relieved him of the pack on his friend’s back. Hunter stumbled sideways and sat heavily down on the wooded floor.
“Whoa, Dude! Where’d that come from?” Eli asked his friend, still startled.
Hunter looked up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His head was spinning, but he felt a little better. “Man, I don’t know! It was like all of a sudden without warning, you know?”
“You okay now? We can sit down for a minute.” Eli’s head was beginning to pound; he thought they both could use a break.
“Naw, I’m good.” Hunter rose shakily to his feet. “A little hot and kinda woozy but good. Let’s see what that thing is.” He stumbled over to the clump of trees and stooped down to look at the box. It looked like a work box or some kind of tool box, except that it had a bunch of chains with padlocks around it – at least five of them from what Hunter could see. “Whoa! This looks like some kinda secret treasure! This is a job for Shazaam Brothers!” Hunter said with a flourish that he didn’t quite feel.
“I don’t know. Maybe it belongs to the construction crew or something. We should leave it here.” Eli’s head was beginning to affect his mood.
“No way, Eli, this thing is half buried. It doesn’t belong to the guys working on this site. If it did, they’d have it in the rig with them. Don’t cha want to see what’s in there?” Hunter asked. “Who knows how long it’s been buried?” He leaned over and spit out more stomach acid. “Why do people bury things, Eli? To hide them because they’re valuable and they don’t want them to be found. But we found it. Shazaam!” He turned his head to spit again.
Despite Eli’s anxious feeling, he was being sucked into everything that Hunter was saying. What if he was right? Eli’s curiosity was getting the better of him. He looked at the box and said, “It is kinda cool. Makes you wonder why it would have to be locked up like that. Maybe it’s money.” Eli quickly forgot his headache and the fear that initially brought them both out there in the first place. This was a job for Shazaam Brothers, and they both knew it.
Hunter motioned for the pack, and Eli handed it over. He pulled the spade out and started to dig around the buried part of the box. They had to switch off digging a couple of times for Hunter to puke some more, or try to puke, but the digging went quickly. Soon the box was loose enough to be pulled from its grave. Eli reached in and tugged on the box until the remaining earth released it. As he pulled the box to his chest he felt a slight rumble in the ground below his feet.
“Do we have anything to cut these chains with?” Hunter asked as they sat looking it over.
“Sure, we got those wire cutters with that tool kit for Christmas two years ago. That’ll work. If not, we can use a crowbar and our vice to pry apart one of the links. Nothing Shazaam can’t handle!” Eli was pumped now. He was glad that they had returned to the woods. Nothing out there was scary. Although neither of them felt great, Eli’s head really hurt, and Hunter couldn’t stop dry heaving.
They decided to start back with the box. As they were leaving, Hunter turned back toward the bulldozer.
“You know,” he said, “maybe we should take a look inside the cab. Just to make sure it’s empty. I mean, it looks like it from here, but we might as well check.”
“Fine by me, Pukey,” Eli said. “Think you can handle climbing up there?” He shifted the heavy box to his left hand and reached for the backpack with his right.
“Yeah, I’m feeling a little better anyway,” Hunter replied.
Hunter handed off the pack and started toward the Cat. Eli followed and stopped a little distance away. He squinted into the setting sun to see if he could make out anything inside the cab. From his vantage point, there were only shadows within the cab of the Caterpillar. It looked empty.
Hunter climbed up two steps of the rig and had just come
“Whoa, Dude! Where’d that come from?” Eli asked his friend, still startled.
Hunter looked up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His head was spinning, but he felt a little better. “Man, I don’t know! It was like all of a sudden without warning, you know?”
“You okay now? We can sit down for a minute.” Eli’s head was beginning to pound; he thought they both could use a break.
“Naw, I’m good.” Hunter rose shakily to his feet. “A little hot and kinda woozy but good. Let’s see what that thing is.” He stumbled over to the clump of trees and stooped down to look at the box. It looked like a work box or some kind of tool box, except that it had a bunch of chains with padlocks around it – at least five of them from what Hunter could see. “Whoa! This looks like some kinda secret treasure! This is a job for Shazaam Brothers!” Hunter said with a flourish that he didn’t quite feel.
“I don’t know. Maybe it belongs to the construction crew or something. We should leave it here.” Eli’s head was beginning to affect his mood.
“No way, Eli, this thing is half buried. It doesn’t belong to the guys working on this site. If it did, they’d have it in the rig with them. Don’t cha want to see what’s in there?” Hunter asked. “Who knows how long it’s been buried?” He leaned over and spit out more stomach acid. “Why do people bury things, Eli? To hide them because they’re valuable and they don’t want them to be found. But we found it. Shazaam!” He turned his head to spit again.
Despite Eli’s anxious feeling, he was being sucked into everything that Hunter was saying. What if he was right? Eli’s curiosity was getting the better of him. He looked at the box and said, “It is kinda cool. Makes you wonder why it would have to be locked up like that. Maybe it’s money.” Eli quickly forgot his headache and the fear that initially brought them both out there in the first place. This was a job for Shazaam Brothers, and they both knew it.
Hunter motioned for the pack, and Eli handed it over. He pulled the spade out and started to dig around the buried part of the box. They had to switch off digging a couple of times for Hunter to puke some more, or try to puke, but the digging went quickly. Soon the box was loose enough to be pulled from its grave. Eli reached in and tugged on the box until the remaining earth released it. As he pulled the box to his chest he felt a slight rumble in the ground below his feet.
“Do we have anything to cut these chains with?” Hunter asked as they sat looking it over.
“Sure, we got those wire cutters with that tool kit for Christmas two years ago. That’ll work. If not, we can use a crowbar and our vice to pry apart one of the links. Nothing Shazaam can’t handle!” Eli was pumped now. He was glad that they had returned to the woods. Nothing out there was scary. Although neither of them felt great, Eli’s head really hurt, and Hunter couldn’t stop dry heaving.
They decided to start back with the box. As they were leaving, Hunter turned back toward the bulldozer.
“You know,” he said, “maybe we should take a look inside the cab. Just to make sure it’s empty. I mean, it looks like it from here, but we might as well check.”
“Fine by me, Pukey,” Eli said. “Think you can handle climbing up there?” He shifted the heavy box to his left hand and reached for the backpack with his right.
“Yeah, I’m feeling a little better anyway,” Hunter replied.
Hunter handed off the pack and started toward the Cat. Eli followed and stopped a little distance away. He squinted into the setting sun to see if he could make out anything inside the cab. From his vantage point, there were only shadows within the cab of the Caterpillar. It looked empty.
Hunter climbed up two steps of the rig and had just come
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