The Lost Treasure Map Series (71 page)

“
Perhaps there was a natural canyon
here!
’
Merton concluded, trying to answer Bryson, recollecting
something such as it.
“
And they increased the size of it with
this?
”

“
What happened to all the
constructions that would
’
ve been here?
”
Mortimer continued.

“
How could they have built everything
about here with all those trees and stuff about?
”
Professor Thomas, of the
Exploration Association, asked curiously.

He shifted up close to them from the
back of the group, which was now in a stretched out line going
backwards, and Bryson
watched the archeologists behind him that he had been with,
and decided that they never had any proper answers to his
queries

“
There
’
d be some remains of a past
civilization being here?
”
Thomas continued, considering if they had
seen anything.

“
Perhaps it
’s
part of a route to get somewhere
quicker,
”
Merton replied, trying to recollect something; maybe from his
memories.

“
I
’
ve never seen anything like
that
!
”
Thomas continued.
“
We think,
something has to have been behind it! Its technology is not ours! I
have never seen anything that can create this canyon the way that
it has been created!
”

“
I
’
m sure it
’
s not all from this world either whatever it
is!
” Merton finally
spoke, testing their reactions, and considering it.

“
I
’
m pretty sure of that! It seems in an
entirely different environment here! This world is incredible!
It
’
s
unfortunate that the island itself is from ancient Earth! But has
altered a great deal over the millions of years that it has been
away from the Earth!
”

Bryson was surprised and realized that the
Exploration Association members there had been collecting
information and evidence of things, and had been working with the
archeologists, and he invited him to stay with him.

The Exploration Association still amazed
him, and their unseen findings and research!

Parker
pointed his light straight out in front
into the distant darkness there, illuminating different parts of
the ground like a spotlight, and he crept forward, as if he had
decided that he wanted to find the answers to everything no matter
what, and the sooner the better, just like they had been doing for
many years.

He shifted along determined to examine
everything for the slightest clues, examining his steps, as he went
into the darkness, which seemed to go endlessly on, and he examined
everything.

It resembled an ancient mine with top
removed, with a few faint stars sprinkled over the black sky above,
and Bryson examined the stars again, and knew he would not
recognized where he was as he knew that he was in another
dimension, or universe (which he had entered in the last castle
that they had investigated).

It had surprised him that some of the other
scientists had tried to locate the stars and where they were and
believed that the island could have just been moved to another
region of space. Some of the others had only said that they thought
it was in another galaxy or something, but he knew that it was
another dimension, even though it was basically the same.

It was startling that there were no signs of
any materials like rubber, parts of materials, and debris. Yet if
it was the age it looked and they estimated it, would there be
anything there? And he wondered what any remains there would have
turned into, and even considered it might be part of the ground
rock. But he was sure that it would have been washed away, as the
rain and water could get down from above.

The tunnel kept them dreamily going
endlessly on into the distance, going where there was nothing but
more of it, and they marched off into it preparing themselves and
ignoring their sleepiness.

What dangers could the outside world hold
for them? Did it have something of an incomprehensible nature
existing in its darkness? Had they underestimated the things in the
jungle? Could it fly or transport itself to far away locations? It
could also know the whole region, and where the canyon led?

All the significations of such places were
startling! The normal world had vanished behind them, and it felt
absurd that they were doing what they did! The world was like
somewhere out of place that should not be there! Nothing seemed to
put a conclusion to what it was all for or how it had gotten
there!

Merton seemed obsessed with handling fantasy
situations more than anything!

“
Do you want one?
”
Merton gasped, lighting a
cigarette, and blowing out smoke everywhere about him, to the
surprise of a few of the archeologists, and one of them quickly
grabbed the moment to get out his and hand a few out.

Bryson and Mortimer took one each and smoked
them strolling alone together as if in a park or underground cave,
and Bryson wondered why they now had them so hidden away anyway,
and realized it was only the era that they were in.

Bryson strolled along blissfully puffing
away, wondering where the hell they were going to this time.
Wondering what he would have taken if he had predicted that they
would have found something there? He realized he would have had a
bad time carrying what he would have taken, and he wished that they
had wine and better food supplies.

It was surprising that the canyon never
showed any signs of having flooded, and there was nothing showing
water pouring down the rock, or water springs seeping up. He was
sure there was no water sources nearby and the top of the canyon
was angled away from the canyon cliff, and that the water would not
gather and would pour away in the opposite direction. Then he saw
signs that the water had been pouring down in small streams, and
saw thick layers of dried mud away ahead in places.

Mortimer looked happy and in his natural
environment, and at night, with the strange and unusual, with
unsolved mysteries everywhere, and he smoked like he was
experiencing an expensive cigar, flaring away at his mouth, tasting
the smoke, with the smoke spinning through the air behind him, and
he felt as though he knew something.

The mystery of where it led to was certainly
one of the main inspirations that kept him interested, seeking an
answer they knew they had to receive, driving them on no matter
what.

If they turned back, they would never know
and could even have to face death!

Bryson realized that none of them would have
believed that it went out to that length! Their pace now stayed the
same and their walk never changed!

He noticed that they mainly took it for
granted that the canyon had not collapsed anywhere and they would
reach somewhere, and that they would not have to journey back.

Bryson spotted something away in the
distance and saw that the others about him followed his glare there
and saw it too, and they all went there with their eyes focused on
it trying to observe something there that could not be properly
observed.

He eventually ignored it and waited until it
was close, watching the tunnel about him, making sure that nothing
was in their immediate way. Occasionally getting ready for
something, losing his sleepiness, especially at the others
reactions to it.

They continued on examining what was there
with some surprise and he knew that they had seen something, and he
looked up startled and saw something blocking the canyon ahead, and
he started to gasp as well.

Chapter 20

The Transcendent
Gateway

Once Parker explored the canyon ahead and
discovered that the entire canyon ahead was blocked full of
boulders, and that they could not pass there, he exploded with
anger and his scientists had to calm him down.

The entire expedition was turning into a
mess, even though they had made an immense amount of major findings
and more than any other scientists for probably many years. Yet
they were not on the world anymore and there was a good chance that
they might never even return with the findings.

Everyone there seemed annoyed or depressed
at what had happened, and many looked on the brink of losing their
patience, including Merton and Mortimer.

Why would any canyon artificial or natural
lead anywhere?

Mortimer looked annoyed but started
preparing to go back!

He and Merton had a discussion of the
problem, and Bryson attempted to hear everything in their silent
hushed chants and he saw that they did not come to any
conclusions!

They stood beside Parker, resting, glancing
at individual sections of the wall of rocks, as the others stood
back at a distance observing them.

“
It looks artificially
done!
”
Merton remarked.
“There could be
something hidden behind
this?
What do you think is?
”

“
You
’
re probably right!
”
Parker remarked, touching
the strange shapes of the boulders, and watching the way they were
piled together.
“
Someone wanted the route blocked
off!
”

Bryson believed that none of them knew what
was behind it, and he realized that their lights were getting
weaker, and their batteries running out, and that they would be
soon be out, and they would have to return in darkness, and he
turned off his light and hid it away as he intended to keep it for
an emergency and when all the other lights were not working.

Merton started feeling along the edge of the
wall of boulders looking for a gap going through it, to try to see
what was at the other side.

“
We could try shoving some
away,
”
Merton moaned, looking at it, realizing the truth.
“
With our combined
weight!
”

He mechanically placed an arm against an
area of smaller boulders and started to push it and they joined in
and a few bricks fell away, and they were unable to move anything
else.

Merton went along examining everything and
gasped when he reached the end of the boulders, where they were
against the wall of the canyon, and he called Mortimer over to him
and they started examining something that was there.

The others all watched them without moving,
hoping that they had found something! The majority reacted more to
having to confront the things in jungle again than the long walk
back!

Bryson moved in close first and saw thick
debris covering a gap there, which had looked like rock, and they
pushed away some rocks in the gap and other rocks crumbled and
collapsed across the ground, and fully opened a small tunnel.

Parker removed his communicator and started
trying to see if it now worked, trying to contact the airplane,
which he still regularly did, and when he could not pick anything
up he put it away.

With the lights held out the black gap there
became visible and full of the thick debris, and they illuminated a
tunnel going on and they moved in, removing the debris.

Bryson watched his dark shadow stretch along
the stone, and his unblinking eyes watched the ground searching for
obstructions, and he continued following Merton and Mortimer along,
and he watched the others follow him, and noticed that the tunnel
was made similarly but with something different and was inaccurate,
and as if something had removed the rock quickly with powerful
equipment, removing chunks at many different angles.

As he moved further into it he heard the
murmurs of some of the archaeologists and Exploration Association
members behind him, who were loving the exploration, which was one
of their ultimate explorations, and he realized that Merton and
Mortimer, who were now far away out in front of him, had announced
something to them.

In the blackness ahead something
indistinguishable looked as though it were emerging, making his
heart quicken, and at any second he expected to find something
deadly.

Bryson stopped to listen into the darkness
ahead, and finally turned on his light, and he watched Parker
approaching him further at a slow pace, looking around him, showing
he did not think there would be much there, and Bryson moved on,
and thought he saw Mortimer away in the distance, looking peculiar,
standing unmoving doing something, and he wondered why he could not
see him properly, and thought there must be a bend in the tunnel
there.

When Bryson slowly approached the area he
was surprised to find stone stairs carved into the rock going far
below, and he stood trying to see the bottom or where Mortimer was,
but he never saw anything. The stairs vanished into the distance
like an abyss!

“
What
’
s there?
”
Parker called, trying to see what
was there.

“
There
’
s stairs ... They go down far below
somewhere!
”