Читать книгу The Great Mystery - Travis Ph.D. Slone - Страница 14

Amir and Eva admired the fascinating landscape for several minutes before deciding to continue along the path. As they began, they were startled by a powerful series of winds blowing up from the valley below. It chilled the two young travelers to the bone, and caused them to crouch next to a nearby tree for shelter. They shielded their faces from the wind so as not to get dust in their eyes.

After a few minutes, the blustery winds died down, becoming a gentle breeze once again. When the children stood and uncovered their eyes, they noticed a beautiful box sitting on the path, just a few meters ahead.

Upon hurrying to the chest, they observed its unique features. It was made of mahogany, and its sides were adorned with symbolic inscriptions. A solid gold lock appeared to secure its contents from uninvited looters. However, when Eva gave it a gentle pull…it opened with ease. They turned to look at one another; both equally anxious to discover what it contained.

Together, they opened the ancient box, and took accountability of the contents. To their surprise, the items inside were not old at all, but instead appeared postmodern. Inside the chest were two pairs of well-made leather hiking boots, two warm downy jackets, and two fleece winter hats. Trusting that the items were gifts from the mysterious old woman who had promised them “tools for the journey”, they donned the gear and prepared to march on.

However, as Eva tested the pockets of her newfound coat, something else caught her attention. She paused, out of mere surprise, looking at Amir before removing the item from her jacket. He stared back in anticipation, having heard the rustling of the supplementary item. As Eva removed the item from her pocket, their eyes opened wide at the sight of the ancient rolled parchment. The scroll was sealed, and tied with durable red string.

Excited, they quickly unraveled the string that held the scroll in place. An eagle, with its wings spread wide, was embroidered on the golden seal. Amir took only a brief second to observe the seal before tearing it open and revealing the scroll’s message. Unable to read, Eva was pleased to see that the scroll contained pictures, and not a written message.

While the image on the scroll appeared to be a large circular map, it did not show any obvious sign of treasure. Instead, there was a beautifully painted landscape with an uncanny resemblance to the view from where they now stood.

From the bottom edge of the circle, a path wandered into the distance. It weaved through the foothills, went east up the alpine slopes, and disappeared just below the summit. The trail then re-emerged on the western face, and climaxed at the peak of the great mountain. A painted sun overhead illuminated the entire scene.

Along the path were three small, but identical symbols, each in the form of a featureless human being.

In a grid of miniature rectangles below the map, there was an assortment of colorful flags. While they did not count each of the flags, there appeared to be at least one hundred. All were unfamiliar to Eva, though Amir did recognize a few.

Unsure of what to make of the scroll, Amir rolled it up and handed it to Eva. She thanked him for his trust, and placed the scroll safely in her jacket pocket. After careful consideration, they decided not to abandon the fine chest. It was possibly a gift from the old woman, and therefore might be an integral part of their search for the treasure.

The ambitious young travelers took hold of the handles at opposite ends of the chest, lifted carefully with their legs, and started north for the soaring mountains up ahead.

It was the path to the secret treasure, which they would locate very soon. For The Great Mystery had assured them that the treasure was nearby, but difficult to find. Having considered her cryptic riddle, and studied the guidance of their scroll, they agreed that they were en route to the greatest mountain’s summit. Certainly, there was nowhere more difficult to reach than there.