A Fortune Cookie Story
By RikugouNotes: I was given an assignment and a fortune cookie one day in class. We had to write a story based on the fortune we got. Easier said than done when she gave it to me during a time I had a serious case of Writer's Block. I had to practically offer myself as sacrifice to the gods in order to spit this out. And not only that, there was a restriction! It had to be no less than 3 pages but less than 4 pages! One can't exactly take the time to develop the plot now can they?
Your mind will unlock great mysteries.
--Fortune CookieThe desert air was hot and arid but it did nothing to suppress the enthusiasm of the various diggers at the site. In a large pitched tent, a group of five archaeologists and anthropologists assembled around an old piece of parchment illustrating the directions to find the legendary Temple of Ashia, a shrine worshipping the Goddess of Light.
The Goddess of Light was an old entity believed by the ancient people of Elven, who had mysteriously disappeared from the face of the planet nearly two thousand years ago. The scroll which led to the temple was found by Dr. Alex Brandson, a famous archaeologist who had written several papers held in high regard around the world about the indigenous tribes of the Peruvian jungles.
"Dr. Brandson, do you think we shall be able to find this shrine anytime soon? We have been at this site for over three weeks already and we have yet to find even a brick!" said one of the archaeologists.
"Do not fret overmuch, Mitchel, we will find it soon. I can feel it in my bones," the doctor grinned. A pith helmet was perched jauntily on his head over a shock of blonde, almost silver strands of hair. His blue eyes twinkled merrily in excitement.
At that moment, a breathless digger came barreling into the tent, babbling excitedly in Arabic. One of the anthropologists who spoke the language tried to calm him down.
("We have found the entrance to the temple!")[1]
("Are you sure?") the anthropologist gasped.
("Entirely. Come and see!") The digger ran back out.
Turning to his fellow colleagues, he said in a slightly shocked tone, "They've found it. They've found the temple."***
They approached the high arches of the entrance with wariness in their step, not sure whether or not to be prepared for any unexpected curses and/or hexes that may come in their way. Religious temples of the Elven tended to have a few to dissuade intruders from causing any desecration.
"This is it," Alex breathed, "the Temple of Ashia."
"No one under a Level 10 could possibly open those doors," said one of the archaeologists in an exasperated tone.
"Blair Sanders is a Level 15," Alex remarked matter-of-factly.
"I thought they could not spare anyone over a Level 10 at the University," the previous man asked, looking at Blair out of the corner of his eye.
Blair was a graduate student at the University of Branson, the college where Alex was a tenured professor of Archaeology. "They are a little underhanded at the moment, but Blair had gotten approval to come along on this trip before they became understaffed. It was a binding contract," the blonde shrugged.
"Besides, the other professors were glad to see me go. They said I talked to much," Blair grinned. "Shall we get to work gentleman?"
"After you, Blair," the famous professor said chirped, backing away with a flourishing bow.
Laughing at his teacher's antics, he concentrated on the heavy marble doors before him. They were at least fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide. A heavy gold doorknocker rested conspicuously in the middle of each door. Rubbing his hands together, he laid them palm down upon the surface.
A low frequency buzz rang in the ears of everyone who stood nearby, curiously watching the spectacle of a MindPower[2] in action.
With an almost inaudible groan, the doors opened inwards, exposing the inner sanctum of the temple. A human sized statue of the Goddess of Light stood directly in front of the double doors, holding a scale in one hand and a floating crystal in the other.
The archaeologists and anthropologists looked around in ill-concealed awe and reverence. However, Alex Brandson kept his eyes on one thing and only one thing, the ornate box that laid at the feet of the goddess.
Leaving his colleagues to gawk at their surroundings, he went straight up to the altar and lifted the box up in slightly shaking hands. This object was said to contain the knowledge of the world, a most important discover. Ancient inscriptions were carved along the surfaces of the cube. His mind quickly translated the words into English Standard.
It said: (For those who seek knowledge, open this box to find the knowledge of the world. For those who seek riches, there are none so scram already!)
Alex blinked at the translation he got and reread it. Getting the same thing twice, he decided to finally open the box except it seemed to be stuck. Pulling forcefully at the lid, he yanked down at the top. Grunting in exertion, he could not seem to open the small golden box.
Sighing in annoyance, he idly rubbed his fingers under the bottom and was surprised to feel a line of raised bumps. Turning it over, he saw another inscription which translated to: Your mind will unlock many mysteries.
Frowning, he exerted a little MindPower on the catch and was a bit surprised to hear a tiny click signaling the unlocking of the box. He looked in and took out the velvet bag inside. Untying the cord around the mouth of the pouch, he removed the object from within its depths and nearly keeled over, for inside the satchel laid a bag of fortune cookies.
-END-
Notes:
[1] Words in parenthesis are supposed to be Arabic. Back
[2] MindPower: the power to move objects with the mind. The higher the Level, the more powerful one is. BackComments? Criticisms? Definitions?
--Rikugou
Started: 10.11.01
Finished: 10.11.01