04 The Mood Sapphire

The Mood Sapphire On Saturday, Judy taped a British flag on her door. "The queen flies a flag when she's in the palace. So if you see this flag, Stink, it means I'm in my room." The doorbell rang. "Judy!" Mom called up the stairs. "Grandma Lou's here." Judy took down the flag and ran downstairs. "Grandma Lou," said Judy. "What are you doing here?" She gave her grandma a great big fat hug. "Ouch!" Judy cried, pulling away to see what felt scratchy. Judy could not believe her royal green eyes. Her royal mouth fell open. Grandma Lou was wearing a long fuzzy sweater. On the front of her royal purple sweater was a peacock. Not just any old peacock. A peacock with all the colors of the ocean and a tail made of jewels.

And there, right in the center of the peacock's tail, was the brightest, shiningest, sparklingest jewel Judy had ever seen. It was as blue as the Star of India. It was as green as the Patricia Emerald. It was as sparkly as the Hope Diamond. The crown jewel of the Royal House of Moody, right here in her very own living room.

Un-believe-a-bling! "What is it, Jelly Bean?" asked Grandma Lou. "Your peacock pin," said Judy. "It's like those fancy jewels in the queen's crown. Shouldn't it be in a museum or something?" Grandma Lou laughed. "This old thing? I came across it when I was looking for the Moody crest to help you with your family tree project." She took it off and held it out for Judy to see. "It's just junk jewelry. I think I got it at a bazaar when I was in the Peace Corps in India." "It's like those world-famous jewels Stink and I saw in that hall of rocks. At the Museum of Natural History." Stink bounced down the stairs. "Let me see!" He wormed his way past Judy. "Whoa," he said in a hush. "It looks like a star that fell right out of the sky," said Judy. "Did you know the Star of India is the world's largest star sapphire?" said Stink. "It's like two billion years old. No lie." "Interesting," said Grandma Lou. "And the Patricia Emerald is this big green stone

and it has twelve sides and it was named for a girl." "I'd sure like to see that someday," said Grandma Lou. She handed Judy a folder. "I just stopped by to drop off these pictures of the Moody family crest. It might give you some ideas." "Aren't you going to stay?" asked Judy. "Not today, Jelly Bean. I'm taking Pugsy to a playdate at the park." Grandma Lou pinned the peacock on Judy's hoodie. "I hereby bequeath this gem upon you, Your Royal Highness, Judy the Great." "For real? Wait till Tori hears about this!" Judy and Stink studied the peacock pin up close. "Sapphires, emeralds, and a diamond for the peacock's eye. It must be a billion years old," said Stink. Judy shined a flashlight on the largest stone. "Look at the way it changes color in the light. Like my mood ring!" "It's a mood sapphire," said Stink. "The Royal Moody Sapphire! It's gem-brilliant! Queens are way into peacocks, you know. Peacocks

are a symbol of royalty, Stink. Maybe it belonged to a queen." Stink's eyes sparkled like gemstones. "What if this was from Mudeye Moody's secret stash of pirate booty? Maybe he hid it on a desert island. Then when he escaped, he dug it up." "Yeah! Then he sailed around the world on the seven oceans and a pirate's monkey stole it and carried it off. But the monkey dropped it in the ocean and a fish swallowed it."

"Then they found it inside the fish!" said Stink, clapping his hands. "So maybe that's how it made its way to a street fair in India, where Grandma Lou found it again after hundreds of years," Judy said. "Who knew when I started a family tree that we'd find Moody crown jewels?" The room got quiet. Gobsmacked quiet. "You know what this needs, Stink? A place of honor. A special safe place where we can admire it anytime we want." "Like a Moody museum?" "Exactly," said Judy. "Follow me, Stinker. I have a right-royal-rare idea." Judy led the way to the Toad Pee tent in the backyard. She pinned the crown jewel of the Royal House of Moody to a fancy pillow. She placed the pillow of honor in the center of the Toad Pee tent. "Behold the Royal Moody Sapphire." Judy and Stink stood in awe. They were starstruck, Star-of-India-struck, just gazing at the crown jewel of the Royal House of Moody. After they gazed at the bedazzling jewel for one whole minute— which felt like a fortnight— Judy