CHAPTER 6 - THE PICTURE AND THE POEM
Jason opened the library book and wrinkled his nose as a stale, damp odor rose from the pages. A small boy stared out at him from an old black and white photograph. His light colored hair showed a faint crease from wearing the straw hat that he now held in his hand. Even the baggy bib overalls couldn't hide the fact that his shirt was too big for his small frame. The pant legs trailed down past his ankles, but the frayed edges didn't quite hide his bare toes. His grin revealed a missing tooth on the right side.
The caption read, Silas at ten years old in front of his family's hotel, the Prospect Inn, now known as the Silver Lode.
Jason rubbed his eyes and glanced over at the other bed. Daniel had on his headset and was mumbling to himself as he listened to his Spanish lesson.
With a yawn he turned back to the book. He flipped several pages and came to a letter. Part of it was missing and it was written in a tight, cramped script. He was going to skip over it, when he noticed it was written by McPherson.
My time is short. My health is failing and wealth no longer holds an interest for me. I have no desire, nor in truth am I able, to seek for that which I hid so long ago on that dreadful night. I was forced to abandon my fortune and most of my other possessions to escape being caught up in the impending battle, and in a war that I sought to avoid. Although I lost everything that night, I escaped alive and made my way west to a new life.
As soon as it was convenient, I sketched a map from memory of where I had hidden my treasure and the price of my farm. It was my plan to return and claim my own once the conflicts had ended and the way was available to me.
It was not long after my arrival in the territory that I discovered a great mineral wealth beneath my feet. I would have been ill advised to leave at that time, and in the ensuing years I made an even greater fortune than that which I had left behind.
But now I find that I will soon have no further need of monies. I am sending you a map of where I hid the treasure that was found on my farm. It may well be that you have a greater claim to this treasure than I. Perhaps this map will lead you to that fortune. I know not if my memory served me well or if Eagle Cave still exists or can be found. Faithfully yours, Peter McPherson.
On the next page was a picture of the map. He gasped. It was almost the same as the one they had found, but this one had faint handwriting in the margin and was labeled Original McPherson Map.
The text went on to say that McPherson sent the map to his grandmother's family on the Cherokee reservation. A government agent saw the map and drew a copy from memory. That copy was eventually found by Jim Bentley and was last known to be in the possession of Silas, but has long since disappeared. The original map was placed on display in the Treasure Town Library.
Jason held the picture closer to the light, but still couldn't read the writing in the margin. He climbed out of bed and got the map from the closet. It rustled as he unrolled it on the bed. There was no margin writing on his copy.
He looked up to see Daniel staring at him. His CD player was on the nightstand with the headset cord wrapped in a precise coil beside it.
"What are you doing?" Daniel said.
"We were right. This map belonged to Silas. It's the one Jim Bentley threw in the fire. But it's not the original treasure map. It's a copy. There's a picture of McPherson's original map in this book."
"Yeah?"
"Well, the original one has some writing on it."
"What's it say?"
"I can't read it. It's too faint and it's fancy, squiggly handwriting."
"Go to sleep Jason." Daniel put his Spanish book next to the CD player and turned out his light.
"No wait. The book says the original is on display in the library."
"Which tells you that if there were any clues on it, someone else would have figured it out by now." He raised his eyebrows and said, "Right?"
"No, that can't be right. Maybe they just haven't figured them out. We need to look at the original and see what the writing says." He rolled up the map. "Maybe it tells us where the gold treasure is hidden. I'm sure there's another treasure. Silas as much as said so."
Daniel turned his back. "I'm going to sleep."
"Okay, okay." He flipped the switch and pulled the sheet over him. "There's still a treasure out there waiting to be found," he said into the dark. "I can feel it."
Daniel's voice was muffled. "All I can feel is my pillow."
"A gold treasure. I'm sure of it."
"um hmm"
"I think there might be another cave."
"Good-ni-ght."
A narrow crack in the curtains let a thin stream of light into the dark room. It reflected off the chrome bedpost like moonlight shinning on the pillar in the cave. It was a long time before he fell asleep.
Jason was jolted awake by the ringing phone. He reached for it expecting Uncle Matt's wakeup call. Instead he heard his mom's voice.
She asked how he was doing, and he told her about finding the coin. They talked about the haunted cave and working in the snack shop. She laughed at his description of Silas, but was concerned about the dog.
A silence settled over the conversation and then she said, "Your dad is settling in at the new job and it's going okay for him." Jason's stomach tightened. "I'm working for a temporary agency this summer, but I've accepted a staff position at the community college starting this fall."
"That's great Mom." Jason tried to sound cheerful.
"We're looking at a house on the outskirts of the city with a big yard. There are several nice parks nearby. On the way to work your dad drives through a wooded area with lots of oak trees. He says there are some great nature walks there." Her voice was hopeful.
"Sure Mom. That sounds nice."
"There's lots to do here with your friends. Ballgames, a museum, even an I-Max theatre."
What friends, he thought. All my friends are back home.
"There's plenty of history around here too," she continued. "The school will take you on great field trips."
They talked about the weather and she asked how everyone there was doing. Then she promised to call soon and hung up.
Daniel stuck his head around the corner. "Bathroom's yours. Get your shower in, and we'll go see if we can find your treasure map at the library. We can go exploring until it opens. If you hurry we can even have breakfast."
Jason pushed the phone call out of his mind and headed for the shower.
The day had already tuned hot by the time they arrived at the library. The cool air inside felt good, but the faint musty odor of old books tickled his nose. They circled around the Local Treasures table looking for the old map. Jason shrugged.
"Let's try in the back," Daniel whispered. He led the way down a long narrow hall. Doors opened on either side leading to small reading rooms. They found the map on the wall in the last one. It was framed and under glass.
Daniel started to go in, but Jason caught his arm. Placing a finger over his lips, he jerked his thumb at the other side of the room. An elderly man sat hunched over a table with his back to them. The yellowed newspaper in front of him absorbed his attention. An alcove above him held the breastplate armor and helmet of a conquistador.
Placing each foot with exaggerated care and stifling laughter, they made their way into the room. Paper crackled as the man turned a page.
Simple stick figures of people and animals were carved into the dark mahogany wood that framed the map. Jason hunched his shoulders against the cold air that trickled down his neck from an overhead vent.
Nudging Daniel, he pointed to the handwriting on the side of the map. A shadow flickered across the glass and he saw a reflection of the conquistador armor. The reflection wavered, and a face materialized under the helmet. Dark eyes stared at him. He sucked in his breath.
"You can buy a copy of that map in the gift shop," the reflection said.
He spun around. The chair was empty, and the elderly man now stood before
them. It was the curator, Victor Smith. The conquistador helmet was still in the alcove behind him and Jason realized it had been an illusion.
"They sell copies in the museum gift store," he repeated. "It's a favorite item for tourists. Are you interested in the history of the area? Or - maybe you're looking for treasure." A slow smile curled on one side of his mouth. His eyes bored into Jason as if he wanted to read his mind. "This is Treasure Town. Looking for treasure is a favorite pastime for some. As the museum curator, I get a lot of questions about treasure. I don't believe we've met. My name's Victor Smith."
Jason was held captive by those dark eyes. His throat felt dry and he couldn't speak. Smith said, "And your name is?"
"Jason," he managed to croak out.
Daniel said, "Is this map a copy or is it the original?"
When Smith looked away, Jason felt release from the tension that had gripped him.
"Oh, it's the original," Smith said. "Close to 140 years old. It was donated." He pointed to a plaque at the bottom of the frame.
Daniel read, "Donated by Standing Bear, Professor of Native American Culture and Artifacts."
"He works at the University and owns a gift shop on Treasure Avenue," Smith said.
Jason cleared his throat. "Thanks for the information. We'll check out the gift shop." He tried to step around him.
"It was nice to meet you Jason. It's good to see young people who are interested in history. You boys feel free to stop by the museum anytime. I'm usually there when I'm not doing research or out in the field cataloging artifacts." He smoothed back his hair and the gray strands passed over the heavy gold and onyx ring.
Jason squeezed past him. He heard Daniel's footsteps following, but didn't look back until they were outside.
It was a relief to be out in the sunlight. Even the heat felt good as they rode to the museum. While they were stowing their bikes in the rack outside the entrance, a tour bus pulled up. The doors opened and a steady stream of senior citizens poured out the door and made their way inside.
Daniel groaned. "No way am I going in there with that crowd."
"Come on Daniel," Jason said. "We can get in and out before any of them even figure out what they want to buy." He pulled at his arm.
Daniel shrugged him off. "What's the hurry?"
"I don't want to run into Smith again."
"What's wrong with Smith?"
"I felt like he was trying to read my thoughts. He gives me the creeps."
"It'll take forever if we go in there with that crowd. You don't know how they poke and pick over things."
"You stay here with the bikes then. I'll be right back."
"Wait?"
But Jason was already heading for the door. He dodged around people struggling up the steps and entered the crowded gift shop. Women with large pocketbooks and men with canes blocked the aisle, but finally he stood in front of the bin of maps. He snatched one up and worked his way to the checkout, but stopped in dismay. A long line stretched out from the counter. The woman at the front chatted with the clerk as she pulled coins out of a small change purse and placed them one by one on the counter. He looked down at the map and back at the line.
Making his mind up, he tore off the label. He wiggled up to the front of the line and placed the bar code and money on the counter. The clerk looked at him and frowned. "You'll have to wait -" she said.
Jason interrupted. "Mr. Smith told me to pick this up. I don't need a bag and you can keep the change." He turned and fled from the room. Behind him he heard the clerk shouting, "Young man!"
"Thank you," he called back.
There were murmurs about young people and bad manners. He cringed, but clung to the map and kept moving. As he raced down the steps he called to Daniel, "Got it. Let's go!"
Daniel jumped to his feet.
"You were right," Jason said as he flung his leg over his bike. "Tough crowd. We probably want to get far away from here."
"What did you do - steal it?"
"Of course not. I gave them money."
"They didn't give you a bag?"
"In a hurry. Told her I didn't need one."
As they peddled around the corner, Jason swerved to avoid a gray Miata convertible coming toward them. The sun visor hide the driver's face, but a flash of sunlight reflected off his hand as he pulled in his arm and wrenched the wheel. The tires squealed and Jason's heart thumped in his chest, but he didn't look back.
When they got to their room they laid the maps side by side. Jason kneeled in a chair and leaned on the table. Daniel ran his finger over the writing in the margin on the gift shop map and read,
Pillars rise up from the floor
Awash in the moon's gray light.
It cascades down to a silver pool
That is just beyond your sight.
The golden age is over
And the eagle from her height,
Soars above the hidden nest
Suspended in her flight,
A guardian of the golden quest
Concealed by endless night.
"It's a riddle," Jason said.
"Yeah, I get that. It's talking about where Silas found the coins. Silver. Pillar."
Jason grinned. "Ah?Then the second part is talking about a gold treasure. Get it? Golden age? Golden quest? There's got to be another treasure!"
"I suppose it's hidden in an eagle's nest."
"Maybe he used an eagle instead of a skull and crossbones." He sat up and the chair wobbled. "Like in the movies where they always put the skeleton next to the treasure to guard it. McPherson was all alone so he didn't have a body to put by the treasure."
"So I suppose you think he killed an eagle and put it there?"
"They did a lot of strange things back then."
"Come on Jason. An eagle in a cave?"
"Okay, maybe not. But you have to admit it's possible the riddle is referring to gold." Daniel shrugged. "Let's go to the cave and look around," Jason said. "Who knows what we'll find?"
Daniel grunted. "Sounds like fun. There's no tour tomorrow. We can go then."
They rolled up the maps, and Jason put them in the corner of the closet.
Cave of Discovery Page 6
