Jonathon Wart and the Risk Factor

  “Or we could simply climb back into the elevator and go back up to the top that way,” said Jonathon calmly.

  “That elevator?” cried Lizzie. “That elevator just tried to kill us! If that final drop had been any farther, we’d all be dead right now!”

  “I have to agree, Jonathon,” said Emma. “That elevator can’t be trusted. We don’t know if it will even ascend. And, more importantly, we don’t know if it will keep ascending once we start, or once again send us plummeting into the abyss.”

  “Actually,” said Jonathon, “I’m quite confident that the elevator will perform brilliantly on the way up.”

  “I wish I could feel the same way about it,” said Emma. “But I’ll tell you what…we’ll try ascending a few feet and see if it behaves itself. Then we’ll decide.”

  “Sounds fair to me,” said Jonathon.

  It didn’t sound that fair to Lizzie but she was eventually talked into giving it a try. Warily, the three entered the elevator, Jonathan flipped the switch to the right, and the elevator ascended—with surprising smoothness—all the way to the top.

  After leaving the elevator behind and once more searching unsuccessfully for Mr. Mbuto, Emma turned to face Jonathon and Lizzie. “That’s enough excitement for one day. Let’s head back to the hotel.” The children agreed, walked wearily to the near-by bus station and made their way back to the town of Namgogo.

  Chapter 13: Back to the Drawing Board

  Jonathon, Lizzie and Emma sat quietly in a dimly lit café off the lobby of their hotel.

  “So what have we learned?” asked Emma, looking from Jonathon to Emma and then back again to Jonathon.

  “We learned that Jonathon’s diamond mine is just a worthless hole in the ground,” said Lizzie dejectedly.

  “Did we?” asked Jonathon. “Or did we find out that someone is very anxious to discourage us from having anything to do with the mine?”

  “Why would anyone do that?” asked Lizzie.

  “Because they want us to sell it,” explained Jonathan. “Remember, Mr. Mbuto had someone who would ‘take it off our hands’ for $5,000.”

  “Maybe that would be a good idea,” Emma said quietly. “That way you would only lose $3000 on the deal.”

  “Yes, but that’s just the point; we would lose money. Not exactly what Uncle Wart had in mind,” said Jonathon.

  “I understand what you’re saying, Jonathon, but at this point, wouldn’t it be better to lose $3,000 than to lose $8,000 on a worthless mine?” asked Emma.

  Jonathon smiled. “But if it’s worthless, why does somebody else want to pay $5,000 for it?”

  Emma sighed. “I have no idea, Jonathon. But really…you’ve just got to look at the place to know that it’s… well, it’s …”

  “A worthless hole in the ground, just like I said,” interjected Lizzie.

  “Okay, maybe it’s just a worthless hole in the ground but, if so, why all this garbage about curses and ghosts…all that stuff that Mr. Mbuto was talking about?”

  “’Cause it’s the truth?” said Lizzie.

  “That’s not what you thought when you first heard about it,” snapped Jonathon.

  “Well excuse me, but I hadn’t fallen down a mine shaft and been chased by a ghost at that point.”

  “There was no ghost and you know it. And the elevator only dropped a few feet to the bottom—just enough to scare us,” said Jonathon.

  “So you think all of that was just a plot to discourage us?” said Emma.

  “Of course. They didn’t want us dead. They just wanted us to sign over the mine and then disappear.”

  Lizzie frowned. “So if it wasn’t the ghost, what was it? Who was it that was trying to scare us, if not kill us?”

  “We all know the answer to that one,” said Jonathan.

  “I’m afraid that maybe we do,” said Emma sadly.

  “Who? Who? When is somebody going to tell me what this is all about?” demanded Lizzie.

  “It’s Mr. Thumbs, Lizzie. It has to be,” said Jonathon calmly. “You saw him in disguise on our flight to South Africa. Why do you think he followed us? To make sure we kept drinking our yak milk?”

  “He was concerned?” Lizzie suggested faintly.

  Jonathon sneered. “Sure he was. He was concerned that we’d be successful in our attempt to buy the mine, and the mine would eventually be profitable. And my guess is that he’s in cahoots with Felicia.”

  “Felicia?” asked Lizzie. “What has she got to do with anything?”

  “Come on, Lizzie,” replied Jonathon, shaking his head. “Do you really think that Felicia has our best interests at heart? Why should she? We’re standing in the way of her inheriting Uncle Wart’s vast fortune. She wants us gone, one way or another.”

  Emma turned to face Lizzie. “I hate to say it, but I fear Jonathon is right.”

  “Sure. Thumbs is just doing Felicia’s bidding,” Jonathon continued. “I’m sure Thumbs bribed the guards at the Namgogo airport to charge us with terrorism and keep us overnight in custody. That gave him a head start in getting to the mine and setting up his little plot.”

  Lizzie winced. “You mean…?”

  “Of course,” Jonathon snapped. “We thought Mr. Mbuto was working for us, but Thumbs got to him first. Mbuto was the one responsible for our wild ride down the elevator. It would have been simple for him to play with the cables above just enough to jerk us around and send us into free-fall for the last few feet.”

  “But the ghost?” protested Lizzie.

  “Emma was right,” replied Jonathon. “It was just a projection, and not a very professional one at that. Mbuto had plenty of time to hire an assistant to beat us to the bottom of the mine and pull all that stuff.”

  “So Felicia and Thumbs don’t want us to have the gold mine?” asked Lizzie.

  “They want to scare us into selling it at a loss,” replied Jonathon. “So we look foolish. So it looks like we’re not doing what Uncle Wart wanted us to do—take successful risks.”

  “Well,” said Emma thoughtfully, “what are you going to do about the mine?”

  Jonathon’s head sank to his chest. “I just don’t know. Maybe we should just cut our losses, but I hate to see Felicia and Thumbs get their way. And a small part of me thinks that the mine might still not be as worthless as it seems.”

  ***

  Mr. Thumbs sighed into his cell phone. “Felicia, if you’d just let me get a word in edgewise, I’ll tell you what’s happening. First of all, let me assure you that everything is going splendidly.”

  In response to this, Mr. Thumbs’ cell phoned erupted with chatter.

  “Yes, yes…I know, Felicia, but just listen for a minute. I’ve been quite successful in putting my plans into action. I told you last time that the head caretaker, Mr. Mbuto, is now in my employ. Well, I gave him some specific instructions about how to discourage our three friends about the mine and, I must say, he carried them out brilliantly.”

  Another burst of chatter from the cell phone came through loud and clear.

  “When I say ‘brilliantly,’ I mean that Mr. Mbuto is pretty sure that the three of them were scared to death and they’re absolutely going to want nothing more to do with the mine. Yes, it was wonderful—falling elevators, spooky ghosts—oh, I wish I could have been there myself to see them shaking in their shoes. In fact, later in the day, Mr. Mbuto received a phone call from Jonathon saying that they wanted to meet with him one last time tomorrow morning. Why? To talk about selling the property to the mysterious local businessman who’s offering them $5,000 to take the worthless mine off their hands. It’s in the bag, Felicia. Jonathon is going to lose $3,000 and, more importantly, fail in his first attempt to invest your father’s money wisely. Before you know it, your father’s money will be ours—all ours!”

  Chapter 14: A Change in Fortune

  Early the next day, Emma, Jonathon and Lizzie stood once again on the outer rim of the pit, Mr. Mbuto at their side.

  “Looks
a bit more cheerful in the bright sun, doesn’t it?” said Emma.

  “It does,” said Jonathon. “And you know I’m still not completely certain that this mine was a bad idea. Before we make any final decision about the mine, I think I’d like to take one last close look.”

  “But Master Jonathon,” objected Mbuto. “You know how dangerous the mine is!”

  “It would have been a lot less dangerous yesterday if you hadn’t taken off just when we needed your help,” said Lizzie, glowering ferociously at Mr. Mbuto.

  “Ah yes,” said Mr. Mbuto softly. “A call of nature, I’m afraid. I’m sorry I could not have been of any assistance.”

  “Awfully long call of nature,” snapped Lizzie, her hands going to her hips. “Maybe you should see a doctor about that.”

  Emma sighed. “Let it go, Lizzie, let it go. And Jonathon, I thought we agreed last night that we were going to cut our losses here, sell the mine for $5000 to whatever buyer Mr. Mbuto has been able to find and…”

  “I’m still not quite convinced, Emma. If I give up on this, it’ll be one strike against me on my first attempt to invest Uncle’s money. I’m not sure how many strikes I get before I’m sent to the bench. No…I think I’m going to have just one more good look.”

  “But Master Jonathon…don’t forget about the curse!” Mr. Mbuto exclaimed.

  “I think maybe I’ll take my chances with the curse this one more time,” said Jonathon as he began descending the pit on one of the circular tracks.

  “But Mr. Jonathon…you should not…” Mr. Mbuto began.

  Jonathan continued to walk slowly down the circular track. Suddenly, almost too quick for the eye to see, Mr. Mbuto’s foot lashed out and caught Jonathon’s ankle. Jonathan lunged forward and began to tumble deeper into the pit.

  “Jonathan!” screamed Emma, “Grab hold of something!”

  Jonathan tumbled downward quickly, coming dangerously close to a ledge overhanging the deepest part of the pit. In a flash, he flung his right hand out. It caught one of the larger rocks and slowly, very slowly, Jonathan was able to pull himself to his knees. Emma had meanwhile worked her way down the descending tracks and now held out her hand to Jonathon. In two minutes time, Jonathon was safe and back at the top of the pit.

  “Mr. Mbuto! I saw what you did!” squealed Emma, whirling around to look for him. But there was no Mr. Mbuto to be found. He had fled as soon as Jonathon had begun to tumble into the pit.

  “I can’t believe it!” said Lizzie, her mouth still agape with surprise. “He tried to kill Jonathon!”

  “Yes, he did,” Jonathon said, struggling to fully catch his breath. “I had a feeling he might try to do something like that. But we’re going to have a hard time proving it. And we’re going to have an even harder time finding Mr. Mbuto now.”

  “But we’ve got to do something, Jonathon,” said Emma anxiously. “You could have been killed.”

  “I’m okay, I guess,” said Jonathon, looking over the edge of the pit once again. “Just a little bruised. But…ouch! There’s something jabbing into my foot!”

  Jonathan squatted down and took off his left shoe. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a jagged rock wedged in there.”

  Jonathon paused and pried out the rock that was half stuck in his shoe.

  “And what a rock!” he said, examining it closely. “Take a look at this!”

  Emma and Lizzie crowded around to see the rock that Jonathon extended to them.

  “Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Emma. “It’s monstrous!”

  Lizzie shrugged. “It’s just a rock. I’m sorry you got hurt but…”

  “Lizzie!” Jonathon interrupted. “Look at the shiny stone that’s sticking out of the rock!”

  There was no doubt about it. It was covered with a thin layer of dirt, but even through the dirt you could see it shine. It was a diamond. And a pretty large one at that.

  Chapter 15: Homecoming and Celebration

  The trip home to Philadelphia was a lot more enjoyable than the trip to South Africa had been, in part because Jonathon, Lizzie and Emma slept most of the way. The airline managed to lose their only remaining luggage, but it didn’t really bother anyone. They were in too good a mood to care.

  Later the next evening, after everyone had rested up from the trip, Jonathan, Emma and Lizzie got together for a celebration.

  “I call that a marvelous success! I’m so proud of the both of you,” exclaimed Emma.

  “We all know that it was more a case of luck than talent,” Jonathan said, smiling from ear to ear. “I mean, how lucky can it be to roll down a hill and get a priceless diamond wedged in your shoe!”

  “Priceless? Was it really priceless?” asked Lizzie eagerly.

  “Priceless enough,” said Emma. “Worth half a million dollars once it’s cut up into small gems. But the most important thing is that Jonathon survived what could easily have been a fatal plunge into the pit.”

  “A ‘fatal plunge’ that Thumbs had no doubt encouraged Mbuto to arrange,” said Jonathon. “Apparently Thumbs and Felicia will stop at nothing to try to guarantee my—our—failure.”

  “Oh, but I’m sure that neither of them would actually hurt you,” protested Emma.

  “Emma, they’re desperate,” said Jonathon earnestly, “and desperate people do desperate things. It turns out that the mine was worth something after all, and so he would have stopped at nothing to get it away from us.”

  “Yes, but I can’t believe he would resort to physical violence, “said Emma, shaking her head slowly.

  Jonathon nodded his head vigorously. “Sure he would. Thumbs might not have had the courage to do it himself, Emma, but would he hire someone else to do it? I’m sure of it.”

  “I still can’t quite believe it,” said Emma.

  “Well, I believe it,” Lizzie declared firmly.

  “From now on, we all have to believe. We have to assume that Mr. Thumbs and Felicia are anything but our friends. We can pretend that we don’t know anything about their schemes and pretend that we’re all still friends, but we can’t forget the truth.”

  “Maybe you’re right, Jonathon,” said Emma. “But for now, let’s forget about both Mr. Thumbs and Felicia for a few minutes and just be happy that everything has turned out so well,” said Emma.

  “So is that the largest diamond ever discovered at our mine?” asked Lizzie happily.

  “Maybe not the largest,” Jonathon said, “but one of the largest. It’s big enough that we’ve made a handy profit from the mine even if we never find another diamond there.”

  “That’s amazing,” said Emma.

  “Not bad for my first financial risk,” said Jonathon cheerfully. “I hope Uncle Wart would be proud.”

  “So what are you going to call it—the Great Wart Diamond?” asked Lizzie.

  Emma smiled. “No offense to the proud Wart family name, Lizzie, but perhaps we ought to go with something more elegant.”

  “Whatever,” grumped Lizzie.

  “How about we call it the ‘Great Risk Diamond’?” suggested Jonathon.

  “In honor of your first successful ‘risky’ venture?” said Emma. “Well, it may not be elegant, but it’s got a certain ring to it.”

  “Agreed then!” pronounced Jonathan.

  Emma raised her glass of lemonade. “I’d like to propose a toast to the most financially gifted thirteen-year old on the planet.”

  “And the best risk-taker, too,” Lizzie chimed in.

  Jonathan raised his glass and nodded. Naturally, he could only agree.

  ###

  If you’ve enjoyed Jonathon Wart and the Risk Factor, you might want to check out other children’s books by the author—An Irish Tale, Due North to Freedom, and King Arthur Returns—as well as an adult mystery with supernatural overtones—The Mephisto Mysteries. For more information about these, please see the author's page.

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