Titanuis and the Invisible Pyramid

     It all started at the library the day before. His older brother, Pitch_black_blackie, was returning some books that were due and Pitch_black_blackie was hoping to find some new books. Titanuis was bored, so he had tagged along. It was raining heavily outside, so there wasn’t much to do anyway. Pitch_black_blackie loved to read about great adventures, while Titanuis preferred to make his own adventures as he called it.

     Titanuis complained loudly to Pitch_black_blackie that there were no books in the library. Pitch_black_blackie shook his head and mumbled something about Titanuis sounding like their owner. Their owner would look into her overfull closet and complain that there was nothing to wear!

     Pitch_black_blackie was a gentle and kind green Cybunny, who cared for his little impatient desert Draik brother. Pitch_black_blackie took hold of one of Titanuis’ wings and dragged him to the local history section at the library. There was a whole wall dedicated to folklore, mystic tales, facts and maps! Titanuis was delighted and Pitch_black_blackie could return to his own hunt for good books. In the end, Titanuis found more books than Pitch_black_blackie.

     Titanuis had spent the rest of the day in his bedroom reading and looking at maps. There were stories about an invisible pyramid that was only visible the moment when the sun rose and set. The pyramid was filled with great treasures. Many pets had dedicated their lives to finding the invisible pyramid, without success. It was said that anyone who entered the pyramid would never live to tell the tale!

     The descriptions of the location were confusing and cryptic. Luckily I am a Draik, thought Titanuis. He loved flying around. The world looked different from the sky. Little by little he started to narrow down the area where the pyramid could be located. By the time he fell asleep, he had a circle lined out on the map.

     The alarm clock went off an hour before sunrise. Titanuis jumped out of bed and quickly turned the alarm off, so he wouldn’t wake the rest of the house. He and his family lived in Qasala in the Lost Desert. Titanuis was an excellent flyer, so it wouldn’t take him too long to reach the area where the pyramid had to be located.

     I’m going to find that pyramid, Titanuis thought as he flew out into the desert. The early morning air was cool and moist. The sky was clear and it looked like it would be a warm and sunny day. He circled around the area as the sun rose. As the sunbeam hit one particular spot, Titanuis caught the glimpse of something. His eyes got bigger and bigger as he flew against it. He saw the door. It was the pyramid! He had found it! Without hesitation he flew straight inside the pyramid and landed.

     The hallway was enormous! He went deeper and deeper into the pyramid. There were many rooms and many more corridors. All the walls were beautifully decorated. He was completely mesmerized over all the details. The pyramid was much bigger than it looked from the outside.

     Titanuis entered a giant room and gasped. There were plates of big golden treasure chests, beautiful carpets, painted pictures of people, and so much more. Titanuis couldn’t stop looking around. The entire room was filled with gold and beautiful things. Titanuis eyes ended up fixed on one thing. Up a small staircase was a royal chair and on it were a golden crown. Titanuis was drawn to it. He wanted to touch it. The details on the crown were excellent. It must have belonged to a really powerful and rich king. Titanuis couldn’t help himself. He picked up the crown from the chair. The moment he did, he heard a big bang. He dropped the crown in shock and instantly flew up into the air. Something was different! The entrance to the room had been replaced by a stone wall. He tried to move the stone wall, but he couldn’t. Titanuis looked around. There had to be another exit!

     Titanuis sighed. He had spent the whole day looking for an exit, but the only thing he had found was a crack in the wall. That little crack was telling him time was running out. At sunset the pyramid would become visible for a short time. What was it the stories had said? That anyone who was inside the pyramid at sunset would invisible too?! That would explain why no one had found the pyramid, he thought. They hadn’t had the chance to tell anyone about it. He should have read more about the curses and rumours regarding the pyramid, he thought. Why had he completely ignored it? He couldn’t remember why.

     No one knew where he was. Titanuis had not told his brother or his owner where he was going, because they would have tried to stop him. Did they miss him? Maybe they were looking for him. He collapsed on the floor and held tightly around his tail wishing someone would find him before it was too late.

     Suddenly he heard a knock on a wall in the distance. And then there was another knock. And then there was another knock. This time the knock was a bit closer. There was another knock. Titanuis got on his feet and ran towards the stone wall. He picked up a golden candlestick and started banging it against the wall. He paused for a moment - listening for a knock. Silence and then a knock came right outside the stone wall.

     “Help me! I’m in here!” Titanuis yelled desperately.

     “Titanuis? Is that you?” Titanuis was relieved. It was the voice of Pitch_black_blackie. Titanuis quickly explained what had happened. Pitch_black_blackie had gotten worried when Titanuis didn’t come home. Pitch_black_blackie had found the books and the map Titanuis had drawn in Titanuis’ bedroom, and put the pieces together.

     “Have you tried putting the crown back?” Pitch_black_blackie asked.

     “No. I’ll try it,” Titanuis answered. Of course, Titanuis thought. Why didn’t he think about that? He should have brought Pitch_black_blackie along. He ran towards the chair. Where was that crown? It wasn’t near the chair. He flew up into the air to get a good overview of the room. There it was! Titanuis found the crown in a corner and carefully put it back in the royal chair. Nothing happened... Titanuis sank down and wanted to cry.

     Suddenly there was a loud noise that filled the whole room! The stone wall was moving sideways. Titanuis flew straight towards the door. Little by little, Titanuis could see Pitch_black_blackie. The moment there was enough room, Titanuis squeezed through the door. Titanuis could feel tears streaming down his face. Pitch_black_blackie grabbed Titanuis hand and they ran towards the entrance hoping there was still time left before the sun was gone.

     There was a tiny bit of sun left as they passed through the entrance door. They ran and ran - not looking back, until they collapsed in the sand gasping for air. When they turned the pyramid was gone and there were no evidence that it had ever been there.

     “How did you know the crown needed to be returned to its place?” Titanuis asked Pitch_black_blackie.

     “It always does!” Pitch_black_blackie answered. “You need to read more books!”

     “Next time, I’m bringing you along!” Titanuis stated as he gave his brother a big hug.

     “Next time?” Pitch_black_blackie shock his head at Titanuis.

The End