Texas Treasure Read online

  “You spent the day helping people, and that makes you feel good,” PET said. “It’s part of the magic.”

  “It was great to help Carlos,” Molly agreed. “But he’s just one person—not people.”

  “But you did help people,” PET said. “Think about it—you helped Carlos talk about his grandpa again, and that changed his life. Now he’ll go home and tell his grandma a new story about his grandpa, and that will change hers. Who knows who else Carlos will help in the future, and his grandma, too. Imagine all the lives that could be changed just by helping one person in need.”

  “Wow,” Finn said. “Who taught you all this stuff?”

  Just then, the camper landed with a thud. PET’s screen went dark, and the camper doors flung open.

  “Huh…I guess PET isn’t going to answer that question, either,” Molly said. “Let’s go home and have breakfast.”

  “You’re forgetting something,” Finn said.

  He walked to the map at the back of the camper, picked up a blue pushpin, and stuck it into San Antonio, Texas.

  “Now we can eat breakfast,” he said. He followed Molly out of the camper and into the summer sunshine. It was good to be back in Ohio.

  Thank you for reading about the Parker twins’ latest adventure! This story is made up, but the Alamo is a real place in San Antonio. It’s the site of an important battle in the Texas Revolution—the Battle of the Alamo.

  The Battle of the Alamo took place over thirteen days, from February 23 to March 6, 1836. Texas colonists were fighting for independence from the Mexican government. The Mexican troops were led by General Santa Anna, and they far outnumbered the colonists. All the men who fought the Mexicans died, including Davy Crockett. The colonists lost the battle, but Texas did win its independence from Mexico in the end. On December 29, 1845, Texas became the twenty-eighth state of the United States.

  Rumor has it that there may be treasure buried in the walls or under the floorboards of the Alamo. Perhaps the colonists were hiding money or jewels for their families to find later. These rumors are what inspired this story.

  Nearly everything that Carlos, Molly, and Finn encounter are things you’d see if you visited the Alamo today—there is a temporary sacristy, aka the monk’s burial chamber (without windows) and an arcade (without video games). If you look carefully, you really can find some stones shaped like the state of Texas. Some people believe that spirits and ghosts haunt the Alamo…maybe that’s why Finn was so worried about them!

  One thing Carlos, Molly, and Finn find in this story that is not at the Alamo is the mysterious staircase hidden in a tree trunk. And while the Amazing Mirror Maze itself really exists, there is no secret underground passageway to the Amazing Mirror Maze. That came out of our own imaginations.

  It’s fun to make up stories, but even more fun to learn the real history! If you want to read more about the Texas Revolution and the Alamo, we recommend these books:

  What Was the Alamo? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso

  Who Was Davy Crockett? by Gail Herman

  We hope you enjoyed our story and that it inspires you to have your own adventures!

  Happy travels,

  Courtney & Bianca

  Texas State Facts

  The Texas state tree is the pecan. The state flower is the bluebonnet. The state bird is the mockingbird.

  The Texas state flag looks like this:

  Texas is the second biggest state in the United States. (The biggest state is Alaska.)

  Austin is the capital of Texas, and it is considered the live music capital of the whole world.

  Palo Duro canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, is the second largest canyon in the United States. It lies in the Texas Panhandle, near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. It is about 120 miles long, an average of 6 miles wide, and in some places, as much as 1,000 feet deep!

  Texas is home to more species of bats than any other state. It has the largest-known bat colony in the whole world, Bracken Cave Preserve, which is located near San Antonio.

  The official state mammal is not the bat; it’s the armadillo. The name means “little armored one,” because of their leathery armored shells.

  Texas is also known as the Lone Star State, as a reminder of its struggle for independence from Mexico.

  Millions of people visit the Alamo every year, where they can see artifacts from the battle, including a lock of the real Davy Crockett’s hair, which is preserved in a glass locket at the Long Barrack Museum.

  PET’s favorite Texas fact:

  The Texas state motto is “friendship.”

  Where will Finn and Molly go next?

  Find out in

  Escape from Camp California

  Coming soon!

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