Anouk is celebrating a birthday. We are going on a scavenger hunt and treasure hunt. Cedric is surrounded by a crowd of children.
“Your next task,” he reads: “Find an owl.” He has rosy cheeks and beams.
“I think your husband is more excited than Anouk,” I whisper to Ella.
“You could be right,” Ella whispers back.
When we reach the playground by the White Lake, the endpoint of the scavenger hunt, the children dive into the sandbox. Soon afterward, Anouk holds up a blue wool thread.
“Look!”
Cedric goes pale.
“What is it?” asks Ella.
“The wool thread marks the spot where I buried the treasure. Quite deep, so it won’t be found by accident.”
“The sandbox is huge,” I say.
“As big as a basketball court,” Cedric says.
“This is going to be exciting,” says Ella.
Cedric tries to discreetly lead the children toward the area where the treasure is buried, but they dig everywhere.
And they find things.
A hair clip. A Playmobil figure. A Schleich figure without a tail. Three cookie cutters, two sieves, a wooden cooking spoon. And a half-full bottle of Fernet Branca.
Since they don’t know there is a treasure chest, they don’t miss it either. They are happy with their finds. And wonder what they can play together with them.
Cedric now digs himself with bare hands, and on all fours. It looks a little desperate.
“Look, Anouk is happy,” Ella says to him in a calm voice.
“The most valuable treasure is anyway…,” I begin.
“Please, no calendar sayings,” Cedric says.
Ella points at the clock. “We have to go back.”
Cedric makes a terribly unhappy face. “I put so much effort into the treasure chest. Glitter, gold coins, sparkling gemstones. There are really amazing things inside.”
“We’ll come back tonight with a flashlight and a folding spade,” I reassure him. “The treasure isn’t lost. It’s just well hidden.”
“We should take care of the birthday party guests,” says Ella. She points to the children who are currently in the process of unscrewing the cap on the Fernet Branca bottle.
