Cora Flash and the Treasure of Beggar's Bluff by Tommy Davey
Authors: Tommy Davey
Tags: Children
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CHAPTER ONE
I usually counted on the first day back at school being fairly exciting, but how could it compare to the thrills I'd experienced over the summer? I couldn't wait to see my friends so I could tell them all about the two mysteries I'd encountered in my summer off. I doubted very much that anyone else in my class would have a "What I did on my summer vacation" story that would top mine.
As I arrived in the yard of the school, I stopped to scan the kids standing around in groups talking about their summers. I recognized most of the kids, but there were definitely a few new faces, but mostly in the lower grades.
"Hi Cora," said a familiar voice.
I turned around to see Shelby Lane, who'd been my best friend since I was four.
"I'm so excited for this year, aren't you? I can't wait to get back into the swing of things, this year is going to be amazing!"
Shelby Lane stood slightly shorter than me but made up for the difference with her energetic personality and her frantic curly blonde hair. She talked so fast my mom would sometimes describe her as "headache-inducing."
"Hi Shelby. I don't know if I am as excited as you, but I guess I am a little excited."
I could not help but think the school year would pale drastically in comparison to my summer.
"Well, I am tremendously excited. Your email said you were going to tell me what happened to you this summer, but you wanted to wait until we saw each other in person. We're in person now, so tell me."
As close as Shelby and I were, I'd decided not to say anything to anyone about my mystery-filled adventures until I got back to school.
"Um... I got a dog."
Shelby's chin dropped and she looked at me from underneath a raised eyebrow. "A dog? That's it? You said you had something exciting to tell me, you sounded like it was going to be the best story I have ever heard."
"It is exciting," I countered.
"I'm sure you're thrilled, but getting a dog is not as thrilling to others as you might think."
"I guess not," I said, allowing her to win the argument.
"I heard we have a new teacher," said Shelby. "His name is Mr. Levine and he is new in town, no one knows much about him. I heard that he was in prison."
"What?" I exclaimed. "Prison? There is no way he would have been in prison. They don't let ex-convicts teach school. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Who told you that?"
"My mother," replied Shelby. "She heard from the school Superintendent, and you know that they are like that." She attempted to twist her index and middle fingers together in a sign of closeness. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite flexible enough, and she had to use her left hand to help her little fingers along.
"I think your mother is mistaken. She must have misunderstood," I said.
"Believe whatever you want, Cora Flash," said Shelby, "but I believe our teacher was in prison."
"Well, you're partially right," a voice boomed from behind us.
We turned around to see a man we did not recognize, looming down under a thick carpet of fuzzy black hair. We knew instantly it was our new teacher, the potential ex-convict.
"It's true, I was in prison – for a while," said Mr. Levine.
"You were?" asked a trembling Shelby.
"Yes," he laughed, "but it's not what you think. I was a teacher in the federal prison outside of town. I taught prisoners math and science for almost ten years."
"That sounds exciting," I said. "It must have been very interesting."
"Oh," he replied. "It was, but I decided it was time for a change, so I came back to teaching school."
I turned to Shelby and said, "I guess your mother misunderstood."
Shelby looked a little disappointed and more than a little embarrassed. "I guess so."
Knowing Shelby, she would probably give her mother a piece of her mind for letting her make such a fool of herself. She was very close to her mother, but they seemed to do an awful lot of their talking by yelling at each other.
"I'm Cora," I said to Mr. Levine, "Cora Flash. And this is Shelby
I usually counted on the first day back at school being fairly exciting, but how could it compare to the thrills I'd experienced over the summer? I couldn't wait to see my friends so I could tell them all about the two mysteries I'd encountered in my summer off. I doubted very much that anyone else in my class would have a "What I did on my summer vacation" story that would top mine.
As I arrived in the yard of the school, I stopped to scan the kids standing around in groups talking about their summers. I recognized most of the kids, but there were definitely a few new faces, but mostly in the lower grades.
"Hi Cora," said a familiar voice.
I turned around to see Shelby Lane, who'd been my best friend since I was four.
"I'm so excited for this year, aren't you? I can't wait to get back into the swing of things, this year is going to be amazing!"
Shelby Lane stood slightly shorter than me but made up for the difference with her energetic personality and her frantic curly blonde hair. She talked so fast my mom would sometimes describe her as "headache-inducing."
"Hi Shelby. I don't know if I am as excited as you, but I guess I am a little excited."
I could not help but think the school year would pale drastically in comparison to my summer.
"Well, I am tremendously excited. Your email said you were going to tell me what happened to you this summer, but you wanted to wait until we saw each other in person. We're in person now, so tell me."
As close as Shelby and I were, I'd decided not to say anything to anyone about my mystery-filled adventures until I got back to school.
"Um... I got a dog."
Shelby's chin dropped and she looked at me from underneath a raised eyebrow. "A dog? That's it? You said you had something exciting to tell me, you sounded like it was going to be the best story I have ever heard."
"It is exciting," I countered.
"I'm sure you're thrilled, but getting a dog is not as thrilling to others as you might think."
"I guess not," I said, allowing her to win the argument.
"I heard we have a new teacher," said Shelby. "His name is Mr. Levine and he is new in town, no one knows much about him. I heard that he was in prison."
"What?" I exclaimed. "Prison? There is no way he would have been in prison. They don't let ex-convicts teach school. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Who told you that?"
"My mother," replied Shelby. "She heard from the school Superintendent, and you know that they are like that." She attempted to twist her index and middle fingers together in a sign of closeness. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite flexible enough, and she had to use her left hand to help her little fingers along.
"I think your mother is mistaken. She must have misunderstood," I said.
"Believe whatever you want, Cora Flash," said Shelby, "but I believe our teacher was in prison."
"Well, you're partially right," a voice boomed from behind us.
We turned around to see a man we did not recognize, looming down under a thick carpet of fuzzy black hair. We knew instantly it was our new teacher, the potential ex-convict.
"It's true, I was in prison – for a while," said Mr. Levine.
"You were?" asked a trembling Shelby.
"Yes," he laughed, "but it's not what you think. I was a teacher in the federal prison outside of town. I taught prisoners math and science for almost ten years."
"That sounds exciting," I said. "It must have been very interesting."
"Oh," he replied. "It was, but I decided it was time for a change, so I came back to teaching school."
I turned to Shelby and said, "I guess your mother misunderstood."
Shelby looked a little disappointed and more than a little embarrassed. "I guess so."
Knowing Shelby, she would probably give her mother a piece of her mind for letting her make such a fool of herself. She was very close to her mother, but they seemed to do an awful lot of their talking by yelling at each other.
"I'm Cora," I said to Mr. Levine, "Cora Flash. And this is Shelby
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