Citron's Treasure Hunt
Citron’s spaceship had sustained some damage in deep-space and by the time they got home, it had to be repaired. Because of this, the captain had a lot more time on his hands than he was used to. He had decided to give his team a small vacation and now found himself sitting alone, idly scrolling through his phone and looking at various pictures he had taken over the last few missions he’d had, choosing some to post on his space-themed social media account. Losing concentration, though, he began to scroll through his feed. Something caught his eye and he tapped it to open it, tilting his head curiously as a map popped up on his screen. He stared at it for a moment before saving it and standing up from his chair. A treasure map? It seemed to be missing a few pieces.
He stood there for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding to himself and uploading it to the computer nearby to print it out. Once it was printed, he knew it was time for an adventure. He went outside and glanced at the map, then at the compass in the corner, then at his compass on his arm. North first. Right. He turned North and began walking, watching each step and checking the map’s landmarks to make sure he was headed in the correct direction, passing the correct landmarks. The map had “dangers” marked, and then empty spots on the map following the dangers. Two of them, to be exact. The first one looked to be a little doodle of fire. Fire was… Never good, but he was on a mission at this point, and continued. As he walked, he saw a building in the distance. A sauna building. Ah, so the fire was to represent heat. So be it.
Citron entered the sauna, ignoring the receptionist’s questions and wandering around the lobby, finding nothing. He sighed, walking up to the counter and meeting the woman’s eyes. “I would like to enter the sauna.” He stated monotonously. She looked at him like he had a third eye but nodded. “That will be- “He interrupted by handing her a bundle of money and walking past her, heading into the locker room to get undressed and to grab a towel before heading inside of the sauna room. At first, it didn’t bother him much, but once he sat down and began to feel the steam, he could feel the ice cream beginning to soften. Citron squinted at his surroundings through the water vapors, trying to spot anything of interest. Something shiny caught his eye and he moved closer to the coals in the middle, snatching it from the pile. It was hot and he dropped it immediately, wincing. With a small huff, he shook off the sting and reached down after it had cooled down, picking it back up and looking at it. A… Metal stamp?
Citron figured that somehow this was the next clue and quickly left the sauna room, heading back to the locker room to cool down and get dressed again. He tossed the towel away and grabbed the map, putting it down on the bench he was sitting on and inspecting the metal piece he had gotten. It was two pieces. He pulled one piece off and looked inside to see that… It was a stamp. His ears perked and he put the stamp on an empty spot on the map that matched the shape, pressing down hard for a few seconds before removing it and looking down at the map. The next part was now revealed.
Citron left the sauna, heading East now, in the direction the map was leading. The next obstacle looked to be… Rocks? As he followed the map’s twists and turns, he began to realize what that meant. The ocean was growing near, and there were partially submerged rocks along the shoreline, and then continuing out into the water. In the distance, he could see a dry sandbar. The obstacle was getting to the sandbar. He paused, glancing up at the sky to see a star twinkling at him. Yes. He must continue.
The Neko kept walking towards the shore before pausing to look down at his boots, then back at the water. His boots would get wet. He wasn’t fond of water… With another glance at the star, he sighed and leaned down, removing his boots and socks, then rolling up his pant legs to his knees. He put his boots to the side, on dry land, and began to walk along the rocks on the shoreline. It was mostly dry until he began to step on the rocks that went further into the water. Each rock was further under, and by the time he was halfway there, he could feel fish nipping at him and his pantlegs beginning to get wet. It was already past his knees. He narrowed his eyes at the fish but continued once again with another glance at the star above. It kept watching over him, so he knew he’d be safe.
He stepped on rock after rock, even after the water reached his waist. Once he got to that point, though, the rocks began to rise back up again. Each rock was dryer than the last, and he finally made it to the sandbar. He glanced at the map again, which had a blank spot at this point. He looked out at the endless sandbar, and then back up at the star again, twinkling ever so slightly at him. He took it as a sign, walking in the direction of the star; north once again.
Citron padded along the damp sandbar for a few minutes, glancing back at the shore every so often before he found a spot with a small divot in the sand with a small, reflective puddle. The puddle reflected the star he always looked to for guidance. “This must be it.” He mumbled, leaning down and pulling a small shovel out of his pants pocket and digging up the small hole. Inside was a tiny chest. He pulled it out slowly. The chest was a tiny wooden box with a rusted silver latch, but no lock. He opened it slowly, blinking at the few small, gold coins inside. He stared at it for a moment before looking back up at the star with a small sigh.
“I continue to find treasures and valuables on my travels. But I still fail to find something as valuable to me as you.” He glanced down at the box again, a slight frown curling his lips downwards before he looked back up at the night sky.
“I don’t have a map to find you. You guide me everywhere but to your side. You allude me.” Citron closed his eyes, gripping the box tighter and closing it.
“I will find you someday. I won’t rest until I do… Lead me to you, my North star.”