38, not quite the end

Coming to the end of the story, sob. Part 39, the very end, up later today.

38

The gathering broke up, all but the two and their women departed. Oriana and Robin started clearing, a suddenly even more mundane and inconsequential task following the revelations.

Dave followed the thought that rose in his mind, Petar with him. They sat at the info screen displaying the closed loop within Bear Camp. Their jaws dropped together as the two scientists appeared, smiling.

“Welcome, Dave, and friend. We thought this was the appropriate place to leave our last message from this time frame. The Being of the Stars is being extremely generous to us.” Lagarto’s voice spoke.

“In return, we are leaving you our legacy.”

“Legacy? The lab is GONE!” Dave spoke to the screen, stupidly as if the image could hear him.

Slongur’s laughter rang out. “We hear your thoughts from here! Doubtless the lab and all else is gone. But Bear Camp, the replica, is NOT. Look to the stone.”

Both men looked at each other with excited eyes as the screen message faded. ‘Look to the stone.’ They did exactly that, collecting the women in tow. Of course there were marks on the very base that had not been there before, and untranslated.

“What does it say, Petar?” Oriana asked excitedly her own eyes mirroring his.

“The little I can read without the cipher seems to be leading us on a treasure hunt. Back to the screen folks.”

Translated, it told them where to dig.

Dave spoke his thought aloud. “I think we had best do this in the dark, if what I think the legacy might be IS.”

“Which is?”

“OUR future, Petar, ladies. Our future guaranteed.”

They took spades and small lights to the translated ‘Place which was in the wrong place to begin with’ - the privy shaft that was too near the river. It did not take long to bring a large metal box up that was barely covered.

Back in Bear Camp, the locks opened on Dave’s initial touch, proof if any were needed that this was meant for them, triggered by specific DNA.

Jewels spilled out, parchment rolls, bonds, deeds. A final disc with instructions to present it to The Bank of England in Threadneedle Street, London. The Duty Manager would know what to do. They only had to say one word - ‘Rock.’

They were rich beyond their imagination, they were free. But life, and love, was HERE and NOW, at Bear Camp.