There Be Treasure Await'n

I Found

The fog thickened as Jim and Anna walked out of the city boundaries. The cobblestone path became gnarled and overgrown as they went, now barely visible through the thick vines and weeds covering it. It was obvious that no one had been there for a while. 

Dirt kicked up under their shoes as they walked further through dark forests. Despite it still being morning, Jim had thought to bring a lantern-which now he and Anna were very grateful for, being able to see ahead by at least a few feet. 

"So...Jim. Are you ever going to tell me why you want to see the villages so much?" Anna asked, brushing stray leaves from her leggings. Jim laughed through his nose a little. "Well, I guess you're going to find out eventually. Ever heard of Treasure Planet?"

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Nearly a half-hour later, Jim finally finished his tale.

"So, now you're looking for the rest of the treasure? And some of it landed here, on Calypso of all places?" Anna questioned in surprise. 

"Uh huh," Jim responded, holding the lamp far ahead of them. "A lead led me to believe that if there's any treasure left here, it'll be in the villages."

Anna nodded. "I remember...rumors of gold raining from the sky. I never saw any of it, but I guess people weren't joking." Jim's eyes narrowed as he peered through the thinning fog. "Yup. How close are we anyway?"

"Pretty close. Hey-look!" Anna said, suddenly pointing up the road. There, probably fifteen feet away was an old, damaged looking stone wall with a half-circle cut out of it as a door. Just like the road, vines covered it densely, twisting and turning eerily over it like marble. The two paused in front of it, gazing at its foreboding entrance.

"Wow...it's been a while," Anna said quietly, almost in a whisper. Jim looked at her, concerned. "You sure you're up to this?" He asked worriedly. Still looking forward, she nodded firmly. "I've avoided it for too long."

They stepped forward into the mist, walking through the gate. Within seconds, they were passing broken-down houses and shops, many half-burned to the ground, others with scorch marks. Wind whistled and whispered through leaf-less trees, sending cold drafts around them, softly speaking almost. "Creepy," Jim muttered. "I can see why nobody comes up here."

Anna nodded. "People think it's cursed or something. Haunted, I guess." Jim whistled. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was. But for now...just keep your eyes open for anything treasure-like."

Minutes ticked by as the pair passed through the long deserted streets, occasionally catching a glimpse of some animal dashing through the ruins around them, or a bird soaring out from an ashen tree. Despite it being mid-morning, the villages were as dark as early evening. Fog seeped at their feet, twisting and turning around tree roots and rotting huts, curling ominously. To say that it was unsettling would be a drastic understatement...already on edge, such appearances did not help at all in settling their nerves.

Wind whispers crept through the otherwise silent atmosphere, alone the only sound amidst the new company in the village until Jim's soft voice cut through. "Hey-you see that?"

He was pointing ahead. There, something flickered. Something dusty, something...

"Gold! It's gold!" Anna exclaimed quietly, still perturbed by the eerie town. They picked up their pace, crouching down to see what they had found. Sure enough, two trabloons lay on the road, covered in a thin layer of dirt. "And look-there!" Jim said, looking forward. More coins. Like a broken trail, they lay in a sort of line up the street, scattered up the sloped road. 

They stood, rushing to follow the line of gold. They must have gone fifty yards before they stopped, looking up at a massive building the trail disappeared into. "Oh..." Anna said softly. "I remember this place." Jim looked at her as she gazed up at the cathedral-like structure. "This was the village leader's home-Henry was his name. My parents were some of the first settlers, so we came here often. I used to play with Henry's children on Sunday afternoons...I forgot how big it was."

Anna stepped forward, pushing the half-open door all the way in, causing it to creak loudly. The entryway hallway was enormous, stretching far back to a wide stairway. Dangling chandeliers chimed in the gentle wind, gleaming in the daylight that stretched down from gaps in the ceiling. Unlike the rest of the village, this place had natural light, so Jim put out his lantern. They cautiously stepped inside, walking over the twisting roots and leaves of foliage on the ground, looking at the few paintings on the walls now covered in vines. It was strangely beautiful, like something out of a fairy-tale. 

Anna gasped softly, gazing around her, stretching her hand to tables lining the walls, gently touching the few remaining antiques set atop them. The two seemed to forget the purpose of their excursion as they slowly walked through, seemingly enchanted by the oddly serene spectacle. "We didn't have a Town Hall yet, so our balls and holiday gatherings were always here. Henry and his family were always so hospitable," Anna said softly.

Jim gazed around as they continued to the stairs. It was odd, but he could almost see how people would have danced here, talked with one another with not a worry in the world. Without the knowledge of their impending disaster.

"Hey, look!" Jim said excitedly, pointing to the first landing of the stairs. Illuminated by natural white light from a hole in the ceiling was an enormous pile of gold and chests, half covered by a fallen-over tapestry. Anna gasped as they ran to it. It was by far the largest treasure deposit Jim had found yet, trabloons, rubies, jewels, and all matter of valuables littered the landing. 

Anna laughed in absolute disbelief as she held up handfuls of the treasure. "How..." she murmured. Jim grinned, pulling out his notepad. He made a quick sketch of the village and an "X" where the building was before sifting through the gold with her. "Look at it all! Victor would give an arm and a leg just to touch this stuff!" Anna said, gazing at an enormous solar-crystal in her palm. 

Jim nodded. "This is definitely going to be worth a lot to the Federation. There's some solar-crystals here I've never seen before...hey, what's this?" He questioned, holding a white-washed gem. Jim's eyes narrowed looking at it. It was small, about the size of his palm, star-shaped and dimensional. Anna raised her eyebrow, gently touching its center. "No idea. We can ask Andrew, he knows all about solar-crystals. It's pretty though."

Jim nodded, rotating it in his hand. He felt like he could almost hear something from it...fragments of glass, maybe. He looked at it a minute more before pocketing it. 

"Let's go," he said, offering a hand to Anna, helping her stand. Together they walked back through the manor and the towns, under the gate, and onto main roads. 

"Thanks for taking me," Jim said shyly, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "I know it must have been difficult going back." Anna nodded. "It was. But I'm glad I did. Made me feel a little better about it all," she said with a small smile. 

Jim returned the gesture before he felt her hand brush against his. His heart skipped a beat as she gently put her hand into his palm. Cautiously, he curled his fingers, feeling her do the same. They didn't speak. They just walked. Smiling all the way. 

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Hello, dear readers! Many apologies for the late update, I've been recovering from a wisdom teeth removal and just started school again. As such, posts on my stories will be farther apart, but my goal is to have a new chapter once a week. 

Also-in case you didn't see the update on the playlist page, I am no longer going to add songs to it as the story progresses in order to not spoil events for the future. Instead, I'll be leaving the link to it at the bottom of every chapter with any songs that may be in it with event markings. Thank you for reading! Until next time!

-spideyfreakradio

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx8ZbufwaYU-kuj9IXPShFyRQr9AiDMIh

Song 10: Entering the village

Song 11: Entering Henry's old manor