Sharmuziks: Beyond the Great Glad. Tim Brick

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СКАЧАТЬ distinct golden letters that formed the inscription: Find two trees and walk through them if you wish to find the way out of the forest.

      “What does this mean? Any idea?” Archi asked again, not fully understanding the meaning of the words above the arch.

      “The only thing I understand is that we need two find two trees. Walk through them… And… that way get out of the forest,” Barti explained repeating the content of the inscription.

      “Thank you, Barti, it’s all clear now,” said Archi jokingly. In return, Barti simply smiled, thinking that he had really helped somehow.

      “We have to go into this tunnel,” suddenly said Professor Wisen, who was standing behind all this time.

      “Into the tunnel? But why?” Renchi asked, surprised.

      “This inscription is located above the entrance into the tunnel, and not on a plate in the forest. That’s why I think that it’s a logical decision to try to find the trees in the tunnel,” explained Professor Wisen, having already taken the first steps to the entrance, but suddenly stopped. It seemed to him some strange sounds were coming from there, in the darkness. For a moment, fear completely took hold of his reason.

      “It’s best if the one with the flashlight goes first,” suggested Professor Wisen and stepped aside.

      Everyone looked at Lumi, as he was holding the flashlight. Realising what was going on, Lumi was not happy with the role of trailblazer. Nevertheless, he did not argue and began to move slowly through the narrow walls of the tunnel, without a clue about where this path would lead him.

      Step by step, the Sharmuziks were going deeper into the darkness. The tunnel was winding. First it was straight, then turned right and then sharply left. Now, it was as dark behind them as it was ahead of them.

      “This tunnel appears to be too long,” muttered Barti, who was constantly trying to find any excuse to go back.

      “At least, there’s no danger whatsoever in it,” Nolton tried to cheer him up.

      “That we have not come across someone or something dangerous on our path in no way indicates that there is no danger farther ahead…” said Archi doubtfully.

      Suddenly, Lumi stopped and started to shake the flashlight.

      “What is it? What’s happening?” Barti was immediately worried.

      “Something’s wrong with the flashlight,” said Lumi and continued to shake it. Looking suspiciously at Lumi, Nolton was about to object.

      “Really? I don’t remem…” the flashlight instantly went out and everyone was swallowed by the darkness.

      “What’s this? Where’s everybody?” Barti started shouting and tried to fumble for his buddies, almost poking out Nolton’s eye.

      There was a commotion. And unexpectedly, especially for Barti, Lumi again switched on the flashlight, illuminating his face and saying: Boo! No one of those present was particularly impressed by this. They only turned with serious faces in the direction of the inappropriate joker. Except for Barti, who out of fright lost his balance. Realising that the idea was not that good, Lumi was about to continue on his way, but after taking one single step, he was caught on a wire. At that very moment, the floor under the Sharmuziks sharply tilted and everybody began to slide off. First, down a stone block, and then they fell into water, and they were carried away somewhere by a rapid current. Lumi and Renchi were shouting loudly, with their arms in the air. Barti was just shouting, with has hands covering his face. Nolton was trying to hold his hat, while Archi and Professor Wisen were floating somewhere behind, lagging behind the others.

      At the end of this short way, the Sharmuziks, one after the other, ended up in something that looked like a small pool. With surprisingly warm water for an underground location.

      “And you said there’s no danger?” said Archi jokingly as he came out of the pool.

      The band found itself in a new puzzling room. It was illuminated by four strange chandeliers in the form of balls hanging in the air right under the ceiling. In any case, this was how it seemed at first glance, as the Sharmuziks might have simply not noticed what they were actually suspended by. There was some kind of an unclear structure in the centre of the room. It looked like two stone compasses, one on top of the other. The needles pointed to different parts of the world and were of two different colours. North was blue, south red, west green and east yellow. In addition to the strange structure in front of the needle that was pointing north, there were three identical doors. Wind was depicted above the first one, fire above the second and a drop of water above the third one. For a while, the Sharmuziks simply walked around the room in silence, carefully examining every corner, while Professor Wisen sat down across from the two compasses and was lost in thought, trying to figure out their meaning.

      “What’s all of this?” finally asked Archi, not understanding anything of what he had seen.

      “It’s a riddle,” explained Professor Wisen, without moving a muscle.

      “A riddle?” asked Archi, as if hearing the word for the first time.

      “Yes. We need to solve it. Only then will we be able to get out of this room.”

      “Look! There’s also some kind of an inscription here!” said Nolton, noticing a few letters on the circle in the centre of the needles. Wiping off a layer of dust, he was able to make out the inscription, similar to the one that was above the arch at the entrance to the tunnel. With golden letters as well, there were additional inscriptions arranged in a circle, one under the other.

      Eternal winter suddenly replaced with warmth,

      The sun’s rays have already reached the earth,

      Shoots and leaves, bushes and trees,

      All in the next moment fell into silence,

      The wind dispelled all the remaining ashes,

      The desert replaced with green meadows.

      “And what is this supposed to mean? Does anybody have an idea?” asked Archi, for whom the contents of the verses remained a mystery.

      “That’s one complicated riddle,” muttered Barti and leaned on the needle pointing north. Suddenly it began to move slowly clockwise, simultaneously with the other, which began to move in the opposite direction. From the circle that was in the centre, some metal cylinder began to slide out, stopping midway.

      “It seems Barti was able to solve the principle of this mechanism after all,” said Lumi in astonishment.

      Carefully re-reading the inscription and looking at the mechanism one more time, Professor Wisen drew the following conclusion: “I think I got it. North replaced with south. It’s in the inscription. “Eternal winter suddenly replaced with warmth!” Now we have to solve the direction in which to push the other two needles.”

      “Yes, it looks like you’ve got it! Let’s just push them until they get to the right position!” suggested Archi and was about to go ahead with his idea.

      “Stop! What if we push them in the wrong direction?” Nolton stopped his friend, who immediately stepped aside.

      Professor Wisen, after wiping his glasses, re-read the passage.

      “The end of the inscription reads: СКАЧАТЬ