“Wow, that’s great Ben! So, if we encounter anything scary on this trip you can protect us.”
“I’ll try!” Ben smiled.
They pulled into the Super Mart parking lot, and walked inside the store. “I think we need to go to sporting goods.” Lacey said.
As they approached the sporting goods department a teenage boy with a pony tail asked them if they needed any help.
“We need a good GPS unit, something that’s easy to use.” Lacey told him.
The boy showed them the display of various units, in all different colors. They looked like walkie-talkies with small screens. “What are you gonna use it for?” The boy asked.
“We are trying to get to a certain latitude and longitude point on the coast.” Lacey replied.
“Oh, you guys are geocaching?” He asked.
“What’s geocaching?” Ben replied back.
“Oh, it’s this awesome new sport. Someone will take a container of some sort; fill it with cool stuff. The container is weatherproof so it can stay out in the elements without getting damaged. Along with the items there is a log book inside.” He grabbed one of the GPS units from the display. “Then they will document the exact longitude and latitude; they call it a ‘waypoint’, submit the information online at geocaching.com, then wait for people to go to that cache. So you go onto the internet and wham! All these locations come up, they’re marked using longitude and latitude, and sometimes the person who owns the cache will put clues in as well. Then you take your GPS unit and enter the exact waypoint of one of the sites you want to go to, the GPS unit then gives you step by step instructions on how to get to it.” He showed them how to get to the longitude and latitude screen on the GPS unit. “It is really cool, ‘cause when you find the geocache, you sign the log book, you take something out of the container and then you put something of your own in. Then the next person to go to that geocache can take the item you put in. It is like a scavenger hunt, but everywhere.”
“What do you mean everywhere?” Ben asked.
“Oh man, geocaches are everywhere, they’re on street signs and park benches, but they can also be at the top of mountains, or on the ocean floor where you would need scuba gear to get to them. It’s so crazy! Not a lot of people know about it, but they will soon.” He put the GPS unit back in the display. “I think the best unit for geocaching is this one, it’s made by Garmin, and is super easy to use.” he pulled a bright yellow unit out of a box. “It has a huge screen, it will tell you step by step instructions, and it will give you elevations. It does a lot more than that, but those are the basics.” He handed it to Ben so he could check it out.
“That sounds great.” Lacey said
“Oh and one other thing, this unit has a communication chip in it, you can’t call other people, but if you get into trouble you can call 911. 911 can then track your signal without you even having to talk to them; you just press this emergency button.” He pointed to a red button that had a triangle with an exclamation point in the middle of it.
“That’s cool.” Ben said as he continued to play with it.
“Great, we’ll take that one, now does it come with a car charger and stuff?” Lacey asked.
“Yep, it’s all in there.” The boy said, as he took them over to the register. “Ya know, you better take a map as well, the unit is great, but to get a huge view it is nice to have a paper map.” He grabbed one of the maps off the counter by the register, and then rang them up.
As soon as they got to the car Ben ripped open the package and took the unit out. “We should enter in the waypoint now,” he said, as he pushed buttons until he got to the proper screen. “Then we can charge it on the way to the coast.”
“Sound’s good.” Lacey said as she pulled out of the parking lot. “We should grab some lunch; I don’t want to stop on the way.” Lacey pulled into a fast food drive through. They ordered their lunches and then got on Interstate -5; the freeway ran the length of Oregon and would take them north to the city of Eugene where they would cut over to the coast.
“So are we gonna split the money?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I figured we would split it down the middle, how does that sound?” Lacey said as she concentrated on the freeway.
“So five thousand dollars each…wow, what are you gonna do with your half?” Ben asked.
“I’ll use it to pay some of my student loans.” Lacey replied. “College is really expensive; maybe you should save your half for college, Ben.”
“Well I want a new laptop and a cell phone.” Ben said, from the way he spoke it was as if they already had the ten thousand dollars in their hands. “But the rest I could put into a savings account, or buy video games and stuff.”
“Whatever.” Lacey said with a smile.
They continued north for about three hours then headed west off the freeway. Ben’s stomach was churning with anticipation, he was so excited that Lacey wanted to do this, no one else would have taken him seriously, or they just wouldn’t have believed that it was possible. But now he was actually on his way to having five thousand dollars. He wondered what that would feel like. Would it be cash when they found it, or a check? Maybe it would be on one of those cool new gift cards that look like a credit card. He dosed off thinking of all the possibilities.
Ben awoke to tapping on his shoulder. “So we’re here at the coast, right now we’re in a town called Florence, can you see if you can find our location on the GPS? It should be fully charged now.” Lacey nudged as Ben rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned loudly. He grabbed the unit, pressed the ON button and then the button he figured out was an immediate link to the screen he needed.
“Okay so, according to this we need to head north on this highway for about 30 miles, it looks like the coordinates from the cereal box are located at a lighthouse. Hang on let me find out if I can get a name on here.” He pressed more buttons until he saw text appear on the screen next to a large red dot marking the spot of the waypoint he had entered earlier. “Yeah, here it is. Those coordinates point to Hacita Head Lighthouse. Do you think the money is in the lighthouse?” He asked.
“I hope so; wow that makes this easy doesn’t it.” Lacey smiled as she continued north on the highway. “Can you check the regular map to see if there is like a parking lot at the lighthouse? I mean what if we can’t get in?” Lacey wondered. Ben unfolded the map, stretching it out over his entire body. Lacey pointed to the highway they were currently on and told him to look up the map on the coastline until he found the lighthouse.
“Yeah, looks like there’s a park there.” Ben replied eagerly.
About half an hour later they pulled into the parking lot of Hacita Head State Park. As Ben opened his door the wind pulled it from him and slammed it harshly. He jumped out and shielded his eyes against the tormenting breeze. Lacey walked to the back of the SUV and opened it; then unzipped her backpack and grabbed a hooded sweatshirt. She quickly pulled it on, and shivered. “Doesn’t feel like summer vacation does it?” She asked Ben jokingly. “Did you bring a sweatshirt or coat at all?”
“Yeah, Mom made me. Hang on a sec’.” He ran to the other side of the car, grabbed his sweatshirt from the duffle bag, and returned quickly. The fog created a thick layer of moisture on his arms, as if he was floating in a cloud. Through all of it though; he could still see the heavy beam of light from the lighthouse cutting through the fog over the ocean.
The lighthouse was huge, standing alone on a point; Ben could hear the waves crashing just below the structure as they approached. He held the GPS unit firmly in his hand; strangely no one else was around. The parking lot was empty and except for the sound of their shoes on the gravel, the howling wind, and the crashing waves in the distance, it seemed eerily quiet. Ben quickened his pace to keep up with his aunt, not wanting to be left behind.
They circled the outside of the lighthouse, looking in the tall grass that was growing around the base. Ben continued to look at the GPS unit, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. “Wha
t do you think of this?” He asked. Lacey took the unit and analyzed what she was seeing. They were facing the lighthouse’s rounded wall, with their backs to the ocean.
“From right here it says we need to go straight about eight feet.” She said with a confused tone.
“We can’t go straight, unless…do you think it is in the wall?” Ben asked with concern and excitement.
“No, I don’t think so…hey follow me.” She started walking around the wall until they came to an old door. The red paint was flaking off in some spots, and the handle was weathered from the salty ocean air. “Okay, see, now it says go straight eight feet again. It must be inside.” She concluded as she grabbed the door handle and began to turn it.
The door was locked, so she began knocking. After a few minutes of banging on the door she pulled out her cell phone, and then dialed 411, for information. “Yes can I have the Hacita Head State Park’s number for Florence, Oregon please?” She said to the operator.
Ben continued to circle around the lighthouse as he listened to his aunt. He heard the loud call of a seagull above him and looked up. About four feet above his head was a window, and oddly enough that window was open.
He ran back to Lacey and grabbed her arm. “Come here” he said as he started to drag her towards the window. Lacey closed her phone and followed.
“Check this out.” Ben pointed to the window. “What do you think?” He asked.
“It’s a small window; I bet if I boosted you, you could get in and unlock the door.” She said as she stepped below the window.
“What if there’s nothing on the other side? I mean how would I get down?” Ben asked. His stomach grumbled, reminding him of his fear of heights.
“Well I bet it’s not as high inside, so you would probably only have to drop a few feet.” Lacey said, trying to be as convincing as possible. “Let’s just try it, if it doesn’t look like you can make it, you can just come out this way again, and I’ll grab you.” She reassured him.
Ben stepped next to his aunt; she bent down and clasped her hands together. He put his foot in her hands. “Okay, ready? One—two—three!” She said as she used all of her strength to lift his weight. He grabbed onto the edge of the window, pulled himself up and rested his stomach on the window frame. His feet were hanging from the outside, as his head bobbed inside the lighthouse.
It sounded strange inside; he looked from side to side. A spiral staircase circled the middle of the round room. Other than that there were only cobwebs and old sand that had made its way in over the years.
“Okay I’m going in, you’re right, it’s not as high inside.” Ben said as he twisted his body through the window. He looked up and noticed something that seemed totally out of place. At the very top of the ceiling was a bright red circular container. On the bottom of the container staring him in the face was a black compass with the letter N, E, S, and W on each point. He couldn’t contain his excitement, “You won’t believe this!” He yelled to his aunt. He lifted himself through the window then dropped to the floor.
Lacey heard a loud crash inside the lighthouse. Something felt wrong. She jumped up toward the window. “Ben!” she yelled. No response. “Ben!” fear ran down her spine, “Ben are you okay? What was that noise? Can you hear me?” she continued to yell as she ran around the lighthouse back to the old locked door.
Ben was in a state of shock, when he let go of the window ledge he had expected to fall only two feet, but as his feet touched the floorboards the old rotten planks gave way. His body fell through a ridged hole, he felt the boards scratch him on his stomach and back, and then with a thud he landed on an even older set of stairs. His body landed in an upside down position, his legs above him and his rear in the air. He breathed for a second then felt more movement. He began rolling backwards down the stairs; he could hear them cracking as his body thumped about. He reached for anything to grab onto, but found nothing he could grasp. Finally he landed on level ground.
His head throbbed, and his entire body felt broken. His hands felt the cool dirt floor below him. He was so thankful he hadn’t landed on wood again for the fear of falling through. The air was moist and musky; he rolled himself over and looked up. Astonished by what he saw he screamed, “Help!”
3
Lacey screamed again, “Ben!” but didn’t hear any response. Fear overcame her, what if he was dead? The thought made her throat tighten; whatever had happened inside wasn’t good. She stepped back from the old red door then, using as much force as she could, kicked it in. The door flew open, smacking the interior wall with a loud thud. She glanced inside before entering, she couldn’t see Ben anywhere. She looked up the spiral staircase, then around the floor one more time, just in case she had missed him in one of the shadows. He wasn’t there. Panic constricted her chest; she grabbed her cell phone, but didn’t have the nerve to call her sister. She would find him, she had to.
Ben closed his eyes and opened them again to make sure he was seeing correctly. It was as if his brain wouldn’t process the image above him. The structure of the lighthouse went deep into the ground, circling the walls was an ancient staircase winding slowly all the way up. It had to be over one hundred feet high. Ben didn’t think he had fallen that far, but it had all happened so fast. He squinted his eyes, and there like a tiny dot he saw the hole he had fallen through, it would take him ages to climb to the top.
He pulled himself to his feet, groaning with pain. He almost screamed as he stood, not because of the pain, but because there were thousands of human skulls staring back at him. They circled the walls all the way to the top, running parallel to the staircase. Each skull was set into the walls of the lighthouse, as if someone had carved shelves specifically for displaying them. But who had put them there? The question ran through Ben’s mind and then suddenly common sense took over and he started running up the stairs. Whoever had put them there probably wouldn’t mind displaying one more.
Lacey stepped into the lighthouse and noticed the hole in the floor just below the window. She looked down into the hole and was amazed to see such a huge deep cavern. Stairs circling the walls seemed to go on forever. She heard something; it was a pounding sound, coming from the staircase under her. She stuck her head into the hole, “Ben!” she yelled, her voice echoed loudly below her. She waited, praying that she would hear some sort of response.
“Help! I’m coming up as fast as I can!” Ben yelled back. Just as he felt a little relief he suddenly fell and smacked his face into the stairs, but they weren’t stairs anymore. The entire staircase had become a huge slide. He was sliding down so fast he couldn’t stop. What on earth was going on? One minute he is climbing stairs then suddenly they changed into a slide? The stairs must have folded in, but why?
As he reached the bottom he realized the answer. He flew off the slide and was thrown into the back of a figure standing in an old cape of some sort. The figure turned and looked down at Ben. It was an old man, with a long tangled beard. His deep eye sockets were almost black. He didn’t even look real, or maybe it was that he didn’t look alive.
Ben started to crawl backwards, as he turned over to stand the old man took the long staff he was holding and slammed it into Ben’s back. Ben smacked into the cold dirt floor. “Help!” Ben screamed. “Aunt Lacey, help!”
Lacey could barely hear what Ben was yelling, but it sounded like he was screaming for help. Something was going horribly wrong. She sat on the edge of the broken floor and slid onto the steep slide below her. “Well this will be fun.” She said to herself as she pushed off.
The ancient man towered over Ben, he was extremely frail and yet it looked as if he was ten feet tall. He reached down and grabbed Ben’s shirt with a twisted, knobby hand and pulled Ben to his feet. “Have you come to harm the light?” He asked, his voice whistling as it escaped his lips.
“What?” Ben’s voice shook as he tried to speak.
“The light, have you come to harm it? Why are you trespassing on this place?” The m
an was growing angry.
“I just came for the prize.” Ben pleaded. “The window was open, and I saw the prize, so I came in, but then I fell.”
“I saw you come through the window, most come through to harm the light.” The old man knelt next to Ben. “What is your name?” his warm smelly breath was burning Ben’s eyes.
“Ben.”
“Benjamin, do you know who I am?” His face came even closer to Ben’s. Now Ben could see that deep in those black sockets were small blue eyes. They were the bluest eyes Ben had ever seen, and strangely as Ben looked into them a calming sensation came over his body.
“No, I don’t…but did you kill all these people?” Ben responded.
“No, they were killed by those that have harmed the light.” His voice seemed to struggle as it escaped his old withered lips. “I have protected the light for two hundred years, when someone harms the light those in the sea parish. These skulls belong to them, all of those that have been lost at sea, because I failed to keep the light shining.” A tear dropped from his wrinkled cheek. “I keep the skulls to remind myself everyday why I must protect its brightness, for if it goes out, I fail once again.”
“But who harms the light?” Ben asked innocently.
“Some who come are simply here to destroy, Benjamin. They don’t understand the consequences of darkness, for when darkness wins the sea swallows up those who travel its waters.” He pointed to the skulls that spiraled up the walls, with a long curling finger, “The bodies come to me, as a punishment for allowing the light to go dark. Can I trust you Benjamin, to not harm the light?” His eyes pierced into Ben’s soul.
“Yes, I promise.” Ben replied. The old man closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
As Lacey rounded the last corner of the slide she saw the tall cloaked figure standing in front of Ben. Fear and anger came together within her chest; she had to protect her nephew. “Hey!” she yelled. The figure turned, spread his arms, and anger replaced his calm expression. Her speed was growing on the slide and as she hit the end she flew off and was headed right for the tall man who stood before her. As soon as her feet connected with his cloak his body exploded into millions of tiny pieces of glitter, they floated for a second, and then began to spiral around like a tornado, they became bigger and at the top of the tornado they began to separate and fly away. Ben and Lacey just stared as they saw each piece fly into each individual skull, lighting it like a jack-o-lantern. The entire cavern became bright, as if someone had just plugged in a string of white Christmas lights. Suddenly the floor shook, Lacey grabbed Ben’s arm. As the floor churned slats of wood on the slide lifted and once again became stairs.
Waypoint: Cache Quest Oregon (Waypoint Book Series) Page 2