She smiled, her eyes twinkling over the possibilities. She set the book down.
Rick leaned forward in his chair. “Haven’t you ever wished that some of your favorite stories were real in some way?” he asked. “That they actually happened?”
She recalled some of her favorite books from childhood. “I did, as a kid. More than anything I wanted to be transported into those amazing worlds. To be a part of them.”
“Well, I guess I’ve kept that sense of wonder. Me and my inner child are still like this,” he laughed, holding his hand up and crossing his fingers. “Maybe it’s a sign of my emotional immaturity, I don’t know, but sometimes I still fantasize about being a part of those worlds. They feel real to me, in a way.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe I just crave escapism, not sure.”
“It is fun to dream,” she replied, “to imagine a life beyond the one we know. To think there’s more to life than what we can see in our everyday world. That maybe there are hidden mysteries out there for us to discover, that can turn our lives into something grand and magical.”
Rick beamed at her. “That’s what I’m talking about! Besides,” he continued, motioning to the novel sitting on his coffee table, “I think it’s a lot more fun to imagine that the stories are real, at least in part, and that this is just a sneaky way of revealing a secret to as many people as possible, without getting into trouble.” He gave her a knowing wink.
She giggled. “Dodging trouble does seem to be a strong suit of yours.”
“And writing is yours,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “I’m not much good at that part, I don’t think. But I can certainly talk about what happened, or scribble some things down. You know, give you my perspective to add to your own, go over details and what not. Then you can polish it all up and make it sound good and be readable.” He held out his arms, flashing a big smile at her. “What do you think?”
She had to admit that a part of her was quite intrigued by the idea. And she felt a lot better having an outlet to consider. Plus, this was just a fun conversation to have. It boosted her mood a lot. It would be challenging, she thought, but she’d have Rick to help with things. She was sure they could find their way if they set their minds to it.
“We did make a good team out there,” she said, giving him a warm smile.
“We did, didn’t we?” he replied, feeling buoyed by her response.
“And hopefully, with the future plans that you, me, and Luis have talked about, we’ll have many more adventures to write about.”
“Right,” Rick said. “Some of them you might even be able to write about as a journalist. But for the expeditions where we’re sworn to secrecy on pain of death, we’ll go the fictional route.”
She laughed, feeling much brighter. “Estas loco, you know.”
“True, I am a little bit crazy,” he quipped, “but what do you say? Wanna give it a go?”
She picked up the book again, looking it over. “I’d say this is crazy, but...”
“But what?”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “But I kind of like it. It might just be exactly what I need.”
“Done!” He clapped his hands together. “I only have one more question for you.”
She smiled, tilting her head quizzically. “¿Qué es eso?”
Rick leaned forward and playfully whispered, “Wanna start tonight?”
Sofia beamed at him. “Are you serious?”
“Yup!”
She let out a big laugh. “Why not? But, it’s not too late for you?” She checked the time.
“Nah, I’m a night-owl.”
“Me, too!” she replied. “It’s always been my best writing time.”
“Excellent!” Rick exclaimed, as he got up to pour them some fresh brewed coffee. “I think we might even need a second pot.”
The End.
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
—Paulo Coelho
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, to my husband, thank you for always showing me wonderful support and enthusiasm for my writing, and for being my best cheerleader. You’ve seen me through all the ups and downs and you’ve stayed in my corner. Your own boundless creativity continues to inspire me.
I’d also like to thank Gary Val Tenuta, who created the gorgeous cover of this novel for me, which helped inspire this adventure story, and who also shared the initial article about the metal library with me, knowing I’d find it intriguing. That article inspired my imagination and I knew at once I absolutely had to write an adventure story about it. You’re a good friend!
Thank you as well to my wonderful editor, Janet Bessey, for her patience, encouragement and support, and for helping me to improve the book. You kindly chose to work through your own significant challenges - I admire you and am inspired by your warrior spirit. You are truly a gem of a person and I am grateful for you.
Big thanks as well to my ARC team, Rai’s Readers! You are a very fine group of people!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAI AREN has a life-long interest in archaeology and adventure stories and movies. She can usually be found cuddling with her rescue kitty, hanging out at home with her family, binging on her fave sci-fi & mystery shows, and reading and writing adventure stories. She’s busy working on new stories in the Secret of the Sands series as well as her Ancient Quest Mystery series and looks forward to opening the door to more adventures for you to join her on…
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