The Treasures
by Sherry Hsu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DixcshSNq3U
The Treasures
Written by Sherry Hsu of XE45A Instructor: Kenneth M. Smith Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages Kaohsiung, Taiwan R.O.C 2014
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Table of Contents About the Author......................................4 Prologue....................................................6 Chapter 1- A Dream..................................7 Chapter 2 - A Prosperous City................12 Chapter 3 - Dark Forest..........................18 Chapter 4 - Desert...................................24 Chapter 5 - The Treasures.......................31 References..............................................41 Acknowledgement.................................42
Words checked: [2,496] Words in Oxford 3000™: [91%] 3
About the Author
Sherry Hsu was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1995. She is currently living in Kaohsiung, and studying in Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages. She likes spending time with her family and friends, reading, and watching movies in her leisure time. She is an extroverted person, and she likes trying new things. 4
This is her first time writing a novel, and she decides to write something related to adventure. This story is a combination of some novels she has read before. She hopes the readers enjoy the story, and also have passion for going on an adventure after reading it.
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Prologue Sometimes people have a dream while they are sleeping. Hank and Scott, two apprentices at a sculptor, they once had a special dream. An old man showed up and told them about treasures in the Pyramids. They soon decided to take an adventure and find treasures. Then the journey began...
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Chapter 1 A Dream
"Master, Hank is messing my sculpture up again! He has to be punished." said Scott angrily. "You broke my sculpture first. You are the one who should be punished." Hank retorted. As always, Hank and Scott had a fight when they were working. They were both Mr. Wilson's apprentices, and they never lived in harmony. "Stop arguing. You both 7
broke other's sculpture, so the two of you should be punished." said Mr. Wilson. "Oh, no! This is all your fault." they shouted at each other. One night while everyone was sleeping, Hank was woken by sounds. An old man suddenly showed up in front of him. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked Hank. "It doesn't matter who I am. I know you are tired of your ordinary life, so I am here to tell you something which will interest you." said the old man. 8
"Something will interest me?" "Right, there are plenty amount of treasures in the Pyramids, Egypt. However, on the way finding those treasures, there will be some challenges. You will get a thing you need during the journey, and your friend will also have a thing which can help you to
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get through those difficulties. Good luck." "What? Are you serious? Treasures in Egypt?" The old man disappeared in the mist without answering Hank's question. "Was that a dream, or it was real? If what the old man told me was true, I would be rich after finding those treasures." Hank was a bit confused, but also excited. In the other room, Scott was already woken up, and just like Hank, he was also thinking about going to Egypt. Actually, they didn't know they had the same dream, 10
but both of them had the same thought which is finding the treasures. In order to help themselves reach their goals, they want to take advantages of the other, but they don't want to share the treasures. Therefore, they decided to go to the Pyramids together, and the journey began.
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Chapter 2 A Prosperous City
At the first day of their journey, Hank and Scott arrived at a prosperous city. They were already tired and went into a bar to take a rest. Inside the bar, the light was dim, and there were some people drinking beer, and watching football game.
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After deciding where to sit and what to drink, a man came to them. "You are not local people, are you?" "We are from countryside, and we want to go to the Pyramids." said Hank. "Oh, the Pyramids." "Do you know how to get there?" asked Scott. The man drank a shot and spoke "Of course. You have to go there by ship, and cross through the great desert. I can help you buy the tickets, and also take you to the Pyramids." "That's so kind of you." Hank was pretty excited. 13
"But the tickets are very expensive, so I need all the money you have, and I just need five minutes to buy the tickets. If you don't trust me, you can find another person to help you." "Oh, I definitely trust you." All Hank wants is to find the treasures, so he gave him all the money he had rapidly, then he went to the toilet. Scott didn't really believe the man, but he also wanted the treasures eagerly, so he took out his money. Right before giving the man his money, he heard the voice 14
deep inside the man's mind. "Hah! I just want their money. There is no way I will take them to Egypt. How dumb they are!" He knew there was something wrong, and he put all the money back to his bag right away. "Wait, I think it will be better if we go and buy the tickets with you." The man knew that Scott found out his trick, so he left in a hurry while Scott was finding Hank. "Where is the man? He already went to tickets?" Hank walked to Scott. "No, he is right over there. He is... Gosh! 15
He is gone. I bet he ran away with all of your money. I heard the voice inside his mind. He is a lair. We should go after him and get your money back right now." Scott hollered. "What? You read people's mind? Knock it off. He just went to buy the tickets. He will come back, just wait and see." Hank thought Scott told a lie in order to get those treasures alone. "Whatever! You idiot!" Scott left the bar with anger. Hank waited for the man in the bar for whole week, but he didn't come back. 16
"Scott was right about the man. I was fooled. I should have listened to him. How dumb I am." He left the bar dejectedly.
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Chapter 3 Dark Forest
Hank was regret he didn't listen to Scott, but he didn't understand why he knew the man was lying. "Why can he hear the voice inside the man's mind? Could it be said that he get the ability of mind reading? Is it because of that dream?" Hank saw a ferocious bear nearby while he was thinking about those questions. He was frightened and suddenly found out he was 18
already in the Dark Forest. He checked if there was something he could use to protect himself, but he didn't find anything. "Damn it! Isn't there a stick or a weapon?" The bear was moving closer and closer. "What's this? A cloak?" At the moment he unfolded the cloak, his hand disappeared. 19
"It's an invisibility cloak!" Hank put on the cloak and hid behind a tree. Saved by the bell, the bear didn't see him and it walked away."Phew! That was close." He was released and suddenly realized the invisibility cloak was the thing he would get; the ability of mind reading was the thing Scott would get. "Oh! I see. That's how it is." After a while, he heard someone was gasping for air. "I don't want to die in the forest. Somebody help me!" It was Scott, 20
and there were a pack of wolves chasing him. "Come here!" Hank hollered. He used the invisibility cloak to cover both of them. "Hank? Why are you here? Humph, shouldn't you stay at the bar and wait for the man?" Scott said ironically. "That was a trick. I had waited him for a whole week, but he didn't come back." "I already told you. But why did you save me? You don't believe me, and you also hate me." "You had reminded me, and I don't like to owe anyone a favor. Now we are even." said 21
Hank. There was a long silence after that. They were both thinking about the dream and the ability and thing they have got. "Did you get something during this journey?" They blurted out at the same time. "An invisibility cloak? / Mind reading?" "Poof." they both laughed. "I think we had the same dream." said Scott. "You are going to find the treasure, right?" asked Hank. "Aren't you?" asked Scott in reply. "Since the old man in the dream said that we need each other, how about 22
finding the treasures together?" "Fine." Scott said.
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Chapter4 Desert
After leaving the Dark Forest, Scott and Hank came to a desert. While they were walking, a bunch of people on camels came forward them. Except for eyes, most of their faces were covered by black robes; they were robbers. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"a man questioned them with sword. "We are just travelers. We have to cross this desert to find 24
Pyramids. Please do not hurt us." cried Hank. "Give all your money and property out, then we will let you go." said another man. "We have nothing, but we can take you to the Pyramids. There are a lot of treasures." said Scott. Hank looked at him surprisingly; he couldn't believe that Scott told them about the treasures. Scott winked at Hank as a sign telling him that he have gotten an idea to help them escape and get rid of them. "I wish you are not lying, or we will put you into death." 25
"Do you know how to get to the Pyramids?" Hank asked Scott in a low voice. "Definitely not. But the robbers thought we have a map and know the way there. They are planning to kill us immediately after finding out how to get there and having the map. I heard the voice inside their mind." "So what are we going to do?" asked Hank." "It's almost sunset, and they will stop and set up a tent to rest soon. I will lie to 26
them that the moon can guide us to the Pyramids and treasures. You have to take out your invisibility cloak and prepare for it before I tell them. "My invisibility cloak? And prepare what?" Hank was confused. "Prepare for running away! We have to jump on a camel." "And use my cloak to cover us and the camel, then run away while they are discussing how to kill us in the tent?" Hank went on. "Exactly." Scott replied. However, Hank looked hesitating, and he also looked like he didn't believe 27
his companion. "Hey, I know we don't get along with each other, and we always treat one another badly. But now we are both in danger, and we have got to cooperate to get ourselves out of this situation." said Scott sincerely. "I trust you." Hank pat on Scott's shoulder. The moon came out, and the robbers stop, and pitched a tent to rest at the desert. "How to get there and find the treasure?" One of them came forward and asked Scott the way to the Pyramids. "Follow 28
the moon, and it will guide us to the Pyramids. This is the map, and we are now here." Scott showed a map to the man and lied to him. "Okay, now you and your friend wait here." said the man. Soon after, he went into the tent with the map, and Scott went to Hank right away."I fooled them successfully, but they are discussing the way murdering us right this moment. We must go. NOW." Hank and Scott jumped on a camel and used the invisibility cloak to cover them all, and 29
they escaped successfully.
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Chapter 5 The Treasures
"I can't believe your plan worked. We did run away." Hank got off the camel. "And I don't know where they will end up by following the moon. Hah!" they both laughed. After escaping from the robbers, they had no idea where they were, and how to get out of the desert. Fortunately, they met some merchants who were going to Egypt, and now they are here. "I also 31
can't believe that we are in Egypt now. I thought we would be killed by those robbers, or never make it to Egypt since we don't even know the way here." said Hank. "We really are lucky. And thanks to the merchants, telling us where the Pyramids are." They both smiled and went into a bistro and had dinner. "Well, I guess I couldn't make it here and be alive on my own. Thank you, Scott." "Neither could I. It's nice having you as companion, Hank." After dinner, they stayed at an inn and 32
went to sleep. During the night, both of them didn't sleep but were thinking of all the moments they have been through these days. "He is not that annoying actually." "He really did help me get out of danger." "Never thought that I will get through all this with him." "Maybe I should..." It seemed that they both had something in their mind. On the next morning, they finally got to the Pyramids. Standing right in front of the spectacular feature, Hank and Scott 33
didn't say a word but staring at it, and then they stared at each other. "How amazing!" Hank first broke the silence. "Indeed, they are magnificent." Scott kept staring at the Pyramids. "So, we are now in Egypt and eventually find the Pyramids." said Hank after a while. "Yeah! We did it. Are you
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ready to go inside and get the treasures?" Scott continued. "I guess so." Hank replied. However, both of them were not really listening to each other but were absent-minded, and they paced back and forth. "I think those treasures belong to you." they suddenly spoke together. "Me? No, you deserve it." they both laughed. "I confess I only want to take advantages from you at first." "Well, I also don't believe in you when the journey first started." "But it turned out you are not that 35
irritating." "You also help me to get out of danger." they kept saying how they feel about each other. "Well, how about this, let forget about the treasures in the Pyramids and go back to the master's." Hank looked at Scott. "Perfect! Let's not fight anymore, live in harmony, and be friends." said Scott happily. "It doesn't matter we don't get the treasures. At least we see the good sides of each other's, and that's enough." "I totally agree with you."
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All of a sudden, dark clouds covered the sky, and it began to rain heavily. There were also lightning and thunder. "What happen?" cried Hank. "I have no idea. Watch out, Hank!" "What? Oh my gosh, the thunder. We have to get out of here." "Let's go! Oh, no! Hank!" Scott screamed. Suddenly, they couldn't see anything but
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darkness. It was silent, and they also couldn't hear anything but a noise. It sounded familiar to them. "WAKE UP! How many times do I have to wake you up? And why are you both sleeping in the cellar?" shouted the master. "What? We slept in the cellar?" Hank and Scott were confused. "No, we were in Egypt and standing in front of the Pyramids." said Hank. "Yeah, we have been through a lot of things together, and we helped each other." Scott looked at the master. "What a 38
wonderful dream! I guess you will only live in harmony in your dream. But it's already eight o'clock, and both of you should start working. Right away!" the master went to the stairs and went up. "The whole journey didn't happen? How could it be possible? All things we have been through together were just a dream?" both of them were thinking about the same thing. "Wait, though the whole journey was just a dream, we remember all of it. According to the old man who 39
appeared in our dream, we got things we needed; we got through some challenges; we also went to Egypt and saw the Pyramids. Only one thing left, and it's finding the treasure." they both smiled, and looked at each other. It seemed that they figured something out. "Hey, I guess we found the treasure." said Hank. " Yes! Hah! Come on, we should get to work, or we will both be punished." Scott walked to the stairs and said to Hank. "Yeah, let's go! 40
References [Pictures]
http://th3scoop.wordpress.com/2013/04 /12/journey-can-videogames-be-art/ http://www.goodfon.su/wallpaper/journ ey-igra-pustynya.html http://www.grantarmstrong.co.uk/portf olio/#!prettyPhoto https://www.google.com.tw/imghp?hl= zh-TW&tab=wi
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Acknowledgement
First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Smith, our instructor of this course. Without his guidance, I couldn't accomplish this English novel. I would also like to thank my classmates who give me suggestions, and help with my novel. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.
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Hank and Scott were both apprentices to a sculptor, but they didn't get along with each other. One night, an old man showed up in both of their dreams. He told them where they can find treasures, and they had to take an adventure to find it. Then the journey began‌
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