, already knowing the answer.  “What here has those numbers on it?”

     The four of them ran out to the mailbox, opened it up, and peered inside.

     “It’s your mailbox,” Bess said.  “Did we get a letter from the Easter Bunny?”

     “Nope,” Madison laughed.  “Just an egg!”

     She reached in and pulled out the egg, opening it up so she could read the next clue. 

     “And….?” George said, teasing her.

     Madison read the note out loud:  “Upon your head, this just might flatter.  But to wear it everywhere? You’d have to be mad as a hatter!”

      “And…I’m lost,” Bess said.

      “It sounds like something from Alice in Wonderland,” Nancy said.  “Do you have anything like that in your house, Madison?”

      “Perhaps,” Madison said. “If ..you can answer this one question.”

      “What’s that?” Bess asked.

      “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

      Bess looked completely confused, but Nancy got it.

PAGE 8

     It didn’t take long for everyone to head upstairs in Madison’s parents’ bedroom, where a strange hat rested on top of a dresser.  It was a replica of a Mad Hatter Hat, and quite skillfully made. 

     “Okay,” George said to Nancy.  “You’ve got to put that on your head!”

     Nancy did exactly that, and in picking it up, they discovered the Easter egg beneath.  The funny thing was this:  nobody was looking at the egg so much.  Everyone was looking at Nancy in that ridiculous hat!

     But when the laughs subsided, she picked up the Easter egg there on the dresser, and opened it up to read the next clue out loud to the others:  “If you want your eggs real clean, don’t put them into this machine.  And don’t add detergent.  Don’t at bleach.  Just lean over the rim, and reach.”

     George said, “Clean eggs and ham?”

     Nancy told her, “George, that’s crazy.”

     George answered, “So says the one wearing a mad hatter hat!”

     Nancy laughed and took off the hat, putting it back where it came from.  She turned to the others and said, “So?  We all know where to go next, right?”

 PAGE 9

     Bess led the way down to the washing room, where there was a washing machine and a dryer. 

     “Fortunately, nobody had to do any laundry today,” she said, turning to Madison.  “Right?”

     “Uh…” Madison said.  She had no idea.

     “Only one way to find out,” Bess said.  And she reached into the washing machine, pulling out a completely dry Easter egg.

     “Egg-cellent!” George said. 

     Bess opened up the egg, and pulled out the next clue, reading it out loud right away:  “The Thirteenth Pearl took place in this land.  Behind a Small World, reach your hand.”

     Nancy turned to Madison.  She knew where her own adventure took place – it was unforgettable.  But did Madison have anything from there herself?  And what did ‘small world’ mean?”

     Nancy asked Madison, “Have you got it figured out?”

PAGE 10

      Madison knew exactly where to go this time.  She told Nancy, “I’ve got some Small World dolls upstairs.”

      “Is one of them Japanese?” Nancy asked.

      Madison just nodded.

      Nancy said, “Let’s go!”

      Nancy and Madison took off upstairs, followed by Bess and George.  In moments, they were in a spare room, looking at some dolls themed from the ride, “It’s a Small World.”

      “There’s the Japanese one,” Nancy said.  She reached behind it, and right behind it, she found exactly what she was looking for:  the next Easter egg.

      “What’s it say?” Bess asked. 

      “Let me open it first, Bess,” Nancy laughed, trying to open the small plastic egg.  Once she got it open, she pulled out the next clue, then looked up at everyone.

      “Well?  Read it!  Read it!” George playfully urged her.

      “Here it is,” Nancy said.  “A photo of a family three, and each a pirate’s life for me!”

      “Arrrr!” George said, laughing.

      “Aye,” Bess agreed.  “Is it time to search for buried treasure?”

      “Madison,” Nancy asked.  “Is there a picture of three pirates somewhere?  It sounds like they are related?”

 PAGE 11

     Again, Madison led the way, this time back down the stairs again.

     “Well at least we’re getting our exercise,” Bess said. 

     As they got to the bottom of the stairs, they noticed an unusual family portrait in the great room.  It was of Madison and her two parents, all three of them dressed as pirates.

      “Arrr!” George said, as the four of them crossed the room to look around where the picture rested. 

      “I don’t see a dotted line, or an x marks the spot,” Bess said.

      “But I do see an egg,” Nancy said, pulling yet another Easter egg out from behind the picture.  “Easy peasy.”

      “That’s not very piratey,” George said.

      “Shiver me timbers!” Nancy shouted.

      “Much better,” George smiled.

      “That’s a picture we took while on a cruise,” Madison said.  “We went last year for a few days in the Bahamas.”

      “That sounds wonderful,” Nancy said.  “I could use a trip to the Bahamas, just to sit back and relax.”

     “Like that’s going to happen,” George said. “Everywhere you go, there’s a mystery about to happen.”

      “Hey, just like here,” Nancy grinned, and opened the plastic Easter egg to reveal another clue.  She read it out loud:  “By plane or horse you make your trek, but if you see a phantom, hit the deck!”

      This time, Madison was stumped.  And so were Bess and George.  But Nancy thought about it a moment, and had a pretty good idea where the next clue could be.

PAGE 12

     “Come on, follow me,” Nancy said, and she led Madison, Bess and George outside to the back deck.

     “What was all that about planes and horses?” Madison asked.

     “I think that’s a clue about an adventure we had,” Nancy said.  “Do you remember the one where we had a hijacked plane and a horse thief?”

     “The Sky Phantom!” Bess cried out.  She didn’t actually see a sky phantom, but she actually just saw that very book on the back deck, sitting out in the sun.  Next to it rested the next Easter egg.

     “Now there was an interesting adventure,” George said, picking up the book and the egg. 

     “I haven’t heard of that one,” Madison said.

     “Oh, it’s a good one,” Nancy told her. 

     George handed the book to Madison, who greatly appreciated it.  She added, “Just be sure to ask Bess about that handsome cowboy.”

     Bess blurted out, “Oh, George.  You had to go there, didn’t you?”

     George only laughed, as Madison wondered what was going on.

     George told her, “Just read the book.  It’s all in there.”

     Bess tried changing the subject:  “Can we just find out the next clue?”

     George said, “If you insist.  It says this:  ‘Your next clue is one you’ll see.  It’s underneath the fighting manatee!”

      “Fighting… manatee?” George asked.

      Nancy said, “It’s the name of a high school football team.  Madison, you don’t have anything to do with football in the house?”

      Madison replied, “No… but I do know where there’s a manatee.”

PAGE 13

     Together, the four of them ascended the stairs once more.

     “One more clue up these stairs and you’re going to pick me up down there at the bottom,” Bess said.

     “Nothing like burning a few calories,” George said, poking a bit of fun at Bess.

     She, Bess, and Nancy followed Madison across the upper floor of the house, and straight to a basket that had a stuffed animal on top of it.  That stuffed animal was a manatee.

      “It’s a fighting manatee,” George said.

      “This manatee doesn’t look very aggressive,” Nancy said, smiling.  “But perhaps he’s hiding something underneath.”

     Nancy reached underneath the manatee, and found what she was looking for:  the next Easter egg.  She began to open the egg, revealing yet another clue inside.

      “How many of these are there?” Madison wondered aloud.

      “I don’t know,” Nancy said.  “But this clue has me puzzled.”

      “What’s it say?” Bess asked.

      Nancy read the clue out loud:  “You think I’m just a scary bug.  But my eight arms just want to give you a hug.”

      “Okay, that’s creepy,” Bess said.

     “Something to do with spiders?” George suggested.

     “I think you’re right,” Nancy agreed.  “What do you think, Madison?”

 PAGE 14

     “The garage,” Madison groaned.

      “What’s in the garage?” Nancy asked.

      “A giant spider,” Madison said.

      “Ew!” Bess said.  “No thank you!”

      “Don’t worry, it’s not real,” Madison said.  “It’s a big rubber spider.  It’s a prop we used at church once.”

      “Still… gross!” Bess said.

      “Yes,” Nancy agreed.  “But that’s where our next egg is.  So, are you ready?”

     “Back down the stairs again?” Bess asked.

     Everyone laughed, and once more, went down the staircase towards the garage.  Once they opened the door to the garage, Bess let out a gasp.

     “Okay, why is that there?”

     “Like I said,” Madison explained.  “It’s a prop from the church.  It just hasn’t found a home yet.”

     George added, “But it does look like it found something else.  Look – a book!”

     She picked up a copy of “The Mystery of the Tolling Bell,” resting right next to the giant rubber spider.  She wasn’t at all squeamish about the creepy prop.

     Nancy pointed out, “That was the adventure where we visited a haunted cave.  That was fun!”

     “Speak for yourself,” Bess said.  “I don’t do well with ghosts, or spiders, or anything icky.  What does the clue say?  Read it, and let’s get out of here.  I don’t like the way that spider is looking at me!”

     Nancy picked up the egg resting next to the spider, opened the clue, and read it out loud:  “One more clue, and you are through.  Just go look out for a cockatoo.”

      “What is a cockatoo?” George asked.

      “It’s a bird,” Nancy said.  “Sort of like a parrot.  Is there something like that in this house?”

 PAGE 15

      “There’s one upstairs,” Madison said, looking at Bess with a smile.

      “Again?” Bess groaned.  “Your dad is going to hear about this, Nancy!”

      Nancy laughed, and said, “Come on, Bess.  One more trip.  You can do it!”

      So one last time, the four of them went up the stairs for what they hoped would be one last clue.  Madison knew that there was a sculpture of a cockatoo in a guest room upstairs, and sure enough, when she opened the door to the guest room, there was something inside:  a large Easter basket!  It had all sorts of candy for everyone inside.  And even better than that, there was Nancy’s father, standing nearby.

      “Happy Easter!” he cried out.  “I knew it wouldn’t take long for sleuths like you!”

      Nancy beamed.  She said, “Together, we got through another mystery – though not as dangerous as some of them.”

      Bess said, “Speak for yourself!  That spider down there was looking like it would jump at us any minute!”

      George told her, “But you just read the clue.  He just wanted to give you a hug, Bess!”

      Bess replied the only way she could:  “Ew!”

      Everyone laughed, and then Nancy’s father reached in to grab a jelly bean from the Easter basket. 

      “You’d better grab a few of these before I eat them all,” he joked.

      And so they did.  Together with their new friend Madison, they had a simply wonderful time.  It was a very special Easter Egg Mystery Hunt!