"I wonder what happened?" Zoe said softly, almost to herself.
"I'm not sure," Levi responded. "The Pygmy said that the vases are used for storing water, but she did not explain the meaning of the symbol for treasure. Perhaps the painting's message was lost in translation."
"I'm not sure Levi. What do you think the symbol for treasure referred to?" Zoe was examining the cave drawing again in the dim light. The painting underneath the vase looked like a small pile of rocks. Zoe wasn't sure how a small pile of rocks translated into treasure, but maybe they could get help figuring it out.
Levi looked up at Zoe from his camera's viewfinder, "Well, it naturally seems to refer to the vase drawn above it, but if there was confusion about what was to be stored in the vase(s), then perhaps the symbol for treasure was misinterpreted."
Zoe was still thinking. "Maybe since the cave painting is in the middle of the rainforest, whoever saw it didn't think the treasure symbol meant water. Maybe they thought there was already enough water in the rainforest and they went looking somewhere else for the treasure."
"That's possible isn't it Zoe!" Levi exclaimed.
"Maybe fortune hunters came and decided to look for their treasure elsewhere. Perhaps they believed their treasure to be gold or diamonds. It's certainly is very mysterious. What's even more puzzling is the big, black X someone else left behind."
"Where should we go from here Levi?" Zoe asked. "How are we going to solve the mystery of the water treasure?"
"I have the perfect idea. Time travel!" Levi loved time travel and Zoe was still inexperienced yet enthusiastic so she agreed wholeheartedly.
"Yes! Lets go back in time Levi! It will give us a chance to figure out what happened." Zoe was very excited.
"All we need to do is find a time portal to get us there. Perhaps Sapphire can be of assistance as our guide. Oh, and don't forget Ruby, I think she's still in the treetops." Ruby chirped at Zoe from high above.
"Come on Ruby! We're going to time travel. You need to stay in my pocket until we get there and Sapphire needs to guide the way. Where is that Blue Owlet anyway?" Levi glanced around outside the cave and looked up in the treetops for the bright, blue owlet.
"There she is!" Zoe spotted Sapphire on one of the rainforest tree branches nearby. The owlet flew down to meet them and landed with silent wings on a log near Zoe and Levi.
"Come on Sapphire!" Zoe said encouragingly. "You have to help us find a time portal."
Zoe knew Sapphire had the ability, but she could be a bit stubborn at times if not properly motivated. The owlet flapped her wings a bit and then flew up into the trees, scanning the branches with her keen eyes for what she was looking for. Time portals did not appear for just anyone. They were often hard to come by, and were known to frequently confuse inexperienced time travelers by either refusing to appear or by sending their passengers into the wrong dimension. Sapphire, however, was an exceptionally gifted owlet, and had vast experience with time portals given her young age, so Zoe knew they could rely on her instincts.
Zoe waited patiently with Levi on the forest floor until Sapphire gave the signal. When the Blue Owlet let out a single loud screech! Zoe knew Sapphire had found their time portal.
"Come on Levi! It's over there!" Zoe pointed in the opposite direction of the Pygmy hunting camp toward Sapphire's glittery, blue wings shimmering amongst the trees and jungle vines.
Levi grabbed his Travel Pack and threw his long, black cape over his shoulders, heading off in the direction of Zoe's finger and the Blue Owlet. Zoe followed close behind. Sapphire sat high above on a tree branch, flapping her wings slowly just above a tall archway in the rainforest.
"Hmmm." Levi said to himself. "Everything seems a little bit wet to me, but I supposed that's because we're in the rainforest."
Zoe stood next to Levi trying to figure out what he was looking at.
"You've never time-travelled in the rainforest before Levi? What difference does it make if we get wet?"
"Maybe it doesn't matter." Levi gathered his cape around him. "I have travelled through time portals in forests before, but they were usually dry portals. Maybe the water doesn't affect anything as long as our equipment is safe. Just have to make sure Ruby stays in my cape pocket. Is Sapphire coming with you Zoe?"
"Yea," Zoe replied. "Sapphire will stay with me until we get to our next destination. She will help us exit the time portal as well, since she knows all the tips and tricks of time travel. Then she'll probably take a break and fly around when we get there. She loves to explore new places."
"Ok." Levi stood looking up at the archway in the trees. "Everybody ready?"
"All systems go!" Zoe shouted and they both stepped into the archway at the exact same time. They heard a loud, mechanical noise that sounded like a door closing, and they were off.
When Zoe and Levi reappeared, they were in the year 25,000 BC. They were also in the exact same place, just outside their cave. Only they were no longer in the rainforest. Now, they stood in the middle of an open, grassy savannah dotted sparsely with acacia trees here and there. A reticulated giraffe stared at them from a distance.
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