The Treasure at the End of the Road

I’ll never forget the day that man came through our village. He had a grizzled beard and arms like tree trunks and wore clothes which appeared to shimmer and change colour in the light. The whole village fell silent as he made his way through, the sound of his cane poking the ground with a satisfying “clack”, the end of which held a glowing blue orb.

The wind swiped the small piece of parchment I was holding right out of my hands; a list of vegetables and spices my mother asked me to get for the soup that night. It landed right at the stranger’s feet, who stopped to pick it up and hand it back to me. As I took the paper, he held onto it for a moment longer than someone should and smiled at me. A glimmer sparked in his eyes, causing my heart to swell nervously. I watched as he walked out of the village, down the forbidden road. When I looked at the piece of paper, I found words had appeared at the back.

Your treasure awaits at the end of the road. Then, the golden letters peeled from the page, suspended for but a moment, before disappearing into the wind.

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought of that man, his smile, and his eyes of sapphire. I thought of the note scrawled at the back of the paper, and the treasure of which it spoke. That man...he had undoubtedly found it, and if he could, so could I.

In the early morning hours, I packed a small bag, left a note for my mother and younger sister, and snuck out my window. At the edge of the village, I took one look back and whispered a promise to return with the treasure in hand, before heading off into the cresting dawn.

In those first few weeks, I walked every day until my legs caved in. I encountered creatures and vegetation which looked as if they'd been birthed from a dream, such as the rolling wump-rats, the timid Vun-stag, or the Calypso bird, who’s songs entranced me.

“It’s a siren’s song,’’ said the traveling stranger as he sponged my eyes with two wriggling balls of god-knows-what. “Their prey becomes enchanted by the song, and then BAM! It spits in their eyes, blinding them. Lucky your eyes were closed, or your head would be a bowl of brains by now!” He let out a hearty laugh. I just tried not to focus on the gooey appendages sucking the poison out from the skin. I asked him if he was a doctor.

"Let's just say that I, too, once fell for the Calyspo's song." he replied.

After a few months, I had a solid hold on things. I learned how to hunt from an elf that I met at an Inn, and a cobbler – who was half-man, half-cobblestone golem – made me a proper pair of boots.

At first, the excitement of it all had me open-up to most everyone I met – a painful lesson I would soon come to learn. As it turns out, not everyone on the road was as friendly as the stranger, the elf, or the cobbler. While staying at an Inn, I happen to mention that I was out for the treasure at the end of the road, and worse, that I was traveling alone. That night I woke up to a man going through my bag, and another, sitting atop of me with one knife to my throat and another scrapping the skin off my belly. If it wasn’t for the vial of Calypso Bird venom that the stranger had given me (a drop on the tongue makes you feel like you’re flying, he said), I’m not sure I would have gotten away in one piece. In fact, I barely did. For the next two months, I spoke to no one I didn’t need too.  

The road passed through jungle, mountains, swamps, and plains. I fought wild beasts and traversed dangerous terrain. I passed through villages and towns, learning stories, traditions, a couple spells, and some warnings. Everywhere I went, I asked discreetly about the end of the road. No one seemed to know.

Eventually, I reached a city. I gawked at the glow of light made not from fire but from something called electricity, whirring flying machines, exotic smells, and a hustle and bustle unlike anything I’d ever experienced. So entranced was I that I ventured unknowingly into a den of jackals, the kind with violence in their grins. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn’t be alive.

“You boys ever wondered what your own backsides taste like?” I heard her say, my face already swelling from the blows. I heard the hoodlums scream, and the moment before falling unconscious I saw her face, her freckled cheeks, auburn hair, and eyes glowing yellow and green.

I woke up in a small room, empty save for the essentials. I tried to get up, pain assaulting my senses.

“Hey! Lay back down this instant!” There she was again, her eyes piercing. “Your stitches will open up, so no moving! I’ll get the strune juice.” I hated strune juice. Still do. She said her name was Kaylie.

I told Kaylie about the man with the beard, the cane, and the treasure. “Well, I guess you’ll need a companion to keep you safe, seeing as you’re stupid enough to walk into gang hideouts.” She wasn’t wrong. The road was getting stranger and more dangerous, so having a friend could make the journey a bit safer, if not more interesting. We left as soon as I was capable.

For the next year we traveled the road toegether. We conquered Mt. Cranial. We bested the Ocean of Tears. And after many attempts, we completed the trials of Bermoth. But the road continued on, never ending. I began to wonder if the treasure existed at all. Doubt and anger filled my mind, and it must have showed easily on my face.

"What's wrong?" Kaylie asked. I told her my doubts. I told her I was beginning to wonder if I had been lied to by the grizzled man with the cane, that it was all some kind of sick joke.

“Well, let’s find him then. And if he doesn’t tell us, we can beat it out of him!” Kaylie said. Butterflies tickled my stomach when she said it. In fact, I'd found myself looking her way a lot more recently. These new feelings were exciting, but also terrified me. What if she felt differently? What if it ruined our friendship? I opted to keep it to myself.

When we did find the grizzled man, no beatings were necessary. His headstone read “Here lies Torin Speakwell, the wizard. May his magic never fade.”

“Now what?” Kaylie said. I sighed, my chest squeezing.

“Did you know Torin?” A voice said, startling me. She stood behind us, carrying flowers. “My name is Anya. Anya Speakwell.”

She invited us for tea at her home, in a hollowed out Oust tree. I sipped the tea and immediately felt my limbs tingle.

“There’s Calypso venom in here isn’t there?” I said. Her eyebrows shot up and a nostalgic grin came over her lips. “Yes, there is, but just a touch. Just enough to lift someone up when they’re down. Torin always said he fell in love with me the day I made him tea.”

I blushed and looked at Kaylie and thought of strune juice.

Anya told us of how her and Torin met, of the adventures they had and the love they’d shared. “He died in a pickle eating competition.” she said, slurping her tea. “Funny, isn’t it. The man has felled demons and gods alike, then chokes on a pickle against a Thorpian swamp-toad.” Kaylie and I looked at each other.

“Uh, I’m sorry for your loss.” I said.

“You’re searching for the treasure, aren’t you?” Anya said. I perked up. “Could you tell us if we’re close? Or what it is? Anything! We’ve been searching for a long time.” Kaylie said.

“I can see that.” Anya replied. She got up and went to a large bookshelf built in the lining of the Oust tree, tracing her fingers across the tomes until she found what she was looking for. She opened the old book and took out a folded piece of parchment from inside.

“Here.” She handed it to me. “It was given to him by another adventurer. I think this might be what you’re looking for.” It was a hand-drawn map. It detailed cities, valleys and treacherous terrain, and notes on each area. Snaking through it all was a thick red line, all the way to the top right corner. A sketch of a temple atop of a mountain was circled. We were still a long way away, but now we had a destination.

Anya let us stay the night. She only had one extra bed, so I told Kaylie she could have it.

“Don’t be silly. Get in here.” I had fought dragons, sea monsters, and solved deadly riddles along this never-ending road, but never had my nerves felt such panic as they had in that moment. I got under the sheets, careful not to touch her. But then, she snuggled up against me.

“Thank you,” she whispered. By the time I got the courage to say you’re welcome, Kaylie was fast asleep.

As we continued down the road, we faced off against all manner of dangers and perils. Sometimes we got hurt, a few times we barely made it, and a couple times we had to double back, not yet ready to face the next challenge. But we always bounced back, the treasure on the forefront of our minds.

The road became more and more worn until it was hard to tell if it was still a road at all. We followed old signs, packed grass and other landmarks. Finally, over the crest of a hill, we saw a lone mountain with a large temple at its peak.

Almost there.

By the time we reached the entrance, night had veiled the world. With our torches lit, we found the temple to be nothing but a large circular room with a large stone bowl in the middle and a large circular opening in the back, looking into the horizon. We approached carefully, knowing there could be traps. Once we confirmed the temple was empty and safe, I peeked over the bowl and saw only water. We searched high and low, finding nothing. Kaylie sat at the edge of the bowl while I fell to my knees, my eyes wet.  

“Hey…look.” Kaylie said. I got up and went to her. She pointed at the dark water in the bowl.

“Look at yourself.” She said.

In the reflection, I saw a person I didn’t recognize, not at first. This person had a face which spoke without words, strong and confident. In this person’s eyes was a glimmer, one which flashed a lifetime of knowledge, pain and experience. One that I had seen once before, a long time ago, on a grizzled face.

Then I looked at Kaylie. Her hands were calloused from the battles we had fought. Her body was strong and her eyes glowed. She looked nothing like the girl who had once rescued me from certain death.

We looked at each other just as the sun crested over the horizon bathing us in glorious light. Beyond the temple, the road stretched out further onto the horizon.

I turned to Kaylie. "Kaylie, I lo-’’ she put a finger to my lips to silence me.

“Don’t tell me. Show me.” She said.

I did.