Idaira-story

It was raining cats and dogs outside, as it is usually in London, when Peter decided to invite that mysterious woman to a coffee. She had been coming to his conferences for the last three weeks, he didn’t know if she was really interested in volcanoes or it was something different, but anyway, she was now in his dreams, in his mind. Those things and the fact that it was his last day in London he couldn’t leave the opportunity to know who she was. He had been waiting for a quarter of an hour when she appeared; she said she had been lost in the Museum looking for the exit. They were talking two hours. She explained she began to study and love volcanoes after reading a book called “Yaiza”. He couldn’t believe what he was feeling from the very beginning of the conversation… something special, different, he needed to know more about her. Time wasn’t long enough to know her; she had to fly as he was, but different directions, so he made a decision on the spot. He invited Jane to have a few days abroad together to know each other and she chose the place, Lanzarote because of the book.

In home’s way Peter was hesitating putting he’s back into home a got at make sense of what he had done, but the following day he encouraging himself thinking life may begins at forty.

During the flight Peter and Jane could know each other better. She was a teacher in her 35’s she had been no married and didn’t have any children; unquestionably, those were good news to Peter. Peter was a volcano scientific; he was 40 and delighted with his trip mate.

They spent first night in La Graciosa, planning the visits and sleeping under the stars. The following day when they were booking the hotel, she interrupted Peter to comment to the receptionist: “We arrived yesterday, but we don’t know when we’ll leave, we have a mission here…” Peter started laughing, she had previously mentioned him that she wanted to visit every place described in her book and that she had no intentions of come back until it.

The hotel was dreamful; the view from the room’s balcony was a mixed between something virgin and magic. Standing there, the island spirit was felt through the black; brown a green colors, birds’ sounds and the hot, dump and windy weather.

At night, happened the same with the sounds. When you were into the bed you could listen “anything”, silence, you could enjoy of the nature’s sounds: waves, slightly wind… It got relax them.

Next morning, they got up because the sun, its light filled all the room, it was incredible and it resulted curious them. Some days along they were in London and its characteristic rain. Jane thought it was a good omen for the trip. After breakfast, they started to visit the island and to enjoy of the landscapes. Each place was magic, incredible, and marvelous. They took photos everywhere: Playa Blanca, Papagayo beaches, Teguise… But, everywhere they arrived Peter had the feeling that Jane was looking for something and she wandered around with a paper in her hands. Peter asked her if something was wrong, and what was that paper. Jane smiled and said that everything was perfect, better that she had imagined, she went into raptures over the beauty of the island. She added that the paper was a map of the different places that appears in the book with a reference of the action that takes place there. Peter believes her.

Few days after, during the breakfast Jane said that they could spend all day visiting Timanfaya. Peter accepted, he loved volcanoes and now, Jane too. They visiting the different of Timanfaya and after lunch, they walked between rocks, lava tubes… The hot was stifling. Peter said that it was solidified lava and under it was a lot of things; include a village because last century volcano was vomiting out torrents of lava during a lot of days. Jane Smiled.

After hours walking, Jane stopped abruptly and her face changed into pallid and she started to laugh loudly. Peter didn’t understand what was happened. From this moment Jane was happier than the previous days but, nervous too.

That evening they decided to have a drink in a romantic small café in Femés and to delight in the incredible sights of the south of the island during the sundown. It was undescriptible. When they left the café something strange happened. Two men were walking to them and Jane seemed surprised and frightened. Jane and the men met each other. Peter noticed that the tone of voice was hard and the conversation was really ugly. When Peter and Jane were sitting in the car, Jane said to Peter: “I have to tell you something. I know that men very well, they are my brothers and the paper that I have always with me it’s the map of a treasure”. Peter was speechless.

In that moment Peter couldn´t believe, He was atonished, He had an agitated look. Then, He realized that Jane deceived him into thinking that they were enjoying in a pleasure trip. “No, you are a treacherous” shouted Peter. “I don´t want to see you again” screamed with pain. In that moment, Jane was aware of her swindle. Jane bent over backwards for him therefore She explained him her fears. “I could not tell the truth about this trip” implored him, “please, listen me, I want to tell you all the truth”. During the time of that trip, Peter fell in love with Jane so He cannot went away and forgot her. Peter decided to listen her in order to know the real truth. Jane told him about the Mayan treasure. “As Nobody can imagine, the Christopher Columbus´s treasure is hidden here in Lanzarote since 1492” Jane whispered in his hear while She show him the map. “Christopher Columbus is my ancestor and only I have this map, I am proud to say you this” said Jane. “I trust you now however I could not say you before in London, please understand me” explained Jane. In 1824, the treasure had been hidden inside the rocks for years so any of Jane´s family had considered the possibility of find it after the Timanfaya´s eruption. Fortunately, Jane had listened the news about an earthquake in Lanzarote two months before she met Peter in the museum and she found out that was her chance. The treasure could be unearth. Peter had been listened her attentively and decided to look for it. “Quickly”, He said, “We went ahead” and we found the treasure before your brothers. Peter and Jane were looking during several weeks inside all the cracks near the main point indicated in that map….They were exhausted when they arrived to the last cave but like a miracle, a ray of sunlight went out. They went inside the caver swiftly and then the treasure appeared in front of their. “Yes, we get it” Jane shouted for joy. “Yes, Jane” said Peter. They were jumped almost for five minutes. Jane suggested that they can make a home-made wheelbarrow with her skirt and some stones to transport the treasure. Peter helped her.

When they left the cave, they could not believe what their eyes saw, it could not be true. John and Michael, Jane's brothers were there waiting for them, both with a gun in their hands. "Don’t be stupid, and give us the treasure," they shouted. Jane felt a mixture of anger and impotence. After all the effort, now it seemed that her brothers would go with it. "No way, you’ll have to get it from my dead hands if you wish it so much," replied Jane. Peter, meanwhile, used the familiar clash to look around and think about an escape plan. "Ok, we will give you the treasure, but if you promise that nobody will get hurt," Peter said. Jane turned towards Peter, but when he winked at her, she knew he had something in mind. "Well then, go very slowly with your hands up and leave here the treasure”. Peter began to approach them, but when he was nearly 2 meters, he suddenly threw the treasure directly to the gun John was holding, achieving his goal, destabilize it. Quickly, he threw himself against John, starting a fight before the astonished gaze of Jane and Michael. Michael got nervous and tried to hurt Peter, but because of the chaos, he was not sure if he had failed. Unfortunately for him, he did. A bullet in John’s back stopped the fight. Peter got frozen trying to assimilate what had just happened. Jane could not do anything but run to her wounded brother, the same Michael did. Both looked each other and knew that this had gone too far. John was killed by his brother. "Look where we have come Michael, do you realize!" "Jane, I really didn’t want it this way, but you have to understand that we really thought that there was no other way ...” Then both merged into a heartfelt hug beside the dead body of their older brother. To avoid the police will notice this unfortunate accident, they decided to drag the body to the depths of the cave. Then, with a small explosive charge, they sealed the entrance, so no one ever knew what had happened there. With this tragedy Jane and Michael decided to donate the treasure to the museum where Peter worked. It would be great that everyone could enjoy these wonders and it will also serve as a tribute to John and they will always remember him and how he died. A month later, an exhibition of lost treasures was organized in London, including a Mayan treasure that was supposedly brought from America by Christopher Columbus in one of his trips to the New World. Nobody knew who had donated to the museum, which made it even more fascinating.