Monuments are Missing
The sun began to rise over Beijing, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. Tourists from all around the world had gathered, cameras in hand, ready to capture the magnificence of the Great Wall of China. But as the first light touched the landscape, gasps of shock echoed through the crowd.
Where the Great Wall once snaked its way through the mountains, there was now… nothing. An endless expanse of untouched land, as if the Wall had never existed. Word spread like wildfire. News crews descended upon the site, while local authorities tried to calm the crowds.
“Where is it?” a man shouted. “How is this even possible?”
Back in New York, Evelyn Sharp, a reporter for a popular international magazine, saw the news break. She was a woman in her early thirties, known for her sharp wit and dogged determination. She turned to her colleague, Max, eyes wide. “This can’t be real. The Great Wall can’t just… vanish.”
Max looked up from his coffee. “It’s not just the Wall,” he said, pointing to the television. “Look.”
The screen displayed a series of images: Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, gone. The Colosseum in Rome, disappeared. And to Evelyn’s astonishment, even the Statue of Liberty had been erased from existence.
She grabbed her jacket. “We need to cover this, Max.”
“You’re not seriously thinking of going there, are you?” Max asked, concerned.
“Someone has to find out what’s going on,” Evelyn replied determinedly.
By the time she landed in Beijing, the city was in turmoil. The authorities had barricaded the former site of the Wall, but that didn’t stop thousands from gathering, holding vigil, praying, or simply staring in disbelief.
Evelyn approached a local officer. “Officer, I’m Evelyn Sharp from New York. I need to see the site.”
The officer, a middle-aged man with stern features, looked her over. “Press?” he asked. Evelyn nodded. “Okay, but be quick. We don’t want to cause a panic.”
As she approached the site, Evelyn noticed a small paper card pinned to the ground. It looked oddly out of place amidst the chaos. She picked it up, reading the cryptic message:
When history’s face is wiped away,
New times begin, old ones decay.
Seek the guardian who sees no light,
To uncover the secret of the silent night.
“What is this?” she murmured.
A voice from behind her answered, “It’s the same riddle they found in Rio and Rome.”
She turned to find a man, probably in his late thirties, with striking green eyes and a rough beard. “And who are you?”
“Name’s Luca,” he replied with a half-smile, “Archaeologist. Well, former archaeologist now, I suppose. There’s not much left to study.”
Evelyn extended her hand, “Evelyn. Reporter.”
She showed him the card, “Any idea what it means?”
Luca stared at the riddle for a long moment, “No. But there’s one thing I’m sure of. This isn’t just an act of theft or destruction. It’s a message.”
Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine. “From whom?”
“That,” Luca said, gazing at the empty landscape before them, “is what we need to find out.”
Their journey had just begun.
Evelyn and Luca decided to team up. While their expertise was vastly different, they felt a shared urge to solve the mystery.
They began in Beijing, hoping to find more clues. As they interviewed locals and explored nearby areas, Evelyn was struck by how deep the grief ran among the people. It was not just about a missing landmark; it was a stolen piece of identity.
Late one evening, after a long day of investigations, they sat in a small local cafe. Over cups of steaming tea, Luca took out a notebook. He had been compiling data from all the missing landmarks, looking for a pattern.
“There has to be a connection,” Luca mused, staring at the notebook. “The way they’re chosen, the order of disappearance, there’s a method to this madness.”
Evelyn leaned in, studying his notes. “So, we have the Great Wall, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, and our Lady Liberty. What’s next?”
Luca frowned, “That’s what I can’t figure out. But this riddle… ‘The guardian who sees no light.’ Any idea?”
Evelyn thought for a moment. “Well, guardians could mean statues or protectors. But ‘sees no light’?” She paused. “Could it be underground?”
Luca’s eyes widened. “The Catacombs!”
Evelyn blinked in surprise. “In Paris?”
Luca nodded, “Exactly! It’s a massive underground cemetery, a guardian of the dead, and definitely sees no light.”
Their next stop was decided. They were headed to Paris.
Upon arriving in Paris, the city seemed calm, yet there was a tangible undercurrent of tension. News of disappearing landmarks had spread worldwide, and every city wondered if they would be next.
The entrance to the Catacombs was even more guarded than usual. The French authorities were taking no chances. But Evelyn and Luca were relentless. Using her press badge and Luca’s archaeological credentials, they gained entry.
Inside the Catacombs, the atmosphere was chilling, both in temperature and feel. Row upon row of human skulls stared blankly, the weight of centuries evident in the air.
As they delved deeper, Evelyn noticed another card pinned to an old wooden door deep within the Catacombs. She picked it up, reading aloud:
In shadowed depths and silent cries,
The heart of the mystery truly lies.
To see the truth and end the spree,
Seek where worlds and times meet freely.
Luca looked puzzled. “Worlds and times meet freely? What does that even mean?”
Evelyn thought for a moment. “Time zones? Where they meet?”
The realization hit them simultaneously. “The Prime Meridian! Greenwich, London!”
The duo made their way out of the Catacombs, the next destination clear in their minds. But as they emerged, they were met by a group of French officers, looking none too pleased.
“Madame, Monsieur, you are under arrest.”
It seemed their journey had hit a sudden roadblock.
In a dimly lit room at a Paris police station, Evelyn and Luca were seated across a plain wooden table. The walls were lined with faded paint and old posters from the 1980s, a stark contrast to the advanced surveillance equipment that hummed softly in a corner.
Captain Delacroix, a tall woman with silver-streaked hair and piercing blue eyes, glared at the duo. “You two think you can just wander into high-risk zones amidst a global crisis?”
“It’s not what you think,” Luca started, trying to sound calm. “We are investigating the disappearances.”
Captain Delacroix raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her gaze. “You and half the world’s detectives. Tell me something I don’t know.”
Evelyn took a deep breath and pulled out the card they found in the Catacombs. “We found this. It’s a riddle, similar to what was found at other sites. We think the next target is in Greenwich.”
The captain studied the card, her expression unreadable. After what felt like hours, she looked up. “Greenwich Observatory, I assume. And what do you plan to do?”
Luca cleared his throat. “We’re hoping to intercept whoever or whatever is behind this. Maybe even stop them.”
Delacroix looked skeptical but finally sighed, handing the card back. “I’ll grant you temporary immunity. But I want updates on your investigation.”
Evelyn and Luca nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, Captain.”
As they boarded the Eurostar to London, the weight of the mission pressed heavily on their shoulders. The riddles seemed to be leading them on a wild chase across the globe, but to what end?
Once in London, the pair quickly made their way to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The meridian line, representing the prime meridian of the world, was a popular tourist spot, but with recent events, it was eerily quiet.
Under the cover of darkness, they staked out the observatory. Hours ticked by, but there was no sign of any activity.
Suddenly, around 3 am, a soft blue glow emanated from the observatory’s main dome. Drawn to it, Evelyn and Luca cautiously approached, the glow intensifying with each step.
Inside, they were met with an astonishing sight: a portal, shimmering and swirling, with glimpses of different landmarks flashing within its depths.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Dressed in robes that seemed to be woven from starlight itself, they had an ageless quality, their face hidden beneath a hood.
“You’re early,” the figure said, voice echoing around the observatory.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Evelyn demanded, taking a step forward.
The figure slowly pulled back their hood, revealing a face that seemed both young and ancient. “I am the Keeper of Times. These landmarks, they are not being destroyed. They are being saved.”
Luca frowned. “Saved from what?”
The Keeper’s gaze was distant. “From humanity’s inevitable destruction. I save pieces of history, storing them for a time when they can be appreciated, in a world that won’t take them for granted.”
Evelyn, disbelief evident in her voice, countered, “By taking them away, you are robbing us of our heritage, our identity!”
The Keeper looked genuinely pained. “It’s the only way.”
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the observatory. The portal’s glow intensified.
“We have to stop this!” Luca shouted.
As they raced towards the Keeper, the world around them blurred, and they were pulled into the portal’s swirling depths.
Evelyn and Luca found themselves in a vast expanse surrounded by floating islands. Each island had structures and landscapes from various points in history. There was the Parthenon, intact and gleaming in the distance. Closeby, an ancient Mayan temple loomed large, surrounded by thick forests. They recognized structures that had long been lost to time, and some that they’d never seen before.
“This… this is incredible,” whispered Evelyn, her journalist instincts tingling.
Luca, ever the archaeologist, was equally mesmerized. “It’s like a museum of Earth’s history, floating in eternity.”
The Keeper appeared beside them, their robes flowing, almost blending with the environment. “Welcome to the Nexus of Epochs, a place beyond time. Here, every significant artifact, every pivotal moment in history, has its place, preserved for all of eternity.”
“But why?” Evelyn pressed. “Our history belongs with us. It shapes our present and our future.”
The Keeper sighed. “Humanity has repeatedly shown its propensity for destruction. Wars, neglect, pollution. In a few centuries, what would be left? This is my solution.”
Luca, gazing at a perfectly preserved section of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, countered, “But it’s not a solution. You’re stealing, not preserving.”
The Keeper seemed taken aback. “Stealing? I see it as salvaging. Salvaging pieces of time before they are lost forever.”
Evelyn took a deep breath. “Can you at least show us our landmarks? The ones you recently ‘salvaged’?”
Nodding slowly, The Keeper waved a hand, and the scene shifted. The Great Wall stretched out, its bricks and towers untouched by time. Nearby, the Statue of Liberty stood tall, torch raised high.
“They’re… beautiful,” Evelyn murmured.
“But they’re not alive,” Luca said pointedly. “Landmarks aren’t just structures. They’re memories, stories, experiences. You can’t truly preserve them without their context, without the people who give them meaning.”
The Keeper appeared contemplative. “Perhaps I’ve been isolated here for too long. I had forgotten what it’s like to be part of a world, part of its ongoing story.”
Evelyn, seeing an opportunity, pressed on. “Then let us return them. Let the world decide its fate.”
The Keeper nodded slowly. “Very well. But if humanity destroys these symbols of its history, I will not intervene again.”
The surroundings began to shift once more, the floating islands merging and swirling as Evelyn and Luca braced themselves for their return.
As they were propelled back through the portal, Evelyn and Luca felt a rush of wind and a blinding flash of light. Suddenly, they found themselves back in the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the early morning light filtering in.
However, it wasn’t just the Observatory they found intact. All around the world, as the dawn broke, the stolen landmarks began to reappear in their rightful places. The Great Wall wound its way through the Chinese mountains once again, the Colosseum stood tall in the heart of Rome, and the Statue of Liberty once again welcomed all to the New World.
The global response was instantaneous. Rejoicing broke out everywhere, with people thronging the landmarks, reaffirming their connections to their shared past.
News agencies wanted the inside scoop, and Evelyn became an instant sensation, her firsthand account dominating headlines.
At a press conference in New York, with the Statue of Liberty in the background, she addressed a sea of reporters. “Today, we’ve been given a second chance,” she began. “These landmarks are not just stone and metal. They are symbols of who we are, of where we came from.”
Luca chimed in, “We must cherish them, preserve them not just for us but for generations to come.”
The days that followed saw a renewed global commitment to conservation. Governments collaborated on restoration projects, and communities came together, volunteering time and resources to preserve their heritage.
Evelyn and Luca, their bond strengthened by their shared adventure, started a global initiative, the “Guardians of Time,” dedicated to protecting and preserving historical sites around the world. With the backing of international communities and funding from various sources, they began their mission with zeal.
However, amidst all the celebration and renewed commitment, a mystery remained. The identity and origins of The Keeper were topics of global speculation.
Some believed they were an alien, others thought they were a time-traveler, while some religious groups proclaimed them an angel sent by God.
Evelyn and Luca, having met the enigmatic figure, had their theories, but they chose to keep them private.
A year had passed since the monumental return of the world’s landmarks. The fervor and unity that the event had sparked seemed to have a lasting effect. Historical sites were no longer taken for granted; they were celebrated and protected.
In the heart of Rome, outside the now fully restored Colosseum, a large gathering was taking place. The inauguration of the “Guardians of Time” headquarters was being celebrated, a symbol of the world’s commitment to preserving its past.
The venue was filled with dignitaries, scholars, and journalists from around the world. Evelyn and Luca stood at the podium, their faces reflecting the pride and responsibility they felt.
“As we stand here today,” Luca began, “we are reminded of the thin line between preservation and loss. The past year has taught us the importance of our shared heritage.”
Evelyn took over, “We’ve learned that every monument, every artifact, has a story to tell. And it is our duty to listen, to understand, and to pass on these tales to the future.”
As the ceremony progressed, a young boy approached the stage, holding a sealed envelope. Curious, Evelyn accepted it. The envelope had a familiar shimmer, reminiscent of the starlit robe of The Keeper.
Opening it slowly, she pulled out a card and began to read aloud:
To the Guardians new and old,
Cherish stories, let them be told.
For in memories and tales of yore,
Lies the essence, the world’s core.
Be the stewards, guide the way,
For history’s light must never decay.
The message was clear, and the crowd was visibly moved. The Keeper might have been a mystery, but their message had been understood and embraced.
Luca, his voice filled with emotion, addressed the gathering. “We may never see The Keeper again, but their lesson will remain with us forever. We are all guardians of our time.”
The ceremony concluded with a global pledge, where leaders from around the world committed to the protection and conservation of historical and cultural sites.
The legacy of The Keeper, though shrouded in enigma, was evident in every restored brick of the ancient walls, in every echo of history that resonated through the ages, and in the hearts of every individual who now stood as a Guardian of Time.
