Read A/N at end, please.
One particular Sunday, as Link and I labored away digging minor holes here and there, I ran onto one filled with pearls.
They were dirty and covered with clay like mud, but Link sure liked them.
"Man, that's the biggest discovery we've made yet!" He said, smiling brightly and examining them. I was a little baffled after finding them, because pearls in the middle of the desert seemed a bit strange.
"Why would someone go all the way out here just to bury pearls?" I scratched my head, looking up at Lincoln's blissfully happy face. He looked around the area we chose to dig in; an area surrounded by cactuses and few tuffs of grass, about a mile or two away from the campsite. After scanning the vicinity, and ensuring that it was person-free, he turned to me and whispered, "This is a clue, Fredboy."
I quirked a brow, "A clue to what?"
"The treasure!" he whispered, shoving the pearls into my face. "You see, these here pearls are just a taste of what lies ahead."
"You've got to be kidding me. There's a treasure out here in the middle of nowhere? That sounds a little too good to be true."
Lincoln pursed his lips, racking his brain for just the right words to say. He motioned for me to sit on a large rock jutting out of the ground. I did, and he took a seat beside me, sighing.
"My first year at camp, a rumor was circulating about hidden treasure. One of my closest friends, Ricky, was the first person to actually explain it to me."
He paused, for dramatic effect no doubt, and then continued after I nudged his shoulder.
"He told me a long time ago, the first year of Camp Metamorphosis, to be exact, that a very rich convict was forced to dig holes just like us. He had brought his riches with him, planning on using them to bribe his way out of here. The camp director at the time was a lot better than Mr. Munroe and wouldn't accept the bribe. He believed convicts deserved the punishment they were here to receive. The boy couldn't let anyone get their hands on his riches, so he hid them out in the desert until a new Camp director would be elected, which happened the next year. When he went out to gather his treasure, he couldn't remember exactly where he had left it. After serving his three years at Camp, the new director, Mr. Munroe, sent him back to his lavish life. The boy didn't have the time to look for the riches anymore, but the rumors concerning them never stopped. Everyone wants a piece of that treasure, Freddie. It's a one way ticket out of here."
I thought the story over, long and good, trying to envision everything he was saying. The only thought that kept popping back into my mind was how long that poor rich boy had to stay at camp. Three years? Heck, my sentence is only six months and it already feels like I've been here twelve.
"So, you're saying, if we find the treasure we can bribe Mr. Munroe into letting us leave early?"
Lincoln smiled. "Who knows? Maybe Mr. Munroe will tell our parents that our behavior was so good he just had to let us out early."
I smiled at the thought. It all sounded too good to be true. The filthy pearls looked more beautiful than ever in my eyes.
"What do you say, buddy? Want to go on an adventure?" Lincoln stood up, shoving the pearls into the pocket of his cargo pants. I stood up, a smile lighting my face.
"Let the digging begin."
I never thought I'd sound so enthusiastic about digging, but with the idea of treasure bouncing around in my head, digging seemed like the most fun thing in the world.
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After three and a half hours of non stop digging, I never wanted to raise another shovel again. The only reward we received for our labor was a crude drawing of someone holding a shovel, the darkly colored sun pounding down on his back. Lincoln dug it up during the second hour of digging. Someone must have drawn it to mock us, because there was a note at the bottom that said, "To whoever is stupid enough to look for treasure in a desert. Love, Matt." I figured the guy could have at least drawn someone lying on the beach or something, because seeing a person hold a shovel and dig a hole in the hot sun was an image my eyes were constantly seeing.
Even Lincoln looked a little bit down in the dumps when we began to pack up. He hid it with a smile, though, a typical Lincoln thing to do.
When we got back to our dorms, Lincoln looked at me real serious and said, "Thank you, Freddie. You don't know how much this means to me."
I was taken aback by his seriousness; everyone knows Link is the most unserious guy here.
"It's nothing, Link. I'm always up for an adventure."
There was something odd about the sadness in his eyes, but he smiled nevertheless and handed me the pearls from out of his pocket.
"I think you should hold onto these a while, at least until I'm feeling a better. I think I'll stick around in the infirmary tomorrow, play hooky until I get over the heat sickness."
"Is that what it is?" I asked him, taking the pearls and placing them in my pocket. They were warm and still covered with dirt.
When he looked down at me I knew it was something way more serious, but he just smiled a little, the smile not reaching his eyes, and said, "Yes, Freddie. The heat's getting to me. Don't worry, I'm fine. Stop looking at me like I'm a wounded rabbit."
Later, when we were wrapped up in our blankets, the cool of the desert enveloping us in its dew, Lincoln called my name.
"I'm awake," I called back.
"You shouldn't be so hard on Sam." He said, coughing a bit.
"Where did that come from?"
"I just don't want you to waste what little time we have here."
"Y'know, you don't make a lot of sense at one in the morning. I don't know about you, but I have lots of time here, too much, really."
Lincoln sighed, "You'll understand one day, buddy."
"Understand what?"
"People are put into your life for a reason."
I mulled over that thought momentarily, wondering why Lincoln suddenly became Confucius at night. A little bit later, after Lincoln's loud snoring kicked in, I said to no-one in particular, "Well, I know Sam's reason: to make my life miserable."
I heard a quiet laugh, and then Link whispered, "She said the same about you."
"Then it must be true," I said, smiling. It didn't sink in until later that sleepless night that Lincoln had talked to Sam about me, and by the time it did it was too late to ask; Link was fast asleep, probably dreaming of treasures and pearls.
Oh. My. Gosh. It's been so, so, so, so, so, LONG! December 12, 2010 was my last update... I feel as if I've lied to each and every one of you guys. I told you I'd update soon and I never did. To be honest, I figured I would never finish this. I didn't think it was the best story I've written, and the ideas just stopped coming. Everything I thought of just didn't fit in well with the story. Well, after all the procrastination and down right laziness- I'm BACK! I can't wait to start writing again. I feel like I've grown- not just aged, but grown as a writer as well. Thanks for your patience, love, and support. I hope I haven't lost any of my awesome reviewers. Again, sorry to have let you down. I won't do this again. I am going to finish this. Thanks again,
love,
Accidental laughter
p.s. OMG SAM AND FREDDIE TOTALLY GOT TOGETHER. And they will again, very soon, I am sure.