The Unknown

Treasure

The Free Masons had the treasure, constantly moving it around the world so that no one power would control the great wealth. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, Greece to England, and finally to the shores of the New World, hidden by Alfred Jones and clues left by the Masons. A treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, special glasses, dollars, buildings, letters, journals, drawings, vague mentions of a soldier, and a painting: all clues leading to the greatest national treasure. A treasure that became unknown.
For centuries, treasure hunters searched for it. There was a person, held in a limbo or cursed into an endless sleep, with the potential to sway a whole nation. Gold, jewels, and priceless artifacts preserved and ready for the taking. It became a myth after so many failed, another El Dorado some would say. Until, one day, it wasn't a myth.
Some one had found the treasure room, stored with more than they ever dreamed of. Benjamin Gates was in absolute awe of the beauty in front of him. His father, Patrick, patted him on the back as he passed. Riley gave a shout from the elevated platform in the middle of the room. As they walked up the stairs of the platform, Ben was struck with how much it felt like a tomb. He noticed writing and runes on and around the strange sarcophagus Riley was examining.
"Ben, these chains around the sarcophagus are probably older than the Declaration! How do we remove them?" Abigail, love of Ben's life, asked.
"Riley, grab that crowbar over there, would you?" Patrick ordered, not questioned.
"Wait. What are those writings and what do they say?" Riley finally noticed Ben and what he was doing.
"Some type of runes and lots of wishes for peace, kindness, joy, and prosperity to flow upon someone or something. Dad, ever seen runes like these before?" Ben moved so that Patrick could get a good look. He nodded.
"Those on the ground are for rest, sleep, unconsciousness, and protection for a person. The ones on the sarcophagus are for preservation of something inside it. Like freezing something alive and when they thaw out, still alive. The others are fortitude for an object, the chains also have them. The strange thing is, these are used to keep something in not something out. Should be easy to open." Riley shrugged and passed the crowbar to Ben. The chains broke easily, the sarcophagus took all four to open. Shocked silence filled the room.
"Is that...?"
"Can't be. But the boy's breathing."
"Impossible...."
"Yeah. It must be true though. No way someone could have gotten into that thing before we got down here unless he's been in there since the Revolutionary War. We need to head up. I'll carry the kid. Let's get moving!"
The boy, somewhere around the age of three, was skinny, not skeletal but real close. His breathing never changed when Ben carried him piggyback style. There were runes on the boy's face, hands, and most likely other places that his almost pristine uniform covered. The flag that he had been wrapped in was carried by Patrick. The way up went smoothly and slowly.
"This flag looks like Ross' flag, even has her stitched initials in it." Patrick's voice was in absolute awe.
"It probably is if the soldier really is from that time period." Ben shifted the kid and noticed more runes and a bandage on the kid's wrist. Ben made a small promise."Musta been one heck of a life, kid. We'll take care of you now."
They made it to the church, the FBI arrived, the Declaration was given back, the treasure was going to be split, and Ben smiled as he explained where someone who would finally be behind bars was. Unfortunately for the FBI and Gates, they hadn't spotted the unconscious boy in one of the pews or the three personified countries sitting close to said boy. It was quite easy for Matthew to slip his long jacket onto the boy and carry him like a parent would their child. It was child's play for the three nations to slip past the agents. When the medics arrived for the boy, the pew was empty. Gates didn't understand how the child had disappeared but the agents around said that they hadn't seen a child. Only one agent believed him.
"It's best not to say anything. If the child was down there and in a sarcophagus, than I could have been one of the mythical immortals. It is said that the fate of a nation and the sway of a nation's hopes and dreams rest in their hands. If they really exist, the one who sways America is gone."