Carved in Stone

After driving for several hours with my trusty assistant Parker, and the local guide, we had arrived at the forbidden city. The intricate carvings were amazing, and even Parker remarked later that my face showed hints of awe, unlike its usual stony expression. The local guide began to speak in his language, while Parker translated it. “He says, ‘it contains a treasure more valuable than any other discovered artefact, that is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars,’” Parker continued lecturing, but I was distracted. I had to have that treasure.

It was only later that I realised I should have been listening, because I was not ready for the elaborate traps that the ancient civilisation had built.

From dodging bus saws and flying logs, to avoiding hundreds of arrows and a pit of spikes, there were so many traps that I lost count. Finally, after narrowly missing the third falling boulder, I saw a golden glow coming from around the corner. I sped up, running as fast as I had ever ran in my life, and rounded the corner, only to fall into a pit of snakes.

Luckily, the snakes were dead. I did have a minor heart attack when I saw them, though. After a while, I was hauled out of the trap, using a rope that Parker had brought with him. Where would I be without Parker? Anyway, back to me. As soon I lifted my head out of the pit. I saw it. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. The treasure of the Forbidden City. Piles and piles of gold and gems. I ran forward to grab some of the treasure, but my hand grasped nothing but thin air.

It was then I saw the projector on the wall. It was just a hologram! I let out a deafening scream of rage, and sprinted back through the city, dodging the traps with a sense of adrenaline I had never felt before. I burst out of the main entrance of the city, only to see the local guide driving away with my treasure. Parker came up behind me, panting with exhaustion. “All our supplies were in that car,” he said. He looked like he felt helpless. All I felt was shock. I was going to die out here, and there was nothing I could to about it.