by Mac Flynn
We returned to our tents and, influenced by our eager teacher, hardly slept a wink in the hopes of finding riches beyond our wildest dreams. The next day dawned and the professor got us up with the sun. We marched quickly to the field and over to the tarp. The professor uncovered the hole and we were all relieved to see nothing was disturbed.
"All right, only a few of us can fit down there at a time with me, so we'll take turns inspecting the door and making the proper documentation before we attempt to open it," he told us.
We got to work doing the stuff that's required before we desecrate tombs. There was measurements to take, photos to snap, and notes to write. By the time we were through with all the minute details it was past lunch and the natural light was fast fading. I was lucky to be in the group assigned to open the door along with Ed and the professor. The only problem was we didn't quite know how to get it open.
The professor scrutinized the borders of the door with a flashlight and magnifying glass. "There doesn't appear to be any hinges," he muttered to himself.
"Maybe the door pushes inward," I suggested.
The professor wrinkled his nose. "I very much doubt the prince would allow such a simple-" I pressed my hands against the door and pushed. It gave a few inches before I stopped. The professor stared at my progress and blinked. "Well, I suppose times were much less technologically advanced," he admitted. He pocketed his flashlight and pressed his hands against the wall. "Ed, if you would assist," he requested.
I stepped back and watched the two men push with all their strength. The door gave beneath their combined forces and it slid several feet into the mystery that lay behind it. The men stopped and we shone a flashlight into the interior. There was a solid stone floor behind the door, so he and us stepped inside. His flashlight reflected off the stone to reveal something. It was brilliant, it was beautiful, it was-nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well, I guess there was this big empty room of large, undecorated stone walls and a ceiling to match. The professor's face dropped farther than the 1929 stock market. He stumbled back and Ed caught him before he collapsed like jello onto the hard floor.
"Nothing," he murmured. "There's nothing here. It's been taken. We were so close, and yet so far," he added.
There went our chance at fame and fortune.