Javier and Luis love adventures. They were from a small town where there wasn't much to do, but that never stopped them from venturing out and seeing the world. They were exploring the outskirts of town when one day they came across an abandoned house. The paint was chipping off the walls, the windows were boarded up, and there were tall weeds growing around the outside, so it had obviously been abandoned for some time.
But there was an allure to it, an air of mystery and intrigue that they couldn't resist. They locked eyes, each reading the other's thoughts with ease. They intended to investigate the residence.
"So it really came to this. I feel somewhat uneasy… "Luis said, his voice shaking slightly.
Hearing his friend’s words, Javier scowled. "Don't be a coward, Luis. We’re just exploring, and not doing anything bad. Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?"
With a long sigh, Luis followed Javier inside the house. As they walked through the dark and dusty rooms, the floorboards squeaked under their feet.
Luis almost took a spill when he stepped on a squeaky floorboard. He rubbed his sore ankle in disbelief.
The look in Javier's eyes changed. He yelled, "I bet there's something underneath!" and ran over to look.
Although he rolled his eyes, Luis couldn't help but be intrigued. As Javier used a nearby tool to pry up the floorboard, he observed.
What if it's just a bunch of spiders or something?" Luis asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Javier chuckled. "That’s what we’re going to find out. I have a hunch that we’re going to find something good this time."
The two boys were shocked after they lift up the floor board. Beneath the floor board wasn't just a crater but rather, it was a secret passageway leading somewhere.
Luis’ eyes widened with shock as he eyed the newly discovered passageway. “This is crazy…,” he said in disbelief
Seeing the passageway, Javier couldn’t help but grin widely. "I knew it! I told you there’s something there. How about we take a look?”
Without a second's hesitation, the two boys descended into the tunnel with anticipation and loudly beating hearts.
Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls as they made their way through the small corridor. The only source of illumination was Javier's tiny flashlight, and the air was musty and damp.
The words "I don't know about this, Javier" came out of Luis's mouth hesitantly. To wit: "What if we get lost down here?"
"Have no fear, Luis. In any case, we can always ascend via the same route "Javier answered, attempting to sound assured.
Walking for what seemed like hours, their anticipation only grew, they finally arrived. The boys were stunned when the tunnel they had been exploring suddenly opened into a spacious room.
Glittering jewels and gold coins, as well as antiquities and priceless works of art, filled the room. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.
"This is insane," whispered Luis, his mouth agape.
Already Javier was tearing through the room, picking up random items and scrutinizing them in great detail. "Just as I suspected, I was sure there’s treasures hidden beneath the surface."
Still processing the enormity of their discovery, Luis reacted more tentatively. "But how did this pile of stuff get dumped here? Also, I don't understand why anyone would abandon it."
Javier simply shrugged before answering. "I don't know. Perhaps something happened to the former occupants of this home – leaving all of these treasures behind."
The youths stayed in the room for some time, marveling at the loot. They couldn't believe their good fortune to have made such an amazing discovery. After taking a few gold coins; the two boys came to the conclusion that they couldn’t keep the treasures to themselves and decided to report their discovery to the authority.
As they retraced their steps back up the corridor, Luis couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. “Javier, do you hear that?" he asked in a hushed voice.
Javier gave it his full attention, but he heard nothing out of the ordinary. "Luis, what are you talking about? There's no one else down here but us."
Even so, Luis was haunted by the thought that someone else might be around. And as they are nearing the exit, the feeling of being watched intensified.
As they’re about to climb out of the secret passageway; the suddenly felt the place shaking. As the shaking intensified, causing the dust from the ceiling to fall on them, the boys panicked and quickly climbed up. Once out of the secret passageway, the boys quickly bolted out of the door.
"Was it an earthquake?” Luis inquired, his heart still racing.
Javier, who appeared to be just as terrified as Luis, replied in a trembling voice. "I-I'm not sure..."
Before the two boys could finish their conversation, they heard a rumbling sound behind them and turned around to see the abandoned house collapsing. The proudly standing house was soon reduced to rubble.
Javier and Luis exchanged shocked glances, unable to believe they were about to be buried alive. It took a while for the boys to recover their composure after the close call.
"We should tell our parents what happened," Javier suggested.
"Yeah...," Luis agreed.
The two boys dashed to their respective homes to meet their parents. Javier and Luis returned home and told their parents about their adventures. The parents of the boys were initially skeptical, but after the two showed them the gold coins that they had discovered, they were convinced.
Knowing they couldn't keep such a significant discovery to themselves, the boys' parents informed the authorities. The authority soon recovered the treasures that had survived the collapse. Javier and Luis, on the other hand, became the town's celebrities, and their families received a large monetary reward, thereby improving their respective families' situations.