The Treasure of Easter Island (Geronimo Stilton #60) Read online

  Rapa Nui!

  That’s it?

  “Cousin, the treasure I found in this cave

  is very precious, but you won’t be taking

  it home to New Mouse Island with you,”

  she said simply. “This treasure is for the

  inhabitants of Easter Island!”

  “But what is it?” Trap squeaked.

  Thea pointed to seven canoes woven from

  reeds. They had been hidden in a corner

  of the cave.

  “What are those?” Trap asked.

  “This is the treasure of Rapa Nui!” Thea

  said, gesturing to the seven small boats.

  “These are the seven ancient canoes

  that the seven courageous young

  explorers used to travel to Easter Island

  from Polynesia,” she explained.

  Trap moaned, his whiskers drooping with

  disappointment.

  “Yes,” Thea said with a smile. “I was

  searching for the seven ancient canoes. But

  the PIRATES were looking for another

  treasure — one they found by forcing the

  professor to help them! Now they’re loading

  it onto their ship

  ... Come on, I’ll show

  you!”

  We followed Thea to a huge block covered

  with a cloth on the shore of the lagoon.

  “This

  treasure

  was found at the bottom

  of the sea,” Thea whispered.

  She lifted a corner of the cloth to reveal

  a bright, shining surface. It was a moai

  made of solid gold!

  “Now, this is what I call a treasure!” Trap

  squeaked, licking his whiskers greedily.

  “Let’s see now. I only need a teeny-tiny piece

  of this statue and I’ll be RICH! Why don’t

  Come and look!

  Wow!

  I just chip off a little sliver . . .”

  Susie

  pinched

  his ear.

  “Don’t you dare touch it!” she warned.

  Wild Willie looked at him sternly.

  “The moai are SACRED here in Rapa

  Nui,” he said seriously. “Those pirates will

  soon regret taking a treasure that does

  not belong to them.”

  “Okay, okay.” Trap sulked. “I was only

  kidding !”

  I only need a teeny-

  tiny piece . . .

  Don’t you dare!

  We barely had time to cover up the treasure

  again before we heard the captain bark,

  “

  Load the moai!

  ” to the pirates.

  A giant crane descended from the ship’s

  deck, grabbing the gold moai and lifting it

  up onto the ship.

  Thea desperately turned to Wild Willie.

  “What can we do?” she asked.

  the seven cAnoes

  “We have to take ACTION!” he replied.

  “Let’s get out of here,

  FAST

  , and look for

  help!”

  Vaitea turned toward the tunnel we

  had entered from.

  “We can’t leave that way,” she said. “The

  wind only blows in this direction!”

  Wild Willie smiled.

  “We’ll leave by sea . . . in the seven

  CANOES

  !”

  Luckily, the cool temperature in the

  Follow me!

  tunnel had preserved the canoes over time.

  They were in perfect condition, and

  very fast! We began to paddle, careful not

  to make a sound.

  As we got closer and closer to the ship,

  I was so scared the pirates might see us.

  My whiskers trembled with fright!

  Luckily, the pirates were too busy

  moving the moai. They didn’t notice us

  slip by silently in the DARK water. We

  paddled around the ship and headed to the

  mouth of the cave. When we finally emerged

  onto the open sea, we found ourselves under

  a starry NIGHT sky that was lit up by the

  silvery

  light

  of the moon.

  We saw a small beach nearby. Wild Willie

  was first to set his paw on land.

  “Let’s quickly gather some dry wood,” he

  said. “We’ll light a big

  fire

  and then I’ll

  make some signals that will attract the

  attention of mice all the way in the village!”

  While we threw more wood on the

  fire, Wild Willie used a blanket to

  create SMOKE signals. He used

  They’ll see

  our signals!

  Here’s some

  more wood!

  Morse code to send a distress signal: SOS.

  Suddenly, we saw the bow of the

  PHANTOM OF THE NIGHT emerge

  from the secret cave. The pirates’ ship was

  weighed down heavily with the gold

  moai. Unfortunately for us, they spotted our

  fire right away. The pirates pointed their

  cannons in our direction, and we could

  hear the captain issue his command.

  “Shoot those spies!” the captain

  growled. “Ready! Aim! Fire!”

  “Help!” I SQUEAKED. “They’ll flatten

  MORSE CODE

  Morse code is a communication system

  invented by Samuel Morse, an American

  painter and inventor. The code translates

  numbers and letters of the alphabet into

  a series of signals of different duration —

  either short dots or long dashes. The help

  signal, SOS, in Morse code is very simple:

  three short dots, three long dashes, and

  three short dots.

  us into mouse pancakes!”

  I closed my eyes and waited for the

  cannonball to

  squash

  us, but

  nothing happened! I slowly opened one eye

  and then the other, and saw why. The pirates’

  ship was sinking from the weight of

  the gold moai!

  Wild Willie chuckled.

  “I knew those pirates would be sorry they

  stole that!” he said.

  A moment later, a helicopter appeared in

  the night

  sky, dozens of boats sailed over

  the horizon and headed toward our beach,

  and cars and trucks

  SPED

  toward us

  over land. Everyone had seen our SOS and

  had come to our aid!

  And as for the pirates who had been

  shipwrecked in the middle of the bay —

  well, they wouldn’t be getting away.

  They’re down

  there!

  Let’s go!

  They’re coming

  closer!

  We’re saved!

  There they are!

  Look!

  We gave the seven canoes to the inhabitants

  of Easter Island. They were so happy to be

  reunited with such a precious historical

  treasure — one that had led to the discovery

  of Rapa Nui!

  To thank us, they organized an amazing

  good-bye!

  PARTY for us on the beach. They

  sang and danced for us and put flower

  garlands around our necks.

  “What will you do about the gold

  moai?” Trap asked Vaitea during the party.

  “Are you going to fish it out of the water?”


  Vaitea shook her head.

  “It’s resting in the sea again,” she replied.

  “And that’s where it’s going to stay!”

  Soon it was time for us to say good-bye.

  We climbed into Vaitea’s SUV and headed

  to the airport, the sounds of the Polynesian

  music and the blue sea fading behind us.

  “Thank you for returning the treasure to

  the Rapa Nui people,” Vaitea told us.

  “No, thank you!” I replied. “We couldn’t

  have done it without your help!”

  We waved good-bye as we boarded Wild

  Willie’s plane.

  Wild Willie settled into his pilot’s seat.

  “Captain here,” he said to himself with

  a smile. “We’re leaving Easter Island. In a

  few hours we’ll be flying over the coast of

  CHILE. Our trip will continue all the

  way home to Mouse Island!”

  Suddenly, I realized that our incredible

  adventure had come to an end. We were

  going home!

  I thought of all my friends waiting for

  me and for Thea back in New Mouse City. I

  was especially looking forward to seeing my

  adorable nephew Benjamin. As I thought

  of my loved ones on Mouse Island, I looked

  out the window of the plane. The triangular

  outline of Easter Island, which was wrapped

  in a mass of clouds, receded in the distance.

  “Good-bye, Rapa Nui!” I whispered softly

  under my whiskers.

  As soon as we landed at New Mouse City’s

  airport, I hurried to the office of The

  Rodent’s Gazette.

  “Hello!” I greeted the staff. “I’m back

  from Easter Island, and I need everyone’s

  help to put out an EXTRA-SPECIAL

  edition of the paper!”

  The entire staff pitched in, and in just a few

  hours, we had put together an amazing

  special edition of The Rodent’s Gazette. It

  included notes from Thea’s diary and Susie’s

  incredible photographs. That evening,

  the paper went

  on

  sale

  .

  specIAl edItIon

  of The RodenT’s

  GazeTTe!

  It was a fabumouse

  success!

  NEW MOUSE CITY—

  Special correspondent

  Thea Stilton of The

  Rodent’s Gazette and

  Professor Von Dustyfur,

  the noted archaeologist

  and expert in ancient

  treasures, have returned

  home to Mouse Island

  after being abducted by

  pirates.

  The famouse

  journalist had gone to

  Easter Island in search

  of a lost treasure. There,

  she was captured by a

  band of ruthless pirates

  who had been holding

  Professor Von Dustyfur

  captive . . . (continued)

  Susie

  Shuttermouse’s

  Photographs

  Trap stuffing

  his snout

  with shrimp

  The joy of dance!

  Geronimo encounters

  a mysterious moai

  Don’t touch the

  moai, Trap!

  Geronimo about to

  toss his cheese

  Thea and the

  professor:

  the pirates’

  prisoners

  The seven canoes: the real

  treasure of Rapa Nui!

  Everyone had worked so hard on the

  newspaper, and I was hoping my grandfather,

  William Shortpaws, would be pleased.

  But all he did was pinch my ear.

  “I have to admit that this time you did a

  pretty good job, Grandson,” he barked. “But

  don’t get comfortable! I’ve got my eye

  on you all the time, got it?”

  I just rolled my eyes at him.

  Night fell and I headed home at last. As I

  walked down the streets of New Mouse City,

  I met rodents around every CORNER.

  They greeted me with hugs and smiles

  and asked me lots of questions about my

  adventure.

  “It’s nice to have you back here in

  New Mouse City. We missed you !”

  I was so happy to be surrounded by so

  many

  friends

  and neighbors who loved me.

  I finally arrived home, feeling exhausted.

  With a sigh of relief I put on my pajamas,

  made myself a nice cup of hot tea, and

  slipped beneath the covers of my comfy

  bed. It felt so good to be back!

  Then the telephone rang.

  “Hello?” I answered. “Stilton here.

  Geronimo Stilton!”

  fInAlly home . . .

  or mAybe not?

  Hello?

  I heard Susie’s familiar squeak.

  “Hi, Geronimo!” she chirped brightly.

  “I really liked traveling with you.”

  Then I heard Thea’s voice in the

  background.

  “Tell him he’s coming with us on our next

  trip!” she squeaked.

  “That’s right,” Susie said. “We have

  another MYSTERY to solve — and we’re

  going to Machu Picchu in Peru!”

  Are you

  ready for an

  adventure?

  “Don’t worry, Cuz, I’m coming, too!”

  shouted Trap. I guess he was also there.

  “Aren’t you

  thrilled

  ? Now pack your little

  things and we’ll come by to pick you up

  soon!”

  “That’s right, Cheesehead!” Wild Willie

  chimed in. “Get ready for an adventure!”

  “N-no!” I stammered. “That is, thanks

  a million, but I’m not ready. I mean, I’d

  love to come, but I have too much work

  to catch up on. So, no, thanks! Have a

  nice trip.

  Good-bye!

  ”

  I heard a chorus of confused protests at

  the other end of the phone. But then Wild

  Willie’s deep voice cut them off.

  “If we say YOU’RE coming, YOU’RE

  coming,” he squeaked. “Period!”

  “Got it, Cuz?” Trap shouted. “Period! That

  means no excuses!”

  “

  You’ll see, Geronimo!” Thea added.

  “You’re actually very ready for the next

  adventure!”

  “No, no, no!” I replied. “I’m telling you

  I’m not ready at all!”

  But unfortunately they had already

  hung up the phone.

  I stayed in bed and thought about it for

  a while as my whiskers

  quivered

  with

  uncertainty. But then my eyes fell on a

  PHOTO of the five of us on Easter

  Island. I looked happy

  in it, and I hate to

  admit it, but . . . I

  almost looked like an

  adventurous

  mouse! I sighed and

  looked out the WINDOW

  to the landscape of New Mouse City.

  It was a familiar view, and one that I knew

  well: There was Singing Stone Square,

  and the Fashion Center, and the

  harbor with its bobbing sailboats . . .

  Yes, it was great being
home. But it

  had also been great going on an amazing

  adventure far, far away. When you’re

  traveling, everything is a challenge and

  courage is greatly rewarded. I stared far off

  into the horizon. Suddenly I felt BRAVE

  and confident.

  “I am ready for a new adventure!” I

  exclaimed. “A whisker-licking-good

  one!”

  And I promise to tell

  you all about it in

  my next book.

  Rodent’s honor!

  Ah, sweet New

  Mouse City!

  Join me and my friends as

  we travel through time in

  these very special editions!

  Don’t miss any of

  these exciting Thea

  Sisters adventures!

  He is a spacemouse — the Geronimo

  Stilton of a parallel universe! He is

  captain of the spaceship MouseStar 1.

  While flying through the cosmos, he visits

  distant planets and meets crazy aliens.

  His adventures are out of this world!

  Meet

  Geronimo Stiltonix

  He is a cavemouse — Geronimo Stilton’s

  ancient ancestor! He runs the stone

  newspaper in the prehistoric village

  of Old Mouse City. From dealing with

  dinosaurs to dodging meteorites,

  his life in the Stone Age is full

  of adventure!

  MEET

  GERONIMO STILTONOOT

  The RodenT’s

  GazeTTe

  APPEALS TO

  READING LEVEL

  2

  ND

  -4

  TH

  GRADERS

  GRADE 4

  Who is Geronimo Stilton?

  That’s me! I run a newspaper, but

  my true passion is writing adven-

  ture stories. Here in New Mouse

  City, the capital of Mouse Island, my

  books are all bestsellers! My stories

  are funny, fa-mouse-ly funny. They

  are whisker-licking-good tales, and

  that’s a promise!

  THE TREASURE OF

  EASTER ISLAND

  Holey cheese — my sister, Thea, was

  in danger! She had traveled to Easter