The Rainbow Opal Read Online Free PDF Page B

She’d never seen an animal look so ill.
    Lottie opened the gate. “We got out without anyone hearing us. Now we just have to find that opal!”
    “Let’s just hope we can reach the jewel with the fishing net,” said Rosalind.
    The forest felt different in the dark. Fluttering sounds came from overhead, and Summer couldn’t tell if it was a night bird or just the wind in the trees. There was a scuffling on the ground and a pair of little yellow eyes blinked at them for a moment, then they were gone.
    “Shall I go first?” said Summer. “I know the way to the river really well.”
    “OK, lead the way.” Lottie handed her the torch and they went through the trees one behind the other.
    They heard the roaring of the riverbefore they could see it. Summer knew from the noise that the creek was still swollen with rain from the storm.
    Slithering down the bank, she searched for the place where she’d stood that afternoon – the place where she’d dropped the necklace.
    Then she saw footprints in the mud. Yes, this was where they’d been. She remembered the trees opposite and the shape of the bank. She shone the torch at the water. “I can’t see anything. Maybe the necklace was washed along before it sank.”
    “But it looked like it sank straightaway,” said Rosalind.
    Summer frowned. “I thought it did too, but the river’s flowing so fast right now. I think it may have got pushed along.”
    The girls scrambled through the woods, following the flow of the river. In manyplaces the trees grew right down to the edge of the water, making it hard to walk along the bank.
    “These silly branches are in the way!” said Lottie, pushing them aside roughly.
    “Hey! You’re making them ping back at me!” said Rosalind crossly.
    “I didn’t mean to,” began Lottie. “It’s just—”
    “Wait! What’s that?” Rosalind pointed at the other side of the river.
    “It’s the moonlight shining on the water,” said Lottie.
    Summer peered across the river and her heart skipped. There was a dot of white light in the water, close to the opposite bank. As they watched, it flickered and changed to a warm gold, then it became a cool icy green.
    “That
isn’t
just the moonlight!” breathed Summer. “That’s magic!”
    “But is it the rainbow opal?” said Rosalind. “It’s hard to see!”
    The girls got as close to the water’s edge as they could and Summer shone the torch across the river.
    “Those colours are amazing! It must be the opal.” Summer watched the light change from a dazzling blue to a deep fiery red.
    “I think I can see the chain of the necklace,” said Lottie. “Look!” She took the torch from Summer and shone the beam upwards a little. There, caught on a low-hanging branch just above the water, was the glittering gold chain.
    “We won’t be able to reach it with this.” Rosalind held up the fishing net. “The river’s too wide. How can we get over to the other side, Summer? Is there a bridge?”
    Summer bit her lip. “There is. But it’sfurther along the river and it would take us too long to find it.”
    “Maybe we could use a boat,” suggested Lottie.
    “The river current’s really strong,” said Summer. “We’d float away down the river as soon as we set off.” She frowned, thinking hard. “There
must
be a way to get over!”
    “Stilts?” said Lottie, her eyes gleaming. “Or we could make our own rope bridge?”
    “Rope! I tied some rope to a tree near here a few days ago,” said Summer. “I was using it as a swing.”
    Taking the torch back from Lottie, she scrambled up the bank and searched the trees. She’d chosen a tall one with sturdy branches to hang the rope on. It dangled there, swaying slightly in the wind.
    “I don’t think a rope bridge will work,”she told the others. “But maybe one of us could swing across on the rope.”
    “Great idea! We need to tie it to a tree right next to the creek,” said Rosalind.
    Summer handed Lottie the torch and