"Maybe the river got swallowed by the earthquake as well," Jack shrugged. "And now it's flowing underground."
"Nice idea," Takato replied. "Well, let's see if we can find it."
And then they all ran across the grass and lay down on the ground, their ears pressed against the earth.
Ami turned around on her blanket and shook her head as she witnessed the weird behavior of her friends.
Suddenly, Guilmon shouted: "I hear it! I hear the river!"
Everybody ran over to him. Guilmon's head was inside a small burrow, and he told his friends to be quiet.
"Does it sound like splashing water or like rushing water?" Gohan wanted to know.
"More like... a humming noise."
Jack shook his head. "I never heard of a humming river before, mate..."
"We don't know anything about underground rivers," Takato said excitedly. "The rivers we know are splashing and flowing... maybe underground rivers hum?"
Suddenly, Guilmon gasped and said: "The humming's getting louder. It... it almost sounds like an airplane."
In that moment, a small airplane appeared in the air above the park and flew across the sky, its engine humming loudly. Then, it vanished behind a cloud.
Guilmon pulled his head out of the burrow. "I can't hear anything. The river stopped humming."
Captain Jack rolled his eyes. "Aye, Guilmon, the river stopped humming. It just flew away, over our heads."
"What?" Guilmon asked in surprise. "What flew away? The underground river?"
He closed the eyes and pondered. Then he murmured: "Maybe..."
He opened his eyes and looked after the airplane, which just reappeared behind another cloud. "I suppose we have a big misunderstanding here. Oh well..."
He blushed, as much as that was possible for a dinosaur with red scales.
Tails suggested they should ask someone in town if there had been a river in the park a few days ago.
Jack, who was afraid he'd have to go, protested: "Why ask? Of course there has been a river here! I mean, it's clearly visible on the map, isn't it? The cursed earthquake does nothing but confuse us."
Takato suggested changing the map so it was up to date.
Next to the houses, he wrote: 'Swallowed by an earthquake.' And across the river, he wrote: 'Flowing underground since last week.'
Gohan looked at the map and nodded. "Looks like we came one step closer to finding the treasure, Takato!"
Jack nodded and was happy that they were able to do that step without having to do any long, unnecessary walks.
Takato asked his friends to find the place where the treasure was buried, while he was getting the trolley with their digging tools.
When he returned, he found his friends in the middle of a heated discussion. They were all standing around Ami, who looked very upset.
"You can say what you want, I'm staying here! Search for your treasure where you want, but not where I'm resting."
Takato whispered to Tails: "Hey, what's going on?"
"You know," the young fox whispered back. "It's like this, Ami is lying directly where the treasure is buried."
Jack nodded. "It's pretty brazen, don't you agree? We're all searching for the treasure, and she's lying on it."
Takato had an idea. He whispered something into the captain's ear, and Jack nodded. They beckoned Tails and Gohan to them, and after another bout of whispering, the four of them walked around Ami's blanket, each one standing next to one of the four corners.
Jack cleared his throat.
"We are assembled on this nice day for a big event: The great move of Ami's blanket! And now, gentlemen, if you please..."
And then the four boys grabbed the ends of the blanket and carried it away. The blanket shook, flailed around, ranted and screamed, because Ami, who was still lying on the blanket, was simply carried away with it.
Then the four friends put the blanket back down again, a small distance away from where they had picked it up. Ami just lay there, glared at them, crossed her arms and made a face that just screamed: 'I'll never talk to you again!'
Then Takato took the spade and started digging. Jack reached for the shovel and helped him.
When the pit they dug was so deep that Tails couldn't look over the edge anymore, he sighed: "I fear that we won't find anything in here..."
But Takato kept on digging. "I know there's something here," he muttered. "After all, the treasure map is very old, and I got it from a trusted third party."
"What's a trusted third party?" Guilmon wondered.
"Well, that's someone you know very well... so well that you just know he wouldn't give you a fake treasure map."
"But you made the treasure map by yourself," Guilmon pointed out.
"Of course. After all, I know me very well, and I would never give me a map that's fake."
That made sense to his friends, and they kept on digging. Suddenly, Takato's spade hit something hard.
"I found something," he shouted.
"Is it the treasure?" Gohan asked.
"I don't know... it feels very hard and solid," Takato replied.
Jack didn't get everything Takato had said and he already cheered: "We found it, mates! We found it! The treasure's ours!"
"Is it a huge bowl of pudding or just a small one?" Guilmon asked curiously.
"Can you lift it out of the hole by yourself?" Tails asked. "Is it heavy?"
Even Ami was getting curious and she left her blanket to take a look.
Then Takato sighed. "Well, I believe it's not much of a treasure..."
And then he threw the huge root he had digged up out of the pit.
Dumbfounded, everyone stared at the rotten piece of wood.
"Well, it's not gold, that's for sure," Jack murmured.
Ami sneered and said: "Well, that's quite a treasure you found, boys! Congratulations!"
Guilmon frowned. "I don't get it... why bury an old root in the middle of the park? Who would do such a thing?"
"And I don't get why anyone would dig out an old root in the middle of the park," Ami shot back. "Who would do such a thing?"
Dissapointed, the treasure hunters decided to pack their things and head back home. While they were walking, Takato sighed.
"We either have searched at the wrong place, or the earthquake has swallowed the treasure as well."
Captain Jack agreed: "Aye, this accursed earthquake is to blame. If we consider that it already swallowed several buildings and a whole river..."
When they were back home, Takato spoke up: "I'm going to make a new treasure map. I think I might have made a mistake when making the last one."
"That's a good idea, mate!" Jack nodded. "But please make sure not to choose a place where such earthquake are confusing us, savvy?"
"Does that mean we're gonna have another picnic again?" Guilmon asked hopefully.
"Sure, why not?" Takato nodded.
And now, that they could look forward to another treasure hunt, they all were quite satisfied with the day.
Only Ami murmured: "Well, if they don't have anything better to do... You might think they could learn a bit more for school... or search for my lost textbook."
It was still raining.
"That was an incredible story," I said. "I don't suppose you have more time to tell me another story, do you?"
Takato shook his head. "Nope, still got homework to do."
"But when we meet again, can you tell me another one?" I asked.
Takato shrugged. "Sure, why not?" And he went back into the house.
I didn't have to wait for a very long time until I met him again...
On a Sunday, I met Takato again. It was a nice day. When I saw the goggle-wearing boy, I asked him about his friends. He told me they were doing fine.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and we lay down on the grass in the park.
And then Takato told me the story of...
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(Posted Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:32)
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