Sharmuziks: Beyond the Great Glad. Tim Brick

At first we had to figure out in which hole to throw it!”

      “Well… it no longer makes a difference… Ah! Probably we need to pull the lever,” said Archi and immediately decided to test his theory.

      After making the sound of a cash register, the lever clicked into place. Nolton realized that there was no point in getting angry and waited along with everyone else. A minute later, one of the lights hanging from the ceiling began to descend strangely to the ground, as if an invisible being was pulling it carefully down. Touching the ground, the light went out and started to slowly and easily open up, as if it was made from petals. Inside, there was an ordinary key. Archi, who was not in the mood today for waiting and reasoning, immediately grabbed it and ran to the nearest door.

      “We’re finally going to be able to get out of here,” he said cheerfully as he put the key in the hole.

      As soon as he did that, the key turned into sand and crumbled in his hand.

      It seemed that the key was their last hope for getting out of this subterranean world. The Sharmuziks looked at Archi in silence and disappointment, while he, in turn, sadly looked at the remains of the key.

      “So what do we do now?” asked Barti, who was the least happy to be stuck in this room.

      “Wait…” suddenly said Renchi, pulling out a button from his pocket. “I think I have an idea.”

      “What idea?” asked Lumi.

      “We can use the button in place of the coin,” cheerfully said Renchi.

      “Fine, but how will we know which hole we need? Those inscriptions are there for a reason,” said Nolton.

      “I, obviously, cannot be one hundred percent sure, but most likely it has to do with those symbols above the door,” said Professor Wisen.

      “That is?” asked Lumi, scratching his head and once again looking at the inscriptions next to each of the holes.

      “I’ll try to explain now. Look, we have three symbols above the door: wind, water and fire. Archi threw the coin into the lower hole, which said “Ends”, and used the key with the image of wind. I think that the inscriptions mean the following: “Life Gives” is water, without which there’s no life. “Sustains” is wind, air, or more precisely oxygen. After all, if we don’t breathe, then our existence cannot be sustained. And “Ends” is fire, which can burn anything.”

      “Fine… And what does this mean?” asked Archi, not understanding any of the previous words.

      “This means that first we need to choose the door through which we want to go,” explained the grey-haired Sharmuzik.

      “And how do we choose it?” Archi continued his questioning.

      “That’s a more complex matter. There were no clues anywhere to help us figure out which door to choose to get out of the room,” said Professor Wisen and was lost in thought again.

      “What do you mean there were no clues? What about “Find two trees and go through them”?” asked Nolton.

      “Yes, but what do doors have anything to do with it?” asked Renchi.

      “If water gives life, and fire ends it, it would be much more logical to choose the door with the symbol of a drop.”

      “Perhaps, but what if it’s not? We won’t have another chance,” said Renchi, glancing at the button.

      “Then let’s hope that it is the right choice,” Nolton encouraged them and, taking the button, threw it in the upper hole and pulled the lever.

      Somewhere behind the walls, mechanisms were set in motion again. And down came another lamp. After it opened up, Nolton took the key and began to move uncertainly towards the door.

      “So… I hope this is not the last key,” said the Sharmuzik, and walking up to the door with the symbol of a drop, he inserted the key into the keyhole.

      Everyone held their breath, prepared for the worst turn of events. But, fortunately, this time the key did not crumble. A mechanism was set in motion, and the door slowly opened. A slight breeze blew in, and rays of sun penetrated the dark room.

      Part 6. He Who Lives in the Tree

      As soon as the Sharmuziks came out of the room, the door slammed shut behind them. But this did not trouble anyone anymore. The attention of the band turned to two small trees with intertwined crowns. They formed an arch from which came a soft, almost unnoticeable greenish light. The trees stood in a glade surrounded by tall and dense thickets. The same greenish light was being emitted around the clearing which the Sharmuziks had noticed between the trees. It was like a dome, shrouding the place. When Barti tried to come closer and put his hand through the light dome, it felt like he had hit an invisible wall. The Sharmuzik jumped back in surprise and was about to tell the others when he turned around, but not in the habit of interrupting, he could not utter a word, as everyone was discussing the arch.