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Ronan slipped his phone into his pocket and smiled. "This is where we get out. Ready for a hike, Indiana Jones?"
I turned off the engine and grabbed his hand briefly. "Born ready. Let's hunt down the treasure."
As we left the car behind, the sun was casting its last rays of the day through the trees. Ahead of us, we had to handle a steep descent along the bluff and beyond lay the cove.
"Umm, wow, look at that. This trail is… something." Ronan eyed the steep path ahead with trepidation in his voice.
I nodded and attempted to sound more confident than I felt. "Yeah, we’ve got this. Just watch your step and follow my lead."
As we started down, the ground beneath us was a tricky mix of loose soil, twisted roots, and slick pine needles. The scent of evergreen filled the air, mingling with the faint smell of the lake. I had to plan out each step, reaching down with my lead foot to find a sturdy spot that could hold my weight. One major slip could send me tumbling down the bluff.
"Whoa!" Ronan exclaimed when he slipped on a mossy rock. I pivoted and instinctively reached up behind me to grab his arm and steady him. I flattened my body against the side of the bluff while our hearts pounded.
"Thanks," he said, his face just inches from mine. The flecks of gold in his eyes caught the last rays of sunlight.
As we continued, the terrain was even more rugged. Ancient pine trees clung stubbornly to the bluff, their roots embedded in cracks in the rock face in places, forming a natural, but tricky, staircase. We held onto their trunks for support, resting with every third step.
"How did your Great-Uncle Ian ever manage this?" I wondered aloud as I ducked under a low branch.
Ronan chuckled. "Knowing him, he probably had a secret elevator hidden in the house. All he needed to do was push a button and it took him from the basement to the cove."
Fortunately, the path soon opened up to a field of boulders, some as big as cars, scattered haphazardly at the base of the bluff. They were still damp in places on the side that faced the lake, a sign of wind-driven waves earlier in the day.
"Watch your step here," I warned, testing each boulder before trusting my full weight. "The moss on these can be slick as ice."
As we carefully crossed the boulder field, Ronan called out over the growing sound of waves, "Do you hear that? We must be getting close."
I nodded, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead. "Yeah, and can you feel how humid the air is getting? Smell that wet stone?"
"I do. I think we're almost there!"
After a few more minutes of scrambling, I pulled myself up onto the last boulder and gasped. "Ronan, come look at this!"
He climbed up beside me, and we both stared in awe at the picture-perfect cove below. Deep blue water filled the center, rippling gently each time a wave rolled in through the gap that led to the lake.
"Wow," Ronan breathed, "it's even more beautiful than I imagined."
"Right?" I grinned, taking in the towering cliffs and the perfectly horseshoe-shaped cove. "It's like a natural sanctuary. Look at that fine sand and those smooth pebbles leading right into the crystal-clear water."
"I can't believe a place like this exists just a short hike from Blue Harbor," Ronan marveled.
"I'd enjoy just sitting here for a long time, enjoying the natural beauty, but let's not forget why we're here."
As if my comment served as a sort of signal to begin, a beam of light cut through the gathering dusk and swept across the cove in a wide arc. It was Great-Uncle Ian's beacon. I glanced up to see the powerful, glowing shaft of light spilling over the edge of the bluff.
Ronan placed his hands on his hips and muttered. "This isn't very specific. It covers almost the entire beach as it moves back and forth."
"I suppose that means we'll have to search."
It was almost dark. "So, what's our plan for that?" Ronan's voice echoed off the rocks behind us.
I pulled out my flashlight and clicked it on. The beam cut through the darkness outside of the beacon's beam. "Let's start here at the north end and work our way south. You take the shoreline, and I'll take the area close to the rocks at the base of the bluff. We'll meet again where the beach narrows."
Ronan clicked on his own flashlight. "Sounds like a logical approach, Dr. Spock. What exactly should I look for?"
I chuckled. "Honestly? I’m not sure. Try to notice anything that looks out of place—a mark on the rocks, an unusual object, or maybe a handy X marking the spot."
"Right," Ronan said with a grin, "because treasure maps are a perfect analog to sand and stone."
