The Backwards Treasure Hunt

An otter and a toad find a chest of buried treasure, but who does it belong to?
Written especially for this podcast by Alice. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yao. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
where you suggest the animal for us to write a
story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand
new animal story here just for you. There are over
four hundred animal tales now and all are available on
our premium service alongside over sixty premium only stories for

(00:37):
a tiny fee. They are all advert free, and don't
forget to look for the Animal Tales books on Amazon.
Rosemary is from Connecticut in the USA, and she would
like a story with a river otter and a toad.
You can learn more about these creatures in the Animal
Facts after the story. Now settle back, relax, and I'll

(01:01):
begin the backwards treasure hunt. Down by the river, two
friends were looking for bugs. Rosemary, the river otter, liked
finding snails, ladybirds, and ants. Margaret the toad, preferred looking

(01:23):
for beetles, grasshoppers, and wood lice. They would collect them
into glass jars, watch them for a while, then put
them back where they'd found them. Rosemary was busy inspecting
the ground for snails near some reeds when something caught
her eye. Margaret, she called, come look at this. The

(01:48):
toad hopped over to where her friend was studying the
overgrown patch. It didn't look like anyone had walked this
way for quite a while. The otter was pointing at
the dirt to wear. Something shiny poked up out of
the soil. What is it, asked the toad. I'm not sure,

(02:10):
Rosemary replied. Should we dig it up and see? Forgetting
all about bugs, the two friends found some thick sticks
to use as tools. Patiently, they dug down slowly, revealing
an object of wood and metal. It looks like a chest,

(02:31):
Rosemary said, as they stared into the hole, A really
nice one. The wooden chest had shiny metal edges and
a curved lid, and it was about half the size
of Margaret. I wonder what's inside, the toad said, as
she reached for the lid. Fortunately it was unlocked, and

(02:54):
as the toad lifted it up, their eyes widened. It
was full of treasure, shiny coins, glimmering gems, and polished
strings of pearls. It's a treasure chest, Rosemary breathed. What
should we do with it? Well, I don't think we

(03:17):
should keep it, Margaret replied. It doesn't belong to us,
and someone might have left it here for a reason.
Maybe we should rebury it. Wait, Rosemary said, grasping the
chest lid with her paws. What if whoever buried it

(03:37):
has lost it or couldn't come back for it. Maybe
we should find the owner and return it. That sounds
like a treasure hunt, Margaret said, only backwards, as we've
already got the treasure, and who knows, Rosemary continued, Maybe

(03:58):
they'd give us a reward for finding it. A reward,
Margaret said, doubtfully. You mean like a piece of the treasure,
something like that. The otter said, with a smile. How
should we do this? It could belong to anyone. Maybe

(04:19):
there's a clue, Margaret suggested, are there any markings on
the chest? They lifted it from the hole, then checked
the sides until rose Murray let out a cry. On
the inside of the lid. Carved into the wood were
some words. It says for my little explorer, Margaret read,

(04:45):
and it signed your see you hm. Rosemary said, See
you must be their initials. It's a clue. So we
just need to find who has those initials and see
if it belongs to them. Margaret the toad said, easy

(05:07):
as pie. They closed the lid tight, and Rosemary picked
up the chest. Being an otter, she was bigger than
the toad and could just about manage the chest, although
it was heavy. Where should we try first, Rosemary asked.
My dad used to work for a wealthy raccoon named

(05:30):
Carter Underwood in Sunnyfield Acres. Margaret explained this was a
nice part of town where all the big houses were.
Carter Underwood. See you are his initials, grinned Rosemary exactly
smiled back the toad. He's very rich, and my dad

(05:54):
said he doesn't like to spend his money. What if
he hid some of his coins and gems in the woods?
Rosemary wondered why the raccoon would want to do such
a thing instead of using a bank to store his riches.
But the initials were correct, so it was going to
be worth trying. The raccoon's house was huge, and when

(06:18):
they knocked on the front door, it echoed. Rosemary put
the chest down by her feet to give her arms
a rest while they waited. After a moment, the housekeeper,
a squirrel, answered, I'm terribly sorry. She said, but mister
Underwood is busy to day. Oh that's a shame. Margaret said,

(06:43):
we wanted to ask him about this treasure chest. The
words had barely left her lips when the door swung
open wide, revealing a round raccoon wearing a smart suit
and a monocle. Treasure carter Underwood said, what treasure We

(07:05):
found it in the woods, Rosemary explained, pointing to the
chest at her feet. We're looking for the owner and
thought it might be you. The raccoon smiled mischievously. There
was a greedy glint in his eye. Well, of course
it belongs to me, he lied, I've been looking for

(07:29):
it everywhere. He bent for the chest, but Margaret stepped
in his way. Of course, if this is your treasure chest,
she said, innocently, you'll know what the inscription inside the
lid says. The raccoon stared at the mouth hanging open it.

(07:53):
Er it says, he stumbled. Er Does it say money?
Above all? Oh, never mind, said Rosemary. This isn't your
treasure chest after all. The raccoon let out an annoyed
her rumph and crossed his arms. Do excuse us, Margaret said,

(08:17):
we'll have to try elsewhere. Good luck finding your missing
treasure chest. They left the raccoon scowling on his doorstep,
glad that they had outwitted him. It was a good
job we checked. Margaret said, we can't go giving the
chest to any old person with the initials see you.

(08:40):
You know I've just remembered. Rosemary said, there's an old
sailor who lives down by Saltwater Key called Captain Ulysses.
See you, Margaret cried, it must be him. Rosemary had
begun to struggle with the chest, so the pair of

(09:01):
them took a handle each and carried it together. Saw
Water Key was a small stone walled harbor where a
few fishing boats docked. Near By was a rickety wooden
cabin overlooking the sea. They were surprised to see a
skull and crossbones flag fluttering from a pole above the door.

(09:23):
Margaret knocked, and the door was soon answered by a
one eyed, one legged cannada goose. What do you want?
He asked, gruffly, his wooden leg tapping the floor impatiently. Hello, captain,
Rosemary said politely, have you buried some treasure by the

(09:45):
river that you might have forgotten about? The goose frowned perhaps,
he said, I've buried a lot of treasure in my time.
What about this one we found in the woods, Margaret said,
opening the lid a crack. Does it belong to you?

(10:07):
The goose's eyes sparkled with greed as he gazed upon
the golden treasure. Well, it does sound like it could
be mine, doesn't it, he said, reaching for a shiny ruby.
Rosemary snapped the lid shut before he could grab it.
But we are going to need some proof before we

(10:30):
hand it over, she said. The old pirate captain huffed,
Where did you say you found it again? Down by
the river? Rosemary said, right, said the goose, winking with
his good eye. I'll be right back. They heard some

(10:52):
clattering and muttering from inside before the goose eventually reappeared
holding a hand drawn map. Found it, he said, thrusting
the paper forward. It's my treasure map showing where I
buried it. Rosemary took the paper and looked it over.

(11:13):
There was the town and the river with a big
red X drawn in crayon. It was quite obvious to
Rosemary that the captain had spent the last couple of
minutes drawing it. That's a shame, she said, Your cross
is on the wrong side of the river. This must

(11:33):
be a different treasure chest. Captain Ulysses sagged as he
took back the map, crumpling it up into a ball.
You can't blame an old pirate for trying, he said,
as he closed the door. I must say, though, it's
a lovely chest. Yes it is, Rosemary agreed, as the

(11:58):
pair of them picked it up again. What now, Margaret asked,
I'm not sure, the otter admitted. We've tried a rich
animal and a pirate. Who else might bury treasure? And
who else has the right initials? Added the toad. They

(12:21):
walked for a while, but carrying the chest was starting
to tire them out. They set it down and rested
against it, quite puffed out from their efforts. Everything all right,
called a voice from behind them. It was the scout master.
A porcupine stood in the doorway of the scout hut.

(12:45):
We found this buried treasure chest in the woods and
can't find its owner, explained Rosemary. The scout master came
over to investigate, and when he saw the chest, his
eyes widened, not in greed, in wonder. I know this chest,

(13:05):
the porcupine said, running a hand over the wood. It
belonged to my uncle. Your uncle is see you, The
otter asked, yes, sort of. The porcupine smiled. See you
stands for coolest uncle. I had a lot of family,

(13:27):
you see, but he was always the most fun, taking
me on adventures, teaching me about the woods, sending me
on scavenger hunts. He's the reason I became a scout
in the first place. He would call me his little explorer.
That's what the inscription says, laughed Rosemary, which means that

(13:49):
this chest must belong to you. But why would you
leave all this treasure buried? Margaret asked, I didn't mean to.
The porcupine said, I must have been a teenager the
last time my uncle hid it for me to find.
I guess I was distracted by other things and forgot

(14:10):
about it. But how could you forget about all the
gold and jewels, the toad said, in disbelief. The porcupine
laughed and opened up the chest to reveal the golden
glow inside. Because it's all fake, the scoutmaster laughed. You

(14:30):
don't really think my uncle was burying real treasure for
a child to find, do you. I suppose that would
be a bit silly, Rosemary laughed. Even so, it does
look realistic. I'm just pleased we've been able to return it,
smiled Margaret. My uncle meant the world to me, the

(14:54):
porcupine said, I can't tell you how pleased I am
to see this treasure again. I'm glad it got to
be part of one last hunt. It was fun, Margaret replied,
our very first backwards treasure hunt. The only sad part
is that we're not going to get our reward, pointed

(15:16):
out Rosemary. A fake jewel or coin isn't going to
be worth much. Just because it's fake doesn't mean it's
not valuable. The porcupine replied, the fake treasure is valuable
to me because it brings back such wonderful memories of
my uncle, so that I think is worthy of a reward.

(15:40):
Which was how Margaret and Rosemary found themselves being taken
for an ice cream Sunday, where the porcupine told them
they could have whatever they wanted from the menu, and
Rosemary was very relieved to see that. The scalp master
didn't try to pay with a coin from his chest either,
but with a note from his wallet. Sat around the table,

(16:05):
the otter, the toad, and the porcupine all lifted their
spoons in anticipation after finding buried treasure. There's only one
thing I can think to say, said Rosemary as she
hovered her spoon over the ice cream. Let's dig in

(16:29):
animal fact. The otter in our story is a North
American river otter. They are semi aquatic animals, meaning they
spend some of their time on land and some in
the water. They mostly eat fish such as perch and catfish,
but they'll also consume crayfish and amphibians, and even small birds, insects,

(16:54):
and reptiles if they can catch them. Toads are mostly
active at night, hiding beneath leaves or stones. During the day,
they'll spend the colder months hibernating. Although toads spend most
of their lives on land, they will return to the
water to lay their eggs. Thank you for your suggestions, Rosemary.

(17:17):
We hope you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening
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(17:40):
you join us next time for another great animal tale.
Good Bye,