Hooked

CHAPTER EIGHT - TREASURE

I love the description in this chapter for some reason. Or maybe it's just my obsession with shiny things. ;)

Dedicated to ChanelSabrah . I haven't heard form you in ages!

Anyway...enjoy.

~ Mel

Treasure.

That is the only word that would suffice for this paradise before me.

The entire floor of the cave was heaped with jewels and coins.

Mountains of riches covered the floor and crept halfway up the walls of the cave, the gold reflecting yellow light on the low ceilings.

It was breathtaking.

I bent down and picked up a handful of glittering coins, watching in fascination as they slipped through my fingers like water.

Gems of all sizes glinted in the sea of gold and silver, capturing the dim light like colourful pieces of glass.

One particular jewel caught my eye, winking at me from a few feet away.

It was a brilliant green emerald, the slightly uneven sides curved like a leaf, about the size of my thumbnail.
The tip of it was a little darker than the rest, giving it a rich, earthy appearance.

I don't know why it stood out - I think it was the fact that this gem was beautifully imperfect, making it more interesting than the others.

I waded through a tower of red and amber jewels to reach it, accidentally upsetting a bangle at the top of the stack.

Before I could grab it, an avalanche of gold and other emeralds washed over it, obscuring it from view.

When it settled, the jewel was nowhere to be seen.

Sighing, I turned round, and saw a small basin set in the floor that had been uncovered by the cascade of other gems.

Crouching down, I discovered it was much deeper then it looked from the side.

It was filled with water.

Dark green weeds waved to and fro in an invisible current, revealing a glimpse of blue that was gone again in an instant.

Intrigued, I kneeled on the floor and placed my right hand inside the water.

It was shockingly cold, and I almost yanked my hand right out again, but curiosity kept me from doing so.

My hand couldn't reach the plants, so I lowered it further, the water lapping at my forearm.

I was still too far away.

Getting down flat on my stomach, I submerged my whole arm. Finally, the tips of my straining fingers brushed one of the swaying fronds, rewarding me with another tantalising flash of blue.

Shooing the weeds away, I saw what the blue things were.

Nestled in a groove of silvery sand, a small cluster of pearls gleamed up at me, almost hidden from view.

They were a pale aquamarine colour, almost invisible to the eye.

It was a miracle I'd somehow noticed them, as small as they were. The biggest one was around the size of my pinky finger nail.

I was possessed by a sudden urge to touch them, a throbbing need that could not be ignored.

Sucking in a breath, I lay flatter on the floor, my nose brushing the cold stone as I reached as far as I could, my groping hands searching for the pearls.

My fingers curled around something, and I quickly pulled upwards.

Sitting back on my haunches, I opened my fist.

There was nothing but a small mound of sand in my open palm.

Quickly, I looked over the rim of the basin once more, ready to plunge my hand in and grab at least one of them as quickly as I could.

But to my horror, a miniature chasm had opened next to them and they were disappearing into the hole faster than I could think.

Frantically, my other hand dove in, digging through the sand, scrabbling for the tiny orbs.

There was nothing left.

Retracting my arm, I gazed at the basin once again.

But apart from massacred weeds and overturned sand, there was no sign the blue pearls had ever been there.

Suddenly, the sand seemed to have lost its silvery lustre, and the plants didn't seem as green any more.

With a sigh, my head dropped between my shoulders.

It was only then that I felt something digging into my palm as I leaned on it.

I brought my hand up to my face, uncurling my fingers once more.
At first, I saw only a tiny pile of sand.
But something was different...and then I realised.
This sand still had the silvery glow to it that had vanished from the sand inside the pool.

And then I noticed it - a glimmer of turquoise.

Brushing away the grains of sand gently, I stared down at my hand.

Lying snugly in the heap of sand was a tiny oval pearl, shining like a chip of ice.