By the time they got in the lobby Eridani had already passed the front desk and was barking orders to the group under her supervision. Nimma smiled at the sight.

"Hello Selmmie. Who's your friend?" The female desk clerk smiled.

"This is Nimma. Nimma this is Sue Ascella." Selmmie and Sue made small talk as Nimma admired a bouquet of flowers on the front desk. The card read that it was a thank you from the local Phoenix Girl troupe for helping them earn their rock climbing merit badges. Yellow roses, blue seed flowers, and tiny pink bell flowers, they made a wonderful picture and did a lot to brighten the dark colored interior of the building.   

"Selmmie!" An enthusiastic male voice called.

"Hi Grant." Selmmie's eyes brightened as a tall man with purple hair approached them. Of all the hair colors one could have purple was the rarest naturally occurring. His hair was natural no dye could quite capture the deep rich color that sat atop his head. He had bright green eyes which popped with the darkness of his clothes.     

"I think your daughter is trying to put the fear of God in those kids." Grant smirked.

"She gets that from her Aunt." Selmmie jerked her head in Nimma's direction. Grant turned his head as if noticing Selmmie wasn't alone for the first time. Given the goo-goo eyes he and Selmmie were making at each other that was probably true.  

"I'm Grant Vega."

"Nimma Rigel." As usual with people familiar with their town history Grant did a double take at her last name. Seeing that his name was Vega she shouldn't have been surprised. Most, but not all, of all the islanders that founded Star City were named for stars and many of their descendants never moved away. It was a Myrasian tradition and the highest percentage of islanders named for the heavens lived in Star City.

"As in...?"

"I'm a descendant of hers, yeah."

"Oh I see. Interesting. Selmmie told me you wanted to speak with me about something?"   

"Yes, do you have an office we could use?"  

"Right this way."

"Good luck, Bright Eyes," Selmmie called.

Grant led Nimma to the upper level of the building where the offices looked down on the climbing floor. His office was very impersonal. There were no pictures of family or any other personal effects one would expect in someone so friendly.                

"You're a friend of Selmmie?" he asked as they took a seat.

"Our parents were close so we grew up together. Even though she's five years older than me we've always been good friends."    

"I only know her through my work here. Eridani is one of the best in Junior Climbers. You must be the Aunt she complains about making her do push-ups."   

"Only when she misbehaves."

"It's a bit unusual for me to have meetings with clients like this until they've booked something with us but for Selmmie, well..." his cheeks darkened a little.     

"I understand. Thank you for this. I'll get straight to it. I need to go to Shadow Cat Canyon but the Rangers won't have anyone available for months. I need to start on Morik 19. I talked to a man called Ranger Jacobs. He said if you would agree to be my guide that's the only way I can do this that soon." Nimma slid over the paperwork she'd filed for the permit. Grant leaned back in his chair an expression that was hard to read crossed his face. Grant grabbed a pair of glasses from his desk and went through everything.
    
    "You filled out the special weapons section."      

"I rarely go anywhere unarmed. I'm former Special Forces and have licenses for all my guns."

"Guns aren't allowed in this building."

"I know. I left them at home."

"I'll take your word for it instead of frisking you. You're writing a book about our ancestors and the mountains?" Grant peered at her intensely over his glasses.

"Yes."

Grant took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "I grew up in a family of liars and if that experience taught me anything it's to notice when I'm being lied to. You Nimma Rigel are lying."

A pregnant silence filled the small office. Grant drummed his fingers across the desk waiting for an answer.

"Yes. I can't put the real reason I need to go up there on the paperwork because the permit would never be approved."  

Grant raised a single eyebrow. No matter how much she practiced that was a skill Nimma had never managed to learn. Nimma's hands began to shake lightly but she clasped them together in her lap so it was barely noticeable. If Grant saw he said nothing of it.

"Make no mistake. Even with a guide going into those mountains is risking your life. I have a daughter and if you want me to take time off work and away from her, I need to know the real reason even if the Rangers don't."

    Nimma chewed the inside of her lip. It was a very reasonable request. Slowly she reached into her jacket pocket and brought out the small old book that had complicated her life.  

"I found this recently among my late aunt's things. It's a journal written by Regina. There's a poem inside that points to where she buried her treasure."

Grant huffed. "Everything she stole from the Towers? People have been looking for it for years and never found anything. In fact the large amount of treasure hunters that went up those mountains and never came down was one of the reasons Rangers pushed so hard for travel to be restricted. Florence Rizzoli, Dean Masters, Caleb Randle, they were some of the best survivalists of their generations and they were never seen again," Grant said skeptically.

"Yes. I recognize that. None of those people had this. It's written by Regina. I confirmed it. It's the best lead anyone's ever had."

"What would you do with the money?" Grant asked. "If there's even anything there; for all we know Regina could have left that as a false trail."     

"I want to open a floristry. It would be my way to make this town beautiful again even if it's only a small thing. The Towers think they own everything and they've ravaged so much of this area's natural beauty. How long will it be before they petition to have the name of our town changed to Towersville? Regina wanted this town to be better than what they were making it into. This is her way of helping make that a reality."        

"I admit I don't want to see the Towers have total dominance here. I don't see how opening a floristry is going to stop them from whatever they have planned." Grant sighed. "In your paperwork you said you'd be testing an unknown route to get to the canyon. Are you actually planning to be anywhere near that canyon? That's where I spent the majority of my career when I was a Ranger." Grant rubbed the side of his head as if a headache was coming on.

"Yes. The poem in the book points to a clue being there. Look if you agree to take me up there I'll make a deal with you. If this poem leads us to Shadow Cat Canyon or spits us out near it, we go on. If not we turn back. I won't complain or try to convince you to continue. I will follow you down the mountains."      

"And find a way back up when no one is looking?" Grant asked with a strange tone. "The treasure fever bug isn't something that's easily shaken off."                   

Nimma was shocked he could tell that just by looking at her. She'd meant what she said. If the poem didn't lead them where she was expecting she would go back down the mountains. Her mind was already forming a way she might get back there on her own. Her silence was taken as a yes by Grant.

"Miss Rigel-"

"Call me Nimma."            

"Nimma. I understand this is a personal quest for you. How could it not be with Regina being your many times great-grandmother? What are you going to do if there's nothing to find up there?"

She shrugged. "I don't believe that's true. I know it's up there." Nimma paused wondering if she should reveal what besides the poem made her so sure. She hadn't even told Selmmie yet and that felt like a burning mistake deep down in her soul.  Looking into Grant's eyes she made the decision to trust him fully.                                 

"Mr. Vega-"

"Grant."

"Grant. Regina didn't die in 1824. The last entry she made in this book is on Oalm 31, 1894. Oalm 31 was her birthday and on that date in 1894 it puts her at ninety–eight. There would have been plenty of time for her to hide everything there."      

"You're joking."                    

She shook her head and flipped to the last entry. She handed the fragile book over and watched as Grant's eyes widened and mouth dropped much like Nimma imagined hers had at the revelation.

"You're positive this is genuine?"

"Absolutely." 

"Are you willing to show me the poem you believe will lead us in the right direction? I won't repeat it to anyone you have my word."

"Right." Nimma took the book and turned to the page that read...
Craggy rocks and hollow wind
Over under 'cross the bend
Land that's dot with many caves
Fills the mount like twisting maze
Stony arch and solstice sun
Points the path on which you'll run
Jagged rock and ancient stone
Pass betwixt two cliffs to roam
Sweeping valley filled with lies
Pack of falsehoods act as guide
Truth alone by self will stand
Far apart from rest of band
Lonely guide across the wends
Leads to place the journey ends
Find the man of many stones
Pointing way to treasures home
Mountain high with sparrow lake
Tip of wings my resting place
Go inside the carven room
Find where hope forever blooms

A/N Hello readers! I owe a huge thank you to my friend johnbwes for composing the treasure map poem you've just read. I gave him the landmarks and he worked his magic to weave a fantastic piece of art. Thank you johnbwes! You are amazing and I couldn't have done it without you.     

If you're interested in seeing more of his work head over to his profile at johnbwes . John writes stories in long form poetry format. He has folktales, retellings, and even a fanfic about Avatar The Last Airbender. Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Hercules and his twelve labors. This is exactly what it sounds like–a story detailing all of the twelve labors of Hercules. This was the first long story of johnbwes' that I read. I was not a super big fan of Hercules although I do love Greek mythology. After reading this it made me see Hercules and his tale in a new and more sympathetic light, which believe me was no small feat, and it's all thanks to John's beautiful and passionate writing.

Avatar: The Lay of Omashu. If you are an Avatar The Last Airbender fan this a story you don't wanna miss. It's about the founding of the city Omashu. It's a tale of lovers on opposite sides of war and their struggles as they try to overcome the hate between their two clans.

The First Valentine. A short and touching story of the man we call Saint Valentine and the acts behind the creation of the holiday we all know as Valentine's Day.

The Lay of Mount Petite Jean. This is a folktale about a young French woman who falls in love with a Prince. She decides to stowaway on his voyage of discovery to the new world to help keep him safe.

The Second Rate Life of Hubert Stan. A comedic tale of the man who lost the archery contest to none other than Robin Hood himself. Afterwards Hubert wanders the English countryside challenging people to seemingly impossible contests. Hubert accomplishes each task yet somehow always loses. Is he cursed or extremely unlucky? You'll have to read and decide for yourself.