RETURN TO ROCK HOUSE CAVE

Recap of the first trip into the Townhouse

Lenny and Wren were experts on Cherokee mythology and folklore of the Indians in the southeast. They agreed to meet with the group and Tom in Kennesaw, Georgia. Tom made arrangements at the museum there for a meeting room. Lenny and Wren had just returned from Blood Mountain with the six and were very interested. It was the summer of 2016, and the kids had three months of summer break, ready to go on an adventure.

Tom introduced everyone in the room and explained that the six hikers, Matthew, Clair, Martin, Sue, Joann, and John, had discovered something that could affect the Cherokees, "Before we share what we have discovered, we will need a confidential agreement signed by everyone present. If word of this leaks out, it will create a lot of trouble, confusion, and damage to our national parks and the north Georgia Mountains. If you agree to help, we will try to solve a mystery that may have a large impact on the area in question."

Copies of the agreement were handed out, and after everyone in the room had time to read it over, Tom asked if there were any questions.

"If I understand this correctly, we cannot say anything to anyone unless the whole group agrees beforehand." Said Wren.

"That's correct. You will notify me, and I will send out the details to get the approval of the Nine. If needed, we will call another meeting. There will be a lot of research and meetings when needed."

"I will let Martin explain a little more before we get into the details." Said Tom.

"We feel that what we have found is very significant, and we want to make sure that the Cherokee history and traditions are protected. That is why we have sought you out for advice and help." Said Martin.

"I would like to add that we all are willing to follow the guidelines Tom has drawn up and sign the agreement." Added Matthew.

Curiosity was high, and they were ready to learn more. Everyone signed the agreements, passing the copies around the table.

Martin then opened the pack by his chair and spread the gold nuggets out on the table. "We found what we believe to be a Cherokee treasure that was buried on Hawk Mountain. However, there seems to be something special about the gold."

Clair started turning the nuggets over. "We noticed that all the nuggets had a smooth side that did not seem natural. Some of the edges fit each other like a puzzle." Clair started connecting some of the pieces.

Matthew rolled out a large map he had drawn. "As we worked the pieces together, they begin to look like a trail, so I played with our trail map changing the scale to see if the trail would match the section of the ridge we were on. We would like to place the nuggets on this map to see what you think."

As Tom, Lenny, and Wren watch, the six connected all the nuggets on the map, reaching from Hawk Mountain to Blood Mountain. The nuggets seemed to cluster just off the ridge top of Blood Mountain.

"We knew of a small cave near the top of Blood Mountain that went back about twenty feet and dropped about four feet that we were planning to explore on our hike. We did explore it and discovered a significant passage. We were not prepared to explore this deep and decided to plan another trip, but when the golden map seemed to point to the cave, we knew there may be more to this mystery. "Said Matthew.

"Could this fit in with the history of the Cherokees'? Asked Joann

Lenny looked at Wren for a few seconds as if to ask, " Should I, or do you want to start?