Hi, I hope you all like this story. I shall try to update as often as I can! Enjoy!
National Treasure - Chasm of Mysteries
Chapter 1 – The Letters
Historical Flashback
The Estrada gang were surrounded; Old Man Clanton crept closer to the ground, watching the Mexicans enjoying their afternoon siesta, completely oblivious to the danger they were now in. He smiled greedily at the thought of the booty that he could get by killing a couple of dozen men. He looked at his own men – Billy Grounds was peering over the edge of his gun barrel, waiting for the right moment to fire. Zwing Hunt was peeled to the ground, an evil smile painted on his face. Jim Hughes was licking his lips excitedly, whilst the sweat stood in beads on his forehead. The other men were hidden here and there, each holding rifles in their hands, fingering the triggers in feverish anticipation.
Then they began. The canyon was filled with the sounds of gunfire, echoing around the rocky walls. They even shot the mules to keep them from running away with the money. Before the dust had cleared, it was obvious that the Mexicans were dead.
The massacre had been terrible – one of the worst in Arizona's history! The loot was all theirs, but little did Old Man know that Jim, Billy and Zwing would double-cross him, and rebury the treasure in another place, unknown to him and the other men. But where did they bury it? Where did Billy and Zwing disappear to after the ambush for such a long time? Did they ever leave any clues behind for someone – a loved one perhaps – to find the loot? Did Skeleton Canyon hold the answer? No one knew – but many dreamed.
Ben looked at Abigail with a smile of incredulity on his face. "How did you get hold of these?" he asked her.
"Ah, I have my ways," Abigail replied, with a secretive smile which only tugged at Ben's curiosity all the more.
"Of course, I had nothing to do with it," said Riley, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed before his chest.
"Well, how did you both come by these?" Ben rephrased his question.
Abigail looked at Riley. "Shall we tell him?"
"The guy who knows everything? Let him solve it!" Riley answered.
"Ah, uh!" Ben said. "I'll make you tell me," and he pulled Abigail towards him and kissed her quickly.
"If you want the answer, you'll have to do better than that," Abigail said.
"Okay," and Ben kissed her again, this time longer.
"Um, hellooo! Just to remind you guys, I'm Riley Poole, and I happen to be standing in this room…"
Ben and Abigail looked at each other, and rolled their eyes, sharing a laugh with their looks before they turned to Riley. "Alright," Ben said. "Why don't you tell me how you came by these letters?"
Riley smiled. "Alright, I'll do that – after all, it was all thanks to me." He didn't notice Abigail's slight shake of the head. "Well, we were just going through the attic together when I kind of stumbled across them…" Abigail tried not to laugh, for Riley had, to put it quite frankly, fallen across them.
"They were lying on top of some empty boxes, as if they had been discarded," Abigail said. "I saw them, and knew at once that they had to be special. So we brought them down to you."
Riley had just moved house, and Ben and Abigail were helping him to 'organize' his new home. The person who had lived there before had died, leaving the property to some family members. They had sold the house, clearing out the furniture and most of the attic. This was one thing that they had missed.
Abigail and Ben sat down together on the sofa. "This is incredible," Ben whispered in a raptured voice. Abigail nodded in agreement.
"Uh, could someone please tell me what's so wonderful about the old dusty letters wrapped up in brown paper and string?" Riley asked in a voice that showed he really wasn't impressed.
Ben looked up. "These," he said, "are more than just old dusty letters. They are written to Maggie Clinger, from Arthur Burtcher!"
"Wow!" Riley said sarcastically. "The way you just said that, it makes it sound as if it should have some significance."
"Yeah, well, some people just don't know that Arthur Burtcher is the real name of Billy Grounds."
Riley stood up straight and started snapping his fingers, "I know that name," he said. "Who is he again?"
"He's the guy who was in on that awful massacre attack on the Mexican gang in Arizona in 1881," Abigail said excitedly. Like Ben, she had a great love for history.
"Hey, I remember that story!" Riley exclaimed. "Isn't that the story of the Skeleton Canyon Treasure?" Ben nodded at him. "Who was Maggie, though?" Riley continued. "Was she his ladylove?"
"No," Ben said. "She was his sister. After double-crossing the leader of the Clanton gang, Billy Grounds went into hiding with another guy, and every week he would write a letter to his sister, hail a stagecoach, and send it on to her."
"Of course, they really belong to me, seeing as I bought the house…" Riley said smiling. "Do you think they would fetch me some money?"
"You can't sell these!" Ben cried excitedly.
"Why, not? They're mine!"
"Fine, fine, I'll buy them off you." Ben said. He reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet. "How much do want for them?"
"Well, if you care that much for them, then I won't sell them," Riley said. "What makes you so excited about them, though?"
"I have always wanted to lay my hands on these!" Ben cried enthusiastically, rising from his seat. "I've heard he tells his sister somewhere in them where the treasure was hidden."
Riley's face clouded. "Oh, no!" he said suddenly.
"What?" Ben and Abigail asked together.
"It's just the way you said that and the look in your eyes. It made me think you want to go and look for the treasure!"
Ben looked at Abigail, and then back at Riley, "Maybe it's time we did go on another treasure hunt!"
I know this is short, but I hope you enjoyed! Please review to let me know what you thought of the first chapter! Thankyou!