An Ancient Mystery Solved

Dr. Miller was just about to exit from the archeological dig when he heard his partner yell.

Dr. Miller rushed over to his partner who was desperately digging away at a small part of crumbling sand. It wasn’t long before he saw sand caving in to reveal the opening of a dark red canoe. The bow of the small boat was chipped in several places and the paint was peeling away everywhere. Dr. Miller was still taking in the incredible sight while his partner, Steven, uncovered more of the canoe.

Joseph was slowly and absentmindedly circling an area of sand around his house when Amber, one of the girls from his school, quickly ran down the street and practically knocked him over. Amber was a small girl with long blonde hair. She looked like she was about to say something but she just gasped and breathed heavily as she held out a small rock. Joseph was about to walk away when he realized it was damp. They lived in a small town, about 70 miles from Cairo, with no water source for miles. Joseph couldn’t even imagine where Amber might have found the damp rock but when he looked up again, Amber was already sprinting down the road, dodging people, obviously leading to where the small rock was found.

She ran up to Mr. Mason’s house, where a gentle trickle of water ran down the side of the small brick building. Joseph observed the peculiar flow as it silently made its way across the terrain. Joseph suddenly felt a strong urge to follow the small stream. He didn’t care what Amber was going to do but he had to know where it led to.

As soon as Joseph started moving, Amber dashed up behind him with a sudden burst of speed. The stream went much farther than either child imagined. It maneuvered all around town and in one section it actually went underground but it resurfaced quickly. It led them to a patch of sand, where it seemed like it might go underground again. Joseph looked around to find that the stream had led them to the archeological dig.

While Amber was examining the patch of sand, Joseph stumbled over to Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller was talking to his partner, Steven, when he noticed Joseph staring at the red canoe they had found.

“We dug that up yesterday,” explained Dr. Miller.

“There’s some plates over there too,” added Steven

“We think there might have been a civilization out there due to our discoveries,” exclaimed Steven.

Joseph slowly made his way over to the plates and cups with flowery borders.

“Where do you think the civilization was?” asked Amber, who had snuck up behind Dr. Miller.

“We think it might be about a quarter mile west from here.”

Joseph and Amber nodded in synchronized movements.

“Joseph, look the water’s back!”, shouted Amber.

Joseph looked to his right and sure enough the stream was curving around Amber’s feet heading out toward the desert. They followed the water for about an hour when, again, it ended at a large pointed rock.

Joseph had started to head home when Amber yelled at him, “It’s not a rock, it’s a roof!”

“What?”, exclaimed Joseph.

Amber had already started digging at the pointed roof. She soon uncovered the rest of the roof, revealing shingles and gutters. When they got done with that they worked on an odd indent in the sand which turned out to be a yard to the house. Hours passed and they realized Dr. Miller was right; there was a town out here.

“Wait, where did the town get their water in the desert?”, asked Amber.

“The stream,” exclaimed Joseph.

When they finally walked back it was 5:00, they had spent 7 hours out there. As soon as Joseph got home he fell right asleep with the stone in his pocket.