The Ideas Pirates. Hazel Edwards

for a breath .’ ... and something important has been lost ...’

      ‘Oh ... see you later.’ Christopher pulled his sister away.

      ‘Can’t I come with you? My name’s Winston.’

      ‘No, you’re to stay with me,’ said the attendant firmly. ‘Look you’ve left your package behind.’ She handed him the red parcel with a fixed polite smile. Airline people were ALWAYS polite, even with nerds like Winston.

      ‘See you Winston. Got a few things to check out.’

      ‘Seems like a dag,’ Amy commented to her brother as they hurried away.

      ‘Oh, he’s all right. Just trying to impress us because there’s one of him and two of us. Probably made up that lost stuff.’

      ‘D’you reckon?’

      ‘Anyway he gave me an idea about that e-disc. Let’s find a music shop. They should have it!’

      At the music shop there was a clue to the mystery package.

      ‘That background music! On the speakers!’

      ‘Of course!’ Excitedly Amy pointed to a display pile of pop music. ‘There’s a link! ‘ “The Slipper Orchids” are a pop group!’

      Christopher wasn’t convinced.’ That might just be coincidence.’

      ‘Orchids are Singapore’s national flower. Lots of things are linked with orchids.’

      So with her Gran’s red wrapped ‘good luck’ money, Amy bought a copy of Slipper Orchids’ tape. Christopher bought re-chargeable batteries. And spares..

      Then she slipped it into her audio-I and flipped PLAY. ‘ Wild’ was the latest song by this Singapore pop group. Amy tried to work out the lyrics. Mostly it was ‘wild, wild, wild.’

      ‘That’s not much of a secret message!’ She listened a second time with her headphones.

      After sorting his cam, Christopher pulled out the map and studied it. At the news stand, Amy glanced at the ‘Straits Times’. The heading ‘Wild Slippers’ caught her attention. That message which the mysterious stranger had whispered to her was popping up everywhere!

      Wild Slippers

      An orchid smuggler received a six months jail sentence for trading in wild-collected slipper orchids ... illegal possession of plants which had been wild-collected in Southern China. A total of 2269 specimens were found in his apartment.

      Could this have anything to do with the package? Was the mysterious man an orchid smuggler? What was the connection?

      ‘Wonder how pop groups choose the names for their songs?’ said Christopher but Amy’s thoughts rushed on.

      ‘And what has it got to do with me? Why did he give it to me? She took out the e-disc again. The answer must be hidden inside somewhere.

      Meanwhile, Christopher examined the map of Australian parks. That wasn’t unusual. Lots of people bought maps and marked where they were going to visit. But Christopher was suspicious.

      ‘Why have they marked all these parks? Look.’

      Amy stared as Christopher pointed.

      ‘They’ve put crosses on here and here.’

      ‘Maybe they’re going to pitch tents on those spots? Perhaps that’s where they visited last time ... and they want to go back?’

      Just then a large hand reached across Amy’s shoulder. ‘Excuse me,’ said a thickly accented voice.

      ‘That is mine!’ Big Ben grabbed the map as if it were a secret plan.

      ‘We weren’t hurting it!’ said Christopher ‘Maps aren’t secret.’

      ‘This one is.’ And the traveller left abruptly. ‘You took it from the scanner.’

      The twins stared after him. Christopher whipped out his camera, but people look all the same when photographed from the back. Still he took one shot anyway. You never know when it might be useful.

      Then he recognised someone!

      A slim, navy- skirted figure walked past the Duty Free shop and in the same direction as Big Ben.

      ‘Hi Gloria.’ Christopher dropped his voice suddenly realising- perhaps Gloria was working undercover in Singapore.

      ‘Hullo again Christopher. Perhaps you can help me? Are you and Amy on the flight to Sydney?’

      Christopher nodded.

      ‘Want to do some surveillance work for me?’

      ‘Er ...’ Christopher hesitated.

      ‘You mean watch someone?’ Amy knew all the big words.

      ‘Yes. Could you keep an eye out for someone or something?’

      ‘Sure.’ Christopher felt a curl of excitement. The twins had helped Gloria in the past. When they were in Cairns, they’d helped her catch steroid smugglers, and in Melbourne , bird smugglers.

      ‘We’ve had a tip-off.’

      ‘Who from?’ Amy liked details. Gloria didn’t answer that question, deliberately.

      ‘We’re chasing some pirates.’

      ‘What sort?’

      ‘Idea pirates.’

      ‘Ace. We’ll help.’