The Mysterious Bottle

The idea of a mysterious manuscript found in a bottle has teased us ever since Edgar Allan Poe sent his hero to a horrifying death, allowing him only time to finish his story and hurl a bottle (and his story) in the general direction of posterity...
But what if the bottle is found in The River Thames -and the manuscript is in a foreign language? Two kids from Essex, Beth and Ethan, cared for, as you might expect, by a nasty aunt, have to overcome the aunt and her slimy husband, school kids who don't like them, a total lack of money and a sneering parrot to solve the mystery of who sent the bottle and why. Are they seeking some imprisoned Princess? Or is it really their missing Mum they long for? A knowledge of the railways of Bulgaria might help you find The Princess before they do. A small cash prize for the best solution has been considered and rejected. You're not in this for the money, are you? By the way, no parrots were harmed in the making of this story but only because we couldn't catch the so and so.