A twisted bundle of brambles blocked the ancient gateway. Once the limestone castle had stood at the intersection of the ancient trade routes, surrounded by a bustling metropolis of brightly colored merchant tents. Now it was a simple refuge for a scraggly flock of goats and a poor young boy.
The goatherd tugged on the rope to retrieve the bucket. The ancient well in the courtyard contained the greatest treasure of the region. He took a long sip of the only drinkable water for miles, unaware of the mass of gold coins hidden in the watery cavern deep below.
(Photo credit: “The desert castle Qasr Kharana in Jordan” Selected as the Picture of the Day, Wikimedia Commons on August 13, 2012)
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