The Treasure Box
An adaptation by Kevin
The war is awful.
There is ruin as far as the eye can see. As part of the smoke dissipates, I can see certain sights that could make the toughest shudder. I hear soldiers barking orders, their rifles echoing over the mountaintops. Over that is the rhythmic sizzle of corpses, their flesh fueling the flames. This makes me feel powerless, incapacitated, helpless, unable to take action.
I barely got out alive, along with the rest of the town. Behind us a grey plume of smoke rose, tainting the sky. I was lucky enough to still have my shoes, while mostly everyone else had just their feet to trundle on the icy snow. It looks like it's getting dark out. We'll have to rest on the brittle snow. My arm hurts a lot. Over the horizon, I swear I hear something, and I might just be delirious, but it doesn't sound human.
After a long trek, we found a small cave carved into the nearby mountain. Passing some stalagmites, we arrived at a big limestone temple, fused with the rest of the cave. Torches lit up the perimeter. The limestone was cracking and vines were everywhere, as if this place was here since the beginning of time. There was a giant statue in front, as if it were guarding the building. Its body was built of black obsidian, with jade green wings, a diamond-speckled right arm and red ruby 'hair' on top.
Some of us speculated this to be someone from an old game they used to play, but I pushed the thought away.
Inside the temple seemed to be a small chamber, with a giant door and a big stone lever. Since we were just seeking shelter, we took refuge in the small chamber and slept on the hard limestone. Our packs looked like we have enough food to survive for at least two weeks, if we ration it. As I write this I hear the tramping of boots, and I know it isn't any of the other villagers, since they're all asleep...I better go check that out.
It was the Germans! Some of their spies must have followed us leaving the village, to tie up any loose ends. Their weapons woke up the rest of the village, but one of them had some sort of explosive that caved in the limestone. Everyone around me is dead, and I believe I'm next, since my body is now the proud parent of two bullets and a few pieces of shrapnel. I can hear bugs skittering about, feasting on the remains of the bodies, villagers and Germans alike. I guess that's my fate.
