“Take one of me right here,” said Sarah. “Nana will just love this one.”
Trip snapped pictures from as many angles as he could, but he wasn’t having any luck finding the map piece. The guide grew more agitated.
“Hurry up now, kids,” she said. “We can not get caught in here. Let’s go.”
Sarah moved around and looked into the bulb. For a moment, she thought she saw something, but it was just the light reflecting off the lamp. Trip snapped some more pictures, but finally the guide reached her boiling point.
“OK, that's enough,” she said. “That should make Nana happy. Let's get back down stairs. Now!”
They reluctantly left the lamp room, and as Trip took the first couple of steps down, he awkwardly pointed the camera up to snap one last picture of Sarah. He wasn’t even sure if he got her in the frame.
They were feeling disappointed as they rejoined Josh on the observation level. Trip handed Josh his camera.
“We didn’t find anything,” said Trip. “If that map piece is in the lamp room, it’s going to have to wait until we can come up with another plan.”
“We’ll regroup back at your house,” said Sarah. “We’ll figure something out, and come back tomorrow.”
“We need to figure something out today. Like right now!” said Trip. “Pappy needs us to find this soon!”
Josh was scanning through the photos from the lamp room. “You take horrible pictures,” he said. “You might want to take a class or something. Take a look at this one.”
Josh showed them the last picture Trip had taken as he was going down the stairs.
“I mean seriously. She’s barely in the frame and the focus is way back on the ceiling. What were you thinking? It’s terrible!”
Trip looked closer at the picture. His mind was trying to make a connection.
“That ceiling,” said Trip. “I’ve seen it before. But I can’t remember where.”
“You said Pappy used to bring you here,” said Sarah. “Maybe you saw it then.”
“I don’t think so,” said Trip. “We never went in the lamp room. It was somewhere else.”
Trip made the connection in his mind. He pulled out the third map piece.
“It’s here. On the third map piece,” said Trip.
Sure enough, on the front of the map piece was a hand drawn picture of the lamp room ceiling.
“It’s like a compass,” said Trip. “And on the map piece, there’s this extra line here. It’s almost like it’s pointing at something.”
They hurried over to the spot near where Trip had taken the picture. They aligned the camera and the map piece to get as close a match to the ceiling layout as possible.
“It points northwest,” said Sarah. “But there’s a whole city out there, what does it mean?”
Josh zoomed in on the photo and was able to make out some words engraved in the ceiling. They were right where the arrow from the map would point if the ceiling had the arrow on it.
“Look here guys,” said Josh. “It says beyond the sentry lions. I can’t make out anything else.”
They rushed over to the window to look northwest, the direction the arrow pointed. The city was huge. What did all these clues mean?
“The Lions!” Sarah hollered with excitement. “Right there!”
Trip and Josh followed her gaze to a bridge in the distance. On each side of the road, at the foot of the bridge, a statue of a lion stood proudly. The lighthouse guide heard Sarah’s outburst and came over to see what was going on.
“Oh, you’re looking at the lions,” she said. “That bridge is called the Lions Bridge. Those lions were put there to keep watch over the city. Did Nana like the lions, too?”
“A sentry is a guard,” said Sarah. “The lions are there to guard the city. The sentry lions!”
The words on the ceiling said beyond the sentry lions, and as they looked beyond the Lions Bridge, there was one unmistakable landmark. It was historic, so it fit the quest perfectly. It was a giant fort, much larger than Fort Matanzas. It was the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos.
“Right there!” shouted Trip. “At the fort! Just past the sentry lions. That’s where we need to go!”
The trio ran away, leaving the lighthouse guide alone, wondering what just happened.
CHAPTER 22
They headed toward the massive Castillo de San Marcos. Its war scarred stone walls told the story of over three hundred thirty years of rich history. The Castillo was built by the Spanish to defend their claim to the New World. It stood on the water’s edge with four massive walls forming a square around a central courtyard. A dried up moat surrounded the fort, and there was no shortage of cannons here. Trip took a moment to imagine some of the battles that must have gone on right here where he stood.
As they looked at the massive fort, they realized they were stuck. The clue had pointed them here, but they had no instructions on what to do once they arrived. Trip pulled out the Gasparilla book to see if they could find any help there.
“Take a look in here,” Trip said as he handed the book to Sarah. “You know this book better than anyone else.”
As Sarah was about to take the book, a hand reached in and snatched the book away from them. It was Eli. He took a look at the cover.
“So, this is what you've been up to,” said Eli. “You little twerps are looking for some sort of treasure.”
Trip was furious. “That's mine, Eli. Give it back.”
“Or what?” taunted Eli. “You're gonna cry like a baby? Or run home to momma?”
Eli did not like what he saw in Trip’s eyes. His victims always had fear in their eyes. What he saw in Trip’s eyes was passion and resolve.
“Not this time, Eli!” said Trip. “I'm getting that book back! Whatever it takes.”
Trip pulled out the only thing he could think of to defend himself, the cast iron plate. Sarah pulled out her pepper spray, which Eli noticed right away. Sarah had threatened Eli with a face full of pepper spray before, and he did not want her to make good on her promise.
“Put that stuff away,” said Eli. The fear started to show on his face. “You're not going to use that stuff. You don't have the guts.”
“Bad move taking that book from me without your goons around,” said Trip. “Looks like it's three on one here. And we're not letting you have that book.”
Josh heard the words three on one and realized that he was expected to participate in this. He pulled out his camera and held it up like a weapon. He took a picture of Eli.
“And next time I use the flash,” said Josh, in his most menacing voice.
“If this book leads to a treasure,” said Eli, “then the only person to find it, is going to be me.”
Eli took off running, the trio pursuing. Eli was fast.
He ran into the inner courtyard of the castle where a war reenactment was taking place. Cannons fired. Muskets blasted. It was chaos. A troop of soldiers marched by wearing long red ornate jackets, white pants, and authentic hats. Eli pushed some of them out of the way as he plowed through.
Trip was close behind. Eli jumped over some dead soldiers, who sat up to see what was going on. Trip weaved around them, slowing him down a bit. Josh and Sarah were falling behind.
Eli ran up a massive stone staircase leading to the second level, Trip matching his every move. Eli made his way to the inside of the fort, followed closely by Trip.
Inside, they weaved through the rooms until Eli found a spiral staircase leading back down to the ground level. Eli busted through a door that led to the outside of the fort. He jumped over a row of old cannons that were lined up like soldiers.
Trip stopped at the sight of the cannons as Eli gained distance, and eventually disappeared. Josh and Sarah finally caught up, totally winded.
“You had him,” said Josh. “Why did you stop? You let him get away with the book.”
“Eli may have the book,” Trip said with confidence. “But I know where the last piece of the map is
.”
Josh and Sarah were speechless. They waited in silent anticipation for Trip’s next move. Trip just sat there, not taking his eyes off the row of cannons.
“Every night when I go to bed,” Trip finally continued, “I look at those pictures we found in the box. There's one of Pappy and my dad when he was a kid. Dad looks so miserable in that picture. Pappy had him in such a cheesy pose.”
“And that helps us know where the map piece is because...” asked Josh.
Trip finally looked up from the cannons. He looked at Josh and Sarah. It was just dumb luck really. If Eli had not stolen the book and led him to this exact spot, they may never have found the final map piece.
“Because in the cheesy pose,” Trip continued, “Dad and Pappy are both kneeling on the ground, pointing in the barrel of that cannon right there.”
Trip pointed to one of the cannons. They walked over to its opening and peered down the barrel. He was so sure the map piece was in there that he had not even entertained the idea that it might just be a coincidence. What if it was not in the cannon? It had to be.
Trip reached his arm in the cannon and felt around. Sure enough, he pulled out the final piece of the map. Victory!
Away from the fort, they put the four pieces of the map together for the first time. The fourth piece had a red X on it.
“Well, there it is,” said Josh. “We know where the treasure is. X marks the spot… So where exactly is that X?”
“It looks like they traced the treasure to The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park,” said Sarah.
“That was so easy!” said Josh. “Let's go get the treasure.”
“You’re right,” said Trip, puzzled. “It was easy, too easy. If they knew where the treasure was, why couldn't they find it?”
They all looked at each other. None of them had an answer.
CHAPTER 23
Trip, Josh, and Sarah talked over each other’s words all the way to Trip’s house. The excitement crackled like electricity as they discussed finding the final map piece and about how Trip had chased Eli down. They tossed ideas back and forth about why Pappy had not been able to find the treasure even though he knew where it was. They were no closer to solving the mystery by the time they got to Trip’s house.
“Uh oh,” said Josh, as they arrived in Trip’s driveway.
Trip looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. Mom was standing there waiting for him. She was furious.
“I can't believe you!” Mom blasted. “Any of you! What were you thinking?”
Trip opened his mouth to answer, but Mom cut him off before he could even form a thought.
“Don't answer that!” said Mom. “I don't want to hear it. Any answer to that question is only going to make me angrier. This is over! I've taken everything, including that trunk, and locked it all away for good!”
Trip, Josh, and Sarah looked concerned. They were getting so close to solving this, to finding Gasparilla’s treasure. And now, if Mom had locked away all their research, it would seriously slow them down.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Mom, her voice now earsplitting. “You’re thinking you will still find a way to go after that treasure behind my back. But rest assured, I am going to be watching every move you make, Francis Montgomery. So you better straighten up.”
Mom stared icily at Sarah and Josh. They looked as if someone had just shot them with a freeze ray. The expressions on their faces were pure horror.
“And you two,” she spat. “Go home! NOW!”
Sarah and Josh turned and hightailed it down the driveway without a word.
Trip cowered on his bed as Mom towered over him. She had regained control of her volume, but she was still irate. She was finishing up an hour long lecture.
“I meant what I said, Trip,” warned Mom. “I'll be watching you now. I thought I could trust you, but obviously I was wrong.”
“Mom, we're getting so close.” Trip pleaded, which just made Mom more irritated.
“That's what your father used to tell me,” said Mom. “We're getting so close. That's why he lost his job, that's why he was always gone... Because he was always so close. I've got enough to deal with right now without having to worry about you and that treasure.”
Things were really bad if Mom was dragging Dad into it. She rarely mentioned him.
“Mom, I'm sorry,” Trip said, and he meant it. “I just wanted to...”
“You think you're sorry now,” barked Mom. “You don't know sorry. I've taken away your cell phone, there's a lock on your window, and I haven't decided if you'll ever be able to leave your room again. You've gone too far this time, Trip. I'm disappointed in you.”
With that, Mom stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Trip buried his head in his hands. How could this day have taken such a drastic turn? One minute he could almost feel the treasure in his hands, and in the blink of an eye, it was a distant dream.
Late that night, Trip sat in bed looking at the map pieces. He tried to focus on the positive things after Mom’s earlier tirade. She did not realize he still had the map pieces, or the cast iron plate he had tucked away in his clothes.
He rotated the map pieces and held them up to the light, hoping he might find the missing piece of the puzzle. He lined them up in different ways on his bed, looking for something they had missed. He would not sleep until he figured out why Pappy had not found the treasure.
He moved to his desk, and placed the map pieces back in their proper positions. Then he just sat at his desk studying the map for what must have been an hour. It simply made no sense. Pappy figured out exactly where the treasure was, and yet he did not find it.
Trip looked closely at the details of the map, and decided to focus on some of the strange symbols that worked their way across all four pieces of the map. They resembled markings from an ancient cave wall. The symbols formed a large circle around the entire map. Another smaller circle of symbols was directly inside the larger circle. He spent the next three hours scrutinizing the symbols.
He found himself in a world between sleep and waking as he stared at the symbols. He was so tired, he found it difficult to keep his eyes open. But he was not going to stop until he figured this out. Pappy was counting on him.
His brain started playing tricks on him. At one point he saw a picture of a red fox on the map. It was not there before, and it started to move. The fox’s bright eyes caught his for a moment, and then started dashing around the map. As the fox ran, it changed into a man, a Native American man. The man’s face grew larger and seemed to rise out of the map in a cloud of smoke. The smoke held its shape, and Trip realized it was the man he had dreamed about the other night. He spoke to Trip in broken English with a voice that carried the wisdom of a thousand years.
“If you are found worthy and choose path of wisdom,” said the old man, “then you keep forever, the gift of understanding we give you. If you abuse this gift, or choose path of selfish ways, then you are not the person we think you are. We search thousands of years for Guardian of Knowledge, and we finally find you.”
The smoke dissolved back into the map, gradually becoming the drawing of the man, and then finally back to a fox. The fox ran away, becoming smaller and smaller until it was the same size as one of the symbols that formed the circles on the map. The fox trotted to the center of the circles and sat down. He looked at Trip intently for a moment, and then transformed into a symbol that strongly resembled a fox. Trip stared at the symbol as it seemed to dissolve through the paper with a golden glow until it was gone.
Trip was so tired and he stared at the map in confusion. His eyelids felt like lead weights and he found it hard to keep his eyes focused. He could not resist the need for sleep any longer.
Trip woke up with his cheek lying on the desk and realized it had all been a dream. As he thought about the old man’s words, it all seemed real. He said something about being worthy. Was this a test of Trip’s character? He also said something about a gift of
understanding and choosing the path of wisdom. All Trip wanted to do was make sure Pappy was safe, and to do that he had to find the treasure. Then he said something about Trip being the Guardian of Knowledge. This made no sense to Trip, but he was wasting time worrying about a dream, when he needed to be figuring out where the treasure was.
He reached down and touched the spot on the map where the fox symbol had been. It seemed so real, but the symbol was not there. He turned the map over and next to the hand written clues was a symbol that had not been there before. He expected it to look like a fox, but it more closely resembled an owl. He could not explain it, but his brain was making connections. He realized he had seen all the symbols before.
He pulled the cast iron plate from its hiding place, and there they were! All the symbols were on the plate, just as they appeared on the map. They were faded and worn, but they were there. The symbols were imprinted in a circle around the plate’s rim, making the same circle as the map. The inner circle was there too. Trip must have noticed the symbols on the plate in the many hours he spent looking at all the stuff Pappy left him, but he never realized they were important.
He checked each symbol, looking for the owl, but he could not find it. He flipped the plate over, and Trip could have sworn he saw a faint golden glow that vanished the moment he turned the plate over. In the center of the plate was the imprint of the owl symbol. It was not faint. In fact, it looked like it had just been made. Trip remembered seeing a symbol there before, but it was not an owl. He had a feeling it may have been a fox.
Things started to make sense to Trip. He didn’t know why, they just did. Maybe the old man in the smoke had really given him a gift of understanding. The symbols in the circles were like map locators. If you drew a line between two matching symbols, and then another line through two other matching symbols, the point where the lines crossed would mark the treasure.
Down in the lower corner of the map were some of Pappy’s hand written calculations using the symbols. From what Trip could tell, the circle of symbols needed to be rotated a certain number of degrees before the lines could be drawn to find the treasure. Trip wasn’t sure how Pappy came up with the proper rotation and symbol matches, but he suspected the answer would be in the Gasparilla book. Why did he let Eli run off with that book?
Gasparilla's Treasure (Trip Mongomery Book 1) Page 10