It was a typical Monday morning at school, students rushing by corridors— chatting, laughing or maybe revising for upcoming tests. However, it wasn't the same for Akanksha and Sanvika! The duo were caught doing a prank with their teacher the previous day and were told to clean the school's store room which had been locked for months.They made their way to the store room with a feel of disappointment. This wasn't how they had envisioned their new week.
The room was dingy with dusty shelves, stacks of books and files, and broken furniture. They set to work, tidying up the clutter. As they worked with frustrated face, Sanvika stumbled upon a small old, mysterious-looking trunk tucked in a corner. It was wooden with strange symbols carved upon. Curiosity had got them. As they lifted the lid, a faint smell of decay lingered. Inside, they found a yellowed map, creased and torn, but still intact. It appeared to be hand-drawn and depicted a dense jungle, with a path leading to a mysterious "X" marked at the center. Both of them, got into it. After sometime, Akanksha burst out,
"I think I know this place!"
Sanvika gave her an amazed look.
"Amazon forest!"
Both smarties had recognized, rather predicted, the location. They exchanged excited glances.
"What's that 'X' mark?" Akanksha wondered.
"No idea!"
No longer did it take them to realise that they had to get back to their work now.
Little did they know, their lives were about to take a dramatic turn.
The next day, during assembly, the school's principal announced an exciting school trip to Manaus, Brazil. It was an organized expedition to explore the rainforest, and a selected group of students from the 'Social science' club would be chosen to participate.They made to it.
Finally, the day of their departure arrived. The school group set off early in the morning, bound for Brazil. They had plans tangling up their minds. Akanksha had the map in her pocket! They had to do something! Which basically meant they were one step closer to uncovering the secrets of the mysterious map. Upon arrival in Brazil, the group embarked on a journey deep into the Amazon Forest. During this time, one of their friends, Nidhi got to know about it.
"Seriously, guys? I'm not being rude but how can you even think that this plan is going to work. Sneaking out from the group can be very dangerous for you"
They both lost hope. After all, what she said was true but they believed in themselves. They trekked through the dense jungle, marveling at the exotic wildlife and lush vegetation— till now with the group, teacher's and the guider. As they set up camp on the first night, the girls began to finalize their plan. They had Nidhi with them in the tent too. She did help them in planning but at the same time demotivated them. They would sneak out of the camp under the cover of darkness, making upto the location marked on the map soon. With their hearts pounding and their senses on high alert, they set off into the unknown, ready to face whatever dangers lay further. It seemed safe because they would only go to the area which is safe for tourists to visit.
As they journeyed deeper into the jungle, the air grew thick with humidity, and the sounds of the forest grew louder. Akanksha pushed through the underbrush, their flashlights casting eerie shadows on the trees.
Suddenly, Sanvika stopped dead in his tracks. "Look at that!" She whispered, pointing to a faint symbol etched into the trunk of a tree. This tree was on the end of the premises, going further could be deadly. They motivated themselves to cross the boundary. Anticipation raced through their veins as they took the first step. The symbol carved on the tree was also found on the map and little further was the 'X' symbol.
Did this mean they're reaching their destination? What could it lead to?
Thousands of such questions chased their minds. Pushing aside vines and branches, fighting their way through the dense jungle— filled with humidity, they found themselves in a clear area. Surrounded by trees, they stood alone in the middle. Right there in the center of the clearing, was a tall stone. It had some symbols etched on it.
"These were etched on the map's small wooden trunk!" recalled Akanksha.
"Yeah! What's more? This seems to be the exact location of the 'X'!"
"But now what?"
"No idea, girl", Sanvika said, wiping sweat all over her face.
She accidentally stepped on another stone next to the taller one, the ground trembled. Behind the bushes, stood an ancient, crumbling temple, covered in vines and moss approached the temple, awestruck by its grandeur. The air was thick with an eerie, pungent scent, and the sounds of the forest seemed to fade away.
As they explored the small temple, they stumbled upon a series of ancient symbols etched into the walls, also the one on the map and trunk. This was unbelievable.
They had unraveled a secret that had been hidden for centuries.
Venturing deeper into the temple, they stumbled upon a hidden chamber. The room was filled with ancient artifacts and treasures beyond their wildest dreams.
In the center of the room, they found a chest filled with gold, jewels, and ancient relics. They exchanged awestruck glances, their hearts racing with excitement. Sanvika clicked a few pictures of it for proof. But as they made their way back to civilization, they couldn't shake off the feeling that their adventure was only just beginning.
The treasure had unleashed a chain of events that would change their lives forever, leading them on a journey of discovery, danger, and excitement.
They told about it to Nidhi. She had no other option rather than believing in them after seeing the pictures!
The next day, they told about it to their teacher. The discovery went further when many archaeologists ended up, mesmerized by the unbelievable discovery made by the girls. It had become the news headline in many international newspapers and news channels.
They had uncovered a secret that would stay with them forever, a secret that would bond them together as friends for life.
As they soared through the skies, heading home, they couldn't help but wonder the fact that how demotivation can be turned into an inspiration for the biggest treasures.
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