The End

A Shadow behind the desk.

By Olive Connell, LEOPOLD PRIMARY SCHOOL

After checking into the fanciest hotel in town, I woke up to red paint, or so I thought it was, all over the walls with the text, “ DO NOT TRUST THEM “ do not trust who? I was scared, my heart was racing faster than a Formula 1 car, and my hands were shaking. What does it mean? I decided to research the place and I found out what its real history was… For a few minutes I sat on the side of the bed, contemplating if I should flee the hotel or see what was actually here. As an 18 year old I made the stupid choice to stay, which I would regret years after. 

After staying for a day I started to think it was all a prank, because nothing had happened, until I heard a blood curdling scream come from the underground parking. I jumped and ran down the stairs like I wanted to be a hero. When I opened the door my eyes opened and my jaw dropped. Puddles of blood filled the room, and a trail of it led to a door, covered with cobwebs and mold, like it hasn’t been opened in a century. I ran down the other side of the room and placed my sweaty hands on the freezing cold doorknob. As it creaked open I heard a familiar voice, it was the male receptionist!  When I opened the door I didn't really get a chance to see what was inside because he quickly slammed it shut, but when he did, blood dripped out. There was silence, so quiet you could hear a fly burp.  But the silence didn’t last long as I heard another scream, it came from the other side of the room. I was cornered, another receptionist with blood all over their face stood at the other side of the room, as the receptionist in the room stepped out I saw what was in the room. A body? I'm pretty sure I was imagining but I shouldn't doubt myself right now. I grabbed his knife that he dropped earlier, and pointed it at him. But he was clearly stronger than me, even without a weapon. He laughed, then quietly whispered, “ run. " I sprinted to the other door and he went chasing after me. 

I slammed the door shut but his knuckles punched through the door, coming out from the other side. I screamed as loud as military jets taking off and ran up the 10 bazillion flights of stairs, trying to catch my breath after every step. I could hear his footsteps running up, but he fell, which gave me an advantage. I decided to try and escape, but then I realised my car was back down in the parking! He will definitely catch me running, I was never good at cross country!

As I got out into the streets he followed me but when I turned back around I saw him lying on the ground screaming, the sun killed him, is he a vampire or something?

I spent the next night thanking the sun like a psycho, but seriously, it saved me! Every other hotel I was thinking of going to I researched for hours, but secretly me being a scaredy cat, I never went back to one.

We got ready in our black suits and set off with our bikes. We got there eventually and both our legs were sore. I saw the door unlocked randomly and asked Sal“why do u reckon the door has been left open?” He replied with “I don't know but they wouldn't leave their door open if something wasn't going on, after all it's a mansion, you wouldn't want anyone coming in.” I started to walk in and heard familiar voices. It sounded like someone from school. But who? Who could it be? Sal heard and instantly knew it had to be Josh and Oscar stealing something. Now we had heard all over the news that the Mona Lisa was stolen and whoever finds it gets 10 million dollars but everyone has looked for weeks. Surely they didn't find it here. Did they? I could smell a redolent smell, something like paint. “ Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” I asked questionably. “ Do you smell paint?” Sal commented. We both agreed there was a smell of paint and wanted to find out what they were doing.

As we walked in, the smell of paint filled my nose like a soul reaching into me. I knew something was up, and it had to be big. Me and Sal walked, until we found the room they were in. But we had a problem. The door was locked. We found a sharp piece of metal and started to carve out a tiny hole in the door to check out what they were doing. After 5 relentless minutes it worked and we could see through our little homemade peep hole. We saw the Mona Lisa with all different colors and some weird writing. I screamed in my mind realizing the Mona Lisa we all looked for had been stolen by two 12 year old boys that we all thought were innocent. Sal whispered to me, “how will we get the Mona Lisa back?” I shrugged not knowing how, we needed a good plan and quickly before they fully cover it in paint.

Back when we walked in I saw a little pin and put it in my pocket in case we needed it to pick a lock. I remembered that I did that and got the pin out and showed Sal. We both grinned in excitement that we would save the Mona Lisa, or will we? I put the pointed end of the pin in the lock and pushed. The lock fell off and we could open the door. We smashed open the door and confronted them. They jumped back in shock and tried to convince us they didn't steal the Mona Lisa, but we knew they did. We called the police on my phone and they came rushing in. But there was one major problem. They fully covered the Mona Lisa in paint. We went to try to rub it off but it wouldn't come off. “It feels like sandpaper.” Sal commented. Now that comment just changed humanity because Sal realized it was a cover. They painted the cover! He ripped it off and we saw the beautiful painting. It looked untouched. We couldn't believe it. We saved the Mona Lisa! Josh and Oscar got confirmed guilty for a life sentence. As they walked into their cells I asked them. “Any last words?”

The following night, during a sleepover at Grace's house, Grace had to get some snacks from the kitchen, so Sofia and Yzzie took the chance to explore the house.The took a turn at every corner until they arrived in Grace’s room.

“My goodness! Grace’s house is like a giant maze!” Yzzie exclaimed.

“I know right?” Sofia replied.

They kept observing until Yzzie noticed a small detail.

“Wait, look at the crack in that area of the room.”

“And look!” Sofia whispered. “There’s dusty footprints here! It may be.. no it can’t be…”

There was a gap between her bedroom wall, but under the coat of paint, there was a tiny door just the right size for a bedside table, so they had to crawl their way through. As they continued until the end of the passage, they stumbled upon a dusty, old trunk in the basement. Inside, they found the real, undamaged Mona Lisa. A gasp escaped Sofia's lips as she recognized the iconic artwork. Yzzie, equally stunned, cried in disbelief.

“How could she do this to us? Is this what she has been keeping from us this whole time?”.

The sleepover quickly turned into an interrogation, as they confronted Grace about the stolen painting and her deception. The next day, Grace was arrested for thievery and once her parents found out, they couldn’t believe that side of their child awakened. While Yzzie and Sofia watch their friend getting taken away, they don't even know how to forgive her ever again. Ever.

The sun has risen, it’s the next morning and the sky is a warm orange. I can hear birds of all kinds chirping. When I wake up, I am sweaty. I feel uneasy, like something isn’t right. I take deep breaths. I walk down the mansion stairs alongside the wall, covered in paintings. I come to the last step and lift my head to see my newest and favourite painting. I freeze. My heart thumps. My face burns. Where is it? I am all alone at home, my mum has already left for work. The dreadful silence swallows me.

The Mona Lisa is gone. I can’t call my mum, no way. This would break her. A couple of years ago, dad worked in an art gallery and adored paintings from Leonardo da Vinci. He said his dying wish was to hang the Mona Lisa in his own home and so mum bought it for him after years of saving, when we discovered he only had two months to live. Mum told me the painting cost more than the entire mansion. If dad could see this, he would be devastated.

I call my friend Lana. She always knows what to do in emergencies. I tell her about the theft. She doesn't seem as surprised as I thought she’d be, though she does suggest a plan: to check the cameras and look around for any pieces of evidence. My heart beat slows down just a little. I get up and check the cameras. No luck, all I see is a black screen. They must’ve covered them.

Now I need to look around for evidence. I remember the sounds last night- it sounded like a car. That was most likely the thief! I have a good chance of finding evidence now. I race outside to look around. I see something small on the pavement that’s silver and shiny. Aha! Drivers license! When I checked out the window last night they probably rushed out of here which caused them to drop it. I grin as I read it. Name: Audrey, Age: 17 and she has blonde hair, tall and pale. Perfect! I contact the police. I tell them about Audrey and all the information about her. The police officer says, “We’ll run Audrey’s name through our system and check her background. If she has any criminal history, we’ll know soon.” The call ends. I grin as the thief just got busted!

I go back inside and flop down on my couch. I feel a sense of victory and take a big sigh. I look at my watch and realise I’m late for school - but I couldn’t care less because there’s a criminal on the loose.. That I could help catch. Should I call Lana and tell her everything's fine? Nah, not right now. Later, I got a phone call from the police again. I immediately ask, “Any criminal record?”

“No record,” He says, “though it doesn't mean she’s not guilty. We’ll look for her- and if you see her, report to us.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I decide to go for a walk to get this all out of my head. No criminal record… Weird. I begin my walk around the block. I hear the swish of trees and the sway of the wind. I know going for a walk is the right thing to do because I feel my shoulders relax and I can breathe more easily. I turn around a less crowded corner. I see someone ahead of me dressed in a lot of layers and they’re wearing a huge hat that covers most of their head. All of a sudden, money falls out of their pocket.

“Hey, wait!” I call out. They stop but don’t turn around. “You dropped some money.” Now they turn. She is about my age.

“Oh, thank you.” With her head down, she creeps towards me and picks up the cash quickly. I wonder why isn’t more thankful. She goes to turn around again but I don’t let her.

“No, don’t go.” I say. She turns around and looks at me. Now that I think of it, her face is familiar. Really familiar. I take out the license from my pocket.

“What’s your name?”

“I don’t share my name with strangers.” She replies firmly. But I need her name. I have to make an excuse.

“Please, it’s for my research for… uhm, school. I need to record all the names of people I see so I can find out the most common names.” I stare at the ground while I talk. That was definitely the worst lie I’ve ever told. I can feel eyes laying on me, judging me.

“Sorry?”

“You know, just a school project!” She hesitates and glares at me.

“Fine. It’s Audrey.” Huh, knew it. I pull out the picture and inspect it.

“Can I go now?” She asks.

“Could you please take off your hat? I love it! I want to see the brand.” Audrey looks so irritated, almost like she’d do anything just so I’d let her go. She rips it off her head. Her blonde hair flows out. Audrey points at the brand but I don’t look. I look at her face and after a couple seconds I realise who is in front of me.

‘Now, just contact the police and don’t let her go,’ I say in my head. I grab my phone. It rings.

“Why am I still here?” Audrey says looking puzzled. I gesture to her to stay as I talk on the phone.

“Police, hello, I found her!” I say. The next second, Audrey vanished. I see a sprinting figure up ahead, at the end of the street. I start the chase.

“Hello - are you still there? Where are you?”

The police officer must have recognised my voice so I tell her, breathing heavily, where I am running.

“Hey come back!” I yell out to her. Suddenly there are sirens and as I turn the corner, I see the police arrive and put her to a stop. I am still far away, so I can’t hear what they are saying. When I catch up, I see Audrey in handcuffs and hear someone say the name “Lana” many times. But I only come mid-talk so I have no idea what’s going on.

“-And Lana said she’d pay me if I was distracting!” Audrey declares.

“Wait… Lana?” I gasp, “The Lana I know?”

“Yes, it was all her plan. I used my car and clanked the wheels against your driveway, so you’d check the windows and Lana could sneak in and grab the Mona Lisa!” Audrey snaps. The police officer writes all of this down in a tiny notebook.

Audrey continues, “Lana has been jealous of you - “ she points to me, “her whole life because of the money you have. Her sister gambled away all the family money. She wanted to sell the painting on eBay to save her family from a life of poverty.”

I can’t believe it. My friend Lana? I feel so angry, betrayed - and also kind of sorry for her.

“Okay. I’ll handle it from here.” The police officer says before throwing Audrey into the backseat and driving off, sirens blaring.

After all the chaos, I pace back home. I slump down on my couch again. I put the news on the TV. A lady, surrounded by lights, talks into a huge microphone.

"Breaking news tonight: The Mona Lisa has been stolen from a local mansion in Williamstown. Police say the main suspect, a teenager named Audrey Pallis, confessed she was only a decoy. According to Miss Pallis, the real villain behind the theft was a woman named Lana Banana, who planned the entire robbery. She still has not been found. Miss Banana will be facing years behind bars while Miss Pallis is set to be free.”

I pause the TV. Lana, in jail? I look at my watch, my mum is due home in just one hour. I need that painting back here immediately.

Suddenly I hear the sound of shattered glass from the back of the house, and squeaky shoes. I dive behind the couch, shaking all over, trying to cover the sound of my fast breathing.

I hear the sound of someone walking towards the stairs. I peer from the side of the couch, and I get a glimpse but can’t make out who it is. I watch as they touch the empty wall - where the Mona Lisa should’ve been. They hold a huge, flat rectangular object. I have no other option but to jump from the couch and confront them. So I do.

“Hey, stop right there!” I yell so loud they almost drop their item. They spin around at me. Lana? It can’t be. “Lana?” I say, my voice is shaky. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

“Yes, it’s me. I promise I wasn't taking anything, I was simply returning your painting. I’m deeply sorry for stealing it in the first place. I know how much it meant to you and it was greedy of me to take that from you.” As she talks, her eyes water and her face goes all red. I can tell she's truly sorry for what she's done though I wonder if she knows that police are searching for her everywhere. But do I forgive her crime?

“Lana,” I say, slowly, “Do you know what you've done? You're an outlaw, you're going to jail.”

“Jail?!” She takes a second to accept the truth. “Well, it’s what I deserve. After all, what I did was horrible. I’m sorry, really.” She puts the Mona Lisa on the wall, and heads towards the door. She opens her mouth to speak but all that comes out is,

“Goodbye…” And with that, she was gone.

The next morning, I step down the glistening white stairs of my mansion. My eyes land on the Mona Lisa, safely back in its place. Justice was served, and for the first time in days, I can finally breathe.

“There was something strange going on at the mansion” -Government officials

Me and Loli have been sent off to inspect the old mansion by the Government. It is a whitish 3 story building with at least 5 nightmares when you walk out. I walk up to the door; the wood grasps the tips of my fingers as the door does a slow but intimidating creak my eyes go upon vast darkness. I keep my eyes narrowed. I shouldn’t make a big fuss about the light; I shouldn’t expect this place to have electricity. I press a click a button on my flashlight, it doesn’t glow too much, it must be on low battery. “Hey, we should spilt up” Loli nudges my shoulder. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea though it seems like one of those horror movies or maybe I’m just too schizophrenic enough to believe it. I haven’t gotten much sleep, my eyebags look like they’ve been through World War 3. “Sure” I shrug my shoulders. She walks off to the left corridor, or what it seems like at least. I dig deep in my pocket; I have some bits of paper and random batteries I didn’t know I had. I chuck them into my flashlight, they aren’t there size. I tighten my collar. I find a light switch. It works, surprisingly, but better than my flashlight. I should save my battery. I turn my flashlight off. I seriously need sleep, maybe it would be better if I stayed off today. I close my eyes for a second. I open them again, it’s blurry. I can still see, not well though. “Hey.” a voice says as she leans down to my level, she’s very tall. I grasp to my feet. I scratch my head. “Er, who are you” I say crossing my arms, I try to seem professional but clearly, I’m not. I adjust for the second time. “A better question would be why are you in my house?” She tilts her head; she puts her hand on my chin “Uh.” I push her hand away; she doesn’t seem to care. She tilts her eyes her head is fully upside down now. She smiles, her teeth are sharp. I step back. “I was just leaving” I do a nervous laugh. She stays there. “Hey.” Loli walks in, slow but casual. “Maybe we should go” I say. Loli pauses before looking at me and shining her flashlight in my eyes. It didn’t burn like it used too. Not anymore. She gives me a confused look. “Why?, And who were you talking to?” She leaves her hands side by side. What does she mean? That girl is right there is she not?” I point to a distant shadow, nothing is there. Not anymore. “I-” My vision blurs. “Who did you see?” She says patting me on the shoulder. I know she won’t believe anything I tell her. Not her. I don’t know her like that anyway. “Oh. It was nothing” I lie. We walk together, I look back, she’s still there. Same position. Maybe she owns this house. I hear a whisper in my ears. “Get out before you can”

Me and her stop at a door, I push my hand towards it, its locked. Loli’s flashlight ran out of batteries, we use the ones I found in my pocket, they work just fine. I use a lockpick I found on the floor. Loli tries to pick out a different door. I pick at it for about 20 minutes before I finally get in. Loli’s door hasn’t budged. Must be her first time. There is a painting. I touch it a get a drip of blue and yellow. It covered with paint. There is something underneath. There has to be. I wipe again. If I keep doing that I’m going to be completely blue. Loli shines the flashlight at it. “What are you doing” She screeches. “Just wait” I say. She does. I take off my jacket. It’s one of my old ones, it’s kind of ugly honestly. I scrub it against the painting. My eyes widen. I do a wide grin. It is the Mona Lisa. I accidentally press a recording on my phone, I didn’t even know I brought that thing anyway.

“You found the Mona Lisa? How did you know… where it was…” Loli scrambles for words. Well. I didn’t, but she doesn’t need to know that. I forget why we are even here. She grabs the painting. “It’s beautiful” she pauses before looking at me with dead eyes “I’m taking it” her voice wonders off. “What?” I snap back “It’s mine.” I grab the painting gripping the other end tightly. She snickers “You don’t know anything.” She gives me a nasty look. She turns off her flashlight and the painting leave my grip. “H- hey! You don’t just-!” I run off into nothing. I have no idea where I am going. I turn off my phone. I turn on my flashlight, it’s still low quality but it will work. I run into a shelf. I fall over, I see the girl again. I have to ignore her, she isn’t real. I burst out of the house. She leaves me.

Back at her house

I turn on my tv, barely awake. It’s Loli on the tv. How nice. Well, I suppose it would be nice if there was something pretty on the tv but you know Loli is a nice change. “You know what no, she isn’t going to get away with this, not someone who hasn’t worked a day in their life” I scream at the tv. I lunge into my car, and speed over onto the show. I push past bodyguards. I don’t care. This is for a lot of money; anyone would do this. “What do you think you are doing” a bodyguard stands in front of me. I roll my eyes; this isn’t something I have time for. She is going to get that money and not me. “Let me go. You’ll understand later” I say. “Okay princess” He says with a grin “No. You aren’t getting past me” He quickly says back. I guess he was being sarcastic. He could just be a gentlemen not stubborn little boy. I do a nervous chuckle, “Hey look it’s ice-cream...!” until I realize it’s a grown man. He won’t fall for ice-cream, I would, even though we are about the same age. “Where?!” He pushes past me to look. Well, it actually did work. I run past into the show. “STOP!” I yell for the whole stadium to hear. Loli looks nervous now. I go on my phone. It’s the recording for earlier…

Now she is done for.

“You found the Mona Lisa…?”

Plays a croaky and faint voice from the recording. They escort her out. I wince. I just betrayed a girl I barely know! Well, that’s too bad for her. And with that, that is story with Mel and the Mona Lisa, the end

Meanwhile back in the house across the street from the old mansion, Pat and I are trying to solve the mystery of the stolen Mona Lisa and why is there a chocolate covered painting in front of the mansion. But first we have to explore the mansion and try to find the Mona Lisa in there.

I take my first step in the mansion and look around trying to find a small painting that has just been stolen. As we slowly leave the old mansion I remember. The chocolate covered painting outside the mansion. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a spoon and and and the painting and I scraped and scraped until I saw it a childrens painting.

Enraged, I throw it at a wall and it snaps into two pieces. I storm off and go back to my house.I start to watch tv and hear the mona lisa got handed in by the filthy criminals all just because they felt guilty about their actions and what they did.

As of their actions the two thieves got sentenced to 10 years in prison for theft of the Mona Lisa.

So now here we are. Standing in front of a really spooky, really creepy mansion. My knees felt like jelly, as if threatening to collapse on me. “ Are y-you sure w-we have t-to do th-this Liam?” Alphonse said, his voice wavering, clearly scared. “Yes,” I said, “think about all the fame and glory we will get if we find it.” “Besides I know this is the place, I saw a van come here,” I said. I gather my wits and we go in. The door creaks on its hinges as we slowly push it open. We are blinded as the light floods at us. Once it clears our jaws drop. Inside the mansion were paintings by famous artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci. And there it is! The Mona Lisa! I run up to it, happiness flooding through my veins. We found it! We found it! Then someone comes out of the dark! I braced for impact but they weren't running for me. They were running for Alphonse! I grabbed the Mona Lisa and ran for Alphonse who was holding the exit for me. We burst out into the dark. We were free! But a hand clamped over my waist from behind! I gasped in shock. The Mona Lisa slipped from my grasp but Alphonse caught it. “Run Alphonse,” I yelled. “I’m not leaving you behind,” he replied. “GO,” I screamed. Then he ran off, not looking back. I struggled to escape but then they released me and I fell to the ground. I saw her face, and I screamed. “WHY, WHY YOU?” I yelled. It was Alphonse’s Grandma! I ran away, I should be happy but I am not. How could it be her? She was so nice to us.

There was something strange going on at the mansion, something eerie that I had never seen or heard of before. Sorry, let me start from the beginning. I’m Alexis, 13 years old this year and I have a bestie called Holly who is 12 years old, but turning 13 later on in the year. Anyways we go to a school called St. Louis and we both love it so much. We became friends when we were in prep and have been together since. Holly lives a few minutes away, but I live next door to this creepy, forbidden mansion that me and Holly have always been wondering about what was inside it, did anyone live in there and what was in there? 

The other day Holly went in, WITHOUT ME! And she hasn’t been out since. The police are too scared to go in and the same with everyone else. Holly’s parents are worried as hell, I can just tell by the look on their face when they look at me, it creeps me out! After weeks of no sign of Holly I had a plan to go into the mansion, find Holly and answer the questions Holly and I wanted to find out. I had a piece of paper in front of me and a pencil in my hand, I needed the best, most incredible plan of all. I sat there for ages thinking, thinking and thinking when it popped into my brain. I had it, I would sneak in there tonight and find Holly! 

My Dad said goodnight and shut the door. I was all ready for what was about to happen. The whole afternoon the day before I packed my inventory. I packed snacks, a torch, a map in case I got lost, a fake gun to trick the person who might have captured Holly, and my stuffed toy which always keeps me safe. I had set an alarm for 12:00pm tonight for me to get up and head next door on my adventure. 

“Beep, Beep, Beep,” my alarm went. I had never been up this early before. I groaned as I got out of bed. My head spun and then it came to me, what I was doing up so early. I got my torch, grabbed my bag, and off I went into the night to save Holly! I walked up to the chipped white door and knocked… no answer so again “knock, knock, knock,”... still no answer, so I did something brave, I opened the door all by myself at midnight. As I was walking in I looked around at the walls that were white with little gold spirals, but it was cracked and ugly. Then there was this long hallway with lots of rooms down it. Finally after ages, I reached this large, big room which was beautiful and above my head was a chandelier. It was made of glass, pretty clear glass, and then “fick!” The candles flickered on and the room was all bright. Then some sort of ghost-like creature appeared, then two, three and then at least a hundred appeared. 

The ghost-like creatures weren't like that at all, they were faint humans dancing and then I realised that this magnificent room was the ballroom. This mansion must have had a ballroom when it was functioning.The people dancing were amazing and so good at it. I could stand there for ages listening to the music and watching them, but Holly was in danger. I ran through the crowd full of people, and finally reached a room. The door was just a tiny bit open, so I creaked it open a little bit more and then a voice came from the room. “Who’s there?”

I jumped a little, but then realised that the voice sounded familiar, so I said “Holly?” And it replied “Alexis?” OMG had I just found Holly, so I said “yeah, Holly is it really you?” and it replied “yes it’s me, but I’ve been captured by this old evil lady who captured me because when I came in I saw her with the Mona Lisa in her hand painting over it and she wouldn’t let me go because she thought I would tell others and send her to pris-,” “Holly lets get you out of there before she comes back and captures me to.” I said quickly and stressfully. “You can tell me the rest when we report her to the police.” I opened the door to see Holly’s beautiful face that I had not seen in ages. I told her that we needed to get out of this house straight away and not to be scared of the ghost-like humans when we ran past them. Before we ran out of the house Holly spotted a plain white painting and she thought it was a canvas and she wanted to use it, so I said “Hurry up, what if we get caught.” She grabbed the painting, but then there came a voice. “Hello my dear friend Holly, what might you be doing grabbing that painting,” “It’s a painting,” Holly and I thought, we thought it was a blank canvas. Then I realised, it  was the Mona Lisa that had been stolen for a year now. The Louvre had been wanting it back and they had set up a prize, but I didn’t know what the prize was. I grabbed Holly’s arm and told her we had to run now!

When we got home I locked the door and told Holly to lock the window and shut the blinds, so that crazy lady who knew Holly’s name wouldn’t come in. I grabbed the painting and a paint scrapper from the study. I scraped the paint off and I was right, it was the Mona Lisa. I took hold of the land-line phone and called the police. I stated what had happened and also told them about the Mona Lisa. The police told me that the girl made ghosts and tricked people and turned them into her servants. A few days later we were given our rewards for finding the Mona Lisa. We got to make our own unique painting to put in the Louvre that day. I made one of my favourite place Japan and Holly made one of us holding hands with a sunset behind us. We also got free entry to go to the Louvre. That means we don’t have to pay €22.

Every day Holly and I went to the Louvre and told people about our story and how these paintings ended up here. We loved our life, friendship and our paintings. It was amazing!

The End!

By Nipcy N

There was something strange at the mansion next door .It started as just another boring Saturday. I was halfway through my cereal when the news came on. The reporter looked panicked. The Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre. Security footage shows nothing, it's like she vanished into thin air. I nearly choked on my cereal. The Mona Lisa? Stolen? I glared at the TV, stunned. Even though I’d never seen it in real life, something about that painting always felt familiar to me, like I’d know it anywhere. Later that day, I went to my neighbor’s house for a playdate. Everything seemed normal… until I saw The Door.It was in the hallway near the basement. Covered in bright caution tape, and a hand-written sign: "DO NOT ENTER. SERIOUSLY."As I stared at it, my friend’s dad walked by and said in a voice so deep it gave me chills: "Don’t go in there. That room is off-limits."That only made me more curious. I couldn’t do this alone. I needed backup. So I secretly texted my best friend, Ljana.

“I think I found something CRAZY. Come over tonight when they leave.”

 Ljana replayed with, “👀 I’m in.”

That night, once the neighbors left for dinner, we crept over. Just like I’d hoped, the key was under the doormat. We slipped inside, flashlights in hand, hearts pounding. The house was quiet almost too quiet. We tiptoed to the door with the caution signs, looked at each other, and nodded. I slowly turned the knob. What we saw nearly made us scream. There. Right in front of us. On a stand under a spotlight. Was the real, actual MONA LISA. I could barely breathe. It was like she was looking straight into my soul. “What do we do?” Ljana whispered. “We can’t just take it out,” I said. “People will think we stole it!” We panicked. Then ran home like nothing happened. The next morning, I knew what I had to do. I called the police anonymously and told them exactly what to look for. By noon, the house was crawling with investigators. I watched from across my window as they carried out the painting and arrested my neighbor’s dad in handcuffs. Turns out, he’d been part of an international art smuggling ring (a group of boy that steal expensive things). Who knew? As a reward for helping finding the painting, they offered me money. A lot of it. But I didn’t want to keep it. I used it to help people—donated to shelters, schools, hospitals. I gave back to the world. Now, years later, people still tell the story of how one curious girl, her best friend, and a locked door changed everything. And somewhere, in museums or newspapers, my name is remembered—not for stealing the Mona Lisa… but for saving it.

Then hundreds of police went around the city looking for who did it. But when they went to a mansion near the Louvre museum. They went in and never returned. Then the government called hundreds of detectives to search for the Mona Lisa. But when they went in the mansion near the louvre museum they got taken away.

A year later some people were at the grave of Leonardo da Vinci walking around and saw a note above Leonardo da Vincis grave. It said “who ever reads this gets 1,000,000 dollars in cash if they find the Mona Lisa, signed Fabio Panetta.” The people gasped in shock. “We’re gonna be rich!”

The four people who saw it looked up were was the place it last was. It was last seen in the Louvre museum. Twenty minutes later they got there. They went inside the museum they saw police tape saying “do not cross.” But there were stupid and crossed the line. They read online that a giant mansion nearby is were every police and detectives disappeared. They must of took the police and detectives so people won’t find out.

The person will be inside right now if they don’t want anyone to come in and take the Mona Lisa. So when the vote for president happens they will go out because everybody will be in one place. So when they leave we can go inside and take the Mona Lisa. “We will need to wait two weeks for the vote.” “Or we can make another thing that people will go to.”

“What will that be.” “Maybe a competition that gives you one hundred thousand dollars in cash. Because by the time they win we will have 1,000,000 dollars and they will have just some of are money.” “Maybe we go on the news and people will see it and come.” “We will have to do it fast. ”We can sell stuff for money.”

“Wait for tomorrow so we can get ready.” “Maybe two of us sneak in and two of us do the competition. But the two doing the competition will do the news.”

The next day, group one went behind the mansion very quietly they stayed there until the robber left. Group two went on the news.” Hello everybody, we have an announcement that today we are opening a competition were you……”what do I say” he said whispering. “A running competition.” She said very quietly. “A running competition!” He said loud so people can hear him not her.

Then one hour later everyone, in the street came.” It will begin in like two minutes minutes!” The whole thing was on the oval. Meanwhile,I heard the door open. They left. Go in. The cops, the FBI it’s all here except the Mona Lisa. “Lets go to my house, we’re I have a metal detector in the garage. It will take ten minutes to get there.” “We only have 40 minutes until they come back from the store.” Ten minutes later.

“We’re here at my house. It’s in the garage. Wait we’re is it. I cant see it. The robber must of took it. Why specifically mine. Is it in my room. No. They took everything in my house.” “Let’s go back, we’re wasting time.” Ten minutes later. They opened the door and saw the robber in the house. “Who are you.” Said the robber.

“Aren’t you the people that was in the Louvre museum last night.” Were you looking for the Mona Lisa. Well I have it hidden somewhere you would never guess.” The robber pulled out a gun from his pocket to threaten them. “Go in the cage or I’ll pull the trigger and shoot you both.” “Okay, we will go in.”

The cage they were put in had a lock in the door. Luckily they had a phone to call there friends at the competition they made.”tell everyone at the race to wait ten minutes for the awards.” “Okay. Everyone wait ten minutes for the award.” Two minutes later they got there. They snuck in from the back door. “We will get you out.”

He opened the door with the key on the bench. But the robber heard the noise. He grabbed the gun and tried shooting. One of then snuck outside. He went through the front door and knocked the gun out of the robbers hands. The robber put his hands in the air because the guy will pull the trigger on him. The guy was nervous to pull the trigger because he would go to jail.

So he kept holding it in front of his face so one of them can call the cops. He yelled, ”CALL THE COPS! One of them grabbed there phone from there pocket and called the cops. The cops came in one minute and pulled out more guns. They were the only cops in Italy. Because the other ones were hold hostage and died.

The guy pulled out the Mona Lisa from his room. The cops told him to take off his mask. He did and he was the thief that stole The Girl In The Pearl Earring and The Night painting. He was. Vincenzo Peruggia an Italian detector from 1913.they took him to prison for stealing the Mona Lisa. He was going to be there for 15 years to pay the price. THE END.

By Harry G Grade 3, Armstrong Creek School

Collaborative effort - Rosie, Carys and Trang

‘We have arrived in Paris, France. Please carry your luggage and head towards the exit. Thank you.’ I pulled my heavy suitcase and stumbled to the exit. I watched passengers departing out of the terminal. The early crows cawed on the gateposts as I hopped into the taxi, listening to pop music through my headphones.

I unlocked the hotel door and plonked myself down on the leather sofa. I punched some words into my phone and waited for a reply.

The rooftops shimmered with dew and the chimneys puffed lazy clouds of smoke in the morning mist. I stepped on the oak front porch and observed the beautiful landscape. ‘C’mon Tom, get this trouble in the truck,’ grumbled a man with a black baseball cap covering his face. The pair loaded a painting of a gorgeous sunrise in a truck. What were they doing? I dismissed the thought as it came and ran on the opposite cobblestoned track.

‘Genson!’ called a man as he crumbled a sheet of scribbled paper. ‘Y-yes Mr Rodrigez,’ stuttered the clumsy man and stumbled towards his boss. ‘Move both these artworks, you foul worker,’ he barked. ‘Of course,’ the muscular Genson mumbled and dashed to the abstract paintings. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his jet-black hair.

I came to the end and panted. A limestone and brick structure towered me. A vast shadow seemed to surround it. As a stream of curious thoughts erupted, I became oblivious to my surroundings. Many workers came out of the wooden double doors and moved artworks into dusty vans. A pair of eyes stared at me. I froze. ‘Go now!’ he mouthed. Genson struggled to carry two talented paintings.

Collaborative effort - Rosie, Carys and Trang Burwood East PS

‘We have arrived in Paris, France. Please carry your luggage and head towards the exit. Thank you.’ I pulled my heavy suitcase and stumbled to the exit. I watched passengers departing out of the terminal. The early crows cawed on the gateposts as I hopped into the taxi, listening to pop music through my headphones.

I unlocked the hotel door and plonked myself down on the leather sofa. I punched some words into my phone and waited for a reply.

The rooftops shimmered with dew and the chimneys puffed lazy clouds of smoke in the morning mist. I stepped on the oak front porch and observed the beautiful landscape. ‘C’mon Tom, get this trouble in the truck,’ grumbled a man with a black baseball cap covering his face. The pair loaded a painting of a gorgeous sunrise in a truck. What were they doing? I dismissed the thought as it came and ran on the opposite cobblestoned track.

‘Genson!’ called a man as he crumbled a sheet of scribbled paper. ‘Y-yes Mr Rodrigez,’ stuttered the clumsy man and stumbled towards his boss. ‘Move both these artworks, you foul worker,’ he barked. ‘Of course,’ the muscular Genson mumbled and dashed to the abstract paintings. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his jet-black hair.

I came to the end and panted. A limestone and brick structure towered me. A vast shadow seemed to surround it. As a stream of curious thoughts erupted, I became oblivious to my surroundings. Many workers came out of the wooden double doors and moved artworks into dusty vans. A pair of eyes stared at me. I froze. ‘Go now!’ he mouthed. Genson struggled to carry two talented paintings.

The first (and the last!) tour of France’s best paintings had begun at the National Gallery of Victoria. Hundreds of people were lining up to see the best of the best paintings, all the way from France! Unfortunately, they all got the shock of their lives when they realised that the most important piece of all was missing. The Mona Lisa had vanished!

Who? Why? How?

The questions built up and rumours started to spread. Some people were saying it was the ghost of Leonardo DeVinci, reclaiming his most famous artwork. Others suggested it was a ‘paint over’, that someone had snuck into the gallery and painted over the top of the priceless painting and it could be anywhere by now! But no one had any proof and the question remained, where was the Mona Lisa?

Five years later….

It was a beautiful day in South Yarra, and the Year 5 and 6 kids at South Yarra Primary were thrilled to be heading to the National Gallery of Victoria for a very special art excursion. Leo, Olly, Renato, and Adam were bursting with excitement. They bolted towards the gallery at the highest velocity to look at the magnificent paintings. Anya, their teacher, called them back and reminded them to stay with the group so that they would not get lost. The boys rolled their eyes; they were going on an adventure!

When the class arrived at the gallery they were greeted by a tour guide. The group listened carefully and moved towards the Impressionist exhibit. Olly, Leo, Renato, and Adam looked at each other, this was their opportunity to escape! While Anya and the tour guide were looking at the art, the boys quietly slipped away down the nearest corridor. They had no idea where it was going to take them, but they didn’t care. They giggled as they ran, and then they saw a door. It said ‘DO NOT ENTER!!! How could they resist?

Leo reached for the handle and slowly turned it, pushing the door ever so slightly open. There was a loud creak, as if the door had not been opened in a very long time. Adam said, “Come on Leo, open it!”. So, Leo pushed the door open further, and they all stumbled in. They door slammed behind them. “What was that?”, Olly whispered. He sounded frightened. It was so dark they could not see each other. “Sorry, it was me”, Renato had bumped into Olly (scaring the life out of him) and almost tripping himself over. Suddenly, there was light, Adam had found the light switch. The boys looked around themselves. They were in a big room filled with paintings. Most of them were covered with plastic and stacked against each other. It must be a storage room, they thought, cool! “I wonder what famous paintings are in here?”, Leo said. “They are probably just the ones that no one wants to see anymore,” said Renato.

Olly had wandered away. “Hey guys”, he shouted, “Check this out!”. The others ran over and looked at the painting that Olly was pointing at. It was a picture of a big, old, mysterious mansion. It was the only picture hanging on the wall. Olly had turned white. “Guys, I just saw I person move in the window of that house!”. “No way!” said the others looking at him like he was crazy. But they looked at the window and it was true, the curtains moved. “Woah, you are right”, said Adam. The boys took a step closer, and all of a sudden there was a bright, flashing light, and a sharp, shrieking noise and they felt themselves flying. Next thing, they opened their eyes, and they were standing in front of the mansion. They were inside the painting!!!!!!

“Ummm guys? What just happened?” said Leo. “I don’t know” said Renato “but this is crazy!”. Olly took a step towards the door and said, “We need to go in and see who is inside. Maybe they got sucked in here as well and they can help us”. The boys opened the door and walked into the mansion. “Hello?”, Adam called. No one answered. They saw a big staircase leading upstairs and a shadow moving at the top. They raced up to see who it was and there standing in front of them was none other than Leonardo De Vinci.

“No way!”, said Leo. Leonardo De Vinci, didn’t say anything at all, he just pointed to the wall behind them. The boys turned around and could not believe their eyes. It was the Mona Lisa! The painting had been missing for 5 years! Everyone thought it had been stolen. When they turned back, Leonardo De Vinci had gone. “This is too weird!”, said Renato. “What do we do?” asked Olly. “We have to take the painting back”. Leo carefully lifted the painting from the wall and as he did there was another flash of light.

Boom! Smash! Crash!

They were back in the weird storage room. “Leo, Olly, Renato, Adam, where are you?”, they could hear Anya calling for them. They looked at each with big, round eyes and smiled. Leo looked down, he was still holding the Mona Lisa! The door opened and there was Anya, the tour guide and the rest of their class. “Where have you been? She said, “We have been looking for you everywhere!”. Then their mouths dropped open. “Is no one going to talk about why Leo is holding the Mona Lisa?”, one of the girls called out. The tour guide rushed over and lifted the painting, “Where did you get this?”. “You would never believe us if we told you”, said Adam. “Well, wherever you found it, you are going to be hero’s”, said the guide, “and you might even get a reward!”.

Leo, Renato, Olly, and Adam looked at each other – this was the BEST DAY EVER!

 The detective’s name was Agent, she had over one year of detective experience. Agent then interviewed the neighbours and a few friends who were here when the incident occurred. She was left with ten suspects, seven were neighbors, three were friends. The police searched each of their homes but nothing was found in the friends homes so they let them go, but there were a few unusual things in one of the neighbours home, very, VERY unusual things. Detective Agent asked the suspects what they did yesterday, only three stayed home and the rest went out, after using security footage, they figured out that they were telling the truth.The ones who went out were released, so only three remained. 

Detective Agent gathered the suspects and asked them if they did steal the Mona Lisa or know who did it to own up or a severe action will take place. None said anything, everything silent, you could hear a pin drop. Agent then took out her gun and pointed it at one of the suspects called Greg. “You had quite a few weapons in your house, WHY!!” She said, her voice harsh. “I, uh, I don’t h-have w-weapon-s in m-my h-house” Said Greg, stammering. “Then you won’t mind…DYING!!” Booommm! Greg, was, dead. Blood splattered all over the chair and floor. 

He was innocent, the other two looked up, astonished. They started to get off their seats and run, but the detective was too quick for them. Booom! Booom! More blood. Blood coming out of them. BANG! “STOP! You’re under arrest!!” Cried the policeman. “So you finally found the culprit have you?” Said the Detective slyly. The policeman rushed over and handcuffed the detective. She was taken into custody the next day and sentenced to ten years in jail, for stealing the Mona Lisa and for the murder of the innocent. The detective was the thief.

The next day they went back and saw the stolen Mona Lisa at the mansion. All the boys ran to the window and began trying to break the window they found a weak spot in the window. They all kicked the window at the same time the window broke.

Down they all rushed in the building to look for the Mona Lisa, Maddox went to the second floor. Jordan went to the third floor Freddie stayed on the bottom floor.

Maddox couldn’t find anything and Jordan couldn’t find anything but Freddie saw the evil villain Harrison admiring the Mona Lisa that he had stole and kept the secret for five years. Freddie quickly ran to get Maddox and Jordan to wait for the police.

Freddie got medicine they waited for the police. Five minutes later the police arrived and Harry was sent to jail for five years. Then the Mona Lisa was restored.

By Maddox S, Grade 3 Armstrong Creek School

Collaborative effort - Rosie, Carys and Trang Burwood East PS

Dictionary

‘Au revoir’ = Goodbye

‘Bien’ = Well

‘chanceuse’ = Lucky

‘Demain’ = Tomorrow

‘Droite’ = Right

‘Excusez-moi= Excuse me

‘encore’= Again

‘Innocente’ = Innocent

‘Non, nous sommes en train de manger’ = No, we are- uh eating

‘Oui’ = Yes

‘Que faites-vous, petits imbéciles?’ = What are you doing little imbeciles?

Chapter 1

‘We have arrived in Paris, France. Please carry your luggage and head towards the exit. Thank you.’ I pulled my heavy suitcase and stumbled towards the exit. I watched as passengers departed out of the terminal. The early crows cawed on the gateposts as I hopped into the taxi, listening to pop music through my headphones.

I unlocked the hotel door and plonked myself down on the leather sofa. I typed some words into my phone and waited for a reply.

Chapter 2

The rooftops shimmered with dew and the chimneys puffed lazy clouds of smoke in the morning mist. I stepped on the oak front porch and observed the gorgeous landscape. ‘C’mon Tom, get this trouble in the truck,’ grumbled a man with a black baseball cap covering his face. The pair loaded a painting of a stunning sunrise in a truck. What were they doing?

‘Jenson!’ called a man as he crumpled a sheet of scribbled paper. ‘Y-yes, Mr Rodrigez,’ stuttered the clumsy man and stumbled towards his boss. ‘Move both these artworks, you foul worker,’ he grunted. ‘Of course,’ the muscular Jenson mumbled and dashed to the abstract paintings. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and tamed back his jet-black hair.

Chapter 3

I came to the end and panted. A crumbled stone structure towered over me. Many workers dashed out of the large dark wood double doors and moved artworks into dusty vans. A pair of cold ink-blue eyes stared at me. My body tensed, my legs were noodles.‘Go now!’ he mouthed. Genson struggled to carry two captivating paintings. I quickly slid out of the view of the terrified foursome of workers and punched a text in my phone. 

A shimmering limousine stopped and Ila stepped out. She spotted me and stumbled towards me. ‘This place smells like my father’s dirty socks,’ she grumbled, pinching her nose. I tip-toed towards the workers in a narrow alleyway. ‘Isn’t that Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet? The missing one?’ she wondered, admiring the breath-taking artwork. It was the painting I saw earlier on my errand. ‘Excusez-moi, what are you doing?’ barked a girl with chestnut beach waves and tinted shades.

Chapter 4

 ‘What are you doing? And have you been watching them too?’ I muttered. ‘Oui, I have noticed them doing that for a very long time,’ she gushed. ‘ Bien, it looks like it's my chanceuse day today. I have been searching for a very long time and now I have found people to help me. More importantly, people around my age. I love to spy with others who are young because we are so innocente.’ She gave a cheeky wink. ‘What's your name?’ I asked. ‘Droite, my name is Ameliette Madonna. What are your names?’ she said. ‘Serena and this is my friend Ila. I am on a vacation,’ I replied. ‘Bien, nice to meet you Ila and Serena, I hope we meet here encore, maybe sometime at 3:00 pm demain, au revoir,’ Ameliette announced, before dashing away.

Chapter 5

        ‘Why did she run away so fast?’ Isla demanded. We soon realised as a tall, dark silhouette loomed over us. A woman with warm blonde curls with wispy bangs shoved us. ‘Que faites-vous, petits imbéciles?!’ barked the woman. ‘Non, nous sommes en train de manger,’ mumbled Ila, showing her a crusty nibbled sandwich.

          by Kaley and Eloise      

“Class! Class! Have you all got your permission slips?’’ said Miss Milly who was the teacher for the 3/4 class room.

“YES!’’ Said all the children with an ear-piercing tone.

“Time for the roll,’’ said Miss Milly. “Piper are you here?’’

“Yes miss!’’ said Piper excitedly. 

“Gia are you here?’’ said Miss Milly. 

“Yes,’’ said Gia.

“Harry?” 

“Present.” 

“Eloise?’’ 

“Here.’’ 

“Kaley are you here?”

“Yes Miss Milly.” 

“Ma…” but just before she could say anything else, there was a loud knock on the door leading to the classroom. 

“Who is it?” Miss Milly said, shocked.  

“I’m sorry but Mr Pack can’t make it to camp. He is sick” said the office lady. 

“Oh no! I’m sorry children, but unless we get a fill in, the Paris camp will have to be postponed,” said Miss Milly. 

“Noooooooooooooooooo!” sobbed the children. 

Knock! Knock! Knock!  

“Who is it?” said Miss Milly.

“It’s me, Miss Metal. I can fill in for Mr Pack. It’s so sad that he’s sick,” said Miss Metal “How did you know Mr Pack is sick?’’ said Miss Milly.

“A little bird told me,” said Miss Metal.

“Ok class lets go,” said Miss Milly, surprised that birds could talk. 

“The bus is going to be here soon,” said Miss Metal. They walked over to the front of the school with their luggage.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Here's the bus,” said Miss Milly.  

The door of the bus opened and the driver greeted the teachers with a wave.

“Is everyone here?” Miss Milly asked whilst counting the students. 

“Yesssss!” the children screamed. 

Vroom! The bus takes off like a racing car. Gia vomits! bleh

“Let's get you a sick bag,” said Miss Milly.  

“Just in time, we’re now at the airport,” said Miss Metal. 

The children were relieved that they were there.

“Everyone please get out of the bus quietly,” said Miss Milly. “Grab your suitcase and don’t leave anything behind”. “Miss Metal, could you please make sure when every child is off the bus that they didn't leave anything behind?”

“They didn't leave anything behind,” said Miss Metal who barely even glanced at the chairs.

“ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!” Miss Metal cried as she missed her footing and tripped out of the bus. “I think I broke my leg,” said Miss Metal painfully.  “Don't  worry, I have a spare wheel chair” offered the bus driver. He was a tall man with a long black beard that looked like he had never brushed it before.

“Yes thank you! I can’t walk without one,” said Miss Metal. 

“Oh no we’re going to be late for the plane,” said Miss Milly. “Everybody lets go!” They grabbed their luggage and hurried to airport security.

“How am I supposed to go through airport security?” said Miss Metal.

“Why can't you go through the airport security?” said Kaley nervously. 

“Because wheel chairs are metal and it would say that I have something bad on me, which I definitely don’t!” Miss Metal said. 

“Hurry, we're going to be late,” said Miss Milly. Beep! The class went though the metal detector, except Miss Metal who had to go to the side because she was in a wheelchair. The security guards could see that she was with a bunch of students and hurried her along. 

“I'm hungry,” said Harry. 

"OK, let's get you some food quickly," said Miss Milly. After Harry got some chips, they all set off again.  

The plane ride went really quickly because the teachers didn't care how many movies the children watched. Finally, after about five movies and a quadrillion snacks, the plane flight was over.     

Then they went to their hotel. It was called the Hotel Louvre   

“Hi, we are here to get our key card,” said Miss Milly.

“Here you go, your rooms are number 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,” said the manager of the hotel who was a short man with a long orange, red beard. 

“All right children, your partners for the rooms are Kaley and Eloise, Harry and Max, Gia and Piper, le…’” but Miss Milly couldn't say anything else because Miss Metal interrupted her.

“Lets get to the activities shell we, Miss Milly” 

“Oh yes,” said Miss Milly unusually.

“Let's get in our groups for the activity,” said Miss Metal happily. “Come on my group, let's go deliver some cookies to some fellow friends of mine,” said Miss Metal excitedly as they walked through the street and over to a creaky old door which they carefully opened.

Inside there was a dirty old red carpet which was standing there silently waiting for dust to fall on it making it very dusty. The children were avoiding the dirty old red dusty carpet.

They opened the box of choc chip cookies and poured them onto a cracked plate. 

“I just need to go to the toilet very quickly.” said Miss Metal 

“Me too,” said Kaley. 

“So do I,” said Eloise. 

The two children raced to the bathrooms.

 “Let's go to the bathroom over there,” said Miss Metal who came out of the bathroom without a flush at all. Miss metal thought that the two children would not notice her leaving the bathroom so she quietly tiptoed up the stairs.

“What's this poking out of the wheel chair?” said Kaley. They pulled it out and they flipped it over the Mona Lisa. “Look at that!” said Eloise. “The real Mona Lisa! We found it!” said kaley.

They put it in Kaley's pocket and went into the toilet cubical. Flush! They ran down the corridor of the spooky mansion but at the same time Miss Metal was coming down stairs with the spooky man and she wasn't in her wheel chair. As soon as Miss Metal saw Kaley and Eloise she pretended to fall into the spooky man's arms. 

“Owwwww!” Miss Metal screams. 

“Where’s the Mona Lisa?” said the spooky man. 

“It's here!” said Eloise and Kaley. 

“Give it to meeeeee NOW!” shouted the spooky man. 

“We shouldn't have said that” They both said softly 

“Look there’s a phone over there, quickly grab it.”

Kaley versed the spooky man and Kaley got the phone first. She dialled number 17. "Allô, quelle est l'urgence?" which in French means hello, what is the emergency?’. 

“We found the Mona Lisa.” said Kaley excitedly.  

“Je ne te crois pas!” said the police officer, which meant ‘I don't believe you’ in French.

“Well we have it,” said Kaley confidently.  

“How old are you?” said the police officer, who was now speaking English.

“I am 10,” said Kaley.

“Are you accompanied by an adult?” said the police officer. 

“I am accompanied by the adult who stole the Mona Lisa!” said Kaley.

“This sounds like a prank,” said the police officer. “Just give us a chance pretty please,” said Kaley.

“I would never usually do this, but I’m on break so I’ll pop over,” said the police officer.

“Yay!” said Kaley.

“But if you are making a joke you will be in so much trouble!” said the police officer. 

“We're not pranking you, don't worry,” said Kaley.  

“What's your house number”

31 Rue Cambon

Bing! Bing! Bing! The call ended.                          

“Lets tie you up,” said Eloise.

“Here’s a sturdy rope,” said Kaley.  

Tie, tie, tie. Swish, swish, swish. Miss Metal and the spooky man were tied up tightly by Kaley's and Eloise's knots. 

Knock! Knock! Knock! The police officer came in quietly. 

“Where’s the Mona Lisa?” said the police officer. 

“Let’s explain,”said Eloise and Kaley. “First of all, our teacher Mr Pack was sick so he couldn’t come to camp,” said Kaley and Eloise. 

“What does this have to do with the Mona Lisa?” said the police officer.

“Well if Mr Pack couldn’t come, we had to have a fill in.”

“This is wasting my time,” said the police officer.

“This is proof," said Eloise.

“Then we got on the bus and Miss Metal and said that she broke her leg. Did Miss Metal really break her leg though ?” said Eloise 

“Are you accusing me of lying?” said Miss Metal.

“Yes we are!” said Kaley and Eloise.

“Just get to the point!” said the police officer.

 “Just let us keep talking, please” said Kaley 

“Then the bus driver gave Miss Metal a wheel chair. Isn’t it weird that a bus driver had a wheel chair?” said Eloise.

“Yes it is weird,” agreed the police officer. 

”No it’s not! Bus drivers always have wheel chairs,” said Miss Metal 

“No they don’t! My Dad is a bus driver and none of the bus drivers in the district has a wheel chair,” said Eloise.

“I get the point kids, but where’s the Mona Lisa?” 

“Let us finish,” said Kaley and Eloise. “Then we went to the airport and because she was in a wheelchair she couldn't go through the metal detector, so she went to the side. The security guards could see that she was with a school group so they hurried her along. Then she took us for our activity, which was supposed to be going to the Louvre but instead took us here. After we got here she said she needed to go to the toilet. We needed to go to the toilet too, but when Miss Metal came out of the toilet she didn't even flush. After she left we went in and we saw her wheel chair. There was a little bit of paper sticking out so we pulled it out and there was the Mona Lisa!“ said Eloise. 

“Ok I love the story kids, but where’s the Mona Lisa? My break’s nearly over,” said the police officer with a funny tone.

“We’re nearly done,” said Kaley inpationly.

“Then we saw Miss Metal coming down with the spooky man,” said Eloise. 

“Hey!… my name is Charlie,” said the spooky man. 

“Then we called you,” said Kaley. 

“Ok where’s the Mona Lisa!!!!” said the police officer. 

“Right here.” Kaley brought out a piece of  scrunched up paper. 

“You’re telling me you scrunched up the Mona Lisa?” said the police officer

“Oh no, that’s just a piece of paper,” said Kaley. “This is the real Mona Lisa, it says on it”

“Where?” 

“Here!”

“Hey you kids are joking.”

“No we’re not”. I will get Frankie from the museum to check it while I speak to these two troublesome people.” said the police officer 

Bring! Bring! Bring!

“Hello Frankie, I think some kids have found the Mona Lisa.”

“I will come straight away,” said Frankie.

Ding! Dong!

“Im here.” 

“That was quick!’ 

“Where is the Mona Lisa?” said Frankie.

“Here!” 

“It is the real one.” 

“I will take it to the museum.” 

“Ok.” 

“We will have a reward for you two kids something.”

“You kids better go to your hotel. “Your real teacher will be getting worried.”

“Ok,” said Eloise and Kaley.

“Lenny?” 

“Yeah?” said the police officer

“Reward them two, ok?” said Frankie.  “As for you two your going to jail”  said lenny “But we didn't do anything” said Miss Metal “year right” said leany with a sarcastic tone in you go said lenny

The next day…

“It’s reward day!” said Kaley.

There was a crowd outside the Louvre who started cheering as they walked in.

“Why is there a crowd?” said Eloise.

“You’re famous now!” said Lenny the Police Officer

“ What?!” said Eloise, surprised.

“Yep,” said Lenny.

“Wow!” said Kaley an Eloise together, smiling happily at the surprising turn of events.

“I wonder what other surprises Paris has in store for us…”