GusLey Short Story Collections

Real Treasure

One silent evening in Los Pecados, a lone man was sitting in his office looking at the bright moon lighting up the night sky. His name was Fredrinn, a man who appraises treasure more than anything else.
After his closest friend's disappearance on that one unfaithful day, he spent most of his time searching for him, Fray.
"It's been some time and still, I haven't found you." The sadness and regret can be seen in the man's face.
Until, a crow flew into his window and landed on his table, carrying a letter tied on its feet. With Fredrinn's curiosity, he took the letter from the bird, and that instant moment, the crow flew away.
Upon opening the letter, Fredrinn found a map with words written on it, saying: 'Follow this map, and a great amount of treasure awaits you.'
The man felt a sudden urge to go, as if like his lifeless body was awakened. "I must go there!"
The next morning, Fredrinn set off to travel where the map leads him. From Los Pecados, it was a tough journey. He had to cross dangerous rivers, climb stiff mountains, and face deadly creatures.
Finally, he reached the abyss. He sat in the nearby rock wondering why the map led him there. But seconds after, the compass on his pocket resonated with the abyss. Fredrinn took out the compass.
"What're you trying to say?" He asked as he stood and looked at the distance where the compass was pointing. "Fray?"
Fredrinn hurriedly ran down the abyss, disregarding the danger he might face. He didn't think of how dangerous it was to enter the abyss where demons and creatures of the dark lurk.
He was somehow excited, and glad. His lost friend might be in there, in the dark, alone and hopeless.
But the realization struck when Fredrinn was in the middle of darkness, nowhere. He had lost his way out, he couldn't go back anymore. He had no choice but to continue walking, with no rest. From monsters to demons, they just kept on appearing.
"Is there no end for this?" He gasped and hid in a nearby cave. "I shouldn't have let my eagerness to find Fray get the best of me! Now I'm stuck and will die without fulfilling my promise of finding him."
The man just lost his hope. After defeating numbers of monsters, he was left exhausted. He had lost his consciousness and fell asleep in the cave where he ran into.
...
Fredrinn was awakened by the movement on his feet. It was the same crow that brought him the letter. When he was awake enough, the crow started flying outside, circling as if like it wanted Fredrinn to follow it. And so he did.
The crow flew fast as it also tried to avoid the enemies on their way. Fredrinn just had enough rest to keep up with his guide. Until, the crow brought him to an old tavern in the middle of the forest.
Then, someone opened the door. It was a woman with a long, red, silky hair. She raised her wrist and the crow landed there, gracefully.
"Seems like my little friend brought a visitor!" She said in a cunning voice.
"You are, Lesley Vance?" Fredrinn asked as he walked towards the woman.
"Fred...rinn?" The woman was surprised to see an old friend. "It's been a long time! The last one was when I saw you running away from the castle. I thought you were dead!"
"Time sure flies! You're now a grownup woman." Fredrinn walked towards Lesley to give her hand a kiss as a greeting.
But he was stopped with a dagger flashing from a distance.
"You may kiss my daggers first before you could touch her!" A man who's obviously jealous came towards the two.
"No need to be so jealous, young man. She's my younger sister!" Fredrinn explained.
Lesley chuckled while Gusion was left baffled. "I am his adopted sister, Gusion!"
"It's hard to have a jealous man around." Fredrinn warned and smirked. "Setting aside this unexpected reunion, did you send that letter to me?"
Lesley's smile disappeared. "Yes, but we didn't intend to send it to you. We are trapped here in the abyss and this is the only safe place where demons and abyssal creatures cannot touch us. This tavern is somehow protected by a strange magic, concealing it from the demon's sight. We used the crow as a messenger to send a message asking for help to whoever receives the letter."
"But why does it say, treasure?" Fredrinn exclaimed.
"We've sent multiple letters before that, saying we're trapped in the abyss and we needed help!" Gusion interrupted. "But no one seems to care. Entering the abyss is like a suicide, nobody dares."
"And I'm the unlucky one to be lured here." Fredrinn sighed.
"I'm sorry, Fredrinn. But with you here, I know we can figure out a way to escape this place." Lesley's hope somehow blossomed.
"But what about the treasure?" The exhausted man complained.
"It's not about the mountains of gold, or the expensive jewelries. It's about the journey. That's the real treasure." Gusion responded.
"I ain't no kid!" Fredrinn replied. "No treasure and now I'm trapped!"
"Fredrinn, please. We need your help." Lesley begged. "Just this time!"
Fredrinn took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll set aside my promise first and help you get out of here!" He declared.
When everything was settled, they entered the tavern to rest for the night. Upon entering, the compass on Fredrinn's pocket strongly resonated.
"The compass!" He immediately took it from his pocket. "Fray!? He's just near!"
Fredrinn searched the tavern and there, in the kitchen, he found what he was looking for. "I found him, I found it. The real treasure is friendship!"
"Oh, the new guy?" Lesley interrupted. "He appeared in the dark forest several weeks ago and we came to his rescue."
"Fray's our new dishwasher now! So good at cleaning the plates and mugs." Gusion barged in.
"He's your new what..?"

-The End-