The Gold of the Marinette (Non-Edited)

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An Original Story written by Dennis Berney 2010 (Non-Edited)

The Gold of the Marinette

The warm Caribbean sun filtering down through the beach umbrella felt like heaven to Ben. He opened his eyes just a little and looked at Vespa not more than a few yards away, standing in the beautiful blue water of the Gulf of Mexico.

"She looked like a post card, the kind the hotel sells to tourist" he was thinking.

"This is the life" as he took another long slow sip off his cold umbrella covered drink and closed his eyes and started to think back on the Christmas that just passed and all his friends back home.

"What a great Christmas gift...2 weeks in the Caribbeans...AHHH... This is the life" Ben said to himself.

It was just a little past noon and a light warn breeze was careering the smell of lunch cooking at the hotels beach front restarurant. "Lobster...I Love Lobster" Ben was thinking.

Just then Vespa hurriedly rolled up kicking sand all over Ben in the process.

"LOOK WHAT FOUND IN THE WATER" she said loudly to the now sand covered Ben.

Ben opened his eyes to look....and there stuck in Vespa's front wheel tread was a shinny gold coin shimmering in the sunlight. Little droplets of water dancing on it's shinny surface.

"WOW, Vespa you found a gold doubloon" said Ben.

"Where did you find it" Ben asked?

"Right out there in the water...Not more then a foot down" Vespa exclamed!

The other bikes and scooters on the beach started to take notice of the excitment taking place and started rolling over to see what was going on.

It wasn't long before everyone was in the water looking for gold coins.

"Let's get some lunch first and then look for more gold...OK" ask Ben?

Vespa looked at the coin, she wanted to run back out into the water with the others.

"OK...Let's have lunch and then find more gold" Vespa smiled back at Ben.

"Look at at it this way the restarurant is now empty" said Ben with a smile on his face.

Just then a couple of restarurant waiters quickly rolled by them and jumped in the water.

"The word must be speading fast" said Ben looking at Vespa.

"Let's shower off with some freah water first" said Vespa. The shower water was cool and refreshing and it felt good to get all that salt water off them.

Ben and Vespa rolled into the beach front restarurant and quickly found a table looking out at the now crowded beach.

Vespa placed the gold coin on the table in front of her.

A waiter rolled over to take their order. When he got to the table he looked at the gold coin.

"Are you the folks that found the coin" the waiter asked? "Can I look at it".

Vespa nodded and the waiter picked it up and looked at it.

"Looks like it might have come from the Marinette" The waiter put the coin back on the table.

"What's the Marinette" asked Ben.

"A sunken pirate ship" said the waiter. "Supposidly sank here, just off the coast in 1724...I think" he added.

"That's a great find...keep it safe" the waiter said "What would you like for lunch today, our lunch special is lobster"

"Two lobster lunch specials, you got" the waiter turned to go to the kitchen with the food order.

He soon returned with two, huge lobsters. "Any thing else" the waiter asked?

"Yes..where can we find out more about the Marinette" Ben asked.

The waiter looked at Ben and said "Captian John...He's our local history expert and he's just down the street form here".

After lunch Vespa and Ben headed over to meet Captain John.


(c) DennisB 2010

"Vespa... what did the voice say to you". Asked Ben as he held up the torch so he could see her face.

"The voice told me to go to the other tunnel and to come see. I was standing in front of the right tunnel when I heard the voice". Vespa added.

"OK....That's what the map and coin is showing us also". Said Ben.

The three started down the left tunnel with Ben in the lead and then Vespa and then Sally in the back of the line.

The air was starting to get hot and humid after a few minutes of travel and a red glow was starting to show it's self further down the dark tunnel.

Ben stopped and looked back at the faces of his companions with the torch light. "Can any one else fell that change"? Asked Ben.

"It's getting hotter and alot more humid, I'm starting to feel like the lunch special at the hotel". The others nodded and they moved on.

They soon found themselves entering a much larger cave and the tunnel floor they were on, turned into a narrow foot path running down the right wall.

Ben looked over the edge of the foot path and what he saw scared him. Not more that 35 feet down was a boiling caldron of bubbling hot, sulfur water super heated by the islands volcanic core.

Vespa looked over the edge as she slowly move down the path and remarked how it looked like what hell is supposed to look like.

The wall next to the path was to hot to touch and covered with quarts deposits, Vespa took a big sample and put it in her glove box to look at later.

"We need to move through here quickly". Said Ben as he looked back at the others.

Soon they were out of the hot volcanic cave and in a cool tunnel once more.

"We need to look at the map before going on and take a break". Said Sally.

All agreed.


(c) DennisB 2010

Mister Smith rolled over to the waterfall, just then he felt the trap, pressure plate with his front tire. He truned and looked at Doctor LaMain befind him.

"GO ON NOW" said the Doctor pointing the gun at him.

Mister Smith moved slowly and cautionsly toward the water falling infront of him.

He finally put his front fairing through the water and to his surprise was a tunnel.

For just a moment he was alone. He looked around quikly for the trap that didn't spring, thinking this might be a only chance he might get.

He looked up...and there in the dim light he saw the trap release and started to reach for it.

"If you touch it, I will shoot you right where you stand". Came the evil voice from behind him and he turned to look. There was the Doctor holding the gun. Just emerging from the waterfall.

"You see...I felt the trap release also... NOW LETS GET GOING" Then the Doctors voice started to calm a bit.

"You may have more chances later...Or...I just might shoot you NOW!" The Doctor smiled.

Mister Smith turned and started to make his way down the tunnel with the murder, Doctor LaMain behind him.


(c) DennisB 2010

As Mister Smith slowly and quitly rolled down the tunnel, his mined started to wonder back to the time when he first arrived on the island. He was invited to a big party in his honor at the hotel. "What a party that was" he thought to himself.

All the important island bike's and scooters were there, including this little so and so that now had a gun pointed at him. That's when he met Captain John, Detective Sally, and of course, the Doctor.

"I just wish I knew then, what I know now" Mister Smith told himself as he went along in the dark.

They soon arrived at the where the tunnel split into two.

Mister Smith looked back at the Doctor. "Well...Which way do you want to go?"

"Let's try the right tunnel first. If it looks like a trap then I can always turn around and try the left tunnel."

"Go on now...The right tunnel...IF YOU PLEASE." said the Doctor in a mean voice.

Mister Smith started for the right tunnel with the Doctor not far behind him.

They rolled for a few minutes and found themselves on a narrow foot path on the left side of what looked like a larger tunnel.

Half way through... "O' GOD!" Were Mister Smiths last words. He rolled onto a well hidden trap door and plummeted straight down 40 feet to a floor carpeted with sharped steel spikes.

The small cave filled instantly with dust and then fell silent.

The Doctor froze in place and then moved slowly to the trap doors edge and looked down into the pit. He waited a few more seconds for the rest of the dust to settle down and brought the torch over the opening and looked down into the pit.

There at the bottom, in the dim torch light was Mister Smith. Seven spikes had pierced his body and he looked lifeless.

"Sleep well my old friend...and thank you for giving your life on this tresure quest."

The dark shadowy, hooded, figure of the Doctor LaMain then turned and went quickly back through the dark tunnel and soon found the left tunnel where he quietly entered.


(c) DennisB 2010

"The time has come, your almost done, you can proceed forward or turn and run". Ben looked up from the map and looked at Vespa and Sally.

"There's more" said Sally and she started to read more from the map.

"Each hour that passes and the sun is full height, it will show you the way if you get it just right. May your heading be true."

"This is May...Let's go" Ben said and then folded the map and handed it to Vespa.

They followed the tunnel and soon rolled into a large cave with no exits. The smallest sounds they made echoed throughout the cave as they entered.

In the center of the cave floor was a large volcanic, black rock about a meter tall and it had a flat top covered in a thick layer the cave moss.

"Stay here". Ben whispered to the others and then rolled over to the rock and cleared the moss from it's top.

Engraved into the rocks flat top was 12 small carved indentations, the size of the gold coin, and outside this circle was the carved points of a compass, "N" or North carved at one point.

Ben looked up at the cave ceiling with the help of the torch light and noticed an old iron hook and next to that a carved hole that had long strand moss hanging inside of it. Water dripped down from the moss strands and landed next to the large flat topped rock. Each drop of water made an errie sound as it hit the well weathered cave floor and echoed throughout the cave.

Over next to the cave wall was an old Iron round bar about 8 feet long.

"Vespa..Do you still have that old compass that you had stuck to your windshield?" Ben asked.

Vespa opened her glove box and produced a small ball compass with a suction cup on the end and held it up.

"Sally...I'm going to need the climbing rope you carry?" Said Ben.

Sally opened her truck and took out the rope.

Ben rolled over to Sally and asked if she would tie a slip noose in one end of the rope and then with the rope, he went back out to the center of the cave, next to the flat top rock.

"OK..When I get up there you need to hand me that iron rod so I can clean out the ceiling hole."

Ben rolled back to the center of the cave and climbed on top of the flat rock and tossed the noose over the iron hook and pulled on it and then he climbed up.

"Sally, hand me the rod." Sally rolled over and picked up the rod and brought it over to Ben.

"Here you go" As she lifted it to him.

Ben took the rod and poked it through the moss filled hole as far as he could and then removed it. Strands of moss, water and rock fell and landed on the cave floor below.

A brillant, amost blinding, shaft of sunlight pierced through the ceiling hole and landed next to the flat rock below.

Ben dropped the iron rod back down to Sally waiting below and then carefully climbed down to the cave floor.

Doctor LaMain, surprised by the bright light, moved quicky and quietly back further in the tunnel to hide his presents and continued to watch from the shadows.


(c) DennisB 2010

"OK now... Vespa we need the compass." Ben asked.

Vespa rolled over to Ben and handed him the little compass.

Ben placed the compass on the center of the flat cave stone and looked to see where magnetic North would be. Sally moved closer to the compass to look and the compass followed her. Sally was still holding the iron rod.

"Sally...the rod is a little magnetized. Can you take it down the tunnel a few feet so we can get a true north reading." asked Ben.

Doctor Main pulled his dark hooded cloak closer around himself and quietly backed up down the tunnel and melted into the shadows of the wall.

Sally went down the tunnel with the bar, a few feet. "OK... Give it a try!" The words ecohed through the cave.

Ben leaned over the compass and looked again..."YES...there it is!"

Ben picked up a small, straight wooden stick from the cave floor and placed it in the direction of north and removed the compass form the stone.

"OK." Ben said as he smiled at Vespa standing next to the tunnel.

Sally brought the iron rod back into the cave.

Ben carefully looked down the wooden stick and asked Vespa to take the torch and go to the cave wall where he was looking, and see is she could find a marker of some kind.

Vespa rolled to the wall location and held out the torch to look at the wall.

"YES! YES! Here it is." Vespa's voice echoed through the great cave.

A very thin line carved in to the cave wall with a small "GB" under it.

"OK...Sally, we need the bar now."

Ben started to look at the flat stone in the center of the cave. There it was....A hole carved right through the rock about half way up, paralle to the floor.

"If you would be so kind to run the rod through the stone so we can turn it in the correct direction." Ben asked.

"Ben, have you ever thought about being a police detective. We need someone like you on the payroll." Sally said as she rolled over to the stone with the bar.

She ran the bar into the hole carved into the center stone. The bar clanged as it went through the stone.

"OK...Now we need to turn the stone so the north mark, here on the stone, lines up with the mark on the wall...about 60 degrees...We need to turn it counterclock wise." said Ben

Ben and Sally started to turn the great center stone.

A loud gratting stone on stone sound filled the cave as the stone moved.

"Lets take a look." Ben looked. "Just a little more."

They pushed a little more....Just then there was a mechanical sound under Ben and the floor stone he was standing on gave way.

Ben grabbed onto the bar and held on for dear life. Sally and Vespa quickly rooled over to Ben and helped him up and out of the floor trap.

Ben stood there by the trap and shivered for a moment. Vespa held the torch over the trap. All looked down into the death pit.

"Spikes....I hate spikes. I need to slow down... I should have seen that one coming." Ben said as he looked down into the pit.

Doctor LaMain smiled and moved back into the shadows. "I like spikes." He said to himself.


(c) DennisB 2010

"What was that?" Vespa asked, suddenly looking up from the pit of spikes.

"Vespa, did you hear something?" Asked Sally.

"Yes...It sounded like a quite little voice." Vespa replied. "O'well."

"OK now, let's move forward." Ben replied.

The shaft of brilliant sun light coming from the hole in the ceiling was almost on the top surface of the center stone.

"Vespa...The coin, please." Vespa reached into her glove box and withdrew the gold coin.

Vespa looked at the coin for a moment and handed it to Ben. "I was just wondering, which side of the coin goes up?" She asked.

"Vespa, the map please." asked Sally...And she read from the map.

"Each hour that passes and the sun is full height, it will show you the way if you get it just right. May your heading be true." The words echoed through the cave.

"I think I under stand." Said Ben.

Ben rolled over to the center stone and placed the coin heads-up at the 12 O'clock position to north. "May your heading be true....Captain Gray Beard." Ben whispered as he backed away from the stone and joined the others next to the tunnel.

Minutes past slowly and the beam of light traveled across the flat top of the center stone at a snails pace.

The three friends waited in silence...Watching... Each one reliving the events leading up to this moment.

Finally...In a flash of light that filled the cave and almost blinded the four on lookers..A single beam of gold light bounced off the coins surface and struck a patch of cave moss on the caves ceiling and stopped.

"Wait...This can't be." said Vespa.

With one fluied motion Vespa raced across the cave floor and jumped onto the rope hanging from the ceiling and climed up to the hook. She reached over to where the beam of light was hitting and cleared the moss away.

The beam of light struck a small piece of volcanic glass imbedded in the ceiling and the shaft of light continued on it's way to a location onto the caves floor.

Ben and Sally quickly rolled over to where the light beam had landed on the floor. Ben brushed away three hundred years of debris and a small hole in the stone floor was discovered.

Vespa started down the rope to join the others when the haunting voice was heard in her mined once more. "Vespa...Come see...But beware of the hidden one."

She stopped half way down the rope and looked around the cave. She placed her rear view mirror in the beam of light coming from the hole in the ceiling and quickly flashed it around the cave.

The beam of light caught movment in the tunnel.

There...Hidden behind his dark cloak, stood the hideous form of Doctor LaMain.


(c) DennisB 2010

"Doctor LaMain." The words fell out of Vespa's mouth and echoed through the cave.

The Doctor produced a wooden torch from under his cloak and lit it with a cigarette lighter and rolled slowly into the cave.

Vespa slipped down the rope hanging from the ceiling and almost fell into the spike trap next to the center stone.

"Be careful young lady...You traveled way to far to end up in THAT trap." The Doctors words seamed like a warning to Vespa.

Ben and Sally stood there motionless, watching as the hooded figure entered the cave.

"Well, Well, Now what do we have here? Still looking for escaped convicts...Are we Detective." The Doctors words hissed like a snake.

"The gold the Marinette draws us all to this place....and time." The Doctor stood there with a smile on his old face.

Vespa moved slowly over to Ben and Sally.

"Well you caught us in a lie, Doctor." Sally spoke up. "We came here to discover the gold...My Families gold."

The Doctor spoke. "Lies...Yes, But I have a deal for you and it would be a good thing for you to consider at this point in time...OR... I'll kick you and your friends off my little island RIGHT NOW."

Ben, Vespa, and Sally looked at each other for a moment and then nodded. "OK, what's the deal?"

"50/50 is what I'm thinking and don't take all day to think about it." said the Doctor.

Again the three scooters looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Very good...I'll just stay out of the way for now... Let me know if I can help you in any way." The Doctor added.

"By the way young man...You are brilliant! You really should consider being a member of our police department." And then the Doctor smiled at Ben.


(c) DennisB 2010

Captain John's eyes opened just a little to see the Doctors dark cloak go through the waterfall and disappeared from view before he passed out.

"Dam it...I should have never handed him my loaded gun...What a fool I feel like."

He raised himself from the pool and looked at the bullet holes he now had.

"I must be the luckiest bike this side of Timbuktu. One hit my frame and my air cleaner...Wow that was close. No gas or oil leaks and my tires are good."

"OK, two can play this game." he said to himself as he rolled to the waterfall. He felt the trap trigger plate under the water with his front tire and waited for a moment and then went on through.

When he got to the other side he looked for the trap. "Aw...there you are...and what a beauty you are."

Two rusted sword blades tips stiking out of a large slot in the tunnel ceiling. "Let's just work on you a little and see if you can be my friend."

He worked on running a dark heavy string as a trap safety release and ran it out side the waterfall through one of the iron ceiling rings and down. He packed mud over the string to hide it's location.

"Now that should work just fine. If he's behind me with my gun I will just pull the string." Captain John smiled to himself and then quietly rolled down the dark tunnel.


(c) DennisB 2010

Ben and Sally rolled over to the newly discovered hole in the floor.

Vespa stood next to the wall and kept an eye on the Doctor.

"We need the long iron bar once more" said Ben as he rolled over and removed it from the caves center stone.

As he rolled back he looked over at the Doctor standing against the cave wall holding his torch. Just then something caught his eye. There, down the tunnel, a glint of light was being reflected off a moving head light.

Ben placed the bars end into the small hole in the floor and it started to fall through and he caught it. "WOW! Now that was close." His words echoed around the cave.

"Sally...What does the map say, if any thing about what to do next?" Ben asked.

Sally unfolded the map and started to examine it the torch light.

"Here let me add a little more light to this information quest." The Doctor said and started to roll closer to where Sally stood.

"STOP RIGHT THERE DOCTOR...YOU MURDERER!" The voice BOOMED through the cave and all eyes moved to it's source standing in the tunnel enterance.

Captain John...rolled into the cave and pointed at the Doctor.

"I just found the dead body of Mister Smith...And you also tried to kill me at the waterfall."

The Doctor felt the cold steal of the revolver in his cloak pocket and brought back the hammer on the old gun.


(c) DennisB 2010

Sally heard the hammer being cocked on the old revolver that the Doctor had hidden in his cloak pocket and quickly brought out her 9mm.

Doctor LaMain's attention was on the Captain when he started to bring out the revolver.

"Don't even think about it DOCTOR!" Sally's word echoed through the cave.

Just then Doctor LaMain felt Detective Sally's gun barrel being pushed against the back of his headlight.

"OK...I'll give you the gun." Offered the Doctor.

"NO...I'll take the gun...stay very still, Doctor" Said Sally.

Sally reached into the Doctor's cloak and withdrew the old revolver.

"Ben...Come over hear and take this revolver as I read the good Doctor his Rights."

After the Doctor's had his rights read to him by Detective Sally, he was wheel cuffed and placed against the cave wall while Captain John started to tell the story from the day Vespa rolled into his shop.

"....and I just found my friend, Mister Smith, dead, at the bottom of a pit in the other tunnel."

Doctor LaMain just looked at the cave floor as the story was told and did not speek a word. But under his cloak the good Doctor was unlocking the wheel cuffs.

"Ben, give me the gun" Said Sally. Ben handed the old revolver over to Sally and she unloaded it and placed it in her storage compartment.

"Well this changes things...now we have a murder and attempted murder to consider in this crazy treasure hunt." Said Sally.

Sally looked over at Ben. "Did you understand the last map reading and what to do next?"

Ben just said "yes" and rolled over to the newly discovered hole in the floor and placed the tip of the bar in the hole...then he let it go.


(c) DennisB 2010

All eyes were fixed on the iron bar as it quickly disappearded down the small hole in the cave floor.

Just then the floor shook where Ben was standing and he jumped to next floor section. As soon as Ben landed and turned around the floor where he was standing gave way and fell from one end creating a ramp down to another room.

The cave filled with dust and the sound of the huge floor stone landing in the room below soon faded away.

All, except for the Doctor, moved to the ramps edge to look down into the newly discovered hidden room. Sally looked back at the Doctor leaning against the cave wall and gave him a stern look.

The two lit torches were brought over and all headlights came on to light up this new abyss.

There...Under three feet of clear water...Were stacked bars of gold. Shinning as bright as the day they were made.

"I'm going down" Said Vespa as she quickly rolled to the ramps edge and started down.

The lure of the gold and the inviting ramp was just another trap. It gave way as soon as Vespa set her tire on it.

Sally being the closest to Vespa, grabbed her rear wheel and also fell into the trap.

The Doctor saw his chance and quickly rolled out the cave and down the tunnel leaving behind the pair of wheel cuffs.

Sally's center stand caught on the stone edge of the opening and prevented her and Vespa from falling any further into the dark.

Ben and the Captain rushed over and grabbed Sally and started to pull her and Vespa up.

Vespa looked down and saw only darkness below her. "Please, please don't let go" Vespa whispered to Sally.

"DON'T MOVE AROUND VESPA" Sally shoughted as her grip on Vespa's rear wheel started to slip.

For a spilt second Sally thought about letting go of Vespa's wheel and saving herself, saying her grip on the wheel slipped....Then...a soft voice came to her like in a dream..."Great Granddaughter...It is not the shinning bars of gold that is the treasure in this life...But the love that you give and the love that you recieve from those souls around you on this voyage through life...That is true tresure...The real gold of the Marinette...Remember this always." And the voice fadded away.

Sally shifted her grip on the wheel and found herself being pulled up by Ben and the Captain.

Soon, Vespa was pulled up and all three friends stood quietly in the cave holding each other for a moment and giving thanks.

Sally glanced over at the wall and the Doctor was gone...


(c) DennisB 2010

Sally rolled over to the wheel cuffs on the floor and picked them up and then turned and looked at the others in the cave.

"I need to go after the Doctor. He is now a wanted fugitive and I need to apprehend him before he gets to fare away from me." Sally paused for a moment then looked at Vespa and Ben standing just a few feet away from her.

"My friends...Now that we know where the treasure is located, we can come back later and retrieve it together...I'm going to need your help in getting the Doctor back into custody."

Sally looked at the Captain. "Captain John, you know this cave system on this island. How do we get back to my boat and my radio?"

"Follow me and I'll get you to your boat. We're not that fare from it." Said the Captain as he started for the tunnel.

They all followed the Captain out of the cave and down the tunnel and soon were at the waterfall. The Captain warned them of the hidden string covered with mud and they moved on through the waterfall trap.

It wasn't long before the tunnel started to look familiar to Vespa and soon pasted the old barrel that fell through the boat house floor. "'O look, It's the paper coin we lost." And she picked it up off the tunnel floor.

They made their way through the tangle of tree roots and spider webs and saw the ramp in the old boat house floor, it was still in the down position.

All four scrambled up the old ramp and out of the boat house and into a beautiful sunny Caribbean afternoon.

"JUST SMELL ALL THAT FRESH AIR!" Ben yelled as he reached the beach.

They soon arrived at Sally's boat and a call was made to the other island for help apprehending the Doctor...

.......

The dark cloaked figure of the Doctor soon emerged form the right leg of the tunnel, where he was hidding and started back toward the gold room.


(c) DennisB 2010

Doctor LaMain entered the cave and rolled over to the entrance to the gold room and looked down into the darkness. He switched on is head light and the reflection off the gold bars almost blinded him.

"Well, well...So this is what's been hiding under my island for all these years. Your mine none...I just need to find a way to get you out." The Doctor thought for a moment.

"I have it...The rope I saw at the waterfall, that would work." The Doctor quickly turned and headed back through the tunnel and soon was standing in the pool of water under the rope.

"This looks to easy." he told himself as he removed the rope from the ceiling hooks, coiled, and placed it over his handlebars.

"The French Riviera will be a nice change for me after all these years spent on this little island." The Doctor thought to him self as he headed back for the gold.

When he got to the cave he ran the rope around center stone and dropped the other end into the gold room and started climbing down.

He found the water in the cave room was ice cold and he shiverd as he submierged himself. "I need to work fast." He told himself.

"It would not be very long before I would start to dumb up so I need to work fast." The Doctor grabbed the first bar of gold, re-surfaced and tossed it up to the cave floor above. When the bar of gold landed it made a loud "CLANGING" sound that echoed in the cave above.

As the minuets rolled by the doctor started to feel exhausted and the ice cold water was starting to numb his extremities to the point of pain.

"One more bar to go." Told himself and submerged for that one last bar of shinny gold.

He grabbed the bar and it would not budge, so he pulled on it with all his remaining strength and then... It finely pulled from it's resting place on the floor.

"CLICK" It was the last trap.

The floor of the gold room fell away. The Doctor quickly reached for the rope...but he was to exhaused and numb to get a good grip.

The Doctor fell into the bottomless pit and as he fell a voice came to him as in a dream. "GREED HAS NO PLACE ABOARD MY SHIP!" and evil Doctor LaMain was gone.

The cave above fell silent....


(c) DennisB 2010

The three additional police officers arrived on the island and a two day search of the home and surrounding jungle turned up nothing, not a trace of Doctor LaMain was found.

On the third day the three extra officers where let go by Detective Sally and they returned to the other island taking with them Captain John.

Sally looked over at Ben and Vespa, standing on the beach next to the end of the wooden pier.

It was a warm, May morning on the island and the ocean water and sky were a beautiful blue.

Sally waved to the small boat as it left and then turned and rolled down the pier to talk with Vespa and Ben. "We need to go back down in the caves and tunnels and look there." she said looking into their faces.

Both Ben and Vespa nodded in responce and started rolling toward the old boat house and soon found themselves entering the large cave room.

The first thing they saw was the pile of gold bars next to the opening in the cave floor and the rope tied around the center stone leading to the opening to the gold room.

"The Doctor must have hidden and then doubled back." said Ben as he rolled over to the opening in the floor and the large pile of gold bars.

The three shined their headlights down in the gold room and saw last gold bar hanging from a small piece of rope that went through the open trap door that was the gold rooms floor.

Sally smiled and said softly "You keep this bar Grandpa Gray Beard, it's yours."

Sally turned to Ben and Vespa "We need to talk about all this."

The three talked and all agreed on what to do with the gold.

Each took a bar home and the rest...well let's just say a year later the old Doctor LaMain house was torn down and the new "Marinette" Children's Cancer Treatment Center was built in it's place.

The cave's center stone stands in it's main lobby, incased in glass with the only surviving gold doubloon from the old pirate ship still sitting on it's top and a large painting of Captain Gray Beard standing at the helm, holding the wheel of the Marinette, is on the lobby wall.

A bar of gold was also given to Captain John and a wing of the new treatment center was named after him. He was very happy with both.

It was a sad day when Vespa and Ben rolled aboard the airplane for the long trip home. Sally had accompanied them to the airport and stood and waved to her new friends as the plane rolled down the runway and then finally, airborne.

The best vacation they ever had, is what Ben and Vespa called this trip. One they will never forget.

O'...I almost forgot...That shinny stone that Vespa found in the cave tunnel...It turned out to be huge diamond that was made into a wedding ring that Vespa wear's to this day.

Yes...Vespa and Ben were married and they both lived happy ever after.

The End.


(c) DennisB 2010

I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank You.

Great job Dennis... I hate to see it end, but all good things do have to come to an end sometime. Thanks for the entertainment.

yes good stuff Dennis,

why not get it published, maybe even a bike/scooter mag might take it on could be a few$$$$$ in it too.

Hi All,

I'm amazed....1300 hits on this story. Happy to hear you like it.

Your a darn good spinner of tales!
Craig