Mr Hart was sitting at his desk marking books when Kerry and Omar burst into the classroom. Matt Thorn was sitting at his place finishing work he was meant to have done in the morning.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Mr Hart, looking up.

‘I just found this on the field!’ panted Kerry, ‘I’m going to enter it for the buried treasure competition.’

She dropped the shiny coin onto Mr Hart’s desk.

Mr Hart took off his glasses and held up the coin. He rubbed its surface and turned it over. He looked at the writing on it. Kerry, Omar and Matt Thorn all stared at him. After a few moments, Mr Hart put his glasses back on.

‘If you look at the edge of the coin,’ he said, ‘you can see the words Fun Start.’

Kerry and Omar looked at each other.

‘You mean like Fun Start, the cereal?’ asked Kerry.

Mr Hart nodded. ‘Yes Kerry. This coin looks real but it’s a copy. It’s a free gift from a cereal packet. I’m really sorry.’

Kerry felt her heart sink. Mr Hart saw her disappointed face.

‘Cheer up you Kerry,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty more time to find some real treasure before the competition closes.’

Kerry and Omar walked back across the classroom. They were about to go out when they heard something behind them.

It was Matt Thorn.

He was laughing at Kerry.

 

**************************

 

The next day all of their class knew about Kerry’s cereal packet coin. Matt Thorn had told everyone.

‘Kerry wanted to enter a cornflake coin in the treasure competition!’ Matt called out. Everyone laughed at this, but Matt laughed the loudest.

‘That’s enough Matt,’ said Mr Hart.

‘Don’t let Matt bother you,’ whispered Omar, but Kerry had gone very red in the face. She was angry with Matt and cross with herself. How could she have been so stupid to think that the coin was real treasure?

Over the next few days everyone talked non-stop about the buried treasure competition. Lots of people brought in things they’d found around their houses and in their gardens. Laura brought in an old woollen rug; Ali brought a thin glass flower vase; Jasmine brought a book with a peeling green cover.

Then, Matt Thorn showed everyone a tiny white and blue checked china tea cup.

Mr Hart looked at the tea cup very carefully. ‘This is very old Matt,’ he said. ‘I think it’s got a good chance of winning the competition.’

Matt chuckled proudly. Kerry glared at him. There was no way she could let him win the competition.

At the end of the day she hurried out of school.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Omar trying to keep up with her.

‘We have to find something older than Matt’s tea cup,’ Kerry said.

First they went to the park. They looked under benches, in bushes, next to fences. They found an old pencil and a tatty football. Next they went down by the canal. They looked through hedges, in pot holes, by bridges. They found a broken doll and an empty sweet packet.

Half an hour later, they were both tired and fed up.

‘Let’s go home,’ said Omar.

Kerry nodded glumly. ‘Let’s just forget about the stupid competition,’ she said.