I was passing the Temple of Fortuna Augusta this afternoon when I noticed the forum baths right opposite. This seemed important to me for some reason, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I remembered the words I’d seen scratched into the shelf in Numerius’s house: ‘Fortune looks over cold water.’
The baths have a cold-water pool. What if Numerius left the words as a secret clue for someone clever like me to discover? I rushed into the baths to investigate.
There was nobody in the pool and the water was so filthy it would make you dirtier instead of cleaner. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I noticed tiny letters etched into the rim of the pool. I leaned over the edge to examine them.
My heart raced. Another clue! Numerius must have hidden something really important to go to all this effort.
I heard footsteps approaching and jumped with fright. Unfortunately, this made me plop into the pool and I surfaced in time to see Pontius and Spurius wandering through.
‘This is Doltus Maximus,’ said Spurius. ‘He bathes with his clothes on because he’s a true Roman weirdo.’
Pontius smiled and nodded and made his way through to the next pool. I waited in the cold water until he’d gone, then went outside to dry off.
I can’t BELIEVE I’ve uncovered another secret clue. If only I had the slightest idea what it meant, I’d be even more excited.