Captain Goldskull’s Treasure
And the Genie kept it safe…
The Captain made his way through the dark cave, pushing aside the tangled creepers which hung from its ceiling like festoons. He held a torch in one hand and his sword in the other to cut the thick brambles lining the rough walls of the cave. Even in the dim light of the torch, the greed in the Captain’s eyes glimmered and revealed the scars on his face, reminiscent of the years the Captain had spent attacking and plundering ships at sea. His worn-out leather boots clacked on the stone floor.
The genie has done a good job keeping people away from my booty, he thought as he stepped on the bones and skulls strewn on the uneven cave floor. He had visited the cave several times before to deposit his loot. Each time, he would visit a nearby village, disguised as a mere traveler. Each time he heard a new story about his cave.
Once, the village shoemaker told him in a hushed, fearful tone about the time he had ventured into the cave to prove the rumors of the haunting wrong. He was glad he was still alive because when he was a considerable distance inside the cave, he found himself surrounded by snakes, coiled around and slithering through fancy, old shoes. He believed those were the shoes of others who had attempted to unravel the mystery of the cave. He couldn’t remember how he had managed to get out but he swore he had left his shoes in the cave.
Another time, Captain Goldskull met a drunk villager in a tavern. The man gave him a synopsis of the various rumors about the cave. His drunken slur made half of what he said unclear but the Captain got the gist of it. Some had found scorpions in sacks full of grains while others had been bitten by honey bees when they tried picking some gold from the cave. No one was sure what lay inside.
Captain Goldskull chuckled to himself as he recalled the tales of this ‘Mysterious Cave.’
Fear, huh? Simple and effective to keep visitors away, he thought, impressed by the genie’s brilliance. He recalled the time when he had bumped into this genie. It had been guarding the treasure on a ship he and his crew had attacked. Like in most tales, the genie had granted him two wishes. As much in love as he was with his loot, Captain Goldskull asked the genie for a safe place to hide his treasure and as his second wish, he asked the Genie to protect it. Captain Goldskull was proud of himself. The genie had done a splendid job of guarding his wealth.
Now, he had decided to take his treasure, settle down on an island and lead a quiet and peaceful life.
Just as he fantasized about a normal life, the flickering light fell upon the treasure — glittering gold and silver coins, colorful precious jewels, shimmering gold necklaces, large sparkling diamonds — all lay before him in a heap.
His greedy eyes looked even more greedy in the light of the torch. Captain Goldskull placed the torch in a metal sconce on the wall and rushed towards the treasure. He ran his hand through the coins and jewels, avariciously. Without wasting much time, he pulled out a jute sack and hurriedly began filling it.
“Welcome Master!” the voice of the genie reverberated through the cave suddenly. Captain Goldskull looked up and there he was — the blue amorphous form, floating just above the heap.
The Captain stood up and authoritatively said, “Thank you, Genie, for protecting my treasure.”
He was unsure what to say next, so he simply added, “You are free to go now.”
The genie bowed with a smile. The Captain went back to filling his treasure into sacks. He filled one sack after another but the heap did not seem to reduce. The torchlight died out but the Captain was still filling the sacks.
Meanwhile, the genie had conjured himself a hammock and lay in it, smiling with satisfaction as he thought to himself — Yes, Master. I have executed my task well. But it wasn’t fear that I played on. I used people’s weaknesses against them…and yes I did add a little touch of fear to it. Oh, and my task isn’t over! You had asked me to protect the treasure but you did not say from whom. So I will give you company for however long it takes for you to fill your sacks with the treasure…or die.
