PETE AND JENNY GOT WEAPONS

CHAPTER SIX

PETE AND JENNY GOT WEAPONS

Pete and Jenny had collected so many weapons made of solid gold. They were of different kinds. With the weapons, they dared to take a chance at returning back through the passages or corridor that led to the several entrances they met as they moved from one golden chamber to another.Pete had made it a duty to constantly reiterate to Jenny that it was very important they recalled every obstacle, every corridor or passage into each chamber they found and entered.

They constantly took note of the black arrow at the beginning and end of every entrance into the chamber. The only fear they had now was that concerned with the extent those deadly creatures that killed their brother Charley had come behind them. So they had to be very conscious of every step they took as they returned back through those passages or corridors through those entrances.

However, Pete was certain that the weapons they had collected would aid them as far as possible, as they would attempt their first escape out of the land of gold. Then both of them took every step consciously ensuring their ears were sensitive to any unusual sounds that would come from the passage or corridors, as they returned back to the gates at the entrance of the land of gold.

It was now one year, six months since the Tolen's children had gone missing. The media of the Zinatano city, both the print and the electronic, had been awash with the news. Every authority responsible for search and rescue had been employed to solve the mystery surrounding Charley's, Pete's and Jenny's missing. It had already been rumoured that the kids must have gone into the city of Kalkulta, where it had been reported that people of unknown identities had gone missing. Frequent missing of people had made the place a dreadful abode.

The police DPO Mr. Tolen had gone to see about a year three months ago had been transferred and replaced with a new one. The city of Zinatano had even gone through a couple of structural transformation, roads had been upgraded to standard trunks, beautiful gardens and parks had been created. Even an internationalAirporthadbeensituatedattheoutskirtsnorthwardsofthecity of Zinatano. Things had really changed in the family life style of the Tolen's.

They became quiet conservatives; they rarely went out for social and community activities.The news brought to them constantly had been one of unending sorrow and sadness. They had insisted, as a family unit,not to give up in the search for their missing children. And this had a profound effect on Mr. Tolen finances and health as well as the family's emotional psychology. They were traumatized and very exhausted, but they would never entertain the idea or thought that their children had gone missing and never would be found again.

"Don't worry everything is going to be ok and we won't give up the search for our children till we find them," Mr. Tolen said as they sat in the sitting room watching television.Mary had grown up and most times she would sit and watch her parent as they talked over and over about their missing children. It never occurred yet to her that she had siblings who had gone missing. "It's all going to be alright," Mr. Tolen kept re-assuring himself. "The police had done quite a lot to assist in finding our children and every search and rescue authority has done marvellously, but it has yet yielded the needed result."

"Ooh,ooh,ooh…"Mrs. Tolen cried. "Do you know it's has been one year six months since our kids left the warming and loving companion of their parents and the protection our home had provided them? How could this happen to us? Did we not give our children the required training, or did it never occur to us our children could go missing? "Mrs. Tolen moped. "After the long tales you brought home about those missing people from the city of Kalkulta, how could it be we never thought this could happen to us too? Ooh my God?

What could have happened to my dear children out there in the unknown?" Mrs. Tolen started to shed tears. Mary could only stare at her parents wondering in her mind what could cause her mother's tears and sobbing. She was still too young to be told this sad story about her missing siblings. Her mother looked at Mary and stopped crying, then she turned and stared at Mr. Tolen and then she said,"What are we going to tell Marry?She would be very unhappy when she gets to know that her siblings had gone missing and were never found."

"Someday she would have to know the truth; that is for certain," Mr. Tolen replied. "For now we need to keep on praying and hoping all the efforts we have put up to find our missing children will yield a positive result." About a month later, about noon while Mrs. Tolen was busy preparing launch, there was a knock on the door; she quickly stopped what she was doing and went to answer the person. When she got there it was a police man who had parked their patrol vehicle outside her house.

"Hello constable," Mrs. Tolen greeted the officer. "How can I be of help today?"

"Hello Mrs. Tolen, we are here to see Mr. Tolen, just a check to see how he is doing and give him a feedback on our search team efforts so far, ok.

"You are welcome,please come in. I will quickly let him know you are here." She gradually followed the officer behind."Please have a seat, I will tell Mr. Tolen you are here" She walked into her bedroom to meet her husband who had just returned from his workplace.

"Dear T," as she fondly called her husband. "There is a police officer sitting and waiting at the sitting room. The officer said he is here to see you regarding our missing children."

"Tell the officer please I will soon be with him,"he said rising up to his feet. He walked into his sitting room to meet the officer.

"Well, it's been a year and six months, officer since they went missing. I can't find any reasonable explanation for what had happened to my kids! All the reports from the search and rescue team under the former DPO had been fruitless.

"Yes, Mr. Tolen, I can see your patience and forbearance, and this is rare qualities. We have always known you to be a good officer before you left the police force. I for one would assure that the search and rescue team won't rest until we find your children. As a matter of fact, I heard they are laying down strategies on how to comb the forest at the mountains on the road to the city of Kalkulta."

"Are you sure of this officer?" Mr. Tolen asked. "Because I am aware of some strange place that exists within those boundaries, there have been rumours of people entering into the land and never returning. Victims who went missing have been mostly from the city of Kalkulta, I have heard that this place is a secrete land made of gold within those forests around the mountains on the way to the city of Kalkulta.

They said, one would only know he had entered the path in the land when a certain old walls appeared with a tiled path leading directly into the land of gold. People who got missing in the land were said to have gone into their massive gate that had strange giant statues of gold for their desire to be rich.

They are enticed by their want for more gold, so they follow passages collecting gold. These entrances continued deeper and deeper into the land, as they gather golden ornaments that littered the passage ways into entrances that lead to chambers made of solid gold; they had golden massive stocked chest of treasurers and golden walls filled with painting and also golden statues all of solid gold. It was also rumoured that any intruder who touched those paintings or statues of gold would trigger them to come alive.

And in almost all cases those who touched this strange painting or sculptures of strange,deadly creatures would be killed by these creatures. "Mr. Tolen then stopped for a while and looked directly into the eyes of the officer. "If my children ever found them selves in such a place how could they ever escape?" Mr. Tolen asked.

"That is an unbelievable story! I have never heard of such a place or story it seems to be one out of a fictional book or movie, however, I don't want to totally doubt you sir, " the officer concluded.

The officer rose to go with the assurance that the police would not relent in their efforts in finding the children. He also promised to investigate more about the strange "Land of Gold".

A week after the police officer had visited the Tolen's, their anguish over the missing of the children appeared accentuated.

"It's been one year and several months I have not set eyes on my children. Time has gradually passed and one day we would wake to the reality that we have not seen our children in our old age. May be Mary would grow up into a woman, possibly even getting married and having her own family, without us ever setting our eyes on our missing children," Mrs. Tolen complained.

"I am short of words to say about our predicaments for now. I had barely started my new job when all this saga started for us as a family; here we are running into two years since we last set our eyes on our children, Charley, Pete and Jenny, "said Mr. Tolen. "Mary would soon be moving to high school, and she would be in the boarding, that would be making just you and me around here most of the time.

I think we should sleep early, the officer who came here a week ago said he would be stopping over on his way to the station to see me in the morning." He climbed his bed, switched off the side lamps and positioned his hand for prayer then said, "Let's pray, my dear wife." He paused for a while and said, "I hope Mary always prays?"

After breakfast, Mr. Tolen set to prepare for work. Mary was busy wearing her sandals getting ready for school when they heard a knock on the door. Mrs. Tolen walked to the door to open it. The police officer stepped in.

"The DPO had re-issued new cover letters and search warrant to aid the new search team, " the officer informed Mr Tolen immediately he took his seat.

"That is great news, "Mr. Tolen said.

"I have been informed of the existence of the "land of gold" by some of my colleagues, and to be candid the place is a secret and forbidden territory to ever venture into. In fact, investigations and research had shown search teams that entered into the land never came back.

The headquarters had kept this incidence about the land a big secrete like the x-files, and should never be disclosed to anyone in the police service. I got this information from a private investigator in the city of Kalkulta on our last visit there. In conclusion,the officer said, I don't think you should bring this up anywhere around the new DPO. "Mr. and Mrs. Tolen looked directly at each other and turned to face the officer.

"Thank you very much for your efforts, officer and your team's efforts. We truly appreciate all you have said here today," Mr. Tolen said incredulously.

Mr. Tolen kept wondering about the news the officer had told him regarding the land of gold. He could not imagine that all through his years working with the police service, no one had ever mentioned anything about a police search and rescue teams that had gone missing in the land of gold.

He pondered over this unfortunate incidence,as he took the last bend leading to the entrance of the company where he worked as the chief security officer. Indeed, it was a very depressing and traumatic experience the Tolen's had been facing these last two years, since Charley, Pete and Jenny went missing from their home.

Things were not looking too optimistic for the family, regarding finding their children, and this was beginning to wear off the Tolen's so badly, even the money he now made could not replace the position in his heart; where his missing children occupied in his world as a father. He had now came to realize money could not buy happiness, some days while he drove to work, on the way he would keep repeating to himself: if only I had not gone to work that day my children got missing may be they all would have been with me today.