Map: Part X
Immediately, Aaron saw what he had triggered. Directly in front of him two doorways, previously covered in a stone façade, had been uncovered. In the doorways stood two locked doors--he checked. The one on his left had the line and half circle symbol that had been on the bench; the one on the right had the crescent symbol, like on the map.
The right door must be the last one. The one that led to the treasure. Aaron couldn’t help but smile.
Around the doorframes, both doors had curious holes in strange shapes. Aaron hefted the wooden bird in his hand, realizing what the holes were for. He slid the bird easily into one of the slots on the right door. Below that slot was a hole the shape of the telescope, and beneath that, a shape he didn’t recognize.
The left door had similar slots, but in a different order. The telescope first, the bird second, and a strange bulbous shape last.
Another pedestal had also appeared; it had emerged from the ground behind him. He took a look at the top, which had another set of cages. There were still two compartments for him to pick from, but each had two wooden figures.
In one, a telescope and an acorn carving. In the other, a bird and a diamond.
And underneath it all, on the base of the pedestal, Aaron found another message. He squinted in the faint light.
“To continue or backtrack? From either decision you may not turn back.”
As he slowly realized what his choice was, Aaron’s heart felt as if it was being squeezed, restricted. The right door, the one with the crescent moon symbol, needed the diamond, and would take him to the treasure. But the left door needed the acorn, and led back to Rosie.
“Rosie,” his voice came out as just a whisper. There was only one decision he could make.
He had to go back.
Heavy-hearted, Aaron reached into the cage and pulled out the telescope and the acorn. Just as before, the metal of the cage door slid down and locked into place.
He wouldn’t ever see the treasure, wouldn’t ever know what it was, but at least he would have Rosie.
Gripping one wooden figure in each hand, Aaron crossed the quiet, cold chamber and stopped in front of the left door. He fitted the first two figures into their respective holes, then retrieved the third from where he had left it in the right door. Luckily, it slid right out.
Aaron put the bird into the last empty hole. The symbol on the door glowed.
In wonder, Aaron stepped backwards as an unnatural purple light shone brighter and brighter, and he heard the whirring of gears, the grinding of stone. The door was opening.
He held up his hands to shield his eyes, and when the light finally faded, Aaron blinked.
The figure in front of him looked an awful lot like Rosie.
“It’s about time,” she said.
Read part I: https://theprose.com/post/243841/map