Peter picked it up carefully.
It was smooth with age, and an oak leaf had been carved into its centre. Around the edge ran the same ancient symbols that appeared on the diary, the lantern and the first token.
David placed it beside the raven token.
“They match perfectly.”
Simon smiled.
“Two down.”
Andrew looked around the empty school grounds.
“And two still missing.”
The little girl was nowhere to be seen.
Peter searched around the cedar tree while David examined the ground.
“There aren’t any footprints,” David said quietly.
“Not even ours from last night.”
Miss Ashcombe appeared beside the old tree.
“The children who once guarded Highdon sometimes return.”
Peter looked up.
“The little girl was a Keeper?”
Miss Ashcombe nodded.
“Her name was Emily Fairchild.”
“She came to Highdon with her father, who was the school gardener, more than a hundred years ago.”
“What happened to her?” Simon asked softly.
“She became one of the bravest Keepers the school has ever known.”
Miss Ashcombe smiled warmly.
“She still watches over this place.”
Later that morning the four friends met Miss Blyton in the library.
Carefully, she placed both wooden tokens onto an old map of Highdon.
To everyone’s surprise, the map began to glow.
Fine golden lines slowly appeared.
The lines joined the cedar tree…
The chapel…
The old clock tower…
And finally another building standing quietly at the edge of the grounds.
“The observatory,” Peter whispered.
Before anyone could say another word, the heavy library doors opened.
In walked the Headmistress, Miss Bowflower.
She was a tall woman in her sixties with neat grey hair, sharp blue eyes and polished black shoes that made almost no sound upon the wooden floor. Every boy at Highdon recognised her at once.
The library became silent.
Miss Bowflower carried herself with quiet authority. She expected good manners, tidy uniforms and honest behaviour from every pupil.
She looked around the room before speaking.
“I trust,” she said calmly, “that every boy at Highdon remembers our school rules.”
Nobody answered.
She glanced towards the old cupboard beside her office door.
Inside, resting neatly upon its hooks, were the traditional symbols of school discipline—the school slipper and the thin cane. They remained where they belonged, but every boy knew they were there.
“I have no wish to use either of them,” Miss Bowflower continued in her firm but measured voice. “That depends entirely upon your behaviour. Good conduct keeps them exactly where they are.”
The boys nodded respectfully.
“I expect honesty, kindness and self-control,” she added. “Any boy choosing mischief over common sense will discover that poor decisions have unpleasant consequences. I hope that will not be necessary.”
With one final glance around the library, she gave a small nod to Miss Blyton before quietly leaving.
Only after the doors had closed did everyone breathe again.
Andrew whispered, “She never has to raise her voice.”
David nodded.
“And somehow that makes her even stricter.”
Miss Blyton smiled gently.
“Miss Bowflower believes discipline helps boys grow into responsible young men. Now, shall we return to our mystery?”
She traced the glowing line across the map.
“I believe the observatory is where we must go next.”
That afternoon lessons ended early because heavy rain swept across the Sussex hills.
The rugby pitches quickly became too muddy to use.
Perfect weather for exploring.
Wrapped in their raincoats, the four boys crossed the grounds.
The observatory looked even older close up.
Its round roof was covered with moss.
Ivy climbed around the narrow windows.
Above the doorway someone had carved a single sentence into the stone.
LOOK UP, AND REMEMBER.
David slowly pushed open the door.
It creaked loudly.
Inside stood an enormous brass telescope covered with dust.
Shelves of old astronomy books lined the walls.
Peter brushed away the dust from a wooden table.
“Someone’s been here.”
The dust had been disturbed.
Very recently.
Andrew noticed something else.
“The telescope.”
It was pointing upwards.
Not through the open roof…
But towards a small stained-glass window high in the wall.
The afternoon sun suddenly broke through the clouds.
A single beam of light passed through the coloured glass.
The light struck the centre of the room.
There, hidden beneath years of dust, was another carved circle.
David carefully placed the raven token into the circle.
Nothing happened.
Simon tried the oak token.
Again…
Nothing.
Peter looked up at the stained glass.
“It isn’t just sunlight.”
The coloured panes showed four symbols.
A raven.
An oak leaf.
A lantern.
A key.
When the light passed through them together, the symbols appeared upon the stone floor.
Miss Ashcombe smiled.
“The Circle must be complete.”
Before anyone could speak, the old telescope began to move by itself.
Its gears turned slowly.
The roof of the observatory slid open with a deep rumble.
Although it was still afternoon, the boys looked up in astonishment.
For a few brief moments…
Hundreds of stars became visible overhead.
Not the daytime sky…
But another sky.
One filled with bright constellations.
Miss Blyton stared in amazement.
“That’s impossible.”
Miss Ashcombe shook her head gently.
“No.
“It is simply a memory.”
One star shone brighter than all the others.
Its light fell directly onto an old wooden cabinet standing against the wall.
The cabinet door slowly opened.
Inside rested a beautifully carved brass key.
Unlike Peter’s small key, this one was much larger.
An oak leaf formed its handle.
Around its shaft were the familiar ancient symbols.
As David carefully lifted it from the cabinet, the telescope stopped moving.
The vision of the stars faded.
The roof slowly closed once more.
Peter smiled.
“I think we’ve found the third token.”
Miss Ashcombe nodded.
“Yes.
“But remember…”
She looked towards the dark woodland beyond the school.
“We are not the only ones searching.”
Almost at that very moment, far beyond the edge of Highdon’s grounds, the hooded stranger stood watching the school through the trees.
For the first time, a faint voice could be heard beneath the hood.
“Three have been found…”
“…only the Lantern remains.”
