Chapter 2 Every Wednesday Jasper visited his Nan in her apartment not far from his house They had fun riding the elevator up and down making horrible faces in the mirrors on the walls and playing Go Fish for jujubes and Dress Up Nan Today making a horrible face in the elevator mirror was easy Jasper only had to think about digging holes while Isabel and Zoë tried not to laugh Is that a real horrible face Nan asked This face is for Isabel and Zoë who tricked us Jasper told her Jasper told Nan the story When he said I bet they didn’t even bury that treasure Nan made a real horrible face too The elevator stopped on Nan’s floor and they got out Jasper raced ahead to her door and rapped the jaws of the
lion’s head knocker even though Nan wasn’t inside to answer Too bad about the treasure the lion said to Jasper in his liony voice I know Jasper said back I wish I had some treasure to bury Nan unlocked the door for Jasper You’re in luck I just found a whole box of treasure It’s on the table Really Jasper said He pulled off his shoes without undoing the laces and ran ahead to the kitchen There was a box on the table just like Nan said with a string tied around it The sort of box Mom liked long and flat Dad always gave her a box like this for her birthday with a fancy nightie in it except for the time he gave her a bigger box with a Dustbuster in it and she got mad Now Dad always gave her presents in boxes that were too long and flat to hold cleaning things Jasper jiggled the box It was heavy and the things inside rattled and slid A word was written on the side TOYS Nan sat at the table with Jasper I was down in the storage room this morning I found it tucked away there It’s toys not treasure Jasper said
Small toys if I remember right They’ll be perfect for burying and digging up Open it Toys Jasper crowed when they finally got the knot on the string undone and the lid lifted off Lots and lots of little toys Most of them were soldiers but they were the funniest toy soldiers Jasper had ever seen These soldiers are pink Jasper laughed They were Tom’s back when he was about your age Nan said Tom was Jasper’s uncle Jasper didn’t see him very often because he lived far away in Australia But your father One day he took my nail polish and painted them I know Jasper said Dad told me What did Uncle Tom do when he saw his soldiers were pink Oh he was mad Both of them started to laugh They laughed so hard Jasper had to fetch Nan a tissue What else is in there Nan asked Jasper when she had wiped her eyes Marbles Hockey cards Jasper said And old-fashioned cars
I guess they are old-fashioned now Nan peered in the box And look Oh my goodness This sure brings back memories Out of the jumble of little toys she plucked something orange and made of plastic Something with big ears and big feet Marcel Mouse Nan said There was a TV show about this mouse Tom and David would race home after school to watch it They’d burst through the door singing the jingle What’s a jingle The theme song for the show Sing the song I don’t remember it Jasper But I remember those two little boys bursting into the house singing And I remember that Tom got Marcel Mouse as a prize in a box of popcorn Your dad almost died of jealousy He begged and pleaded for that mouse In the end I think he traded every toy he owned for it Do you see this little loop between Marcel’s ears Your dad hung Marcel on a string around his neck and never took him off not even in the bath He loved Marcel Mouse Jasper said
