Stanley was walking behind Stanford in a cave in search of buried treasure, when he came to the conclusion that his brother was probably not talking about pirate treasure when he told him that it should contain "incredible riches." Looking around, Stanley could definitely see the incredible part of the cave, but the riches part was not as obvious to him.

The cave was amazing. More than amazing, it was magnificent! Mushrooms of a thousand and one colors dotted the floor and walls of the cave. These were bioluminescent and their large number made the use of lamps obsolete. Small balls of light, probably mushroom spores, flew gently from one side of the cave to the other in front of Stanley's eyes. Veins of different types of minerals zigzag all around him and his brother, reflecting the light even more. Rainbow rays were everywhere. Moss was growing on the stones, making the ground a little slippery at times. Stanley and Stanford had not failed to almost break their necks on two separate occasions during their exploration. All in all, the cave looked otherworldly.

Stanley didn't have much experience with what a Scottish cave should look like, but what he saw in front of him was impressive. He and his brother had almost gone straight. They were exploring a large cave on a steep cliff looking for anomalies, one of Stanford's many devices had detected something and guided them here. They were about to turn around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary about this cave, when Stanford noticed a faint light coming from a small crevice in the wall. By moving a few stones, another section of the cave had revealed itself before their eyes. For an hour now, the two brothers had been exploring this new part of the cave, filled with mushrooms.

It feels like another world …

Stan sighed and looked ahead. His brother was standing a few feet away and was observing a pinkish mushroom while making notes in his journal. "We need to review your definition of the word riches. All this inter-dimensional travel has messed up your internal dictionary. "

Stanford laughs without turning to his brother. "My internal dictionary is not out of order, thank you for your concern. Riches can mean several things. I don't remember ever hinting at anything related to gold or treasure. "He finished writing in his journal before slowly getting up and stretching. He looked around before turning to Stanley. "The cave seems to open up a little more through there." Stanford added, pointing a little further in front of him, "There might be more… Riches down this way" A smug smile crossed his lips.

Stan rolled his eyes. "There better be somethin' of interest or extraordinary". He shrugged and followed his brother deeper into the cave.

Stanford's hunch turned out to be correct. A few minutes later, the mushroom cave led to a clearing filled with vegetation and a small natural pool at its center. As natural as a cave filled with colorful mushrooms could be. Like the rest of the cave, the small pond seemed to come from another world. The two brothers let their eyes wander over the walls, but they were tirelessly drawn to the pond in the center of the clearing each time. The water was a golden color, which made it stand out against the black walls that surrounded it. She gave off a golden glow that was reflected everywhere. The cave was very cool, but in this space everything felt warmer, more inviting. The two brothers stood in clearing's entrance for a while, peaceful and admiring the view before their eyes.

The clearing was quiet and peaceful. All the brothers could hear was the sound of their own footsteps on the rocks and drops of water falling from the stalactites into the pond. The whole created a haven of peace.

Stanford was the first to come out of his reverie. He leaned over to Stanley and gave him a little nudge to get his attention. "So… isn't that something of interest? Or extraordinary? Golden water! "

Stanley sighed and laughed. "Ok, golden water is not somethin' you see everyday. Do you think it has any value? " A wide grin crossed his face.

"Only one way to find out!"

Stanford was walking towards the pool of water to take a sample and analyze it for later. Stanley was content to pace the walls. They seemed to have been so polish that he could almost see his reflection. There was no fungus or moss on these. The walls were so smooth that nothing could grow. Stan brushed his fingers against the walls without touching them. Letting his hand slide gently. He noticed that the walls had no imperfections. No crevices or scratches were visible. They were just ... perfect.

Following them, Stan circled the clearing and found himself on the other side of the pond, facing his brother. There was no other way out except the entrance he and Stanford had come through. Ford hardly moved in front of him, he was completely engrossed in what he saw down in the water, no matter what it was.

"Somethin' interesting, Sixer?"

Stanford jumped at the sound of his brother's voice. He was crouched by the edge of the pond and danced his arms back and forth so he wouldn't lose his balance. Stanley chuckled at his brother's struggles.

"Sort of." He said getting up. He stretched, looked at Stan and shrugged at the clearing around them. "There are all kinds of living plants around us. There should be some in the pond too, but nothing seems to grow there. " Stanford sighed.

"Is there really nothin' at the bottom of the pond? Why is it golden then? " Stanley inquired. He leaned forward to watch the water.

"I have no idea...For now. But by analyzing the sample I collected I will be able to learn more about the composition of the water and what makes it… STANLEY BE CAREFUL!"

Stan walked slowly towards his brother. He hadn't noticed that the stone under his feet was covered with more moss than the others. Despite his best efforts, he lost his balance and fell head first into the pond. Water entered his nostrils and mouth, making him cough violently.

It wasn't very deep, but Stan still found himself soaked. The water was not cold, but with the ambient temperature of the cave, these clothes were likely to get cold quickly. He stood up slowly and wiped the water from his face. He was on his knees and looked at his brother, giving him a nervous smile.

Stan had splashed water on Ford when he fell into the water. The latter had removed his glasses and was wiping them with the rim of his coat. He put them back on his nose and smiled softly at Stan.

"How about we stop exploring for today, Stanley? Before you have hypothermia. " Stanford said, reaching out to Stanley.

"Good idea, Sixer. And with all this water, you won't run out of samples. " Stanley laughed and took his brother's hand, who pulled him out of the pond.

"Yes… My primary analysis didn't indicate anything special, the color of the water may be due to a fungus. I will know more about it on the boat. Come, let's go home. "

Stan nodded and followed his brother out of the cave.

Once out of the cave and after climbing the cliff, Stan started to feel sick. Despite the fact that his clothes were wet and cold, he kept sweating and getting warm. Sweat beaded profusely on his forehead. He focused on the silhouette of his brother in front of him, the only thing he could focus his attention on. He was trying to get his brother's attention, but his mouth refused to cooperate with him. He felt like his tongue had been replaced by lead. Everything around him seemed to be spinning faster than normal and getting more and more blurry. Stanley looked around. The world seemed more and more confused. He could only perceive the green and brown of the trees in the forest, but no more.

Why is everything getting bigger and bigger? And blurry?

Stanford had his nose in his journal and reread aloud the notes he had taken during their exploration. He was focused on what they had seen and hardly paid any attention to what was going on around him. He had the sample vial in his hands and spun it around, watching the light reflected.

He tried to rub his eyes without much success. Stanley felt his knees fall under him. He managed to land on his hands, but that did little. He looked up at Stanford and drew on all of his energy reserves to get his attention. His throat finally seemed to want to cooperate with him, he murmured

"Stan… Stanford…?"

Stanley collapsed to the ground.

"Stan… Stanford…?"

His brother's weak voice pulled Stanford out of his train of thought.

"Yes Stanley, what is it?"

Hearing no response from his brother, Stanford turned and felt his heart stop. His brother was on the ground behind him and didn't seem to move.

Ford dropped his journal and the vial on the ground and walked over to Stan's side. His brother hardly moved. He felt the blood in his veins freeze and become as heavy as lead. His brother, although not at peak health, could not collapse like this without warning. It wasn't normal.

He cannot have had cardiac arrest! There would have been several signs! Damn it!

He turned Stanley onto his back to take his vital signs. When he saw Stanley's face, he lay still for what seemed like forever. In front of him, his brother's face was visibly becoming younger. The wrinkles under his eyes disappeared and his hair turned from gray to brown. His glasses slipped over his nose, Stanley's face being too small to hold them. Clinging to what little mental control he had left, Ford took Stanley's glasses and put them in his pocket. Despite the desperate tone in Stan's voice seconds earlier, his, now clearly childish, face seemed peaceful. As if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Ford leaned over Stan's now small stomach and listened. His brother's heart was still beating and his breathing was regular. Ford felt his shoulders relax. He took a second to refocus on what was happening to his brother when he noticed what was happening to him.

His body temperature was rising. Sweat was starting to collect on his forehead. He wiped off his sleeve and noticed that his own vision was starting to fade. He tried to focus his eyes on his hand, but what he could see didn't reassure him. Her own hands, hardened by his interdimensional journeys and months spent at sea, became tender and rosy again. Stripped of wrinkles. He felt the world revolve around him.

Taking a deep breath, Stanford took the body of his brother, who was now reduced to the size of a very young child, in his arms and started running towards the Stan O War II. He didn't know what was happening to them and unfortunately he didn't have time to stop to observe.

It must be because of the pond in the cave! Stanley fell straight into it and I was only covered with water splashes! But why…? What is happening to us?

With his rising temperature, it became harder and harder for Ford to think straight. Any coherent thought he was trying to muster in his mind, quickly dissipated. A fog was beginning to form in his mind. He decided to concentrate on his steps and his destination instead. The fear that if he lost his focus would make him fall like his brother. He had to go to the Stan O War even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Don't worry Stanley, you'll be fine! I'm here! It's all right "Stanford keeps repeating these words throughout his run, like a mantra. "We're… We're gonna be alright!"

Stanford ran like he had never run before. His vision was growing blurry, but he could still make out the lights of the city he and Stanley had docked in. He walked through it in a panic. He couldn't see the inquiring faces thrown at him by passers-by. Someone reached out to help him, but Stanford never saw them. He had only one goal in mind: to get Stanley to the Stan O War and make sure he wasn't in any danger. He didn't even realize he wasn't as short of breath as he should have been for a man his age. With each step he took, he didn't realize he was getting faster.

He arrived at the Stan O War and nearly tripped over the mooring ropes. He pushed the door wide open and fell to his knees in front of Stanley's bed. He put the latter down, stood up and began to examine his brother. As he got up, the world around him turned even more and he had to hold on to the bed to keep his balance. His brother was sleeping peacefully in his bed. Stanford on the other hand was not feeling well at all.

Damn it! What is happening to us !?

His sweater seemed too big for him now. He tried to sit up to pull it off, but his legs let go. He fell to the ground next to his brother's bed. His head resting next to his little brother, in every sense of the word. He felt his eyes grow heavier and sleep began to be very tempting. All of his strength seemed to disappear at once. He couldn't stay awake any more and fell asleep.

In the marina, all passers-by on the dock could see two young boys sleeping soundly next to each other in oversized clothes.