Whatever the choice, the implications were far greater than they knew.
Chapter 8
After talking it over for a moment, Amir and Eva decided to seek the treasure. They figured that, even if they missed their families, to return home with the treasure would be much more exciting. Never again would the ruling elders look down on them. They fought their suspicions of the mysterious woman, feeling that the reward of believing outweighed the risk of not.
Amir took charge and voiced their decision to the old woman. “We have chosen to accept your offer, and will go in search of the secret treasure.”
“Very well then,” said the woman. “From this day forth you will be driven to find the secret treasure. In an effort to build trust, I have shown you the way home as well…in case you change your minds. As you look to your left and right, you will see that your original paths have been restored.”
Glancing to their sides, as the woman had suggested, the children were shocked by what they saw. Sure enough, starting near the edge of the stone path and wandering into the woods, a lightly worn grassy path went left, and a narrow sandy path went right. Upon seeing this, Amir and Eva were fully convinced of the strange old woman’s miraculous power.
“Your villages are just beyond the horizon,” she promised. “There, you will find the food, water and security that you so desire. However, if you fail to seek the treasure until it is found, you will bring great suffering upon your people. Their food will run out, their water will dry up, and their villages will be burnt to the ground by invading armies.”
Confounded by the idea that returning home would not be safe, Eva and Amir looked at one another, simultaneously having envisioned the impending destruction of their homelands. They wondered if they had done something terribly wrong.
“Why would you bring suffering on our people?” Eva asked. “What kind of person does that?”
“In promising such things for your people,” the woman explained, “I have fulfilled my end of the bargain.”
“How do you figure that?” interrupted Amir. “It seems like we got the short end of the stick on this deal.”
“You ask for the greatest treasure in the world, and then complain about how it is delivered. If you trust that the treasure is real, why question my ways?
“Though the treasure is nearby, it will be very hard to find. If I allow you to go home without consequence, you will give up and never find it. For that reason, you have been given great motivation to search for the treasure.
“Once it is found, you may return home without worry, but until then you must search. Your own decisions will determine the well being of your people.
“I have provided you with the tools, as promised. It is futile to question my ways. I wish you good fortune on your journey, but as for me, I must be going.”
Amir and Eva stood on the cobblestone trail considering where they would begin their quest. While contemplating the road ahead, they listened as the woman offered some words of encouragement.
“I assure you that the treasure will be found. With it, you will find answers to the most fundamental questions of human existence.”
A low-lying layer of fog began to form around the woman’s feet, and slowly began to fill the surrounding jungle. The children observed, certain that she would vanish at any moment.
Fearing for the safety of the old woman who now held his hopes and dreams in her hands, Amir called out as she departed.
“Where will you be if we need you?” he asked. “How will you survive alone in the wilderness?”
The mysterious woman turned only her head as she continued to walk away.
“Do not worry about me,” she said. “I know a thing or two about nature. If you need me, just look around.”
Just then, a strong breeze blew in from both the east and the west, creating a whirlwind around the woman. Having revealed her message to the chosen ones, she began to disappear as the children looked on in awe. Her ghostly figure transformed before their eyes, accelerating into a spiral like a tornado on the path. In a matter of seconds, she had faded into thin air.
The Great Mystery had vanished.
Chapter 9
When the wind stopped blowing and the falling leaves had settled on the ground, Eva and Amir could not help but notice the arrow shaped symbol that remained on the path. It pointed clearly to the north, the only direction they had not considered going. It was away from their homes, and against the flow of the small creek.
In awe of what had just transpired, in fear of returning home, and in faith that the treasure was real, Eva and Amir headed north in search of their reward. They had made it this far together, and it had been the experience of a lifetime so far. Perhaps one day they would unite the world as promised. They could not imagine how or why it would be, but they had hope.
They moved north together side by side. As they walked, Eva noticed that her ankle was suddenly free of pain and swelling, and her stride was smooth and easy. For whatever reason, she had been cured just in time for the journey.
As Eva and Amir walked briskly up the path, the oncoming stream slowly disappeared. The thinning air grew colder by the minute, and the branches all around became increasingly bare as their leaves fell softly to the ground. The growingly rocky landscape gave the strange sensation that they had traveled much further than a few minutes walk.
The life-giving sun hovered overhead in the clear blue sky, and small rocky peaks appeared on the horizon, growing larger as they approached the crest.
Then, after climbing for nearly an hour, they finally reached the hilltop. Eva and Amir marveled at the spectacular panoramic vista before them. The path went on for miles.
As far as the eye could see, a towering range of snow-capped mountains dominated the distant landscape. Waterfalls plunged from the rock, dropping hundreds of feet into large bodies of glistening blue green water below. The two great rivers were nowhere to be seen, but this somehow slipped Eva’s mind as she admired nature’s fascinating beauty.
From where they stood atop the lofty foothills, all four seasons could be witnessed in a single view. They watched as strange new birds soared, apparently scanning the forest floors for food. Wild animals roamed freely in scattered fields far below, some stopping to sip from the edges of crystal clear streams.
Soft white clouds were strewn across the midday sky, not quite reaching the summits of the enormous rocky peaks. It was there, at the distant edge of the newfound paradise, that a single mountain towered over all the others. Amir and Eva were mesmerized by the beauty, and instantly humbled at the sight of their world’s tallest peak.
Chapter 10
Amir and Eva admired the fascinating landscape for several minutes before deciding to continue along the path. As they began, they were startled by a powerful series of winds blowing up from the valley below. It chilled the two young travelers to the bone, and caused them to crouch next to a nearby tree for shelter. They shielded their faces from the wind so as not to get dust in their eyes.
After
