A Tale of Greed and Gold

Dr. Navako slammed his head down on his desk in exasperation, upsetting a few drops of his coffee which now sprinkled his maps and texts like tiny squashed insects. Muttering in frustration, Dr. Navako replaced his spectacles carefully on the bridge of his nose as the handle of his office door clicked and his client Jared entered the room. Jared Carrad was a giant of a man with an extremely wide girth and an unnaturally small head which was perched on a slim but sturdy neck. Swinging his tree trunk like arms, he threw the door shut with a loud bang and lumbered over to Dr. Navako’s desk where he fell into a small, black leather arm chair before inquiring without greeting in a deep booming voice. “So when do we set out Navako?”



“As soon as I sort out all the arrangements Jared; please calm down.” Navako replied in a soothing voice as if he feared Jared may upset the rest of his coffee and damage his already blotchy work. “It has been three months Navako, me and Ralph are growing impatient with your dithering”



“Well actually I do know where the stash is, it’s high up in the Alps but sadly it’s difficult to gain any transport up there during the winter without arousing suspicion, we are not the first group to try this.”



“I don’t care, you promised two months and it has now been three. What the hell do you think we’re paying you for anyway? We will hike up there, they can’t have hidden it too far up as they didn’t have the time or the means in which to do it.”



“But.....” stammered Dr. Navako before Jared immediately cut him off with his booming retort.

“We leave tomorrow at dawn Navako!”



Jared had already turned on his heel and left before Dr. Navako could even attempt to reason or even reply to this. Defeated, Navako once again replaced his forehead on his desk with a loud groan. Soon I will be rich and free of this lumbering imbecile....it will be worth it in the end!



Three weeks later



Dr. Navako slowly opened his eyes to reveal the dull, dark green interior of his tent, barely able to move as winter’s chill froze his joints solid and his face numb. Dr. Navako was used to this as he had awoken to similar feelings every morning for the last three weeks, but coupled with the disappointment of yet another empty cave and the loss of their last guide to the depravity of frostbite the chill of winter seemed to have extra venom on this morning. This stash would make him rich and he could take early retirement. It would all be worth it in the end...



Slowly, Dr. Navako stumbled out of his tent to try and get some much needed feeling back into his limbs, when he almost ran into a red faced Jared who was already packing away his tent and belongings. He was clearly eager to start moving. “Hurry up Navako! We have no time for breakfast if we want to find the stash before Ralph there turns into a permanent ice sculpture” Jared said in his usual callous tone and nodding towards the solemn figure of Ralph, who was huddled in a heavy brown blanket over the dying embers of what had once been a roaring fire. He looked even worse than yesterday. Today, his skin had turned yellowish and waxy like a just used candle, from a distance it looked like his long flowing blond hair was perfectly camouflaged against his skin. It was a wonder he was still able to grasp his double barrelled shot gun without dropping it as his bright green eyes bared into the few remaining embers.



Dr. Navako with evident concern and pity in his face sauntered over to the huddled mass of Ralph and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder while Jared now busied himself with Dr. Navako’s tent. With a whisper, Dr. Navako informed Ralph that it was now time to go. Ralph shuddered as if he was afraid to leave the remaining warmth of the embers, before rising to his feet with the shotgun still cradled in his arms like a newborn child, without blinking in the half light of dawn he turned on his feet and walked in the opposite direction. Dr. Navako now looked at the now retreating Ralph with a look of sadness. He has little chance of survival. He is too far gone now. But it will all be worth it in the end even if it costs his life. His share of the lost Reich’s bank gold will be mine, my children and my children’s children will be set for life. I barely know him, so it will all be worth it in the end!



Two hours later...



After finally packing away their tents and stomping out the remaining embers much to the discomfort of Ralph, they finally managed to make their way across the snow covered landscape which seemed barren and endless towards a steep incline of which seemed to be the pinnacle of the world. Jared ran forward in his usual impatient manner, evidently eager to part ways with Dr. Navako, Ralph and this snow covered hell. Immediately feeling his pulse quicken Dr. Navako sprinted through the waist deep snow and up the incline towards Jared who was now surveying the grim landscape with a deathly look on his face. “Yet another dead end Navako! We are lost and you know it!” Jared turned and screamed into Dr. Navako’s face.



“We are not Jared, please keep your voice down or you may cause an avalanche then none of us will even lay eyes on the gold, let alone spend it, we are close now, I’m sure of it.”



“You better be right Navako or I will throw you down the side of this mountain!” And with a quick feline grace and the power of a heavyweight boxer, Jared struck Dr. Navako on the side of the face leaving Dr. Navako sprawled in a pile of snow.



For a few moments Dr. Navako had no idea where he was as all he saw was the unmarked grey sky through a blurred view as his glasses had also gone spinning away from him. Ralph made a move towards the two with a squeal of what sounded like a wild animal as he attempted to get in between Navako and Jared. Jared in a moment of madness lunged towards Ralph and wrestled the gun from his grasp. This was going to be the final end of Dr. Navako.



Courageously Ralph held on to the end of the shotgun without fear, he held on with the protective intent of a den mother defending her cubs from harm. All Dr. Navako saw was the endless grey sky as the loud boom went off and the crash of Ralph’s body as he tumbled down the mountainside, out of sight, out of view, into the jaws of oblivion. There would be no rich life of luxury, no victory, no triumphant return and no gold for him.



His face still smarting from the heavy blow, Dr. Navako felt around in the freezing snow for his glasses which he replaced on the bridge of his nose only to encounter the back of Jared who now held the gun as he stared over the mountainside for any sign of the broken husk of Ralph, for any sign of life. Struggling to his feet with the vision gone in one of his lenses he made an attempt to call out to Jared but before the sound could leave his lips, Jared whirled around, pointing the shotgun at his throat.



In a surprisingly calm and toneless manner he simply said “Walk. Walk towards that opening in the mountain wall down there. The gold is there.” Dr. Navako attempted to protest but Jared getting ever redder in the face and his eyes ever more bloodshot simply screamed “WALK!” Ralph is gone. He died to save me. I have crossed a line I never wanted to cross. Is it really going to be worth it in the end?





One hour later...



Dr. Navako trudged through the waist-high snow in grim silence with only the howling blizzard to keep him company. He knew the end was near as the heavens mercilessly pelted him with missiles of snow and hail as he neared ever closer to the opening in the mountain wall and what would be his end. He could hear the heavy breath and the cracking snow underneath Jared who followed mere metres behind him with the gun pointed directly at Dr. Navako’s back.



As Dr. Navako finally reached the entrance sculpted into the mountainside, Navako felt his feet slide out from under him and he fell backwards on what felt to be cold steel. It certainly was cold steel as the pain suddenly shot up his spine making him wince in anguish. Before Dr. Navako could recover from this however, the great mass of Jared leapt over Dr. Navako’s fallen body and he rushed towards what at first glance appeared to be the backstage area of a theatre as a dirty, yellowed sheet obscured a great object from view which Jared was now sprinting towards like a starving coyote.



Sitting up and massaging his back he just managed to catch a glimpse of the sheet which tumbled down to the ground in a great bundle to reveal crates and crates of dark brown wood. Some sealed, some empty and broken apart. This had to be it. But none of it would be mine. Some strange force compelled him, some strange force led him by the hand to wear Jared had dropped the shotgun in his greed tainted race towards the gold. Slowly and without hesitation he bent down and picked up the shotgun which was still warm from Jared’s greedy palms. Placing it in his hands he slowly pointed it at the back of Jared who was advancing on the crates. Without feeling, without mercy he dropped Jared to the floor in a split second of madness. He had done it. The gold was his, the whole thing. Heart racing, Dr. Navako glided towards the crates, without pain, without feeling. Tearing the crate open...his heart stopped as a few lumps of coal plopped out sadly on to the cold steel floor with a faint clang. It was empty. They had lied. Dr. Navako had ended multiple lives for nothing...what had he done? Dr. Navako placed the gun in between his teeth and still without feeling, a metallic click and a loud boom, there on the cold steel ended the life of Dr. James Navako; and the snow came tumbling down.



It wasn’t worth it in the end.









1808 words.