A Mystery of the Sisterly Sort | Part 4: Climbs and Clues

Okay, here it is! I hope today is either Monday or Tuesday, but it is the summer, so I really can’t be too sure.

I do hope you have been solving these yourself and not just waiting for me to give it to you like a bone to a dog. ;)

Missed the last few notes? You can find A Strange Note, The Book Unread and Under the Bed here. (There may not be a link for The Book Unread when you get this because I am scheduling these in advance for when I am up at our cottage, instead of here with a computer. Sorry for any inconveniences, but it won’t let me link to yet-unpublished posts.)

All caught up? Let’s go back to where we left off.

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Okay, four plus, Sophie said as she wrote. This girl, she’s got clothes around her, and you only do that when you’re cleaning or getting dressed. She’d be bent down if she was cleaning, so 4 plus getting dressed minus dr, so 4 getting essed plus poodle plus postroph-y s. . . 

Okay, that first line says ‘ Four getting essed poodle’s ‘ and the next part goes girl wearing, wait, that’s Charlotte’s favourite shirt! Sophie exclaimed. So, that could be Charlotte, or just a girl wearing her shirt, but that’s weird, so Charlotte minus lotte, which is just Char, plus another person with bangs and, that must be Nicole if I am taking Ni out of it! Sophie was getting excited.

SO the whole thing is Four getting essed poodle’s CharCole. What’s the getting doing there? Because if I take it out, you get Fouressed Poodle’s CharCole. ForestPoodle’s charcoal! Sophie repeated, glad to have finally solved it. Now I’ve got to remember where she put her charcoal stick things that she never uses.

(I don’t draw with charcoal, but somehow I have some anyway.)

Oh right! Sophie remembered. Up on top of her desk! 

Sophie tucked her magnifying glass and marker into her pocket and went over to Nicole’s bed . . .

And looked way up, to the top of ForestPoodle88’s desk. It was pretty far for a being of only 14 inches tall.

So Sophie grabbed a the rope ladder and climbed on a pile of Nicole’s pillows. She flung the ladder way, way up, and on about the thirty-first try, she finally got it hooked around the lamp up there.

Sophie began the arduous climb up, accidentally tangling herself on the rope on the way. (That was the ONLY way I could get her to stay on the ladder!)

After quite a while, she heaved herself up onto the wooden desk.

Ouff! Sophie said.

She flopped down beside the desk lamp to catch her breath.

Then Sophie stood up and examined the surface of the desk. There, right in the middle, in plain sight, was ForestPoodle88’s bag of unused charcoal.

Sophie sat down and gingerly picked up the bag, checking for holes that could spill loose charcoal dust onto her legs. There was a note underneath.

She grabbed the note, folded it so it fit in her pocket and didn’t waste any time reading it before getting back down. She did not like being that high up. Besides, she had taken the magnifying glass and marker out of her pocket down on Nicole’s bed when she had realized it was going to be a long climb.

When she was nearly down, Sophie let herself fall back onto Nicole’s bed.

Ah! Good! Back on low ground! Sophie sighed as she pulled the note from her pocket and unfolded it. She rested a bit longer, then began to read.

The note said:

Bring forth thy wits

On June the second

Only dolls allowed

To the Riddle Competition

Solve 12 riddles to win!

It was clearly written by Nicole, but it read a lot like a poster advertising an event.

A Riddle Competition? I would have gone! Too bad it’s past the second. Too bad it’s JULY now! Sophie said, disappointed. She would have to speak to Nicole about doing this for real once she finally found her. If that was even where these notes were taking her.

Then she noticed a small note on the back in a different coloured pen.

2nd “h” is a “c” !

it said.

Is that even part of this clue? Sophie wondered, examining the note again. Finally she found her next hint, and you will too if you look hard enough. Again, no I’m not telling you yet! Be patient! :) It could be longer until I get the next part up. I may have time while I am still at home, but maybe not, so we’ll see.

It’s not as tricky as the last one, but have fun all the same!

-ForestPoodle88