Trunks of Ages: The Seven Seals
Page 1
Trunks of Ages:
The Seven Seals
A book about taking leaps of faith
By Mary Beth Frank
Copyright 2014
Contributing editor, Ruth Albright
Graphic Artwork, Jeff Frank
2nd edition; © 2014 Mary Beth Frank
1st edition; © 2011 Mary Beth Frank
Special thanks to Greta Ehlers and Pam Jordan for critically reading and offering constructive advice. Thanks to Jeff Frank for helping me go through one last rewrite.
Thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose spirit called me to something beyond myself and forced me to step into a mission that required me to rely on his powers and not my own.
This book is lovingly dedicated to my husband who encourages my dream of writing for the youth, who compassionately listens to my ramblings about plot ideas, and who patiently waits while I always have a part of myself stuck in the imaginative world of The Hanks family. You are my heartbeat.
The events and individuals in this book are fictitious and do not represent anyone specific. While the children’s names have been borrowed, with permission, their personalities and character are not real.
Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Epilogue
Prologue Egypt
May - Eight years earlier
The sun was setting over the horizon as Jerold and Beth Hanks climbed out of the mouth of the cave they had been exploring for the last several weeks. Beth shook the dust from her long wavy blonde hair, and tried to clear the dirt from her bright blue eyes; eyes that dazzled everyone she met. Her husband, Jerold, tall and lean, had thick neatly cropped black hair. Together the couple looked more like they belonged on a red carpet than in the mouth of a cave in the middle of the Egyptian desert. Jerold grabbed his canteen and began dusting off his boots, when shouts from deep within the cave captured both of their attentions.
“What is that?” Beth exclaimed, eyes quickly darting from her husband back to the cave.
“I don’t know, but we’d better go check to make sure nothing’s happened.” Jerold grabbed Beth’s hand and dashed back inside the cave, dragging her behind him. Within a few feet, darkness surrounded them. Jerold flicked on his head lamp, and then fumbled to help Beth with hers. Together they continued into the darkness heading toward the sounds deep within.
When they reached their crew, they found out what the commotion was over.
Beth gasped, “The trunk. We’ve finally found the first trunk!”
Jerold was beaming inside, knowing that this was the beginning of a remarkable journey. “We had better call Tildon. He’ll want to hear about this immediately.”
The Hanks oversaw the crew, as they carefully chiseled away at the cave wall that surrounded the remainder of the trunk. Once the trunk was freed, Jerold and the men carried it to their camp, just outside the mouth of the cave.
Beth hummed as she brushed away the dust covering the top of the trunk so she could examine it more closely. Not very tall, the trunk was oval in shape, rather than the standard rectangle found in most trunks. It was bright blue in color and bore no unique markings of any kind. Disappointed, Beth frowned as she examined it. After all these years of searching, she had been expecting the trunk to be ornate, more elaborate in nature. Beth brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. As she bent down to take a closer look at the trunk, it was then she noticed a gold plate on the front, with E, D, H inscribed on its face. Finding this interesting, Beth scribbled down the letter into her notebook, along with a few other notes about the trunk that she wanted to research later.
She stood looking for Jerold, sighing in frustration at his continued absence. Jerold had asked her not to open it up until he returned from the cave, where he had gone to retrieve the rest of their gear. She squinted at the bright desert sun, sat down and put her canteen to her lips, letting the cold water saturate her dry mouth. She thought back to the time they had first met Tildon. Jerold had surprised her with tickets to an antiquity gala in Boston. It was held by one of their long-time associates from Cambridge, who was showcasing his newest finds from Greece. The night was unmemorable, except for the part when they were leaving. As they were claiming their coats at the coat check, a very ordinary man, with light gray hair and a skinny mustache, walked up to them and introduced himself.
“I do apologize, as I see you are heading out, but I’m afraid I’ve not had the privilege to make your acquaintances. I’m James Tildon. Most colleagues of mine just call me Tildon.” Tildon stuck out his hand to Jerold and Beth as they looked at him with quizzical eyes.
Jerold flashed him a smile. “Well, Tildon, it’s a pleasure. I’m Jerold Hanks. This is my wife, Beth.”
Beth looked at the man and nodded, tired from the night’s events and wanting to leave.
“Yes, I know. I have heard a great deal about you and your family.” Beth could have sworn when he said “family” a dark shimmer flashed through his eyes. She found herself suddenly shivering in the warm room. Tildon continued, “You see, I’ve been looking to hire an archeological team to help me with a quest that has become my personal obsession. After much research and many inquiries, it seems your knowledge and talent is just what I’m looking for. ”
Jerold smiled, amused at the strange man and his bold approach. “I’m sorry, Tildon. We have a commitment to Cornell University and aren’t available for quite some time.” Beth nodded in agreement.
“That is a minor detail I have already addressed. I have a dear friend on the board of the University, and he thinks this is a project you should consider. Of course, the school will receive recognition for your outstanding work.” Tildon smiled and Beth suddenly found herself intrigued.
“What’s the project?” she asked, her voice hard and sharp.
Tildon turned his gaze toward her and narrowed his eyes. “Let’s just say it's a project that will alter the course of mankind forever.”
Jerold laughed. “Impossible.”
Tildon shook his head, suddenly very serious. “My friend, there are many mysteries in this world that man has chosen to ignore because they are too difficult to accept. Should you work with me, you will be unveiling one of the most remarkable mysteries of the ages.”
Jerold and Beth looked at each other, not sure what to make of this man standing in front of them. Tildon reached out and shoved a card into Jerold’s coat pocket.
“Think about it. Call me when you want to begin.” Tildon abruptly turned and walked away, leaving a bewildered Beth and Jerold at the coat check.
Beth smiled, hearing the men return, and thought about her first reaction to Tildon. She hadn’t liked him at all. She could still say that she was uneasy around him, but he had grown on her. They had spent their first two years working for him from Cornell, doing research on the trunks and trying to dig up any clues from ancient worlds and their histories. There were many conference calls, back in those days, as Tildon never seemed to be able to visit Ithaca, New York, where the Hanks lived.
Beth looked up to see Jerold as he entered their tent
dropping the last of their gear into a nearby crate. He quickly turned and grabbed her around the waist, playfully spinning her around imaginary music. Pulling her close, he kissed her softly on the lips. Like a little girl with her first beau, she giggled at his celebration.
“We did it! We found the first one!” Beth beamed at her husband, eager to open the trunk.
Jerold smiled down at her, his black hair covered in dust. “Now, only six more to go.” He winked at his wife and chuckled.
“Well, Mr. Hanks, shall we open the first one?” Beth asked, not being able to contain her curiosity any longer.
Turning from her, Jerold began to examine the trunk himself. He frowned slightly, as he studied the oval shape.
Beth walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. “Nothing really exciting, is it? It’s so ordinary. I thought it would be much different.”
Jerold rubbed his hands over the trunk’s exterior and let his fingers trace the letters on the gold plate.
He looked at his wife’s notes, sitting next to the trunk. “Do you think they're initials?”
“Uh-huh.” Beth said, nodding.
Jerold ran his hand to the front of the lid and tried to flip open the locks. Unsuccessful, he grabbed a crowbar and tried to pry the lid open. It wouldn’t budge. Beth frowned, curious why the top couldn’t be pried open. Next, Jerold got a hammer and tried to knock off the locks. It didn’t work. After a couple of hours of attempting to open the trunk, the Hanks finally gave up; deciding they'd continue their when they returned to Cornell. They had the trunk carefully packaged in a large crate, after which they began tearing down their camp, ready to head home.