The Telltale of the Unseen Who Sees

His body ached. Dust was still settling. The battle had been somewhat fierce. They had to chase whoever wasn’t dead.

As Alistar sat to eat his bread and drink water, the sun smoldered intensely. He broke bread, wiped sweat from his brow, and wondered. Underneath some stubble there lie a black book. He picked it up. The pages were aged and some water damaged. There were words in a native language he could not decipher.

He came to the middle pages of the book and drawn across the binding was a map of a temple. He was able to read the letters in red, “Treasures of Ba’al.” Treasure? Of course he knew there’d be treasure somewhere in the city, but this looked like it might be hidden.

He slowly stood up, patted his clothes, and wandered around. Everyone seemed to be concerned with other things, so he didn’t talk to anyone. There were more people at the temple than he had anticipated. Maybe it was good. He could be more discreet.

Not much of the temple stood standing, so he began to circle the book in a way he could imagine everything correctly. He walked around lifting rubble up, climbing over rocks, and standing on ruins of pillars.

Still, he could not make out the map. The sun set. Darkness came quickly. The torches would draw too much attention. He’d wait until morning.

When he awoke, his wife greeted him with a sigh, thankful they were free. She touched his lips, kissed his forehead, and went to make breakfast.

The little black book stared into Alistar’s soul. There seemed to be a mesmerizing power from its pages. He ripped out some of the pages that were blank. He began to draw from memory the temple ruins.

“Come eat,” his wife sweetly called. Flustered, he quickly jammed the pages he drew into the book and hid it under the rug.

“What’s on the list today?” she asked.

“More collecting, I suppose.” He responded nonchalantly. “I will be out past dark tonight. I think there is more plunder than we expected.”

With that, he finished, kissed his wife, and went back in to retrieve the book.

He had done better than he thought. The ruins and the map were coming together in his imagination. Like pieces of a puzzle, he gained momentum and he was right. He stayed there well past dark.

A night guard asked him what he was doing. Alistar mentioned the general asked him to look for a specific jewel. The guard was satisfied.

Alistar was so engrossed in the contents of the pages, he didn’t realize he hadn’t brought his light. In a strange way, the pages had illuminated themselves. But he had to see how to move the rock from the entrance.

He had no idea of the time, but he felt he wasn’t too far off from the treasure. He pulled a pin inserted into the wall. The string let down a rock and another rock rolled away. He crawled into a tunnel just big enough for a man to get through.

From the beginning of the tunnel he could see the gold. It seemed to glisten brightly and Alistar moved faster.

There was $20,000 of gold coins in a box. Alistar stood carefully. He scooped his hand through the gold over and over making sure it was real.

He tossed the black book into the box and made his way back.

What if someone saw him with the box? He paused for a moment. Then he placed the box gently on the ground and pushed it through the passageway.

The sun was just coming up and the guards were changing shifts. He could not believe his good fortune. Between the changing, he rushed out of the temple.

He decided to hide the box beneath his home for the time being. Later on when they moved, he’d hide it among his things so he wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

“Good morning,” his wife called out to him. “I made breakfast when you’re ready.”

Days passed. He still could not believe no one had come to his door or asked him anything. Every morning he would grab the black book and re-imagine how he found the treasure. Soon, he began to add to the blank pages things he would do with money. How he would make more money. How he would get everything he dreamed since he was boy.

He filled the sheets. As he did, thoughts of being caught dissipated.

Two weeks went by. The last sheet stared blankly at Alistar. There was an ominous illumination coming from its stained surface. The stained almost resembled blood. He closed the book hastily. He was overthinking.

Suddenly a trumpet sounded. There was thunderous march. Alistar rushed to the front of his home. They were coming towards him.

His wife stood behind him.

“What is the meaning of this?!” She cried.

The general stared into the Alistar’s eyes as if to read his soul. Alistar hardened. He had done nothing wrong.

“What have you done?” the general asked.

“I have done nothing. I’ve been faithful to do my duty.”

“Search his house!” the general commanded.

Alistar froze. His wife hugged him from behind, quietly sobbing.

“I found a black book!” someone shouted.

“Bring it here,” the general said. The black book was rushed into the general’s hands. He flipped through the pages.

Alistar screamed within himself. The book he idolized for weeks now became his demise. The book that had brought him success, betrayed him. The general came to the last page. He sighed heavily.

“The Unseen has seen,” the general whispered. “Your greed is documented. What is your plea?”

“I have none,” Alistar stood upright.

“Where is the gold?”

“You’ll have to find it.

“Take him and all those who live with him out to the desert,” the general called to his men.

Alistar wouldn’t budge. His wife began to weep loudly, frantically crying out for mercy, still unaware of the crime, but sure she wouldn’t see tomorrow.