Indiana Jones and the Lair of the Horned Serpent

By Mark Renshaw

Indiana Jones paused, taking one last moment to check his gear. He would rather open the Ark of the Covenant than step through the door, yet here he was back in the thick of things. He had to admit, it felt good wearing his work clothes again. The end of the war meant the end of archaeological adventures for a while. He had kept himself in shape since, but still, there was a sense of relief when his fedora fit snugly on his head, his brown leather jacket slipped over his shoulders, and the prong on his belt buckle slipped into the usual hole. It was the small things he missed, like topping up his pouches with powders, small tools and tiny vials filled with liquid. Each had numerous applications, from cleaning his gun to dismantling of traps or counteracting poison. For the more considerable complications, he relied on his trusty bullwhip which dangled loosely over his right hip, while on his left, a holstered Webley MK IV pistol.

Pressing his ear close to the wooden panel, Indy could detect nothing but stony silence. "Why did I agree to this?" he thought, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Because part of you wanted to," replied another part of his consciousness. He nudged the door open and stepped inside.

"Oh sir, you look so… different!" blurted out one of his students. The outburst brought the rest of his class out of their silence. A chorus of questions followed about his whip, his gun and if he had ever killed anyone. Indy felt like someone who had turned up to a formal dinner dressed in a Halloween costume. He smiled, tried to answer their questions, but they were on a roll, too young, too eager to stop. Each answer which stumbled from his lips was drowned out by further questions. Indy became self-conscious, realising he was slouching, his shoulders hunched down, his entire body language none threatening. The thought of taking his students on a field trip had created more anxiety than he anticipated. He was more comfortable teaching, that was his comfort zone. It was time to take charge. That thought fixed in his mind, he stood tall, shoulders back and chin up. Here and now in he wasn't a college professor, he was Indiana Jones - the world-renowned, respected and feared archaeologist!

His hand whisked down to his belt with practised ease, lifting his bullwhip loose. The lash flicked back. It was tight quarters, but he had performed this manoeuvre thousands of times under worse conditions. In the blink of an eye, the whip flew forward at tremendous speed striking a wooden 'Serpent Mount Visitors' Centre' sign on the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Indy recoiled the whip, looping it around his wrist. "Sorry. I meant to knock it off the wall." Indy muttered to the slack-jawed janitor who had let them in.

The janitor gulped. "That's, that's fine, sir. We needed a new one anyway!" He scampered forwards, gathering up the pieces of the sign.

"Add it to the tab, will ya?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." said the janitor over his shoulder as he scurried out.

"That… was so cool!" gasped Jeff. Jeff had a kind heart, and a passion for archaeology. All of the students here did, otherwise they would not be on such a field trip. The war had impacted everyone's pockets. Even with the subsidies the school provided, the students were still required to pay their own way. Out of his class of twenty, only eight signed up. Indy was pleased to note it was those who showed great promise, the ones with parents determined to give their children a shot at life no matter the personal cost. Once things settled down, and the economy was back on track, Indy made a mental promise to make sure they got refunds.

Keen to get the next generation interested in field study, Indy had agreed to lead this field trip and donned gear more suited for the deep Amazon or the Sahara Desert than Ohio. It seemed like a good idea when Markus Brody suggested it, a way of shattering any preconceived ideas and encouraging a sense of adventure he said. Indy made a mental note to remind Markus to keep his suggestions to himself in the future. "Now that I have your undivided attention," he announced. "Can anyone tell me the first rule of going out into the field?"

"P… p… p…. preparation!" shouted Dean.

This brought a brief burst of giggles from his classmates. Unfortunately, Dean Sutter had a speech impediment and surname that rhymed with stutter. This provided far too much temptation for those just itching to pick on the different guy.

"And what is the first rule of preparing for a field trip?" asked Indy.

"Research, Sir," replied Dawn, in a husky voice. Indy suspected she had a crush on him. Part of him felt flattered, the rest cringed in annoyance. He could stare at the steely gaze of a Nazi without flinching yet balked at the idea of a young woman showing open admiration.

"Precisely," he replied, avoiding direct eye contact. "So, what is Serpent Mound?"

Jeff's hand shot up. Indy motioned for him to speak.

Standing up, Jeff cleared his throat. "Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy known to this day. It stretches a quarter of a mile long, averages three feet in height and is in the shape of an uncoiling serpent. The mound was built over a unique cryptoexplosive structure that caused the effigy to become misshapen through the years."

"Correct!"

Jeff sat down beaming, pleased with himself.

"And who built the mound?"

Dawn raised her arm. "The Adena Culture, sir."

"Not quite." Her smile turned into a scowl quicker than Marion could throw a punch at his jaw. Ignoring her pout, he went into lecture mode. "We have evidence the Adena culture lived here, yes, but there is also evidence of other Native American inhabitants. These include the Hopewell Culture, the Fort Ancient culture, and legends of a previously undocumented race known as the Allegewi People." Indy motioned towards an overhead picture of Serpent Mound which hung on the wall.

The mound itself was an artificial hill built with mud and rock then covered in grass. At its base, the mound had been shaped to appear like a triple coiled tail of a snake. For the next seven hundred feet, the body of the snake wound back and forth until it reached the head, which was stretched out in a gentle curve, ending with open jaws around the east end of a lengthwise one hundred twenty foot hollow oval feature. It appeared that the snake was devouring a giant egg.

"We don't assume anything," Indy continued. "In archaeology, we gather evidence and publish theories," Indy pointed to the picture. "The head of the snake is aligned to the summer solstice sunset… "

"Which is today!" interrupted Jeff

"Which is today," continued Indy. "And the coils down here align with the winter solstice sunrise. Although Serpent Mound is now a tourist attraction, we have been given permission by this Historical Society of Ohio to spend the day excavating this site."

Indy had to call in a few favours to make this happen. They had free reign for the day. He'd even arranged for the excavation sites to be setup so the students wouldn't waste most of the time digging. They could sieve the soil to their hearts content.

Indy turned to face his students, placing both hands on his hips. "Ninety-nine percent of archaeology involves getting down on your hands and knees in dust, mud and wet clay. Using brushes, tools and a whole lotta patience, archaeologists bring history back into the sunlight one spec at a time. That's what we'll be doing today. I'll be splitting you up into two teams. One will excavate the tail and the other the head section. Any questions?"

Jeff's hand shot up again.

Indy sighed. "Yeah?"

"If that's all there is to fieldwork why do you carry a gun and that cool whip thing?"

Indy smirked. "Because the other one percent of archaeology is dangerous." Indy paced the room as he spoke. "The rarest of antiquities, the holiest of relics - these can only be found hidden in the deepest jungles, the darkest caves and the highest mountains. You'll have to be careful to avoid causing trouble with the local tribes, and you'll be up against tomb raiders who are motivated by greed. They won't hesitate to kill anyone in their way." The class were mesmerized by Indy's words. Indy described dangers beyond belief, they could only see glory and adventure. "Even after you've dealt with all these dangers, the artefact in question is quite often held deep inside some sort of complex filled with deadly…"

"Booby traps?" blurted out, Jonathan.

Jonathan was fascinated with Ancient Egyptian Pyramids. He was obsessed with the complicated devices the Egyptians invented to protect the treasure buried with their kings. Jonathan reminded Indy of his old sidekick. Not just because his family immigrated here from Shanghai before the outbreak of the war. It was the way the odd phrase here and there. His comment was precisely the sort of thing Short Round would have said. "Yeah, kid, booby traps."

#

The rest of the day saw Indy moving from both groups, monitoring their progress while providing insights into the different cultures who had used it as a burial ground. He knew the most they could hope to achieve was to find a few pieces of pottery fragments, yet even the tiniest piece of history unearthed had the chance of shedding new light on the great mysteries of time. A single fragment could help solve the puzzle at another site half-way across the world.

They made decent progress, and by the end of the day, STS (Team Serpent Tail) had discovered the top half of the pentagonal flint knife. Indy was pleasantly surprised. Congratulating them on their find, Indy instructed them to pack-up and head back to the Visitors Centre while he went to collect TSH - Team Serpent Head.

The walk and the work had done wonders today. He felt all the kinks ironing out. His shoulder and knee still complained from the last trip, but they seemed to be on the mend. It had been in London of all places. A simple courtesy visit to verify the authenticity of an ancient alchemist's manuscript turned into a fight for his life against a secret cult of fascists. They believed the manuscript contained the formula for creating gold from lead. In truth, it was the scribblings of a demented mind. They were not interested in the truth.

His escape involved a brawl in Big Ben and jumping from London Bridge. He'd seen all the sites! Months later and his body still insisted on cashing in those cheques. Twenty years ago, he would have been on the next plane to Rome ready for more. These days it was all catching up to him.

The sun hung low in the sky by the time he turned the now-familiar bend and stopped in his tracks. The trench was deserted, their tools left on the ground.

TSH consisted of Dawn, Dean, Jonathan and Jeff. He rushed over, calling out their names. There was no response, no signs of a struggle or any tracks leading away. Indy searched around, his thoughts racing into dangerous territory. Where had they gone? There was no way they could have wandered past him; the layout of the land made that impossible.

Something out of place caught the corner of his eye. It was a dark depression in the ground about twenty yards to the right in the shade of a large tree. At first, he thought it was a trick of the fading light, but as he approached, Indy realised it was a gaping hole. Rushing over, he noted this was not a natural depression. Instead, he found a set of stone steps which lead down into a darkened pit. The discovery startled him. Nothing in the records hinted at the existence of an underground chamber. How had this opened?

Indy shouted into the shadows, only his echo replied. He assumed his students were down there, yet if he went for help and they were in trouble, he may be too late. He observed the sunlight had almost crossed past an orb-shaped depression clasped in the head of the snake mound. This raised the possibility the solstice had triggered the opening. His deductions were confirmed as a low rumbling noise diverted his attention to the grass and the shrubbery inching at a snail's pace over the hole. Snapping several branches off a nearby tree, he launched himself through the entrance before it became too small for him to squeeze through.

Indy crouched down a few steps below, ripping pieces of cloth from his shirt and pants as the last glimmer of daylight disappeared before the entrance sealed with a clunk. Wrapping the fabric around the branches, he surmised the stairway must have opened when the first ray of the summer solstice sunset touched the head of the mound. In his mind, he could see the slab opening, the students crowding around the entrance fascinated. Being young and foolish (like himself at that age, he reminded himself) they crept inside for a peak, then something had happened, something which trapped them inside. He just hoped they weren't injured, or worse.

Enveloped in darkness, he plucked a vial from his pouch and dripped the contents over the cloth. Flipping his lighter with one hand, he ignited his make-shift torch, which illuminated his surroundings. The flickering light revealed more steps. Indy took a deep breath and plunged into the unknown. "Here goes nothing."

#

Indy counted sixty steps, with more to go, when he heard a low rumbling noise, followed by a loud click. Reaching the last step, he found himself in a wide tunnel. The walls were covered with densely packed clay, while the floor was made up of a series of small cobble shaped stones sealed together with the same clay. Decades of experience made him scour the floor for pressure points and check the walls for signs of any nasty surprises. The rumbling returned. Indy glanced back to see the exit sealing. This was now a one-way trip. A nearby scream forced him to put caution to one side. He ran down the last few steps, turning a corner. Ahead there was light and several bobbing shadows heading towards him. "Stay where you are," he warned. "Don't move! I'll come to you." Indy crept over to them, his eyes adjusting to the dim illumination. Dawn hugged him fiercely while four voices spoke simultaneously. "Calm down, one at a time!" said Indy as he extracted himself from Dawn's grip. Dean took a deep breath, steadying himself to speak, but Indy didn't have time for a stutter filled speech. "Not you." He barked. Indy pointed at Jonathan. "You. Tell me what happened?"

Jonathan confirmed Indy's theory. They had been tempted when the opening appeared. Jeff had a torch, so he led the way in. Their intention to just explore to the end of the steps. Before they knew it, a stone slab had closed behind them, blocking the way back. They had screamed themselves horse to no avail. Just as they had given up hope, Dr Jones appeared.

"So, let's get out of here!" pleaded Jeff. "I'm getting hungry."

"The way back is blocked. I don't think it will be opening for a while." Indy explained to the students his theory about the summer solstice sunset opening the entrance.

"We're trapped in here until next year?" gasped Jonathan.

"Oh, man. That's bad. That's really, really bad." said Jeff.

"Surely the others will come looking for us, if we just sit tight," suggested Dawn.

"I doubt it," replied Indy. "Folks have been visiting this site for hundreds of years and no-one had the faintest idea about these tunnels. I couldn't hear you at all outside. I think this place is pretty well soundproofed."

"Oh my God! Are we going to die?" asked jeff.

"D… d… die?" stuttered Dean.

"No-one is dying," stated Indy. He silently hoped this was true. "I'm going to explore ahead. Alone!" This brought a fresh wave of protests. "No butts, it's too dangerous. I'll go. You stay here. And don't touch anything!"

Indy shut himself off from all distractions to concentrate on his surroundings. Where was the light coming from? Moving closer to the walls, he examined the stones. Definitely not natural. These were man-made. Round, smooth, and almost identical to each other. Each contained dozens of tiny luminous crystals. This must be where the light was coming from. Although tempted, he fought the urge to prise any out lest it trigger a trap. A clicking sound interrupted his thought, followed by whirring noises from further down the tunnel. He glared at his students. "Which one of you touched something?"

As one they shook their heads. "I didn't touch nothing!" declared Jonathan

"What was that noise?" asked Jeff. "I'm beginning to hate strange noises!"

Peering down the tunnel, Indy spotted a vaguely familiar shape on the wall. "Stay here," he ordered before carefully making his way towards the clicking. To his surprise, it was what he first surmised - an hourglass. It was mounted via a wooden shaft in the middle of the wall. The thick glass contained dark red sand deep enough to fill the lower half of the globe. As if waiting for his arrival, the hourglass rotated a couple of degrees clockwise. "No!" shouted Indy. He gripped each side to stop it from moving further. He didn't know what would happen when it turned, but he knew from experience it wasn't going to be fun. His efforts were in vain, the hourglass clicked another couple of degrees. "Don't just stand there! Help me!" he barked.

The urgency in his voice broke them out of their spell. They surged forward, splitting into teams of two positioned on both sides of the hourglass with Indy the centre "That's it," he urged. "Whatever you do, stop it from rotating. "The turn speed slowed to a crawl but didn't stop. Everyone grunted under the pressure as the hourglass reached halfway which made the first few grains of slide downward

"Push harder!" ordered Jeff

"You push. I'm pushing as hard as I can!" said Jonathan from the opposite side.

"P… p…p… pull!" stuttered Dean from Jeff's left.

"What are you talking about?" sweat poured off Dawn's brow head, and her eyes were squeezed shut. "You can't both push you, idiots." She gasped a lungful of air. "You're on opposite sides!"

Jeff was breathing hard. "You... pull then."

"No, I'm pushing, you pull," ordered Jonathan.

"Will someone… " interrupted Indy as his muscles felt like they would pop. "Please decide who's pushing." He had considered breaking the glass, somehow the thought of all the sand pouring out seemed a worse idea than letting the timer run its course."

"It won't stop!" shouted Dawn

"I'm sli… sli… slipping!" gasped Dean. He lost his grip and fell landing squarely on his behind with a grunt. The hourglass completed its one hundred and eighty-degree turn.

"What now?" asked Dawn.

"I told you to pull!" shouted Jonathan.

"I was pushing, you should have pulled!" barked back, Jeff.

"Enough!" Indy held up his hand for silence. Behind the walls and underneath the floor, he detected the sound of ancient mechanisms clanking and whirring into action.

Peering closer at the hourglass, he weighed-up the amount of sand still lodged in the upper half. From his shirt pocket, Indy extracted a scratched gold watch with a bent casing. Flicking the lid open, counting the seconds ticking by, he estimated they had about thirty minutes. Half an hour to get out of here before something terrible happened.

"Listen up!" He flicked the watch lid shut and returned it to his pocket. "You all follow me, single file. Step exactly where I step and don't touch anything!"

"But I thought you said we had to stay here." stated Dawn.

"I changed my mind. Come on."

In no mood for further questions, Indy lead the way

They reached the end of the corridor without incident, turning into an adjacent tunnel branching off to the left. Indy marvelled at the ingenuity of this place. The tunnels were not naturally formed, this was obvious from the clay and stone lining the walls and floor. From the pre-trip research, he knew the Serpent Effigy mound was located on a plateau with a unique cryptoexplosion structure containing faulted and folded bedrock. This was produced by a meteorite or a volcanic explosion from tens of thousands of years ago. Everyone assumed the mound itself was artificial, yet this find indicated the crater went deeper than anyone imagined to hide the tunnels. Several documented excavations had been carried out on and around the mound over the past hundred years. Nothing in their findings hinted that anything might be hidden underneath.

Indy scanned the walls for any markers indicating which race constructed this place. Ancient cultures were just as proud of their creations as artists of today. They leave their mark or signature. He expected to come across some symbols around here somewhere, something which stated, "I did this!" He just had to keep an eye out for it. Once he had an idea of who built this it could help him figure a way out.

They reached the end of the second tunnel which turned to the right into another tunnel. At first glance, it appeared identical, but something tingled Indy's instincts, He held his hand up, they all halted.

"What is it?" asked Dawn.

"There's something different about the light. It's flickering slightly, as if something is... wait a minute. Look at the walls."

The walls were glistening slightly. Indy inspected more closely. He took off a glove, rubbing his hand on the bare stone. The walls were wet, with an oily texture and partially covered in a thin, grey moss. Examining the moss closer, Indy spotted tiny luminous insects crawling around. The light from their abdomens matched the colour of the jewels embedded in the stone.

Indy searched his pockets for some loose change. He flicked a penny ahead. It landed, rolling around before falling on its side.

"What are you doing, Dr Jones?" asked Jonathan.

Indy flicked another coin further ahead which landed without incident. "How do you maintain a trap for hundreds of years?" he asked. Even now in the current situation Indy, couldn't altogether remove himself from his educational duties.

Jonathan thought for a few moments as Indy continued to probe the path ahead. "To keep a mechanism in full working order for a long period, you have to provide a stable environment away from sunlight and high levels of oxygen."

"And?" prompted Indy who was beginning to suspect the coins were not heavy enough to spring the trap he knew lay ahead.

"And… err. Oh yeah! The Ancient Egyptians found the best method to keep the mechanisms in working order was to establish an isolated but fully functional ecosystem!"

"Exactly." Indy pointed at the wall. "The walls are covered in a thin oily substance produced by moss and insects. Behind these walls, there will be a whole lot more of them. This will keep oxygen levels low and provide enough lubrication to keep corrosion at a bare minimum."

"So is there a trap somewhere in this corridor?" said Dawn with a tremble in her voice.

"Yeah, only I can't seem to figure out…"

A thin spear tore out of the wall from Indy's right, only a few feet ahead. Instinctively he leapt back as the spear stopped a scant few inches from the wall on the left as Jeff screamed.

The spear was made entirely out of bone, carved with a small triangular arrow point. It slid back into the wall as another spear shot out a few feet further down the tunnel. This paused for a second, then retracted back in. More spears followed. Indy monitored their progress. "There's a pattern," Indy muttered to himself before turning to his frozen students.

"Look, you'll be fine. Just move where I tell you, when I tell you, understand?" They all shook their heads. Indy sighed. "I will go first and tell you when to move. Dean, Dawn, you two next. Stand next to each other. Yeah just like that. Now put your arms around each other's waist. Yes, good! Jonathan, Jeff, you two pair up behind them."

Indy paused until for the first spear to shoot out of the wall. Once it retracted, he stepped forward, stopping a few inches before the second spear whooshed out of the wall. Indy moved to the third spot as soon as the second spear retreated.

Turning, he beckoned to Dean and Dawn. "Walk forward until I tell you to stop."

With a whimper, they shuffled forward.

"Stop!"

They halted, wide-eyed like rabbits caught in a headlight as the first spear thrust from behind. The next spear in front of them, closely followed by the one next to Indy. When all was clear, he moved forward to the fourth position, then guided Dean and Dawn forward with Jonathan and Jeff shuffling behind them.

A rumbling noise behind interrupted Indy's concentration. Turning, he saw a stone slab slowly rolling across the archway where they had entered the tunnel. To make matters worse, the speed of the spears increased. "Okay, listen up!" Indy had to shout over the roar of the mechanisms. "Dawn and Dean. As soon as I move, you two move to this exact spot. Jonathan, Jeff, you two shift as fast as you can to where Dawn and Dean are now. The exact spot! We repeat that until we are clear. Understand?"

The students nodded. They were terrified but luckily not immobilised with fear. Indy had to hope they would be able to react in time. The spear in front retracted. He stepped forward, as before, once it was safe to do so. A quick glance back was enough to reassure that the students were following. Readjusting his timing to make up for the increase in speed, he stepped forward again. Four more repeats of this manoeuvre would see them to the end of the corridor.

"Dr Jones!" shouted Jonathan.

Indy swung around just in time to see Jonathan pointing behind him as a spear shot out of the middle of the floor. "Hug the wall!" he yelled as he leapt aside. His student lunged out of the path of the deadly spears in the nick of time. "Great job! Stick to the side of the wall. We move just like before. Just a few more to go, come on!" He refocused on the spears from the side. Once the one in front of him had retracted, he leapt forward, careful to maintain his balance. Repeating the manoeuvre, twice more, he jumped into the alcove at the end of the tunnel, which was thankfully free from bony projectiles. Dawn and Dean had a couple of spaces to clear. "Right, go now!" he ordered.

As one, they scampered forward. He noted Dawn lead, dragging Dean by her side. He knew when the going got tough, it was usually the women who were made of sterner stuff.

The spears from the side and below continued their deadly dance followed, to Indy's horror, by a new pair of spears from the roof down at the other end tunnel. Indy's stomach flipped as another pair shot down a few feet ahead. His students were moments away from a skewering. "Wait. wait. Now!" yelled Indy, his voice trembling. Dawn and Dean jumped into the safety of the alcove. The plunging spears were closing fast. Indy tried not to panic. The spears directly in front retracted. It was now or never. "Now!" he shouted.

Jeff leapt forward, with Jonathan a fraction of a second behind. Jeff made it unscathed, but a spear caught Jonathan in mid-air. Indy grabbed hold of his arm, dragging him as the point sliced through the boy's jacket. They went down in a heap. Indy scrambled to his feet, fearing the worst. "You okay, kid?" He felt down Jonathan's back and sighed in relief. The spear hadn't pierced skin.

The students laughed a little hysterically at their close encounter. "Ha ha! You were nearly noodles there, Jonny boy!" said Jeff, giving Jonathan a slap on the back.

"Well, at least I don't have monkey breath!" countered Jonathan.

"You both sm… m… smell," added Dean.

It was all playful banter, a coping mechanism. Indy knew they were not out of the woods yet. "Come on, keep moving." He peered down the next tunnel. This one was taller. They could easily fit three, maybe four abreast, making another spear trap less likely but Indy wasn't going to take any chances. He ordered them to follow in single file.

The width of the tunnel reduced visibility. Creeping forward, Indy couldn't work out if the shadow on the floor ahead was a hole or just a trick of the dim lighting. It turned out to be a hollow cavity roughly four feet across.

"What now, s… s… sir?" asked Dean.

"Just gimme a sec to think," replied Indy. The gap was short enough to jump across, but he knew from experience an easy option usually meant a distraction from the real danger.

"Sir! shouted Dawn.

Indy didn't need to turn around to know that the familiar grumbling behind was another stone slab blocking their retreat. Not that he planned on traversing the tunnel of spears, yet something about the rolling block itched in his mind. Things were not adding up. He hadn't spotted any tripwires or stepped on a single pressure point. Neither he nor the students had done anything that would set the slab or any of the traps in motion. He recalled the hourglass, considering the possibility this wasn't a regular tomb. If the entire complex was based on time, the traps in each area would activate in sequence. Doors would open and close dictated by a carefully orchestrated plan. In being a meticulous and careful archaeologist, he had led his students into the spear trap. He marvelled over the ingenuity of a complex designed to fool even the most experienced tomb raider. He had to step up the pace if they were going to survive. "We need to jump across now!"

"But…" started Dean in confusion.

"No butts. Jump after me!" ordered Indy as he rushed forward. He felt the edge of the floor crumble away as he launched forward. Indy flailed through the air landing on the other side off-balance, his recovering knee writing letters of complaint to his nerve endings. He spun around. "Quickly! Jump!"

The ground around the pit was collapsing. Dawn, Dean and Jonathan didn't need telling twice. All three cleared the gap, landing with far more grace than Indy. Jeff remained, rooted the spot and whimpering. Terror finally paralysing one of Indy's students at the worst possible moment. "No sir, I can't make it."

The gap widened. Indy note with growing concern clumps of soil crumbling from the roof. "Yeah you can! Come on!" he pleaded.

Tears streamed down his Jeff's cheeks. "Look at me, I'm disgusting."

Jeff was chubbier than the other students, some even referred to him as Chunk. He needed an anchor, something to distract him for his fear. Indy unhooked the bullwhip from his belt, recalling how much it had impressed Jeff back at the visitor centre. "Take hold of this, tie it around your arm and hold on tight." He flicked it over the gap, the tail end landing next to Jeff's foot.

"Oh... oh my god!" whimpered Jeff as he tied it on as securely as he could.

A torrent of clay and grinded powder coursed down the walls. The whole integrity of the tunnel was collapsing. "You three," Indy shouted without taking he eyes off Jeff, "Get to the alcove. If the exit starts closing, go through it and don't look back. Now, Jeff. Focus on me. Take a quick run and leap as far as you can. I've gotcha, I'll pull you the rest of the way." Jeff's face turned pale. "Don't think about it. Just do it!" ordered Indy. Indy grabbed a sturdy penknife from his pocket, flicked it open. The blade was five inches long and made of solid steel.

Jeff managed two steps back before the whip went taut. He had never felt so terrified in all his life. The fear sent shockwaves of adrenaline through his veins. It gave him newfound strength; it was fight or flight time. Jeff roared, lunging forward like a freight train. He launched through the air, Indy yanking the whip to give him an extra boost. Two hundred pounds of teenager hit the ledge knocking the wind out of the boy. Indy hit the floor, plunging the blade deep into a clay gap between two cobbles. Jeff slipped over the crumbling ledge, Indy dug his feet into the ground, desperately trying to keep hold. One arm holding onto the whip, the other holding onto the knife for support, Indy's bad shoulder screamed in agony as it nearly wrenched out of its socket. "Pull yourself up!" he gasped.

"I can't!" screamed Jeff

Indy felt the knife bending. "C'mon, try!" he pleaded.

Jeff danged over a deep chasm, a torrent of clay and cobbles sprayed his face and upper body. Using blind survival instinct more than anything else, he swung his other arm over to clasp the whip. This eased the pressure a fraction Trying not to recall his abysmal track record of pull-ups and failing, he heaved himself up with every ounce of strength.

Indy dug his heels in deeper between the gaps in the stones. No matter what happened, he wasn't going to let go. The blade snapped. Indy grabbed the whip with both hands grunting with effort. His knee buckled under the extra strain, slipping a few inches towards the crumbling edge.

Arms encircled his. Indy gasped in surprise. Looking up, he saw Jonathan and Dawn pulling with everything they had. It was enough to regain his footing. "I thought I told you to…" he began. "Never mind, let's pull."

Dawn scrambled over to help Jeff. She grabbed the cuff of his shirt and hauled him over. There was no time to catch their breath, the entire tunnel was collapsing. Near exhaustion, all Jeff wanted to do was sleep for a week. Instead, he felt himself being yanked up again and dragged towards the next alcove.

"Quickly!" barked his superhero teacher.

It was difficult to see through the torrent of soil pouring from the roof. They stumbled towards what they hoped was the way out. Jeff noticed a familiar rumbling sound. "Sir, I think the door stone slab thing is closing!"

"I know, kid," said Indy. He dragged Jeff through as the slab rolled shut.

#

Jeff brushed the soil from his face, clearing his vision. He noticed the rest had made it as well and were doing the same, with Indy flicking off a few tarantulas from his shoulders as if it were an everyday thing. The dimly lit alcove they found themselves in was intact. Whatever mechanism had been employed to destroy the tunnel was thankfully confined to that area only. This was of little comfort to his Indy whose thoughts were focused on what trials awaited them next and how he was going to get them all out of there alive.

The only way out of the alcove was a hole in the ground along some rocks. Indy checked it out with his lighter. There was enough room for them to crawl through; just.

"Are you s.. seriously s… suggesting we c…crawl through there?" asked Dean.

"Unless you see another way out, yeah." replied Indy. "I'll go first, Jeff, give me your torch." He passed his lighter to Dawn. "You take the rear. If we get stuck, it will be your job to guide us back out. Got it?" Dawn nodded. Jeff shook his head but handed the torch over.

Indy crawled in headfirst and shuffled forward a few feet. The way ahead seemed clear. His concern was this was a dead end or another trap. He wasn't afraid for himself. Indy had accepted the risks of his work a long time ago. The excitement exploring the unknown overrode all fear or doubt. He was afraid for his students. They hadn't signed up for this and yet here they were crawling through a pit designed thousands of years ago specifically to deter hardened tomb raiders. He shone the torch back their way. "Follow the light. If you get stuck, shout." He tried to sound confident, as if he knew what he was doing. The truth was, as always, he was making it up as he went along.

They wiggled, dragged, and crawled their way inch-by-inch through the tight passageway. Indy resisted the urge to check his watch. He knew they were running out of time but if this passageway went on for miles or was a dead end, there was nothing he could do about it. Logically, if the designers of this place set a thirty-minute timer, it was possible to get through in thirty minutes if you knew what you were doing. That was the big if. They didn't have a map or set of instructions to help them saunter through.

"Sir, what's that?"

Jeff's question broke him out of his spell. An eerie humming sound from the right of the passageway dead ahead. Indy concentrated. It sounded more like a low whistle. He dragged himself forward.

"Is it a ghost? Are we in a haunted tunnel?" asked Jeff.

The torch revealed a small hole in the curve of the wall, about the size of Indy's head. A gust of wind blew his face, accompanied by the low whistle. Indy breathed in a wonderful gulp of fresh air with a hint of salt and the promise of a summer breeze. "No ghost. This is a barometric cave system," Indy shouted as he crawled ahead. "When the outside air pressure increases the caves inhale, and then exhale when the pressure decreases."

"Are you saying these caves are breathing?" asked Jonathan. A gust of delightful wind brushed against his face as he edged past the hole.

Indy was glad they had something other than their imminent demise to focus on. "Kinda, yeah. Just so you know, they can be a bit blustery sometimes"

As if on cue, a sudden blast of air erupted from the opening as Dawn scraped passed, causing a slight involuntary scream. "You don't say?" she muttered.

The students giggled, even Indy allowed himself a brief smirk. Up ahead, he thought he could make out a blurry light. He switched the torch off.

"What is it?" asked Jeff. "Oh, please no more spears. I really hate spears. I never used to. To be honest I never gave them a second thought. Now though, now I really, really hate them.

"Shush, "said Indy. There's a light at the end of the tunnel."

Jeff could just about make out Indy's boot directly ahead. He concentrated on the boot, dragging himself forward ever time it shifted forward. "I hope that's the phrase that means the end of a difficult situation and not the light my mom says you see when you die, coz that would be really bad." Indy's boot vanished. "Sir?"

Indy's arms appeared. They gripped Jeff and hauled him out of the hole and into the non-proverbial light. He took a moment to recover his senses while Indy helped the others. Each gasped at their new surroundings. They found themselves in a well-lite chamber. The luminous walls were adorned with paintings, text, symbols and pictures from numerous cultures. Indy identified Akkadian, Sumerian, Etruscan, and Kassitic markings, plus several others he didn't recognise. "That's not possible!" he muttered.

"What isn't?" asked Dean.

"The carvings on the wall. They're all jumbled up. Look here," he pointed to a group of symbols. "That's Ancient Greek, yet here directly underneath we have Meroitic! It's like that in every section. Languages from civilisations thousands of miles and hundreds of years apart, all gathered here. But, why? It is simply not…"

"Err, Dr Jones. You maybe wanna see this," stated Jonathan. He was the only one not glued to the wall.

Indy turned to find Jonathan pointing at a magnificent tree statue in the centre of the chamber. "...possible," he finished mechanically.

"Oh my," gasped Jeff. "What's a tree doing in here?"

"It's a statue of a tree." said Indy. It was no surprise his student believed this to be an actual tree. The attention to detail in the stone branches and leaves were incredible. The top of the tree was mere inches from the ceiling, while at its base, several stone roots gave the illusion they were buried deep under the floor. Indy's keen eyes had spotted a couple of areas where the stone had chipped away, spoiling the deception.

"Well, what's a statue of a tree doing here?" Jeff asked.

"The tree is an ancient symbol," replied Dawn before Indy could answer. "It's a major part of numerous cultural and religious belief systems. As this room contains such diverse languages, is it surprising that at the centre of all this is a tree?" She sounded all matter of fact in the way she said it, but Indy was impressed with her assumptions. It was a viable theory and made sense.

He rewarded her hypothesis with a nod and his famous smirk. "What she said."

"But what's it all for? What is all this here? Why all the booby traps?" said Jonathan, waving his arms around in exasperation.

"I don't know," replied Indy. "But there's no time to find out." Indy rechecked his watch. Twenty-seven minutes had passed. It seemed a lot longer. "Check the symbols for any clues. You all know bits of ancient languages. See if something stands out or doesn't quite fit."

They spread out, each taking a section of the wall. Indy scan read through an Ancient Greek section. It revolved around the well-known tale of Heracles travelling to the Garden of the Hesperides as part of his twelve trials. The mythology certainly fit the theme of the tree but didn't give him any clues.

"Here, s… sir." called out Dean.

They all converged around Dean. In the center of his section, surrounded by ancient writing, there was a hollow hexagonal indentation about the size of Indy's hand. "Great spot, kid," he said, ruffling Dean's hair. Indy had seen such indentations in previous adventures. He knew it required an object of the same shape to slot in like an old key. Hopefully, it would be a key that opened the way out and not one of those keys which triggered another trap.

A low rumbling sound interrupted his thoughts. Quickly flipping open his watch he confirmed his fears. The thirty minutes were up. "Don't move a muscle."

"What is it now?" asked Jeff, checking the ground as if expecting it to crumble away at any moment.

A nearby loud click made them all jump, followed by the sound of stone scraping against stone. Disobeying their teacher's instructions, the students clustered around Indy for support.

"There, near the roots!" whispered Dawn.

A trapdoor slid open near the base of the tree. Indy's face turned ashen as a monstrous snake's head writhed into view - its tongue flicking out testing the air before it. Indy noted two horn-like protrusions sticking out from the base of its skull. The snake slithered up the tree's branches until its long, slink body wrapped around the full height of the statue. It was unlike any species Indy had encountered before, longer than a boa constrictor or king cobra, while the skin was covered in purple and silver scales that glinted in the light. As the snake coiled itself around more branches, he spotted an octagon-shaped bronze disc inserted in the trunk of the statue roughly six feet from the base. "There," he said. "That's what we need. It should open the way out."

"Are you sure?" asked Dawn

"Almost." replied Indy.

"What about that snake thing, sir," Jeff's voice quivered. "I'm afraid of snakes, and that thing doesn't look like no snake I've ever seen!"

That's the trick! thought Indy "It's not a snake," Indy said more to convince himself than anything else.

"It's not?"

"No. It's a serpent-lizard hybrid thing." Indy's thought process was part psychological to quench his own phobia, part logical. It was safe to assume this species had been bred thousands of years ago, specifically for this place. If he could label it as a different species, it might help him face his fears.

"Shoot the snake, Dr Jones. Shoot it, bang-bang!" said Jonathan while miming guns with his fingers.

"Serpent-Lizard Hybrid." corrected Indy, pointing at Jonathan with a stern steely gaze. "Anyway, I can't. The university wouldn't allow me to enter a classroom with a loaded weapon. No bullets I'm afraid." Plus, who would have imagined that a field trip to Ohio would be dangerous? he thought to himself.

He knew their best chance would be to try and distract the serpent long enough for him to grab the disc. Maybe the writings on the walls had some clue as to how they should approach this problem? "Recheck the walls. This time look for anything with a snake or tree symbol."

Without any questions, the students spread out while avoiding the tree. Indy again marvelled at the ingenuity employed to construct the underground lair and the amount of cultural diversity represented in this chamber. In the centre an important symbol to a whole host of civilisations and their religion. Add to the mix a horned serpent in a tree, well this emphasised it even more. All in all, this was one of the most intriguing finds Indy had ever made. They just needed to survive to tell their tale.

"Sir! shouted Dawn. "I think this means serpent in Tamil!"

Indy scurried over to check her findings. She pointed out a word scrawled on the wall which read ??????. Indy's Tamil was rusty, but he recalled Dawn's excellent thesis on the ancient Indian culture, so if she thought this meant serpent, that was good enough for him.

A few lines down, the language changed to one he did recognise. "I think you are onto something. This says Chepichealm."

"What?" Asked Dawn.

"It's a Micmac word meaning 'Immense Horned Serpent' or 'Wingless Dragon'."

"That's what that is!" exclaimed Jonathan. "It's a dragon!"

"That makes it worse!" wailed Jeff.

Ignoring them, Indy focused on the word. He read something about this preparing for this trip. He had not exaggerated when he told his students preparation was the most crucial aspect of any dig. Indy spent a considerable amount of time studying the various Indian cultures which had lived near the Serpent Mound. He also possessed a kind of photographic memory when it came to things that fascinated him. True, he struggled to recall the name of someone he met that morning, but an obscure fact from thousands of years ago was no problem.

That was it, the tale of the young warrior called Mikumwess who sought to marry the Chief's daughter. The Chief had agreed as long as Mikumwess could prove himself worthy by slaying the mighty Chepichealm. "There's an ancient Indian tale of a warrior defeating a mighty horned serpent," Indy told his students. "It goes something like this, 'Now in the night he that was Mikumwess arose and went alone and afar until he came to the den of the dragon, and this was a great hole in the ground. Over this, he laid a mighty log and began the magic dance around the den. The serpent, the great Chepichcealm, hearing the call, came forth, putting out his head after the manner of snakes, waving it all about and looking around him. In a trance, he rested his neck upon the log, and the warrior, with a blow of his hatchet, severed it."

"What does that mean?" asked Jeff. "We don't have any logs, a hatchet or a stupid magic dance. It's hopeless!"

"Hold on," Indy patted his pockets. "Does anyone have a whistle or something that can make a noise?"

"I have my harmonica," replied Dean.

"Great. Hand it over."

Indy moved closer to the statue while maintaining a safe distance from the serpent. He blew on the harmonica. There was no response. He tried a different note. Again nothing.

"What the he-heck are you doing?" asked Dean.

Indy tried a different note. The serpent's head whipped around. He backed slowly away. "Perfect."

"It's looking directly at you. That's the opposite of perfect," pointed out Jeff.

Indy motioned towards the right-hand side of the tree. "Dawn, Jeff, stand over there." As they shuffled over to the position, Indy pointed to the area over at the left of the tree "You two, take position over there."

"You're crazy, Dr Jones," sniffed Jonathan but he joined Dean on the spot.

Indy took a position in front. "In the legend, Mikumwess performed a magic dance, to summon the great serpent. Although a legend we know certain species react not to dance but to music or certain tones."

"Are you on about snake charming?" asked Dawn. "Are you seriously going to suggest we try to charm that thing?"

In answer to her question, Indy blew on the harmonica producing the same note as before. The serpent reverted its attention squarely in his direction. "Yup. Now, Dawn and Jeff try to match the tone and pitch of this note." He blew on the harmonica again.

"What shall we sing?" asked Jeff.

"The lyrics ain't important. It's the sound. Used generic sounds, like the Indians do in their ceremonies. Like this." Indy wasn't a gifted singer, but he could carry a basic tune in the privacy of his own bathroom. Matching the tone of the harmonica, he began to chant. "Humm-ay-yaa-haa-hum-ay-yaa ha." The serpent locked onto his position mesmerised. "Now, you!" Indy pointed at Dawn and Jeff.

"This is stupid." pointed out Jeff, but they tried it anyway. It took a few attempts to get the tone of their voices matching, but soon the serpent swayed its head in their direction.

"Keep it up. Dean, Jonathan, join in." Indy was amazed to discover Dean had an incredible voice. It was hard to imagine someone who had so much trouble talking could sing so beautifully. Soon the serpent swayed from left to right hypnotically. Now, thought Indy, came the tough part. "I'm going to move slowly forward and get the disc. No matter what happens, don't stop chanting." His students nodded. He noted the strain on their faces and felt a moment of immense pride. They were going through an arduous ordeal and yet were carrying on courageously.

Indy took a tentative step forward, checking to see if there was any change in the serpent's pattern. Satisfied it was suitably transfixed, he approached the base of the tree with one hand resting on his whip. Everything in his head told him to turn and flee from this beast as his old phobia's ugly head raised itself from within, but he fought it back down. It was a hybrid, not a proper snake. Just as he had when they had discovered the Ark of the Covenant, he would force himself to face his fears and get through this ordeal. He had no choice. His student's lives were at stake.

Indy reached the tree, the tip of his hat a few scant inches away from the serpent's weaving head. He reached out with his free hand to grasp the disc, probing around the edges before taking a firmer grip. Holding his breath, he counted to three and pulled. The disc came free. Indy crouched down, his eyes squeezed shut, hoping nothing would be triggered by his actions. He was wrong.

All the traps so far had been on a timer. That timer had been reached some time ago culminating in the release of the serpent. Just to make life even harder for tomb robbers, the designers had left one which activated the old-fashioned way.

There was a loud click from somewhere deep underground. Indy groaned. The students chanting faltered, and the serpent broke free of its hypnotic dance. Indy made frantic gestures at them to continue. They recovered their composure and complied, the hybrid soon settling back into its pattern of lazy swaying.

Indy backed away from the tree, towards the indentation on the wall he prayed would be their ticket out of here. A thin trickle of water flowing across the ground made him pause. He couldn't identify where the water was coming from, but it soon became apparent they were in serious trouble. The trickle became a stream which rose above his shoes. His students continued to sing, a slight waver in their chanting as they noticed their predicament.

Indy recalled the Serpent Mound itself was right next to Bush Creek - a ten-mile stream fed by the Blue River. It wouldn't take much for the designers of this place to hook up a flood passage and trigger once the disc was removed. No, not for the geniuses who had built such a marvel. Indy knew he had to get them all out, and fast! "Everyone listen carefully. I'll take over charming duty, you guys make your way over to the wall with the indentation. Don't make any sudden moves."

The water rose rapidly towards his knees as he blew on the harmonica, catching the serpent's undivided attention. The students waded their way towards the wall. Dawn lost her footing, went briefly under the surging water then came up gasping. The serpent's head snapped in her direction, its tongue flickering out. Indy continued blowing on the harmonica, but the hybrid had prey firmly on its mind. It unwrapped itself and slithered down the tree and into the water.

"Go!" shouted Indy.

Dawn didn't need telling twice, and she half ran, half swam towards the others who were braced against the wall with no-where to go. Indy surged towards the tree, lifting himself up onto a branch. His shoulder throbbed, he ignored it as the serpent rose out of the water, ready to strike at Dawn. With all the years of experience and the hours of relentless practice, Indy flicked the whip, lassoing it around the serpent's neck. It lunged forward for the kill. Indy yanked hard heaving it away. Denied its kill, the serpent whisked around searching for the cause of its fury.

"Ooh, boy!" whispered Indy as it sped towards him. He climbed up one-handed, keeping his grip tight on the whip as it thrashed about. His knee buckled under the strain, hitting the stone branch hard. Indy moaned in agony. It was like an electric shock coursing up his spine. He spotted the serpent slithering up the base towards him. Now wasn't the time to assess his injuries. He would pay the price later. He looped and tied the handle of the whip around the branch. The serpent's eyes widened, it reared back ready to strike. Indy leapt into the water a second before the serpent's fangs snapped at thin air.

The serpent gave chase, plunging towards the cold depths, only to find itself caught as the whip grew taut. It thrashed around in a frenzy, further entangling its body around the statue.

Indy swam to his students who were treading water to stay afloat in the rising icy water. Dawn had hold of Jeff despite his sputtering instances he was drowning. Dawn was a powerful swimmer. It was like she'd been born in the ocean. Jeff was the polar opposite. He claimed he couldn't participate in swimming classes due to obscure medical, several of which Indy was convinced were made up.

Swimming ability wouldn't save them if the disc didn't work though. They had about a minute before the whole chamber became flooded. "I'm going under to place this in the hole," Indy shouted. "You see any way out, you take it. Don't wait for me!"

They nodded, shivering - their faces pale with shock. Indy gave them a thumbs up, took a deep breath and dived down, the stones providing scant illumination in the dark depths. He relied on touch, scraping his hands across the wall until he felt the outline of the indentation. Grabbing the disc from his pouch, he turned and adjusted its position until it slotted in. There was no response. Indy attempted to turn it like similar key objects he had used in the past - it didn't budge. Fighting rising panic and the urge to breathe he shoved the wall; it moved slightly! He pushed again, feeling it give a fraction more. Planting his feet on the ground, Indy gave it everything he had and then a considerable amount more.

The door swung open. With it came a powerful current which sucked Indy through. Turned head over heel and deprived of oxygen, he fought in vain to stabilise. As he flipped over, his shoulder hit something hard, causing him to expel the last of his breath. Scrambling around, Indy felt the outline of a stone step. Using it to anchor and orientate himself, he got a foothold on a stair and followed them upwards. His instincts threatened, he had to breathe – now! Indy broke the surface, gasping and coughing. |Clearing his throat, he took in a sweet gulp of air and prepared to go back for his students.

"Dr Jones, Dr Jones. Up here!" Further up the stairs, Jonathan and the others stood shivering. A sorrier looking bunch of drowned rats he had never seen. The water continued to rise, so Indy urged them to keep moving until they escaped from this lair of the horned serpent.

They emerged from a similar opening to the one they had entered what seemed like an eternity ago. It was twilight, the magical time between sunset and night. The kids collapsed on the ground chattering amongst themselves while Indy gained his bearings. They were at the tail end of the Serpent Mound. There was no sign of the other students. No doubt they were still waiting for them at the tourist information centre, wondering why their teacher was taking so long. It was hard to fathom that this whole adventure had taken just over half an hour.

Indy stood shakily to his feet. Dawn and Jeff were already up, peering down the stairs.

"Sir! Come here, quickly!"

With a groan, he went to see what they were so excited about. Jeff grabbed his arm and pointed down the stairs, "Down there, I think I can see the snake swimming around!"

Indy peered into the gloom. "I told you it's not a snake!" He frowned. There was something slithering around in the receding water below. "Stay here," Indy ordered, then he plunged back down the stairs.

"What the heck is he doing?" asked Jeff

Jonathan shrugged. Dr Jones had done some crazy things since they had become trapped, but he had saved their lives several times. So, Jonathan was ninety percent sure his new tomb raider idol knew what he was doing.

In the fading light, they waited. Each strained to detect any sign of their adventuring teacher. All they could hear was gurgling of the water which became fainter as it disappeared.

Dawn felt the ground shaking. She noted with horror the mound itself was sliding across the opening. "Sir, it's closing. You have to get out!"

The students crowded around the hole, hollering down into the depths. The exit was sealing rapidly. Jeff wedged himself into the gap, bracing his back against the wall. "Come on you guys, we gotta save him."

The rest piled in forming a human barricade. The squirmed together, hands and feet propped up pushing against the slab with all their might. The mechanism halted but the students felt the pressure increase. Jeff's legs felt like they were going to pop at any moment. "Sir, you need to get out, now!" he screamed.

Indy's had touched his shoulder. "I'm here."

They gasped in relief. Each had to tumble sideways to make room for Indy to get free. Scrambling to their feet, they all hugged him. Indy had the decency to appear suitably embarrassed as Dawn whacked him over the shoulder. "Why did you go back in there?" she asked with a pouty lip.

Indy held up his bullwhip. "I told you it wasn't a snake." Out of his pouch, he pulled out the octagonal disc. "Besides, I had to go back to get this."

There was a moment of stunned silence which was broken by Jonathan. "You are crazy, Dr Jones! Like, for real." If this had been his old sidekick an outburst like that would have started an argument which would quickly have switched to frantic Cantonese. Instead, Indy burst out laughing. The laughter became infectious - a release of all their tension and relief. Indy pleaded with them to stop as his sides were hurting. This made them laugh even harder.

#

It took a few weeks for the storm to pass. The Board of Directors had been initially furious, of course. Markus had stomped out that fire with his usual charm and grace. He pointed out that unearthing a find of such significance would put Ohio and the school firmly on the map. This changed their attitude sharply.

The parents had taken a little more convincing. The media attention helped. There is nothing like being deemed brave adventurers and an inspiration to a whole new generation of archaeologists to prune the ego and change opinions.

In his official report, Indy failed to mention the octagonal bronze disc, fearing the key would disappear into the archives to be studied by 'top men.' He wanted time to translate the symbols. There was a major historical mystery here, one he intended to solve. His students promised to keep this aspect of their adventure a secret if he shared his findings. He reluctantly agreed, accusing them of bribery. They claimed otherwise, stating it was more like an amicable agreement. Indy had no choice. They were growing into remarkable young archaeologists, and they seemed so much like himself at that age, he couldn't help but feel pride.

Several days later, they reconvened in Indy's father's study. Henry Jones Senior was more proficient at ancient languages. Even so, Indy had handed it over begrudgingly, making his dad promise not to go running off solo on another mad crusade. His father had snatched it with a gleam in his eye that Indy had not seen since his search for the Holy Grail.

Jeff, Dawn, Dean and Jonathan sat on leather chairs around a brown antique table. Indy preferred to stand, or, to be more accurate, he preferred pacing around. His father had telephoned to say he had news yet refused to elaborate further. He hated not knowing the answer. It felt even more demeaning to realise he had to withstand a lecture from his dad in front of the students.

"You were right, Junior," announced Henry stepping into the study, his face buried in an ancient tome. Indy inwardly groaned at his father's continued use of the Junior title. "This is indeed a find of some significance!" Henry placed the book on the table and pulled out the bronze disc from his pocket. Cleaned up, it shone in the candlelight making the markings easier to read "The symbols on this side represent numbers. Each from a different ancient number system." He pointed to the first symbol. "This is from the Mayan number system, but the next is from the Egyptian system, the next from the Greek's, the Babylonian's, and so forth."

"Why put numbers on the disc?" asked Jeff.

"And why in so many different languages!" asked Dawn.

"Why indeed?" said Henry looking directly at his son. "They are inquisitive. Are you sure you taught them yourself?"

Indy bit back a retort. Instead, he answered the question. "To make it harder to decipher."

Henry grunted in acknowledgement. "And what are the numbers?" he prompted.

Indy thought for a second, and then he had it, "Co-ordinates!"

"Yes!" Henry pulled out a worn, tattered scroll from a pile of documents piled on a chair and unfolded it on the table. "This is a map of the ancient world, one of the earliest maps ever to exist in this much detail."

Jonathan studied the map. He was intrigued by geography. Some of the other kids said that was weird, but he found it fascinating especially when combined with history. He noted this map was in remarkable condition. The continents were in the wrong position though and some had yet to split from their counterparts. It was a snapshot of a world lost in time.

"Now," continued Henry, "We must remember in ancient times the Earth was the centre of the universe, and the sun revolved around us of course. However, all these coordinates are based on the galactic centre from the sun on a galactic plane in relation to the stars."

Jonathan nodded in agreement. Dawn and Dean nodded too even though they didn't have a clue what this man was talking about. Jeff at least had the decency to look confused.

"So, bearing that in mind, the first set of co-ordinates lead to here." Henry pointed to a part of the world which was roughly where the Middle East would be today. There was a word scribbled in a language they could not read.

"It says Mesopatnia" explained Indy. "Which is today known as…"

"Iraq!" blurted out Jonathan.

"Yes, Jonathan. Iraq. Very good." Henry placed another old scroll on top depicting Mesopatonia in greater detail.

"The second set of co-ordinates lead here." Henry pointed to a spot a few kilometres away from the centre of the map with no distinguishing markings. As far as the map was concerned, this was just desert.

"So, what's there?" asked Indy.

Henry flipped over the disc. "This side contains words. Again, each is a character in a different ancient dialect but roughly translated it means, "Here lies the key to the Valley of Edin."

Indy's jaw dropped. Henry looked extremely pleased with himself.

"Are you sure?" asked Indy.

"Of course I'm bloody sure!" replied Henry.

Indy felt shock, excitement, and exhilaration coursing through his veins. His father had similar feelings. He could tell from the glint in his eyes.

Jeff put his hand in the air as if they were back in the classroom. "Err, excuse me doctor Joneses, but what is the Valley of Edin?"

Henry leaned in close. "Why my dear boys and girl, it's where the Garden of Eden is of course!"

It was lucky the students were seated; otherwise, they may have collapsed in shock. As it was, they were left to discuss the implications in teenage excitement while Henry and Indy bickered over supplies, routes to take and of course, who was going to lead the expedition on their next amazing adventure.

The End