centered. The distance from the center stone to the bottom of the cross is also 720 feet, and 360 to the top. Everything is perfectly proportioned except for this one. ” She pointed to a circle between the middle and bottom stones.
“ That ’ s the entrance, ” Angel whispered.
“ This stone ought to be halfway between the center and bottom stones, but it isn ’ t. Researchers have always wondered why it alone is disproportionately spaced. Now we know. ” Avery looked around the table, her expression triumphant.
“ Is it in the swamp? ” Bones asked, leaning down for a closer look.
“ It juts out into the water, ” Avery said. “ I ’ ll bet there ’ s a hidden passage underneath it. ”
“ What if the stone is covering the passage? They ’ ll never be able to move it. ” Angel pursed her lips and tugged at her earlobe. It was one of her little habits that made Dane smile.
“ I guess we ’ ll find out. ” Dane ’ s eyes drifted to the bottom right corner of the page. “ What are these symbols? ” A tiny block of glyphs, triangles, circles, squares, some incomplete or slashed through with diagonal lines, had escaped their notice.
“ They look like the same glyphs that can be found on the stone that was discovered in the pit back in the 1800 ’ s. ” Avery gave the symbols a long, appraising look. “ This uses some of the same symbols, but it ’ s a different message entirely. No wonder no one has ever been able to make sense of it! ” She sprang from her seat and hurried into her bedroom, returning shortly with a battered briefcase.
Dane ’ s eyes widened when he saw the case. “ I remember that. ” It had belonged to his father. Dane could recall being surprised when Hunter Maddock had returned from one of his research trips with a shiny, new briefcase instead of his beloved old one.
“ Dad always had this with him whenever he visited, ” Avery explained. “ When I was little I used to like to play with the clasps. As I got older, I guess I came to associate it with the good times we had together. He gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. I hope it doesn ’ t make you feel weird. ”
“ It ’ s cool. He told me the airline lost it. I ’ m glad it ’ s still around. ”
“ Anyway, ” Avery said, opening the case and extracting a folder, “ here are some possible translations of the original stone. Maybe they can help us figure it out. ”
“ What about this? ” Angel held up the other paper that had been in the envelope. “ It ’ s got a bunch of those weird symbols plus a code. ” She flipped the paper around for the others to see.
“ That looks like the cipher in The Gold Bug , ” Dane said, reaching for the book that lay forgotten on the table. He flipped to the pertinent page and turned it around for the others to see.
“ No way! ” Avery ’ s eyes grew wide. “ Do you think Dad translated the runes, and then encrypted them? ”
“ Definitely. ” Dane was certain of it. “ He would have thought it added to the fun and made it more secure in case the wrong person stumbled across it. Besides, to the average person, it looks like a long math problem. ”
“ Do either of you know how to break this code? ” Bones asked. “ Because I hated C alculus. ”
“ I’ll bet t here are plenty of Gold Bug decryption sites online, ” Avery said. “ Bones, want to grab my laptop? ”
“ Only if you sit on my lap top. ” Bones had scarcely gotten the words out when Angel hit him over the head with The Gold Bug .
“ Get the computer , you creep. ”
Ten minutes later , they had their translation.
“ Shaft south, ” Bones read. “ Tunnel divides. Lower shaft. Third tunnel north. Upper shaft. ”
“ What do you make of it? ” Angel asked.
“ I think there are a maze of tunnels in this part of the island, ” Dane said, “ and these are directions for navigating them. ” He looked up at Bones. “ You up for a swim? ”
Bones grinned.
“ Let
“ That ’ s the entrance, ” Angel whispered.
“ This stone ought to be halfway between the center and bottom stones, but it isn ’ t. Researchers have always wondered why it alone is disproportionately spaced. Now we know. ” Avery looked around the table, her expression triumphant.
“ Is it in the swamp? ” Bones asked, leaning down for a closer look.
“ It juts out into the water, ” Avery said. “ I ’ ll bet there ’ s a hidden passage underneath it. ”
“ What if the stone is covering the passage? They ’ ll never be able to move it. ” Angel pursed her lips and tugged at her earlobe. It was one of her little habits that made Dane smile.
“ I guess we ’ ll find out. ” Dane ’ s eyes drifted to the bottom right corner of the page. “ What are these symbols? ” A tiny block of glyphs, triangles, circles, squares, some incomplete or slashed through with diagonal lines, had escaped their notice.
“ They look like the same glyphs that can be found on the stone that was discovered in the pit back in the 1800 ’ s. ” Avery gave the symbols a long, appraising look. “ This uses some of the same symbols, but it ’ s a different message entirely. No wonder no one has ever been able to make sense of it! ” She sprang from her seat and hurried into her bedroom, returning shortly with a battered briefcase.
Dane ’ s eyes widened when he saw the case. “ I remember that. ” It had belonged to his father. Dane could recall being surprised when Hunter Maddock had returned from one of his research trips with a shiny, new briefcase instead of his beloved old one.
“ Dad always had this with him whenever he visited, ” Avery explained. “ When I was little I used to like to play with the clasps. As I got older, I guess I came to associate it with the good times we had together. He gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. I hope it doesn ’ t make you feel weird. ”
“ It ’ s cool. He told me the airline lost it. I ’ m glad it ’ s still around. ”
“ Anyway, ” Avery said, opening the case and extracting a folder, “ here are some possible translations of the original stone. Maybe they can help us figure it out. ”
“ What about this? ” Angel held up the other paper that had been in the envelope. “ It ’ s got a bunch of those weird symbols plus a code. ” She flipped the paper around for the others to see.
“ That looks like the cipher in The Gold Bug , ” Dane said, reaching for the book that lay forgotten on the table. He flipped to the pertinent page and turned it around for the others to see.
“ No way! ” Avery ’ s eyes grew wide. “ Do you think Dad translated the runes, and then encrypted them? ”
“ Definitely. ” Dane was certain of it. “ He would have thought it added to the fun and made it more secure in case the wrong person stumbled across it. Besides, to the average person, it looks like a long math problem. ”
“ Do either of you know how to break this code? ” Bones asked. “ Because I hated C alculus. ”
“ I’ll bet t here are plenty of Gold Bug decryption sites online, ” Avery said. “ Bones, want to grab my laptop? ”
“ Only if you sit on my lap top. ” Bones had scarcely gotten the words out when Angel hit him over the head with The Gold Bug .
“ Get the computer , you creep. ”
Ten minutes later , they had their translation.
“ Shaft south, ” Bones read. “ Tunnel divides. Lower shaft. Third tunnel north. Upper shaft. ”
“ What do you make of it? ” Angel asked.
“ I think there are a maze of tunnels in this part of the island, ” Dane said, “ and these are directions for navigating them. ” He looked up at Bones. “ You up for a swim? ”
Bones grinned.
“ Let
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