Four weeks later, the Spinner family sat in the kitchen sharing amazing true facts and strawberry waffles. Samantha had completely stopped power moping, and her father had stepped up to become the new breakfast maker.

Samantha and her mother sat next to each other at the table.

Mrs. Spinner was busy filling out another Unexplained Vanishing Person Form. The last one had come back because someone had listed Uncle Paul’s first name as “Uncle” and his last name as “Paul.”

Samantha was studying her sketch from Edfu.

“I think that’s Cleopatra’s Needle,” said Mrs. Spinner, looking over at the drawing.

“That seems awfully big for a needle,” said Mr. Spinner, glancing down at the table. He held a plate piled high with fresh, hot waffles.

Samantha could never tell if her dad was brilliant or a grown-up version of her little brother. And was it a real needle, or something else? She looked up at her mother.

“What and where is Cleopatra’s—”

“Hold that thought,” said Mrs. Spinner. “I almost forgot.” She took out a postcard. “This came in the mail yesterday, too.”

The card featured several overlapping pictures, including the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium, and the Empire State Building.

Samantha’s mother read it out loud.

“Dearest Mother, Father, Sammy, and Little Nipper,

I have wonderful news.

I spent most of the money and it looked like I was going to have to head back to dreary Seattle. Then, just in time, I got a call from the famous Broadway producer Horace Temple. He wants to cast me in his new musical show!

I hope you come and see my singing and dancing debut!

Kisses,

Scarlett Hydrangea

PS: If you must write back about your boring lives, be sure to send the letter to my new address in New York City.”

Mr. Spinner shrugged. “I didn’t think Buffy could sing or dance.”

“Horace Temple?” asked Mrs. Spinner. “I’ve never heard of a famous producer named Horace Temple.”

“It almost sounds like it could be an Egyptian name,” said Mr. Spinner.

Samantha raised her eyebrows.

Nipper pretended to pay attention, but he was actually listening to the sports news blaring from the living room.

“Twenty-four games in a row!” a voice shouted.

The New York Yankees were setting a record…for the longest losing streak in the history of baseball.

“Some sports experts think that the Yankees are losing every game they play because of a terrible ancient curse,” another announcer chimed in.

“How about that, old pal?” Nipper whispered to Dennis, who rested at his feet.

“Wruf!” the little dog barked.

Ten million candlepower’s worth of pure white light shot out from below the table. The intense rays reflected off windows, silverware, and appliances, filling the room with the glare of the X-27B lightbulb that Nipper and Samantha had absolutely forgotten to remove from Dennis’s collar.

Mr. Spinner dropped the waffle plate and tried to shield his eyes. It fell to the floor with a crash, scattering waffles and strawberries everywhere.

“I recognize the color balance of that light,” he said, bending down and reaching for the Blinky Barker.

Dennis bolted for a waffle…and seized it triumphantly, dashing out of the room and leaving a trail of syrup and powdered sugar.

Nipper and his parents chased the sticky pug. Samantha could hear them running from one brightly lit room to another, bumping into chairs and knocking over the coffee table. The sound of a lamp breaking came from upstairs.

Alone at last, Samantha glanced down at her notebook. She looked at the drawing of the mysterious obelisk.

“Horace Temple,” she said. “Horus Temple?”

Something went thump and the kitchen table shook.

Samantha bent down and looked around. There was nothing to see.

Or was there?

She took a closer look and saw something she’d never noticed before: three of the table legs were square and one was round. She put her hand near the top of the curved leg where it connected to the tabletop. A stream of air pulsed from a seam in the leg. She pushed gently on it and there was a click. When she pulled her hand away, a small curved door flipped open.

The leg was a pneumatic tube!

She pulled a small plastic cylinder from inside. She popped open the top with her thumb, and a pair of sunglasses dropped out onto the table.

They had silver frames. The lenses were purple and shaped like octagons. A small paper tag was tied to the bridge of the glasses. Samantha read the note.

Watch out for the SUN.

—Horace

Samantha smiled. It was Uncle Paul. He was alive, and Samantha was going to find him.

She stood up. Nipper was actually the very first person she wanted to tell about this discovery.

Then she heard several crashes overhead, and the sounds of her family chasing Dennis from room to room.

She sat back down and looked at her notebook.

The little black book had started out as a gloomy and depressing journal. Now it was becoming a guide to amazing places around the world, loaded with secret instructions. Samantha planned to add entries about the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the other places she’d visited. And many, many other places she was going to visit.

Samantha flipped through the book until she found a blank page. Still smiling, she began to write.

There’s a little bit of Nelly McPepper in all of us.

It’s easy to believe that our hopes and dreams have been jacked up on a massive flatbed truck and hauled away for good.

But take a closer look at things and you’ll find there are possibilities everywhere.

All around, the world is waiting to reveal special secrets and amazing adventures.

We have many places to go…and a lot to do!