LUCK'S DIARY: A Change in Fortune

CHAPTER 1

Cutting and slashing the foliage in her way, Keone panted and gasped for air as she trudged through the dense Amazon Rainforest. She paused for a second to check the map in her hand before checking the compass. It was an old, tattered, stained piece of paper she found in a run-down, sketchy bookstore in the middle of nowhere. It allegedly showed the way to an altar rumored to have been created by Mother Nature herself since the creation of the Earth.

She studied the map carefully, realizing she was standing where the altar was supposed to be.

"Ugh! I never should have trusted that weird old lady." she fumed.

"Of course, there isn't an altar in this overgrown garden, and when I get back..."

She continued mumbling to herself not taking any notice of the ruins materializing behind her. While swatting the countless mosquitos swarming around her, she stumbled over a rock and turned to brace herself. Trying desperately to restore her balance, she gasped in astonishment at what seemed to appear in front of her before falling on her face.

Keone scrambled to her feet, falling again in the process, she huffed and then finally stood before the ruined but magnificent altar. It was overrun with vines and other flora but the longer she stared at it, they all seemed to be part of the design. The two columns at the front were in almost pristine condition. The entire ruin was. Apart from cracks scattered throughout the building and a few missing bricks, it looked like it had only been here for a few hundred years, much less since the creation of the Earth.

"How...wha...huh?" she stuttered, attempting to form words but failing.

She turned around before facing the altar again. It was still there. Still not convinced, she picked up a rock and threw it. A loud bang was heard, and the rock was sent flying towards her. She ducked just in time and frantically looked around her and carefully stood up.

"Okay, so I'm not seeing things then. Not crazy." she thought, trying to get her heavy breathing under control before she passed out.

Finally breathing somewhat normally, she wasted no time reaching for her bag and taking out her camera. She steeled herself and walked forward, snapping countless pictures of the altar. It was only when she reached the steps that she noticed two gold-plated braziers on the outside of the columns, fierce fires on the inside illuminating the oncoming night sky.

Not bothering to question it, she climbed the steps and stopped at the entryway. It was tall and intimidating, and for a moment Keone wanted to turn and bolt, but she swallowed the fear and unease and then stepped inside. Immediately, what sounded like whispers echoed through the space, and multiple torches were lit.

Keone's head was spinning as she tried to process everything that was happening.

"What's going on? How is all this possible?" she kept asking herself, hoping to find the answer somehow.

Determined to figure this out, she treaded carefully around the smaller columns inside, taking pictures to document what she found. From the corner of her eye, she saw something glinting and went to check it out. It was a lever. Seeing as this was the only thing she found that hopefully did something she decided to pull it.

A slight tremor washed over the altar and Keone steadied herself on the column next to her. Just as she thought that was all, a deafening boom ricocheted off the walls and a blinding light flashed before everything went dark.