The Treasure in the Monkey's Fist

(continued)

By Rik Hunik

When they reached the next town, Zayn took off right after dinner, when he was supposed to be cleaning up.

He quickly located the Monkey's Fist Tavern. The sign depicted a distressed little monkey in a red vest. One paw was thrust into a large jar with a narrow neck. It was a typical public drinking house, with solid wood construction, small, grimy windows, and lots of smells and noise.

"Would you like to see the stuffed monkey?"

Zayn spun around. A blonde girl about his own age, wearing a thin and faded, but clean dress, stood eyeing him speculatively. "Stuffed monkey?" She was cute enough that Zayn wanted to keep her talking. "What stuffed monkey?"

"It's inside. It looks just like the one on the sign."

Zayn glanced up at the sign, then back at the girl, and decided he would rather stay out here with her. "No thanks."

The girl smiled. "It's no big deal anyway. Do you want to buy a map?"

"What kind of map?"

"To the Treasure In The Monkey's Fist."

"You know about the treasure?"

She laughed brightly. "Everybody here knows about the treasure."

"So why aren't you rich?"

"Because you haven't bought a map yet."

Zayn chuckled. "How much?"

"Two coppers."

"That's pretty cheap for a treasure map."

"It's not worth very much."

"Then it must be a fake. It's worth nothing. There is no treasure."

"There is a treasure. I've seen it myself. It's big." She gestured expansively with her arms.

Zayn's eye was caught by the silver bracelet on her delicate wrist. It was decorated with an intricate pattern of interlocking and overlapping loops and inset with polished, turquoise stones. He pointed. "Did you get that bracelet from there?"

The girl held up her arm to display the bracelet. "This is just a trinket I made myself. Everybody around here can make them, but we never get enough silver." She lowered her arm, and Zayn raised his eyes to her face. She said, "Nobody takes anything from the Treasure In The Monkey's Fist."

"Why not? Is it too dangerous?"

"Only to fools."

"What do you mean? Is there some kind of evil guardian or a deadly trap?"

The girl smiled and shook her head slowly. "There are no guards, no deadly traps. There is nothing to prevent entry and nothing inside to hurt you." She paused and looked straight into his eyes. "But don't go in. "

"Why not, if it isn't dangerous?"

The girl smiled and cocked an eyebrow at him. "There is one way for you to find out."

Zayn snorted in frustration and then, feeling like a fool, he bought a map, a small square of paper folded into quarters. He studied it on the way back to camp. Just before dawn he took all his belongings, stole some food and slipped away. He had to beat Thamar to it.

The landscape was steep and rocky, with only sparse bits of clinging vegetation in the most fertile spots. The map was clearly marked, and the landmarks were distinct. Zayn had no trouble following the trail, for there was, curiously, a trail. Not a good one, not much used, but a visible trail.

He was about three miles from the caravan road, seven from town, when he came around the side of a steep rise and saw the Monkey's Fist about a mile away. It was rather small for a mountain, only a few hundred feet higher than the surrounding landscape, but it did look sort of like a monkey's fist. In the center of the palm was a dark shadow that was marked on his map as a cave.

By the time he climbed to the wide mouth of the cave the afternoon sun was slanting into it. About fifteen feet in, he could see sunlight glinting off a pile of gold and more glimmers further back, indicating a lot more gold. There was indeed treasure in the cave.

Zayn fought the urge to dash inside. With every sense alert, he cautiously edged forward. Nothing. A few more steps, a few more steps. The gold was close, thousands of gold coins just heaped there. A final, intense check of his surroundings detected no sound or movement, not a hint of life.

He took the last few steps to the pile of gold. He picked up a handful, felt its cold heaviness, let it slide through his fingers and clink back. He put the last coin to his mouth, bit into it, and checked the impression of his teeth. It was real gold. He could taste it. There was an incredible fortune lying right here in front of him.

Zayn finally looked up. Behind the pile of gold coins, gold bars had been laid out like paving stones. He followed the trail of gold deeper into the cave.