Discovery
Page 21
I shrugged. “I guess so, at least until the brown wears off.”
“Amisi and Biti it is then,” the director said. “The floor is yours, Biti.”
I set my coffee aside. “Sir, I believe The Secret Path is something other than the escape route from Germany. We have only the guesswork of Sergeant Gunter Weis who described it as such. I'm sure that the officers in charge of that operation did nothing with Gunter other than to tell him which ditch to dig. Everything he knew came from hearsay and he spent most of his time wondering where he was.”
“What about the map room?” Alice said, “and the words welded on the keypad thing? Carl told us there was a diary hidden in one of the desks that detailed the operation. By the way, Carl never explored the entire facility. He started looking in doors on the left. He saw loot in the first two, but the next three were empty. He just opened the outer doors for a quick peek as he went on. He quit looking when he saw the metal door to the map room. We're convinced he saw none of those mysterious devices we discovered. He told me his plan was to return to the Hollow Mountain after he completed his business in Egypt.”
“I wish we had that diary in our hands,” I said. “We know the Hollow Mountain existed for other reasons and the route planning took place there as a matter of convenience. Think of the whole map room and the entrance. The entire thing is elaborate and expensive.”
“Nothing unusual about that,” the director said. “Hitler was known to waste ludicrous quantities of money and resources on outlandish schemes and projects.”
“Maybe so,” I said,” but what we do know is the Nazis abandoned the Hollow Mountain in a big hurry. I'm sure there were plans to return in quieter times. Just suppose the key people, other than Sergeant Gunter Weis, all perished when the submarine went down. If true, that explains why such an important facility remained unknown for so long.
“Many years ago, Carl Manheim discovered enough in the Canal Zone to lead him on a lifelong quest. I think that back in the twenties or thirties, a German archeologist made a discovery in Egypt. It was something that led the Germans on their own long quest. Gunter's Secret Path began in Germany, went to Egypt, to the West Coast of Africa and on to Brazil. I think the true Secret Path begins in Egypt, goes to Germany and the Hollow Mountain and maybe on to a place we have yet to discover.”
I stopped talking, but the room remained silent for a while.
The director leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Biti, based on what we know now, there’s no question that we‘re on to something beyond big.” He discovered his forgotten coffee and took a sip. “Okay band, what's next?”
“Egypt,” we all said together.
“Yes,” he said, “if that's where it began for the Germans, that's where it should begin for us. We all stood up and the director shook hands all around. “Alice,” he said, let me know what you need. Start as soon as you can and God bless you all.”
The band trooped out and made the long march to Alice's office. Once there, we settled in for a short planning session. The boys had already ordered the supplies we needed. The logistics were straightforward, except that we would be taking the tools necessary to open the sealed door behind the sarcophagus.
I had a question. “Do Amisi and I go in costume and more important, do we get turned ugly again? You know—the blackened teeth and fake skin wrinkles.”
“Costumes yes, but ugly, no,” Alice said. “The costumes are just in case. You both are still brown, so why not? We really can't plan beyond Egypt until we see what's behind that door. An eventual return to Germany is for sure, but who knows where or when?”
She sang the last six words and that reflected the excitement and anticipation we were all feeling. Amisi and I picked up our desert garb and we all left for Bill's Garage in the same vehicle we had used before. I didn't have to ask her why she was floating about two inches off the ground. We were heading back to her current favorite place on Earth.
On arrival, we all gave our pilot, Harry, a hug or a handshake and he escorted us to our big C-130 taxi. Once inside, I checked to make sure no one had removed the Kilroy Was Here cartoon from the fuselage wall and then found the same bench seat I had used last time.
The little, hardworking, tractor pulled us out of the hangar and soon we were on our way. Less than a full day had passed since we were enjoying the hospitality of Angie and Batts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maurice Barkley lives with his wife Marie in a suburb of Rochester, New York. Retired from a career as a commercial artist and builder of tree houses, he is writing and busy reinforcing the stereotype of a pesky househusband.
Available from Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, and other retail outlets.
BUILD YOUR OWN TREEHOUSE. Published by Sterling Publishing. It is now out of print.
THE BEST TREEHOUSE EVER. Published by Skyhorse Publishing. Published in 2013.
LOST AND FORGOTTEN. (Book 1 - Discovery) Available now.
LOST AND FORGOTTEN (Book 2 - The Secret Path) Available in the fall.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26