"Are you sure this is the right spot?" Felix asked, pointing towards the frozen lake. He shivered as the cold wind cut through his thick coat. The sun began to slowly set. He glanced at the seemingly endless horizon of the lake. There was not a single human being in sight for such a treasure spot.
His friend, Cody, nodded confidently. "Sure, this is spot. According to legend and my grandpa's diary, the treasure is buried here. Right underneath the ice."
Felix glanced sceptically at the frozen lake and then at Cody. "Okay, we have journeyed this far. Let's start digging before it gets dark." He took out a small pickaxe from his heavy backpack.
Cody shook his head. "No. Not yet. Before we break through the ice, I have to spray the sacred snow first." He brought out a small white plastic jar from his backpack.
Felix's eyes bulged at the sight of the jar. "Why didn't you tell me about this part?"
Cody scoffed. He knew Felix could not be trusted with the whole ritual of getting the treasure. "It's just this one thing. It will soften the ice so we can pull out the treasure easily."
Felix took a step back as Cody stood in the centre of the frozen lake, opened the jar and sprayed the sacred snow high into the air. As the snow hit the air, it glimmered like tiny fairy dust and glowed before it settled in a circle form around Cody and seeped into the frozen lake.
"That doesn't look safe. What if we fall through?" Felix asked.
"We won't," said Cody, starting to chop away at the ice. "Just trust me."
Felix sighed, joined in striking the ice with his pickaxe. It was slow going, and their hands soon grew numb from the cold. But after a few minutes, they finally heard a loud crack. The ice gave way suddenly and before the young men could make a run for it, they plunged into the freezing water.
The lake was ice cold and pitch black. They popped out their heads, breathing harshly. "Do you see anything?" Felix shouted.
Cody shook his head. "I'm going in with my flashlight. Come on."
The men pulled out their flashlights, inhaled loudly and dove into the water. There, at the bottom of the hole was a small chest, its brass edges gleaming in the beam of light underwater.
"That's it!" Cody pointed. "The treasure!"
Felix smiled and gave his friend a thumbs-up as they both reached for the chest. They held it on either side and began to swim up.
When the young men came out of the lake, they sat on the bank of the lake, shivering and soaking wet. Felix looked around. He saw Cody lying next to him, also soaked but with a huge smile on his face. The chest of treasure sat beside him.
"We did it!" cried Cody. "We found the treasure!"
Felix was filled with a sudden sense of foreboding. He slowly reached for the chest, and as he opened it, he gasped in horror. Cody's eyes widened in shock.
Instead of the gold and jewels they had expected, the chest was filled with nothing but ice that looked like crystals of different shapes. Then the ice began to melt. Felix realised they had been tricked. The supposed treasure was nothing but a cruel joke.
The two young men stared at each other for a long moment as the sun went down and the sky became dark.
Cody, delirious from the cold, started to laugh. It grew louder as he saw Felix's horrified expression. Felix glared at him, his anger growing by the second. "You knew this was a fake all along, didn't you?" he accused.
"What? No!" Cody responded amidst laughter, rolling on the bank of the lake.
Felix stood up, feeling betrayed. "You'll pay for this," he threatened, pointing a finger at his laughing friend. "I'll never forgive this betrayal." He grabbed his backpack and walked away into the night.
After a while, Cody stopped laughing and slowly stood. His heart was engulfed in sadness as he remembered the debts he owed and how he had let down his friend. He believed in the legend and the stories of his grandpa. Were they all lies?
Just then he noticed the frozen lake was glowing and the source of the light came from behind him. He gasped and turned quickly.
The ice had melted, leaving behind bright, gleaming pieces of gold, silver, and jewellery. The crystal-like ice was but a camouflage.
What I See
I see a man standing on a frozen lake. The lake is covered with snow all over with small grasses sprouting which is strange, I think. The man sprays some white substance into the air which I assume is snow. There are hills around the frozen lake and the sun is slowly setting.
What I Feel
The serene and calm nature of this image evokes the feeling of joy by the way the man throws the snow in the air.
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