Tonight would be a fun night under the stars, Farooq had organized a camp bonfire on the beach. The sky was clear of clouds, and a very low breeze blew off the ocean as everyone sat around on the rocks and logs to share adventures and mingle outside of the cabin. Jamie Noble was hoping to get in good with Torrie Wilson but unfortunately the girl cabin had kept to themselves, like usual. There were only a few girls among a hoard of boys, so it was understandably natural that the girls would stick together. So Jamie joined the others, Chris Jericho was standing close to the fire as he spoke to the others of the cabin, even a few nearby campers from around the beach came to listen in. Chris was telling a story, and he was always a great storyteller.
"The group of kids was never seen again. They knew all hope was lost from the masked murderer that had stalked them through the forest. This was before campsites were established and there was nobody outside the town of Avalon to help them. Nobody knew they were there, none of the kids knew where they were. All they did know, is that they were in trouble. Blind in the dark, tripping over rocks, walking into trees, the eldest still held the box where everyone put their treasure inside. They finally stopped in a clearing where the pale full moon shone down, they could see no grass around them, only dirt. They began to dig, it was a good a spot as any at the top of the highest hill. They would bury it in hopes that somebody would find it one day, and be able to enjoy what they had fought so hard to protect from burglary. Nobody to this day has found it, or is sure what was inside. People have searched but will not know. Those kids were all killed that night, their bodies thrown into the ocean and never found again. Their friends and families could never find the attacker who had been pillaging their town for days and weeks on end. They were martyrs that died, and so the story is told so their spirits may never be forgotten."
"And do you know that not only has the treasure never been found to this day, but also the identity of the killer was never revealed." Farooq came up as he heard Chris speak, most of the campers having come in to listen in. "And do you know how I know this?" Chris shook his head. "Because… I… was that killer…." He laughed evilly, the kids squealed and took off running back to the cabins and the safety of their beds. Farooq stopped laughing and looked around, "DAMN, I did it again…" He smirked sadly to himself. "They're just dumb kids, maybe I took it too far…" He sighed and walked back to the counselor hut. "I need a beer, and a smoke…"
"Oh man, is it true!? Is our counselor a killer!?" Shane Helms was whimpering, his usual super hero demeanor shattered by blind fear.
"No, you idiot. It's just a story." Triple H rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, come on. Do you really believe anything Chris says?" Ken Kennedy shrugged.
"Hey…" Chris frowned.
"True, you got a point there." Booker T copied Kennedy in a sly shrug.
"Stop, cut it out." Chris balled up a fist at them.
"Just forget it Shane." Jamie sighed. "Things will be better in the morning once you rest."
"Yeah, let's just go to sleep." Chris got into bed.
"And please no nightmares…?" Triple H grumbled, still smug with arrogance.
"Sure." Shane nodded with a gulp. Night…" He pulled up the covers, still not convinced. He closed his eyes as he thought to himself, 'Tomorrow I'll go and talk to Farooq in the morning, that way he can't do anything to me in the daylight if he really in fact IS a bad guy…'
The next day…
"I wonder if there really is lost treasure up there somewhere." Booker T was saying after breakfast.
"I doubt it, the story is vague. If there really was, somebody would've found it long ago." Kennedy replied.
"Nuh uh!" Chris growled back. "I didn't get to finish! What I didn't say that was it was being protected and that anyone who ever got near it was attacked and never wanted to go back."
"Well if that was ALSO true, people would learn and go back in groups and during daylight. Idiot." Triple H snickered.
"You're the idiot!" Chris barked back in reply.
"Then go look for yourself."
"Why don't you go Triple H? It's your idea."
"You're scared. You know you're weak and will be destroyed."
"No, my grandpa told me this story, why would he lie to me? He wanted to protect me, he knew that I would be coming here and it was a warning."
Triple H rolled his eyes as he mimicked Chris, "Oh well my grandpa said… ah give it a rest!"
"Cut it out…" Chris took a step back.
"Be easy on him, it was just a story." Jamie sighed, the argument was starting to get too far and he didn't want to escalate into something physical.
"Yeah, he's a little kid, you forget he's younger than us and not as bright." Shane lowered his hand to make fun of Chris's height.
"Shut up!" Chris jumped wildly.
"You don't know what you're talking about, you're full of hot air you big windbag." Triple H pulled him back by the collar, putting a pained expression on his face.
"Yes I do!" Chris protested stiffly as he fixed his collar so he could breathe again.
"Just more of Chris's chatterbox scatterbrained stories." Triple H laughed to himself.
"Well we all know somebody who we can ask, somebody who knows the truth." Shane remembered his thought from last night.
"Hmm…." Everyone began to think. Now they had to find Farooq.
Farooq was exercising, he was jogging on the beach kicking up sand when from out behind a large rock Chris jumped out to try and grab him, but he fell and landed face first into the sand, "Whoa, nice try there Canada." He laughed over his shoulder and bumped into Triple H who was leaning casually against a tree. "Uh…" Farooq stopped and took a step back to turn. "You know what the problem with this part of the beach is…?"
Triple H smirked as he flexed an arm, "Too many blondes?"
"Read my mind, mop top." Farooq took off in the other direction, leaving Triple H behind in shock.
"Now!" Jamie called out.
"Huh?" Farooq heard the voice but kept on jogging. Shane shoved out a log out in his path and it caused him to trip. "Whoa..!"
"Got him!" Kennedy and Booker jumped out from the bushes and tied up his arms behind his back with a vine.
Farooq struggled in his confusion, "What is this, what's going on here!?"
"Want answers." Shane stood before the others, Chris having come to join them, shaking the sand from his long blonde hair. "Tell us about the lost treasure in the hills."
"Oh, that." Farooq chuckled to himself, but he glanced back at the kids and realized that they were serious. He sighed and straitened himself up, "Look, it's just a story. I'm not the real killer, it was just a campfire joke."
"We know that." Jamie laughed sarcastically. "But you know about it, we know that much."
"Yeah, you know more about this island than us." Shane agreed.
"So tell us where it is, where do we find it." Chris spoke up.
Farooq rolled his eyes and decided to just lead them off on some blind random adventure within the vicinity, "Go up to the tallest hill. There you will find a clearing in the trees. There's a large rock and a thick fallen log, roll them off the ground and start digging."
"What? It can't be that simple." Booker blinked, confused.
"Yeah, so why don't you dig it up then or tell somebody else?" Kennedy asked in agreement.
"Please!" Farooq stood up, snapping the vine and freeing his arms. "You think somebody like me has time? I have no desire for some random teenage 'treasure'. Well I guess I'd better tag along and make sure everyone is alright" He sighed. "DAMN!" He walked off.
"Well, you got your answer." Jamie turned to Shane. "So you still want to go?"
"I don't see the harm in just checking it out." Shane shrugged and led everyone up into the forest.
"I'd better go too, if it is real, that treasure is mine." Triple H muttered quietly as he followed in the rear with Chris.
"What about the story?" Chris mumbled to himself, was there someone or something protecting it, would they get hurt? What if it WAS Farooq and he was leading them into a trap…!
Later…
"Alright so here we are, top of the highest hill, the clearing, and that big rock and log." Shane looked around. "Perhaps I can use my super powers to move them."
"Oh great, here we go again." Triple H rolled his eyes, thinking this was a stupid idea now.
"Jamie, you pull the log and I'll shove the rock at the same time." Shane instructed and they went to work. After a moment of struggling, finally the log pulled free and the rock turned off the land and started to slip in the loose soil around it.
"Whoa!" Jamie lost his footing and stumbled back, the log rolling on him and he rolled down the hill. "Ah, help!"
"Oh no!" Chris gasped, whirling around.
"Chris, watch it!" Shane cried.
"Huh?" Chris turned just in time to gasp and see the rock tumbling towards him. "AH!" It crashed into him before he could even think to react and he fell down the hill too.
"Oh no!" Shane gasped in horror. "Oh what have I done!?"
"Forget them, they'll be fine." Booker T sighed, coming over to the digging spot.
"Yeah, let's start digging." Kennedy kicked at the dirt.
"But the story… people getting hurt, one by one maybe we will fall?" Shane was starting to get worried again.
"You worry too much." Triple H went over with a shovel, the only person who thought to bring one. "Now start digging." He shoved it at him.
"Well, alright…" He stammered and began to dig. He took a step in as the hole began to grow, the soil was damp and started to get muddy. "Whoa!" He slipped and slid down the slope slightly on the wet grass. "OW!" He cried as he hit a tree.
"Hey, you alright?" Booker rushed over. "Hello?" He shook him.
Kennedy followed and waved a hand in front of his face, "He's out."
"Well let him sleep then, more treasure for me." Triple H took the shovel and the duo glared at him. He smirked humbly, "Oh, I mean us. The three of us." He faked a smile.
"Yeah right." Booker snorted.
"Sounds more like it." Kennedy agreed and the digging resumed.
As the sun rose higher into the sky and passed the lunch hour of noon, Shane finally woke back up, "Oh my head… ouch." He shook himself awake and looked around, still a bit groggy. "What's going on?"
Kennedy turned, "We're still digging…"
"Yeah, this is turning more and more into some ruse." Booker grumbled.
"Some treasure." Triple H panted, he was sweating as he dug, taking off his shirt in the workout.
"What, nothing?" Shane got up and looked around, the hole was large and getting pretty deep. "I don't get it… was something wrong?"
"Yeah, the whole thing!" Triple H roared, throwing down the shovel and wiping his brow. "This is all your fault you know!"
"Me…!?" Shane was a gasp. "Nobody asked you to come!"
"I'm the only one digging here!"
"Chris was the one who told the story!"
"Yeah, but you were the only one dumb enough to believe it!"
"You did too!"
"No I didn't!"
"Well that's why you're here right?"
"No it isn't!"
"Uh, guys…" Booker kicked the ground.
"I still don't see how this is MY fault Trips!"
"Hey, shut up for a sec!" Kennedy yelled loudly, they paused and turned to him. "And look…"
"Huh?" They came and looked down the hole where Booker was revealing the wooden top to a box. They all gasped in shock, their eyes wide with hope, "Treasure!"
"Yes, I did it!" Triple H cheered, the trio leered at him. "Oh, I mean we… we did it."
"Yeah, we all did." Shane smiled. They brushed off the dirt to reveal the entire top and then they all pulled it out, setting it down as they circled around it.
"Well, open it." Booker couldn't take the suspense anymore.
Triple H went to break the old lock but Kennedy held him back, "No." He turned to Shane. "You do it, this was all because of you believing in the story."
"Ah, thanks." Shane nodded, beaming happily. Triple H just grumbled sourly and pouted, but he watched casually as Shane broke off the rusty lock and it crumbled onto the ground. "Here we go." He took a deep breath and opened the lid. Everyone gasped as they relished the thought of what they might find inside.
But rather than oohh, they furrowed with confusion, "Huh…?"
"What in the…" Shane blinked as he brushed the settling dust away and pulled out one of the items. "What is this?" It looked like some cheap bead necklace.
"I don't understand, was treasure different in the past?" Booker reached in and pulled out some papers, flipping randomly through them and turning them sideways to look at.
"I don't think this is treasure." Kennedy picked up some small trinkets that looked almost like old dinky toys.
"Ah, what a rue! This is junk, not jewels!" Triple H roared loudly.
"DAMN, you fools!"
"Eh?" Everyone turned to look up at the loud familiar voice as Farooq appeared.
"Haven't you realized that one man's trash is another's treasure? Gold could be completely worthless while another personal item could be of no value to another, but be priceless to the owner who possesses it."
"Huh?" They were all confused. They thought a treasure wasn't everything and anything you could ever want, and more.
"Damn, fools, that's no treasure chest! Haven't you ever heard of a time capsule?"
"So, this is from the future…?" Shane blinked.
"No! The past!" Farooq shook his head and walked off. "DAMN!" They continued to stare and finally looked down at the box and its contents in a new way.
"You know, some of this stuff is actually kinda cool." Shane smiled, taking another glance at their findings.
"Well you can keep it, I'm not interested. It has no value." Triple H turned his back, folding his arms with dismay.
"No, you're wrong." Kennedy replied. "They have a priceless value one should treasure."
"Yeah." Booker agreed. "Come on, let's take this back with us."
"No, I have a better idea." Shane smiled. They went back to the cabin, putting the treasure on the top of the dresser drawer. "I'll put in my green mask."
"This is my favorite old hair comb." Booker pulled it out of his backpack.
"This keychain looks like a microphone, it was a gift from somebody special." Kennedy dug into his pocket.
Shane turned to Triple H, "Come on, it's fun, join in."
Triple H sighed, "Oh alright." He shuffled over. "Here…" He put in a picture of himself. "That way in the future, people will look back and know how great I was." Booker and Kennedy couldn't help but laugh. "Hey…! I am, so shut up!"
"Hey, we should find Chris and Jamie and see if they want to put in something." Shane spoke up.
"OH! And make sure they're alright too!" Booker slapped his forehead.
"Ah man, I completely forgot!" Kennedy jumped up. "Come on, let's go get them!"
Meanwhile…
"Come on, it's almost off!" Jamie was pulling off the rock, it had pinned Chris against a tree. Jamie had gotten banged up from the log but Chris was trapped and hurting.
"Hurry, pull!" Chris struggled to talk as he pushed. "My ribs are breaking!"
Jamie gave one last mighty yank, "Ah! Finally!" He was able to roll it off, Chris gasped for air, his body in pain from the confinement. "Are you alright?"
"I guess so…" He wheezed, catching his breath.
"Guys!" Shane burst through the bushes. "There you are, are you alright?"
"Yeah, more or less." Jamie helped Chris stand up. "So what's up?"
"Did you find the treasure? Was somebody protecting it?" Chris asked, his voice quiet and tired.
"In a way…" Triple H's thoughts trailed off, he didn't want to give Chris too much credit or admit that he was right in any way, shape of form.
"Did we, come on you have to come back and see!" Booker ran back to the cabin.
"Let's go, hurry up before the sun goes down!" Kennedy prompted them as he waved his arm.
"Huh?" Chris and Jamie looked at each other confused.
Back at the cabin…
"I got this valentine from Torrie at school, it means a lot to me." Jamie put it in the box.
"And this hockey puck my dad used, it's one of my treasures I can pass on just as the people of the past did for us." Chris closed the box. "There."
"Now what?" Jamie asked.
"Now we put it back for the next group to find." Shane winked. They went back and buried the box in the hole. Booker and Kennedy found another nearby log and rock to cover it. "There." Shane panted, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"Maybe in many, many years, some other camper kids will dig this up and see what our life was like." Booker smiled.
"I wonder how the future will be?" Kennedy wondered.
"Well, either way, it will lay here for the next group of kids to find." Jamie replied.
"The legend goes on…" Shane looked up proudly.
"Until the next generation hears the story, maybe one day I'll tell it to my own grandson." Chris smiled.
"Yeah, like some diva would want to marry and have kids with you." Triple H snickered.
"Hey." Chris grumbled as they all headed back down the hill to camp for dinner. A lesson learned, a value gained, and a new respect as things resumed as normal.
Or so the story goes…